diytube.com

I recently glommed onto a bunch of Russian Made "Saratov" (aka Sovtek)
KT66s. These allegedly faithfully follow the original Genalex design.
Are these happiest with a 6600 CT OPT or can I get away with 4300 ohms
OPTs (as on a Dynaco ST-70).

Just wondering....

Just got back from two weeks down in teh sunny warm south.

/ed B in NH

EWBrown wrote:Just got back from two weeks down in teh sunny warm south.

/ed B in NH

I was getting worried about you, Ed! Hope you had a good time.

Shannon

Hey Ed,

Where in the sunny south did you go?

I live in sunny Maryville TN, a town just outside the great smoky mountians.

As for KT-66's, I think someone here has used them in a ST-70. If I has a set, I would stick 'em in my ST-70!

The KT66 is similar to a 6L6GC, like a KT88 is similar to a 6550.

TerrySmith wrote:I live in sunny Maryville TN, a town just outside the great smoky mountians.

Terry,

Do you know Mark Lucas, then?

I had a Maryville, TN address for awhile - though I almost lived on Chapman Highway. Ahh, the foothills of the Smokies.

Shannon

No, I have'nt met Mark Lucas yet, we just moved here 3 months ago. Is he a local?

Well, I'm local to Knoxville anyway. But don't hold that against me...I rented in Maryville for a couple of years. You need to get in touch with me Terry!!
Hope things are great with you Shannon!!

I was near Hayesville, NC, in the "Tusquittee" community, about 5 miles north of US 64, north of Lake Chatuge. Looking to buy a place there in the near future, and move down there in a couple years.

FYI, "Tusquittee" is Cherokee language for "Land of the laughing waterdog" Waterdogs are a specias of fully aquatic salamander also known as mudpuppies.

I wasn't sure if I could just "plug 'n' pray" by sticking KT66s into an existing Dynaco ST70, or if the OPT primaries had to be higher impedance. THis would be a "test drive" for another project:
The project which I had in mind, is to load up an empty ST-70 chassis, using a VTA drive borad I got from tubes4hifi earlier in the summer, some Hammond-Organ labelled Dynaco OPTs, an Uncle Ned power trannie and C354, and an SDS labs cap board. Just another "frankenamp"
project :redhotevil: :twisted:
The chassis has the usual pits and zits from having existed for about 40 years, but I cleanedit up a bit, the next step is to decide whether to just paint it, or go all out and send it to the local motorcycle chrome plating place and really make it shine. :D The hammond organ dynaco trannies were NOS but had cruddy looking end bells, so I removed and cleaned them up and rehabbed them with red metalflake spray paint, and gloss black on the laminations.

/ed B in NH

EWBrown wrote:I wasn't sure if I could just "plug 'n' pray" by sticking KT66s into an existing Dynaco ST70, or if the OPT primaries had to be higher impedance. THis would be a "test drive" for another project:
/ed B in NH

I've put KT66 in an ST70 and they sound better than EL34, IMHO, in an ST70. However,
you have to live with about 25% less max output (no problem if your speakers are
efficient enough). 4300 ohms really isn't a problem, that's about what Fender runs
6L6's at. Just a little less power and a bit more low order distortion.

However,if you just gotta have 6600 ohms, and if you're patient, I've got someone
checking out some samples of a A420 clone.

Impedances are a matter of design philosophy, they're not written in stone numbers.
Some, like Dynaco & Fender, liked to overload a bit, others, like Williamson, liked
the reverse, it's a balance of distiortion levels vs. power and what best works with
what speakers one likes to use..which is yet another monkey wrench in the
equation.

I guess North Carolina is "down souith" to people in New Hampshire. I figured you went
someplace good like Michoacan. Costa Rica or Guatemala ;-)

When did Hammond (the organ company) ever use Dynaco transformers?
I know some pretty diehard Hammond buffs..I mean, guys who hung out with
Laurens Hammond & Don Leslie, that's about as hardcore as you can get..
...never heard them mention that!

The Dynaco / Hammond trannies came from a vendor on Ebay (from Arkansas) last year, he had bought out the leftover stock from a retired Hammond Organ service shop, the OPTs had "Dynaco" and a six digit "House Number" ink- stamped on the end bells.

They have the original full length cloth covered wires, same color codes as used in the ST-70, and they are the exact same physical dimensions and 4300 ohms primary impedance.

I bid fairly low for the pair, and since no one else bid higher, I got 'em for a "steal". ($51 plus s/h for the pair).

Now, these could have been used in another brand of organ, or they could have been replacements.

If I remember right, Sunn amplifiers used Dynaco power components, and even the MKIII monoblocks, perhaps the trannies were leftover Sunn
stock?

/ed B in NH

TerrySmith wrote:No, I have'nt met Mark Lucas yet, we just moved here 3 months ago. Is he a local?

Yes - he says there's a thriving Bottlehead group that meets down there. I'll try to get some info to you and Evsentry3.

Shannon

Uncle Ned wrote:I've put KT66 in an ST70 and they sound better than EL34, IMHO, in an ST70.

Hi Ned,

I know I've asked either you or Jim McShane this before, but what modern factories make the KT66? Is it all Sovtek and then other's pick and choose and relabel? Like Groove Tubes, for example?

I'm just not sure if a Sovtek KT66 from ten years ago and the recent production are exactly the same.

Shannon

I looked on AES' site, they have for newly manufactured KT66s, Chinese Valve Art , and "Groove Tube" which look just like re-branded Russian Saratov/Reflektor KT66s.
I'll check the date codes on mine, I believe they are recent manufacture.

/ed B in NH

separks wrote:I'm just not sure if a Sovtek KT66 from ten years ago and the recent production are exactly the same.

The Saratov (Groove Tubes) and Chinese (Valve Art) KT66 are both pretty close copies of the real (MOV) deal. The current Sovtek "KT66" is just a Sovtek 6L6WXT in a 6550 bulb. Cute, but not much of a KT66.

Where can you get the real Saratov KT66's? I might do a '35 like Roy did, and try 6L6, KT66, or the new JJ 7591! I'll put push-on terminals on the socket jumpers, so I can reconfigure the socket connections.

These are from the same seller (lowtechelec) thatI got my KT66s from earlier. Hard to tell from the photo if they are Reflektors, Saratovs, Sovteks, etc, but they are Russian.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 80478&rd=1

/ed B in NH