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A year has now passed since I first introduced the Audio Hungary P200 Amplifier & C200 Preamplifier to my shortlist. This amazing musical combo beat many other units (some nearly four times the price)!

Other changes within the system chain had to be made to enable this combo to perform at their best, such as interconnect and speaker cable changes. After that was completed, I began to get a sense of what tubes (or valve) amplification really had to offer.

I will try not to repeat much of the description of what I experienced in the earlier ‘Deep Listening’ descriptions (Please use the link at the bottom of the page to read more about that). This tube upgrade or (tube roll) experience is more of an extension of the previous amplifier & preamplifier review.

KT120 TUNG-SOL TUBE (existing tubes supplied with the P200 Amplifier)

In September of 1950 Tung-Sol introduced the 5881, an uprated and industrial version of the 6L6GA with a 23.5 watt plate dissipation, opening the doors to the hi-fi movement of the 1950s. This rugged tube also found a home in the '59 Fender Bassman and servo amplifiers used in B-52 bombers. In 1955 Tung-Sol raised the bar of high fidelity with the introduction of the 35 watt 6550, which could deliver 100 watts with a pair in push-pull configuration. This tube was used in the Dynaco Mark III and Sunn amplifers.

KT150 TUNG-SOL TUBE (upgrade tube roll)

With a massive plate dissipation of 70 watts, the Tung-Sol KT150 is the most powerful octal beam tetrode ever produced. A pair of KT150s can allow an amplifier with a power output approaching 300 watts to be built.

The Tung-Sol KT150 glass envelope is a special egg shaped balloon that was developed to improve thermal dissipation and maintain a superior vacuum for the best sound. The fact that the glass envelope has no flat sides means the Tung-Sol KT150 has no problems with microphonics.

 

 

Using the KT150 tubes

As mentioned above, the KT120 tubes were supplied with the Audio Hungary P200 Amplifier. You do have the option to have either the KT150 tube, or KT170 tube supplied with the P200 Amplifier, but as this was my first tube amplifier exploration, I felt it was best to opt for the KT120 and see how I got on. Well, as you probably read from the initial Audio Hungary amplifier & Preamplifier Experience Review, I got on just fine! I confess when I first heard the term (tube rolling) I imagined the term referred to some type of intricate bakery technique!

So, ‘how does the KT150 sound (or feel)?’ Well, I am only fifteen hours into the recommended seventy-two hours tube burn in time and my first impressions are… WOW…

15 November - We are now 80+ hours into listening.
Experience Review to be updated shortly...

 

 

 

Turntable
AMG Viella V12 turntable with AMG Teatro MC with newly fitted the Fritz Gyger II stylus & AMG reference tonearm cable.

Phono stage & interconnect cables. Whest PS.40RDT Special Edition phono stage.
We used the Townshend F1 Fractal balanced XLR interconnect cable between the phono stage and Audio Hungary C200 Preamplifier.

CD player
Musical Fidelity A3 CD player.
Pure silver bespoke RCA cables between CD player and preamplifier.

Amplification
Audio Hungary P200 Amplifier & C200 Preamplifier with supplied Tung-Sol KT120 tubes
(Tung-Sol KT150 tubes are the optional upgrade (tube roll as per above Experience Review).
With Townshend F1 Fractal balanced XLR interconnect cable between power amplifier & preamplifer.

Speakers & speaker cable
MartinLogan ESL11A speakers (ARC - Anthem Room Correction switched off)
with Townshend DCT Isolda speaker cable.

Table
Quadraspire Q4 EVO 4 tier shelf.

Power & mains cables
Russ Andrews balanced mains unit (BMU 3000)
Russ Andrews Powerkord 300 mains cables for Russ Andrews BMU 3000, amplifier, preamplifier, CD player and speakers.

Various alternative BMU configurations were used during this experience, such as power amplifier, or preamplifier plugged directly into the wall as well as the BMU 3000.
Connecting the power amplifier & preamplifier to the BMU300 gave best results to our ears.

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