KR Audio 845's

[Amfibius]

Hi gents, I have compared the standard Cary supplied 845 with the Shuguang 845B, Shuguang Psvane 845T, and the KR Audio 845's.

Cary no-name 845's: rather thin sounding with the most lacklustre tone of the three. Good dynamics, especially good microdynamics.

Shuguang 845B: AVOID! DO NOT USE THIS TUBE IN YOUR CARY! I have tried this tube on two occasions and each time, the amp blew up. The first time, it actually burnt out a resistor and the bias pot. The second time, the fuse exploded and took out the fuse holder. That's right, the fuse did not just blow - it exploded. I had to remove shards of glass from the fuse holder. It was not a faulty tube - these were 845B's supplied by different people. The base is physically thicker than any of the other 845's, and it is a bit of a tight squeeze to get it into the socket. The internals look to be better built than its more expensive cousin, the Psvane 845T.

Shuguang Psvane 845T: sounds horrible out of the box. Needs 100 hours of burn-in, then this tube REALLY opens up. This is an exciting sounding tube, with excellent dynamics and a wide, deep soundstage. Tonally it is richer than the Cary 845's in the midrange, but the top end can be a little glaring. This is an impressive looking tube - it is physically larger than most 845's, is heavy, and glows very brightly.

KR 845: also sounds horrible out of the box, and needs 100 hours of burn-in. Tonally the best of the lot - the bass, midrange, and top end are incredibly lush and rich, with no hint of the brightness of the Shuguang Psvane. The sound is simply beautiful - going back to the Psvane after listening to this tube is a bit of a jarring experience. Dynamics are not as good as the Psvane. These valves glow very dimly - the Psvanes shine like a 20W lightbulb. The KR 845's emit a dull orange glow.

Best tube of the lot: KR 845 if you like tone, Psvane 845T if you like dynamics.

UNFORTUNATELY ... one of the sockets in my amp is proving to be a tube killer. Anything I mount in that tube eventually dies after 20-30 hours. Right now - I have two dead Psvane 845T's, and a dead KR Audio 845. I can easily replace the Psvane 845T's, but the KR 845 is proving harder to track down. I have emailed a number of supposed KR Audio dealers, and emailed KR Audio themselves. I have received NO replies from anybody!

Does anyone know where I can get another pair of KR 845's, or better still - sell me one of yours?

[Amfibius]

Bump. Still looking for a pair of KR 845's.

[jostber]

You should be able to get them here:

KR Audio 845