Hello everyone!
I have a question. Is it possible to replace the KT88 in the Pittbull UL with a KT120?
Best regards, Sascha
Hey Sacha, welcome to the forum.
There is no reason you can’t use KT120s in the UL. Just remember that 120 refers to how much power the tube can supposedly dissipate. Not how much power your amp will produce. That last bit is determined by the power supply.
So don’t be surprised if the amp gets stiffer and less playable.
Dave
Hey Dave.
Thanks for the reply.
I think I’ll just give it a try.
Best regards, Sascha
In the pitbull ultralead manual it says that the power tubes must be kt88’s or 6550’s. Also forgive me for asking a dumb question, but I don’t understand what you mean about the UL120 not being about power output and instead being the amount the tube can dissipate. Can you please explain?
Welcome to the forum!
I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you are asking, but I’ll give it a shot.
The UL is designed to operate with 6550 or KT88 power tubes. So, don’t use 6L6 or EL34.
The output power an amp can produce is typically about half of the total power that the power tube can dissipate. This is because a tube amplifier is normally around 50% efficient.
This means that while a tube can deliver about 25W to speaker, it will waste 25W of heat in the process. Total power dissipation is 50W, total output power to the speaker is 25.
Hope that helps!
Dave