Preferred Series KT88 Power Vacuum Tube (Matched)
Our Preferred Series KT88 vacuum tube is a versatile high quality tube. It is very musical and with a frequency range balanced from top to bottom. It has a strong detailed bass and smooth highs, with the mids slightly warm yet still detailed. The soundstage is wide and deep. The Preferred Series KT88 power tube construction features a solid plate design and triple getters.
We have been working at sourcing a good quality KT88 tube for the past couple years. This KT88 has excellent quality and for the price is one of the best KT88 in production today. They are custom made for us in China by the Shuguang factory. Our years of experience in testing, rating and listening, combined with customer feedback and knowledge were used to give you the best tube value we can provide. These are tubes that consistently provide us with positive customer feedback.
This tube is also sold as or known as Penta KT88SC or KT88-SC tube.
The Preferred Series KT88 tubes carry a 6 month extended warranty.
Wholesale pricing: Is available on 25 pairs or more. Contact us for pricing.
Other Preferred Series tubes KT88 Tube Types
Additional Information and Downloads
Tube Matching Information:
Power Tube Matching FAQ
Perfect Pair System
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 6 monthsPreferred Series tubes have a 6 month warranty from date of purchase. (Any exceptions will be noted on that tube's Warranty tab)
If you receive a tube that does not perform to the manufacturer's specifications, please do the following:
- contact us to get a return authorization
- return it via regular mail within 180 days from when we shipped it, and we will provide an exchange or refund of the full purchase price of the tube.
Returns not related to warranty or defect will be considered at our discretion, and are subject to a 15% restocking fee.
We can not accept returns that don't have an authorization, are past 6 months, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
22 reviews
great sound from my V4
by Gardar Holm
Great value.
After using the great JJ KT88 I bought those and do not regret.
Great base and silky soft sound. Good for all music, jazz, classic, rock...
Outstanding Replacement in Primaluna DiaLogue Two
by M. Grozde
When my Primaluna DiaLogue Two power tubes needed replacement I decided to search around for either an upgrade with NOS or highly rated new tubes. I wanted to purchase the KT88 Preferred but they were out of stock so I borrowed power tubes from a friend, namely Tungsol 6550 and KT150. I've had a fair amount of listening time and liked the 6550s better than the KT150. Well the Preferred Series KT88 are back in stock so I decided to get a set. I was floored how much better the overall sound improved. I didn't think that power tubes could make such a difference. Highly recommended to anyone thinking of getting a new set of KT88s.
Surprised and Delighted
by Tube Nube
If these are reminiscent of the GEC KT88s then count me in. Sound really good in a Bob Latino ST-120 amp. Bias is stable. Bass grunt similar in a way to Tung-Sol KT120s but tighter with better precision and without the bass bloat. Nice balanced highs and very good vocals. I like them better than other high-end Shuguangs like their KT-88T which are hot on the high end and have too much detail (ear bleed) not to mention notoriously LONG break in cycle. The Preferred Series KT88 tubes dropped right in and sounded good after a an hour or so warm up. Tube selection is a compromise of sonic qualities and the PS KT-88s checks off a lot items I prefer. Well done!
Robust Tube! Great for Bass Amplification.
by NickelFlatwound
As far as I'm concerned, this tube is the most "NOS" sounding KT88 of modern production!
Creamy, Glassy, Crunchy, whichever tone you desire.. these step up to the plate by delivering superior tone and stability.
Bing Bing Shuguang !
Great Tube, Highly Recommended!
by Richard Heilman
I had been using JJ's in my VAC Standard 220 monoblocks before this and had been quite happy with them. The last time I re-tubed the amps, one of the new JJ's ran wild and in the process blew 2 resistors and a couple of caps, which ended up costing me $500 in repair work. I decided to try these "Preferred Series" tubes as I learned they are made by Shuguang and are the same tubes (Penta SC, which means a "strict copy" of the original Genelex KT88) that Kevin Hayes of VAC recommends. I couldn't be happier. There is tremendous cohesion from the bottom to the top, with very fine bass and detailed, transparent mids. Plus they seem very stable and of very high build quality. I've shied away from Chinese tubes until now, but are sold on these. Highly recommended! A little pricier than some others, but well worth the extra few dollars and still a tremendous bargain.