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Anthem Pre 2L tube rolling question

The Anthem Pre 2L uses four matched 6922s. I've swapped in plenty of varieties, and now have found some that sound really good (Valvos) but were pretty expensive. I've been swapping whole quads in and out.

Is it ok to use one pair of "good tubes" and one pair of stock tubes (or other ordinary tubes) in combination and still get positive effects? Of course, this way my quad of "good tubes" will last twice as long.

Just curious - of course I need to know if the good pairs should be on the front or the back.

Anybody with experience on the Pre1L or Pre2L can answer?
dozer
paulwp
585 posts
 
Hmm, that's a problem because I thought for sure Kevin told me the opposite, unless we arent talking about the same front. I could be mistaken, and as I said, I just swap all four. I'll see if I can raise him.
pmi_guy
72 posts
 
I've been wondering the same thing for my Pre-1L. I'm about to start tube-rolling and would like to save time/money by swapping in pairs rather than quads. Are the two pre-amps the same as far as tube position?
dozer OP
15 posts
 
Paul/Yowser: Could one of you break the tie by saying "I'm 100% positive that I'm the one who heard Kevin Deal right"?

Back pair = closer to rear panel. Front pair = closer to front panel.

Thanks. Dozer
upscaleaudio's avatar
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upscaleaudio
258 posts
 
Hi there..

In the Pre-2L and Pre-2LSE both pairs of tubes are voltage gain. One may be more pleasing to upgrade than the other for you. There are no rules to that. Try it for yourself.

In the Line 1 and Line 2 we seemed to get the best results by changing just the rear pair. This in an effort to get the most bang for the buck and not do all six tubes.

The good news is that both preamps are such that you can mix and match. Just make sure that each pair are the same. So you can put Russian 6922 in one position and 7308, 6922, 6DJ8, CCa, etc in another.

Regards,

Kevin Deal
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