Audio Research REF3 tube question clarification



Audio Research REF3 kindly clarify.

Do the 5 Sovtek 6H30PI tubes have to be all matched to get the best sonic performance?

What do the 5 tubes actually control?

Hours on tubes, when should they be changed to get the BEST sonic performance as there seems to be different opinions.

Sovtek 5 tubes, some say change them up to 1600-1800 hours but other sugest 3000 hours, which is it?

Winged "C" (SED) 6550C tube, some say change up to 800 hours but others sugest 3000 hours, which is it?
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Pre-amp tubes should last between 3-5000 hours dependant upon how hard you drive your Ref.3

Same comment for the power supply tube.

Matching is not necessary, but buy the lowest noise you can. I use RAM tubes in my own (from brand new, the suppied set are still in their foam).

Hope this helps a bit, but you will tend to hear if there is something wrong.

Regards
The 6H30 "Supertube" is a little different from your ordinary tube. These were designed for the Russian Military for extreme use at up to 10,000 hours. I provided a link below to comments made by Viktor from BAT.

The 6550 is a power tube and thus typically runs hotter and doesn't last as long. These probably will last 1000-1500 hours.

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=tubes&n=218137&highlight=6h30
thks for the info., thats even more hours.

My understanding is that 2 of 6H30PI tubes are per channel and the one left over is partial for power supply is this correct?

If 2 per channel would it not be important to have a matched pair for each channel?

Are there any differences between the 6H30PI tube sonically? for example the date made much of a difference sonically?

Difference between the ARC tubes or purchasing from a reputable tube dealer?