? Tube Replacement Question ?

Considering all of the varied opinions & recommendations regarding aftermarket & NOS tubes, I am admittedly a bit reluctant to "tinker". Maybe this is my way of admitting that my audio system is more of a source of quality listening pleasure rather than an end in itself. Nevertheless, I appreciate Samujohn's point. When it comes to motorcycles & photography, some of my expenditures are hard to justify to the non-enthusiast.

I do not doubt that other tubes might very well be more pleasing to my ear. But I am unwilling to find out which ones they are by trial-and-error. It seems like there are too many variables that affect sonic quality to keep the risk of getting the "wrong" tubes low. Please correct me if thinking is unsound (pun intended).

"Only an expert reseller can tell who actually made a tube, or its condition.”

That’s also my opinion. Bargain hunting for tubes by the inexperienced is likely to turn out less satisfying and more costly in the long run. In addition to the variety and quality of tubes that they have in their inventory, the advise and integrity of the best resellers make it well worth the premium you pay. In fact, I would suggest that if one has a well set-up, high quality tube system, a call to one of these experts is almost requisite.

I recently owned the power amp, VS55 that matches your preamp. When I bought it I emailed Jim McShane and was very pleased with his prompt reply and his knowledge. I took him up on one of his suggestions and was very pleased with the results. My trade is law. I do tinker, but I also respect expertise. Especially when the one providing it is willing to explain and offer alternatives.

Rodman99999 makes the point that replacing all the tubes with certified low-noise tubes is "well worth the cost". Since I do not use the phono stage, is there an obvious difference in sonic quality will all low-noise tubes?

"...the quiet ones were where they needed to be (phono input, Post RIAA amp, and line input).The not so quiet ones went where they didn't cause any problems (cathode followers and intermediate gain stages. By doing this we could use 95% of the tubes. You don't need a quiet tube everywhere and that is why RAM Tubes come in 4 grades." RM