Upgrading Sonic Frontiers Line 3SE to ???

I did bring my Line 3SE to a friend's house for A/B in the past, his ARC Ref 2 Mk II outgun my Line 3SE on bass weight and dynamic for sure. I later found out the 6GH8 was worn and replaced them, that restored some of the dynamic but 6H30 pre (ARC Ref 2 Mk II or BAT 51SE) do have an edge on dynamic from what I read/heard.

Currently I have Sylvania 6GH8, Siemen 6922, and Sovtek 6H23 in buffer. I have plenty of Valvo and Tunsgram to put in buffer after 6H23 are worn. What will be a good choice for driver without costing a fortune. Don't have $500 to spend on a pair of pinch waist, but can swing $250 for a pair good tubes if that will improves the bass.

I tried many amps in the past, but only BAT 75SE gave me the goosebump I was looking for. For sure 75SE does not have solid state like bass and that's the reason of 2nd amp like Pass, but I like the amp enough I am willing to search for a new pre to go with it.

Amperex A-Frame 6DJ8 in the buffer should help you achieve the dynamics/bass weight you are looking for.

I think you'll get more dynamics and slamm by going with solid state amp with more power than your current BAT amp.
SF speakers typically are laid back sounding, so if you want more slam, pair them with SS amp.
Also, you may want to have your friend bring his ARC preamp to your place to compare. This way you'll know better in your system and your room.

This may sound too simple, but if you really like your BAT VK-75SE, and you've heard and enjoy the 6H30 tubes, why don't you just try/buy a BAT VK-51SE and be done?

FWIW, yes, I agree that the 6H30 tubes are more dynamic and powerful, however, they do seem to lose a bit of that midrange bloom that tubes are famous for, IMHO. They do blend solid state and tube attributes, though to some, this is not a good thing. Perhaps it's because there are no NOS 6H30 tubes to roll, as I've found Sovtek 6922's to sound a bit sterile as well compared to NOS Amperex/Mullards/Siemens etc.

FWIW, I would try rolling the 6H23's with the Valvo and Tungsgrams, since you already have them. It can't hurt.

Happy hunting,

John

You might consider the Electron Image Amati which is currently listed for $4,100 (I have no affiliation with the seller). The Amati is designed and built by Mike Kerster, whom I believe was the design chief for the Sonic Frontier Preamp 3. In the Amati, Mike Kerster incorporated some of the technical knowledge he gained will work for Audio Note. The Amati has a built-in very high gain phono section. The Amati also has XLR outputs. I am currently using an Amati my Audio Note system. If you want any additional information feel free to contact me off-line.

Don