Is there a strategy in preamp tube placement?

@pindac "The reports being made on these Tubes are generally good and have got my attention".

For sure. After trying various matched pairs and matched quads of vintage over a decade, along with several loaners from friends, now mothballing them away in storage and going through some of the new boutique tubes coming available the past 1-5 years has been worth it. Following these same engineers from factory to factory design teams is interesting. Linlai are next for me to try.  Some of the better quality and better sounding tubes coming out is a nice option to have. I’m still in the 1-2+ year longevity evaluation phase on my last three quad sets. Time will tell.

The best tube placement I have ever seen is in their sockets. 

I settled on the KR Black Glass VT 231, as the best attractor for myself.

I then learned of certain individuals making claims the Linlai E 6SN7 with approx’ 100 Hours usage life has compared favourably to the KR VT 231. The reports being made on these Tubes are generally good and have got my attention.

@pindac , the Linlai Global Elite E-6SN7 are the tubes being praised and compared to Ken Rad VT-231. Available only through Linlai factory direct and Grant Fidelity.

The E-6SN7 available on Ebay are intended for the Chinese market. The Global Elite are for export to the US.

The Thread that caught my attention, which has now expended quite considerably with posts since first discovered, is in the link.

 Audiogon Discussion Forum

@pindac 

I was one of the early buyers of Linlai's 6SN7. Due to a lack of information at the time, I purchased E-6SN7's from an Ebay dealer. I was very active on that thread as members learned that there were indeed two different 6SN7 types (as stated on the Linlai website). As the tubes burned in, it sounded like they may live up to the hype. But after 100 hours they sounded dull and lacked the realism that the Grant Fidelity tube users were reporting. 

If I knew then what I know now, I would have paid the higher price of the Global Elite with the vertical Linlai logo on the glass.