Gianc, ah, very good; thanks for the timely response! The clear indications of location and numbering were precisely what I was looking for - thank you!
It sounds like you have some Opamps which have the legs splayed out a bit; yes, you have to settle them in carefully prior to applying the gentle pressure to seat them. It's good that the numbering has stayed the same between the Plus and the original unit; makes things less confusing.
As cheap as the opamp extraction tool is I strongly recommend it over toothpicks and pliers. Remember, the average person has some trepidation about this anyway, so stuffing crude tools into the unit is not recommended imo. I understand if you have experience and feel comfortable with it, but many would see that advice and perhaps shy away from the attempt. Others are more clumsy and might damage something with a larger tool. It's always best to use the right tool. Case in point, the socket for the opamp can be pulled/damaged if one latches onto it rather than the opamp base. It would be harder to ensure you have the opamp and not the base when pulling if you have a needle nose pliers. The extraction tool has a little bent end which is placed right under the opamp whereas the pliers are straight - a greater risk of pulling on the socket. This is just an observation for those without experience.
Interesting idea with the razor and scraping the legs prior to insertion; I'll not endorse that officially but it's creative and certainly makes sense that it would make for a better connection, like getting corrosion off of speaker cable spades, etc.
Gainc, so, why not remove the tube now, with the upgraded Opamps, and see if there is an improvement in the SS output? I most certainly will try that. Again, as if it hasn't been said enough(to the general public)... at your own risk. I think the other interesting tweak was to remove the tube Opamps and run the unit completely SS. When I tried them the tube removal with the tube Opamps in the unit was the best result.
Knowing myself I likely will be opamp rolling several sets again, but at least its easy work for exceptional results. :)
Once again, I'm not speaking here in any offical capacity for Dagogo.com or Morningstar Audio. Bill at Morningstar doesn't mind my futzing personally but wants it universally known that all these activities are beyond the scope of the warranty. So, let no one mess up a unit - i.e. by taking a pliers to it - and then come running back to Morningstar feigning need for a repair due to some defect. It's sad that I have to say that, but with the last unit there were some who tried some home surgery and then went to Bill to seek reparations. We need people with more integrity than that.
