Tube Phono-Stage question.

Well, I wound up purchasing the Phono Tube Box II with Harmonix 12AX7EH tubes! Much better! The bass is tighter and more focused! The bass output is a little less, but more accurate to my ear! These tubes only cost $14 dollars each! They did not have any higher end tubes available so I thought I would give the harmonic tubes a try and upgrade the tubes in a month or so! What would be the best sounding tubes for this phono-stage?

Thanks for all the advice and input! Analog is a new world to me, and I must say I am really enjoying music more than ever! Thank you all forl the information!

A friend of mine put Brimar Black Plates in his Tube Box SEII and it sounds fantastic.

Rick:What do you like/dislike,with the "current" tubes? It would be easier to make recommendations.

The bass from the stock tubes seemed mushy and slow! There was not much impact or slam! Thats how it sounded with my gear. The harmonixs tubes have much better bass control! I recently had spine surgery, so for months all I have done is listen to music! I have kinda been obsessed! :) So, I guess I am really sensitive to changes in my system. Hopefully after a couple of days these new tubes will sound even better! What is the best web-site to buy tubes if I get an itch to try some higher-end tubes like the ones mentioned above? Thanks again for the input!

Rick , you did have a rega exact cartridge that was faulty.Which you had to return which is very rare but happens with anything but, Now you have purchased a Benz Micro Glider. Here the price for the Exact 11 new I paid 450 taxes in. A new benz micro glider is double that plus the tax here. The phono pre is what you should spend the money on in my opinion anyway. A good 500 dollar cartridge and a 1000 dollars on a good new or used phono pre if chosen properly will really open your eyes.If money is an issue like it is for most of us in this economic climate you would be even more surprised at how some of the older pre amps with a built in phono section that can be bought for low dollars and just used for phono section will still out perform most new 500 dollar phono amps. Case in point ADCOM 565 was known for a great phono section and can be had for a couple of hundred, the classe's more but better still.Not knocking you , I just don,t get the logic of using a cartridge that good and a pre-amp that just can,t dig your monies worth out of it.The pre-amplification in a system can make or break even the best gear being fed into it and if it can,t keep up with what it is being fed and convey it out to the speakers then the potential is derailed. The phono pre is just as important and in my humble opinion should not be the peice to make consessions with. Like speakers are just as important and even the best pair can,t reproduce what they don,t see. It,s just when I look at the rest of your equipment in your system which is all Excellant gear to not see its potential for anologue for you to hear how truly good vynil can be, well for a long time vynil guy its a sin ! Irreguardless of what I or anyone else thinks its your ears and your dollars so do enjoy the sounds of vynil. Cheers