new to tubes

I would not be able to make that description. However, seeing as how you just bought the amp, why not listen to it as is for a few months?

EL34s are closest to solid state sound of the three tubes...clear and articulate, not as much bloom or romance as the KT88, truer timbre and more accurate tonal balance, a tad more clinical, but without the transistor signature or chip sterility of solid state. I do not agree that the EL34 has diminished bass vs. a KT88. The bass of the EL34 is tighter and more accurate.

Of these two tubes, the KT88 offers the largest soundstage and is perhaps the most colored tube...technicolor...compared to the EL34. The KT88 is more euphonic, more tube like, and a little less accurate.

By the way, I own an Audion Silver Knight PX25 amplifier. I have come to really appreciate the PX25 tube...

After having owned two EL34 push-pull amps, I would hazard a guess that the bass from these tubes has as much to do with other design elements as the tubes themselves. I would suspect the output transformers first of all.

Facten, while a lot of folks will speak out on sonic characteristics, you will find a big variance in sound between the same tubes of different manufacturer ... so much so that you cannot really ascribe a sonic character to any tube. This, coupled with the fact that the design and component quality of an amp has more influence on the amp sound than the tube itself, makes defining the possible characteristic is somewhat academic to say the least.

Regards
Paul

Listen to the PX25 tube...there is no doubt that this tube has more grunt...it is faster handling transients than a 300b, and not as warm, nor is the bass response as rolled off. If you listen to tubes within a line, you will find that every line imparts some bias...Cary and Audio Note are darker overall than Audion. But there are characteristics of each tube that transcend the lines, and may be magnified in some product lines, and diminished n others, but those characteristics define the sound of the tube. You need to decide what is important to your ear. If you like hard rock music, perhaps the EL34 or PX 25 would be a better choice than a 300B? Vocals and string instrumentals, acoustic guitar, the female voice, perhaps the 300B is the tube for you. Big soundstage, technicolor...maybe KT88s. Just make sure you listen to the tubes in the equipment that you intend to purchase, including the speakers and the front end. And you owe it to yourself to listen to Single Ended amplification before you decide.