I owned a Premier 140 for several years - its a very nice amp. Congrats on your purchase - will your 140 be lucky enough to get its own SRA platform?
At the time of its debut few components (mostly BAT) were using the 6N30, and the Premier 140 saw CJs first use of that tube. Nowadays its better known as the 6H30. CJ seemed to back away from it after the ACT2, though it has been widely adopted by ARC. Don't bother with the 6H30-DR which, imo, has minor sonic impact in that amp relative to its cost- the stock Sovtek-sourced 6H30-DP work fine.
Your Amperex 6DJ8 is a good place to start. The stock Sovtek 6922 is not a bad tube though it can sound a wee bit mechanical compared to NOS. Luckily you only need one as the price of good NOS 6DJ8 family has skyrocketed in the past 5+ years. I tried Siemens, Valvo, Telefunken E188CCs, and white label USN Amperex 7308s. They each brought their own characteristic variations. To my ears the Siemens were OK, fast with decent bass, though a touch wirey and analytical. The Telefunkens had the best overall balance of resolution, quickness and tonal balance. The Amperex and Valvo were open and airy, with a nice top and decent bass, a teeny bit on the slushy side but all-in-all quite pleasant.
I tried GE6550As which CJ used as the stock tube on the Premier 12 - these had a decent low end but were a bit loose compared with the (at the time) stock Svetlana 6550C. The Tungsol reissues weren't out at the time.
Enjoy your new amp.
At the time of its debut few components (mostly BAT) were using the 6N30, and the Premier 140 saw CJs first use of that tube. Nowadays its better known as the 6H30. CJ seemed to back away from it after the ACT2, though it has been widely adopted by ARC. Don't bother with the 6H30-DR which, imo, has minor sonic impact in that amp relative to its cost- the stock Sovtek-sourced 6H30-DP work fine.
Your Amperex 6DJ8 is a good place to start. The stock Sovtek 6922 is not a bad tube though it can sound a wee bit mechanical compared to NOS. Luckily you only need one as the price of good NOS 6DJ8 family has skyrocketed in the past 5+ years. I tried Siemens, Valvo, Telefunken E188CCs, and white label USN Amperex 7308s. They each brought their own characteristic variations. To my ears the Siemens were OK, fast with decent bass, though a touch wirey and analytical. The Telefunkens had the best overall balance of resolution, quickness and tonal balance. The Amperex and Valvo were open and airy, with a nice top and decent bass, a teeny bit on the slushy side but all-in-all quite pleasant.
I tried GE6550As which CJ used as the stock tube on the Premier 12 - these had a decent low end but were a bit loose compared with the (at the time) stock Svetlana 6550C. The Tungsol reissues weren't out at the time.
Enjoy your new amp.
