Tube Selection Help

Hoopster, thanks for your thoughtful response. You have given me some things to think about. My amps will go 45 watts in tetrode mode, but possibly more warmth would be nice. I will see if I can find an el34 amp around town to try. I wonder how much more warmth tube choice can bring me with what I have now? Happy New Year!

I have a set up similar to yours with a modified Fisher 400 receiver and Rogers LS3/5A speakers that I use to listen to Jazz, Country & light rock music. The system sounds great and has plenty of power provided you don't listen @ ear splitting levels. I generally listen to music at a moderate levels, enough to get the full sound stage out of the system but not so loud that it hurts my ears. I have never heard the VTL Tiny Triodes or the TL 2.5 preamp but have read nothing but good things about them. If you went to a EL 34 based amp you would need have 2 pairs per side since a pair of EL 34s only puts out about 40 watts depending on the amp, which is about what you have now.

I have a VAC PA 90 mono blocks with 4 EL34's per mono block, which I think would be over kill for your speakers unless you like to crank them up to 100 db range.

I think you would be better off talking with a couple of knowledgable tube dealers and let them make some recommendations on tubes. Andy @ Vintage Tube Services and Jim McShane @ mcshane design are two excellent tube dealers that I would recommend. By the way NOS EL34 tubes are about twice as expensive as NOS EL84 tubes. I am sure you can get a lot more out of your system with better tubes.

Good Luck,

I actually enjoy rolling tubes according to the music I'm listening to. Similar to using different strings on a guitar to change the sound. So many choices available.
I found Telefunken smooth plate 12ax7's to be loud and clear while Mullard's were mellow and deeper. Sovtek 12ax7lps's were horrible, Sylvania Gold Brand 5751 is my favorite input tube for my preamp (Sound Valves VTP101). RCA made great tubes back in the 50s-60s-70s and I have them too. Personally, I tend to favor military type triple mica /extra support rods input tubes because of their lower microphonic's. My point is that you should pick up an assortment and see what you prefer. Input tubes aren't too expensive and you don't have to worry about biasing.
NOS vintage El34's cost an arm and a leg. Mullard's are probably around $75 to $100 each but IMO have a more interesting sound than the current re-issues. YMMV.
Plenty of info out there. Read up about the different tube variants. For example 12ax7-12ax7a-5751-7025-ECC83-EC803S. Similar variations exist for 12au7's. Mix and match till you get the sound you want.

For the 12AT7s and 12AU7s I would go with Military Mullard tubes. They are readily available and the price is still reasonable. VTL really comes to life with those tubes. They use a different numbering system beginning with "CV".

Also, look for some NOS EI EL84s.

Whenever I am seeking a specific sound quality in tubes I always contact Jim McShane and Brent Jesse for advice and purchase. They always are spot on in their selection, no BS, and often are able to provide far cheaper alternatives which sound just as good or better than the most sought after wonder tubes. Just food for thought.