Speaker noise - hissing

Newbee, The amp is an Audio Aero Capitole. It has four 6SN7GT tubes, four E34L tubes and four 6550C tubes. No loss in clarity just the hiss.

OK.

Now, that I think about it, have you ever heard the amp operate dead quiet? Or is it a new amp to you and you are just noticing it. If you heard it operate dead quiet, was it with the same speakers or at least speakers with a high sensitivity level.

I ask for several reasons - one is that I don't know this amp (biggie) and of your speakers are high efficiency and the amp is new to you, you might just be hearing the amp's noise floor. But since noisy 6sn7's are not hard to find, perhaps/most likely that it the problem.

BTW, How far from the speakers can you hear this hiss? Can you hear it in your listening position? Or only when you put your ear next to the tweeter. If the latter, be happy! :-)

The noise is new...same amp and same speakers. I can hear the hiss from 3-4 ft but, not really from my listening position of 9-10 ft.

I'd bet it is the 6sn7's if it annoys you get some recommendations for some good low noise tubes. The new production EH's are quiet but I don't know if you would like them in your amp. I use them in some Cary amps and compared to some NOS RCA's I have they have a tad more edge, whereas the RCA's are a tad soft/mellow - depends how you look at it, and probably how they blend with your amp and the power tubes.

One other question & suggestion. Is the noise equal between channels?

While small signal tubes are often the source of hissing (aka white noise) and can increase as tubes age, it is unlikely that all four of the 6SN7 tubes are deteriorating at exactly the same pace.

If you find the noise is louder in one channel than the other, try switching the tubes between the left and right channels. If the noise is now louder in the opposite channel you'll have confirmed that it is time to replace those tubes.