I really don’t much enjoy most of the rigmarole of tube rolling. There is inevitably a burn-in time before you can seriously listen to them. They wear out insidiously, so you don’t really hear it happening until the process has crossed a threshold. And an identical set of replacements is not guaranteed to give the same sound. All these things combine to make comparing different tubes a real PITA unless you happen to have multiple sets just lying around … which a few people here seem to do!
Anyway, that all said, I thought I’d just list my own personal experiences with different tube sets on my pair of BHK 300 monoblocks. In order of preference, they are:
- JAN-Phillips 6922. Smooth and dynamic, rich sound. Short life. Liked them a lot. Too expensive, especially considering the short life.
- Golden Lions from PS Audio. 2 different sets. Sonically similar to the JAN-Phillips, but slightly brighter and rougher round the edges. Nice when new, but sound quality seems to drop off progressively with age.
- Tungsram PCC88/7DJ8. Beguiling, but darker tone. Deeper, but oddly narrower stereo image. Lacking in power for orchestral music.
I have now ordered a set of Reflektor 6N23P-EV, and am waiting to see how they will pan out. I am intrigued by the prospect of longer service life, assuming the sound quality makes keeping them worthwhile.