6SN7 tube question

There is a lot of lore built up around the various brands and types of 6SN7s. Most of all, if your Rogue came with GTA or GTB types, stick with either one of those types. (They have the same max plate voltage of 450V, whereas the GT types are only recommended for up to 275VDC, if my memory serves.) The vendor you asked about seems to be well thought of, so go ahead and spend the extra money, is my advice. But keep in mind that selecting for low noise, balanced triodes (presumably this means that the two triodes in the single glass envelope are balanced vs each other), etc, does not mean that the tubes will necessarily last any longer, which seems to be your main beef. And also keep in mind that 6SN7s are unfortunately prone to go microphonic over time before they die. If you're wearing out tubes prematurely, perhaps Rogue or some competent tech can check the voltages in your unit; maybe there is an issue.

Cdrc, I agree with you only in the sense that there is no reason to expect that tubes purchased from two different reputable sources will exhibit different wear characteristics. As for "euphonics", tubes of one brand do indeed sound different from the same tube type built by a different company, albeit the differences are usually subtle. Thus, one man's "euphonic" is another man's "neutral", and the debate on that can go nowhere. But the reasons for differences in sonics among different 6SN7s are not hard to fathom, if you take a good look at the differences in internal structure and in materials used. Further, how the tubes are used in circuit will also contribute to the apparent sonic character that is attributed to the tube per se.