Op,
Whichever product you choose, consider how you will use the piece in regular listening. For me, I like to roll tubes so having easy access with exposed tubes allows for me to do this without a major disassembly process and moving the components, wires etc. Having the ability to put the tubes in standby or bypass mode is also very nice if you are a 24/7 power on listener. While some chime on about difficulty in locating them, I find the 6SN7 NOS tubes very pleasing to my ears. Particularly the KenRad JAN VT231 and the Melz1578. Good Luck in your search, there is more to this than just a brand name and a dollar amount.
Whichever product you choose, consider how you will use the piece in regular listening. For me, I like to roll tubes so having easy access with exposed tubes allows for me to do this without a major disassembly process and moving the components, wires etc. Having the ability to put the tubes in standby or bypass mode is also very nice if you are a 24/7 power on listener. While some chime on about difficulty in locating them, I find the 6SN7 NOS tubes very pleasing to my ears. Particularly the KenRad JAN VT231 and the Melz1578. Good Luck in your search, there is more to this than just a brand name and a dollar amount.