Coincident Frankenstein mk.2 amps

Congrats @tswisla Looking forward to hearing the report.  I loved my Frankenstein & Super Eclipse III pairing... I wish my Coincident's PREs were as good of a match so I didn't have to sell those amps.  It's too bad Isreal moved on from the Eclipse line...

I copied @charles1dad and got the Mullard's and eml xls 300bs. Loved that combination. 

I tried the acmes and the eml-xls. I liked the former until I replaced the capacitors on my tweeters, then went back to the emls. Found the acmes a bit "rounder", or smoother, but lost detail and soundstaging. Thought the emls were more extended with better bass, clearer highs and better imaging.

@tswisla What do you want more or less of with the tube upgrade?  Perhaps some talk of that will help folks help you make the decision...

I think all the tubes you're considering are a good match, but they also will change the sound in different ways. If you want a bit more of a mellow, vintage sound, then try the psvane, if you want more frequency extension and imaging precision, try the eml.  And ideally, try them both.

One caveat is that both Charles and I have tried both tubes and settled on the eml. In my experience, Charles has good ears and makes great recommendations. We also had similar speakers though (coincident super/total eclipses).

@nightfall Good luck on the search! I followed Charles' advice as well and loved those amplifiers too. 

Also, I haven't heard a mkIII, but am somewhat sceptical that there's much difference between it and the mkII model.  I suspect the primary difference between the two is the price.