I have a Primaluna HP Integrated. I've rolled a bunch of tubes in there. Contrary to MillerCarbon I find a definite difference in tubes. I've run the KT120s in mine, and bottom line, I don't any more. I found them to have a "glare" on the midrange that I could not "tweak" away. I noticed it on clear, well-recorded vocals where I could hear a "fuzzy" aura around the vocals. Check around, and you'll see that a lot of users of KT120 report this issue.
I moved to KT150, and that glare went away. They sound punchy and powerful with none of the glare. I had those for about 2 years, but I'm now running a new favorite, TungSol 7581A. If your amp will run them, I'd say give it a try. They are under $30 each, so not too expensive. I've been running them about 5 to 6 months now, and my system sounds the best it ever has (although this isn't the only adjustment I've made in that time). I will soon go back to the KT150s to compare, but I'm loving what these tubes have done.
But, Miller is blathering about his favorite fuse vendor. I won't argue whether a fuse can make a [slight] difference or not. When I tried an aftermarket fuse, there was no discernible difference. That was MY experience. But, there is absolutely no way that a fuse can have a bigger impact than rolling tubes. Rolling fuses would be low on my list of improvements to explore first. Look at Miller's system on AGon, and note that he isn't even running original tubes. They have a sticker on them from theTubeStore. They are still KT88s, but I think those are the only tubes that amp can run.
I agree that there are some tweaks that can make it all come together, but IME, you are better to start from a solid foundation before you start tweaking too much. Adjust your room, tune everything thoroughly, get it to sound good. Then, tweak if you want. But, tweaks won't fix a foundational problem, which you may have with the stock KT120s. You might find improvement with some NOS KT88s or KT120s. Google "tube rolling" and Line Magnetic 501ia to find what some others have done. I don't know if you can run the 7581As, but worth a try if you can. Some different driver tubes and power tubes will make a very noticeable difference in how it all sounds.
I moved to KT150, and that glare went away. They sound punchy and powerful with none of the glare. I had those for about 2 years, but I'm now running a new favorite, TungSol 7581A. If your amp will run them, I'd say give it a try. They are under $30 each, so not too expensive. I've been running them about 5 to 6 months now, and my system sounds the best it ever has (although this isn't the only adjustment I've made in that time). I will soon go back to the KT150s to compare, but I'm loving what these tubes have done.
But, Miller is blathering about his favorite fuse vendor. I won't argue whether a fuse can make a [slight] difference or not. When I tried an aftermarket fuse, there was no discernible difference. That was MY experience. But, there is absolutely no way that a fuse can have a bigger impact than rolling tubes. Rolling fuses would be low on my list of improvements to explore first. Look at Miller's system on AGon, and note that he isn't even running original tubes. They have a sticker on them from theTubeStore. They are still KT88s, but I think those are the only tubes that amp can run.
I agree that there are some tweaks that can make it all come together, but IME, you are better to start from a solid foundation before you start tweaking too much. Adjust your room, tune everything thoroughly, get it to sound good. Then, tweak if you want. But, tweaks won't fix a foundational problem, which you may have with the stock KT120s. You might find improvement with some NOS KT88s or KT120s. Google "tube rolling" and Line Magnetic 501ia to find what some others have done. I don't know if you can run the 7581As, but worth a try if you can. Some different driver tubes and power tubes will make a very noticeable difference in how it all sounds.