Newbee:
You are correct, the manual warns against treating the tube pins. I purchased the Prima Luna Prologue Two about 4 months ago and I have not been happier with any audio puchase in 35 years of spending 1/2 of my paycheck on audio stuff (I even wrote a review of the Prima Luna here). I am now considering replacing the Musical Fidelity A300 power amp with a Prima Luna Prologue Five ... the Prima Lunas are that good. If I were to sum up my comments, buy the Prima Luna, plug it in, and be amazed as to how good an amp it is. There is nothing else that you need to do. Yes ... I am an obvious, unabashed Prima Luna fan.
Regards, Rich