I haven’t rolled 6dj8 equivalents in a long while, but I preferred to Tele to the Siemens, even though the Siemens was probably the more linear tube, the Tele sounded more 3d in the mids. I suspect it was the character of the circuit. I think the "right" tube for you is perhaps even trickier since you are compensating for the aggressiveness of the DAC.
Brendan at TubeWorld, already mentioned, has a pretty good handle on the sound character of NOS tubes and as I recall, he does allow a return.
I’ve used him for years and he’s proven to be a reliable supplier.
I struck gold recently with the Tubemonger- he had some NIB Genelex (GEC) EF86 tubes that were flying lead types that he converted to "normal" tube pin bases. These complement the GEC KT 66 power tubes that I got from Brendan (not easy to find either) for a pair of vintage Quad II amps. I’d reach out to both shops and get some advice.
I roll very little in my main system these days-- the odd rectifier for the phono stage, and one small tube--a 12ax7- in my power amps. I’d say any advice regarding a particular tube will be in a vacuum (sorry) given the balance you are trying to strike.
Out of curiosity, do you have another source that doesn’t use the DAC- and did you reach similar conclusions regarding the tubes you’ve tried so far?
Brendan at TubeWorld, already mentioned, has a pretty good handle on the sound character of NOS tubes and as I recall, he does allow a return.
I’ve used him for years and he’s proven to be a reliable supplier.
I struck gold recently with the Tubemonger- he had some NIB Genelex (GEC) EF86 tubes that were flying lead types that he converted to "normal" tube pin bases. These complement the GEC KT 66 power tubes that I got from Brendan (not easy to find either) for a pair of vintage Quad II amps. I’d reach out to both shops and get some advice.
I roll very little in my main system these days-- the odd rectifier for the phono stage, and one small tube--a 12ax7- in my power amps. I’d say any advice regarding a particular tube will be in a vacuum (sorry) given the balance you are trying to strike.
Out of curiosity, do you have another source that doesn’t use the DAC- and did you reach similar conclusions regarding the tubes you’ve tried so far?