If brightness is a problem and you want a bit of warmth you might try JJ 6922's. They don't get great press (JJ in general). They aren't NOS either, but they are inexpensive. I used them for some years in both a pre-amp and CDP with great success. FWIW, they aren't noisy either. Of all of the new production tubes they get my vote if 'brightness' is an issue.
Suggestions for Preamp Tubes
Friends,
I seek your suggestions for preamp tubes. My preamp is a Quicksilver remote control line stage preamp that came equipped with two 6DJ8 tubes. Mike Sanders, who built the preamp, confirmed that I can substitute the stock tubes with 6N1P, 6AQ8, 6922, or 7308 tubes. The treble seems a bit bright, although the bass and mids seem lovely to me with the 6DJ8 tubes. Should I try another option from among these alternatives?
The other components in my system are:
Audiolab CD transport
Cambridge Audio CXN100 Streamer
Cambridge Audio DACMagic 200M
The aforementioned Quicksilver preamp
A custom tube amp with four Tung Sol KT150's
and Klipsch Cornwall IV's.
Any suggestions on whether to swap the preamp tubes and, if so, with recommended options will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jay