Tube 'Characteristics' - EL-34 and 845 and 211

Actually the common wisdom is that triodes are more 'beautiful' and truthful than pentodes (or anything else), and directly-heated triodes doubly so. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with EL34s (especially strapped triode) but you aren't going to lose "beauty" with a good DHT amp (of basically any sort).

It seems to me that the closer you get to an 'ideal' amp the more tubes sound similar, the more single-ended sounds like push-pull, tubes sound like transistors, having output tranformers sounds like OTL, and so forth. For example, a Viva Solista 845 SET amp would be hard to nail as an 845 SET since it doesn't sound fuzzy, rounded, or rolled-off like most of them (excluding top brands). At all. But it still does have a bit of DHT glow, which is why I suspect the designer uses DHTs.

It's like I said earlier - an 845 will (in almost any implementation) have that "lit from within" DHT glow in the midrange. For many, that is the ultimate in beauty.

EL34s have a sort of creamy midrange too, one that is possibly more euphonic, but not as clear.

I would argue the DHSET mid is both more transparent (clear) and more beautiful.

The CJ MV-60 is a fave amp of mine, with a 'glowing', beautiful midrange, but there's no doubt it's euphonic (cloudy) as well.

You really need to hear the amps for yourself. These things can't be adequately put into words.