Tube Flavor

I have a tube preamp and tube mono blocks. Here is my experience.

First, I looked up the stock tubes that came with my gear. All JJ tubes. Not expensive. Decent. I consulted some folks on Audiogon and they suggested the preamp could be bettered, first. I contacted Brent Jessee and told him what kind of sound I was looking for. He suggested a very good signal tube. I went from tubes that were about $12.50 each to tubes that were $50 each, both NOS. They sounded a lot better. I listened with those for a while, getting used to their sound. (I do not have the ability to do "left-right" so I just changed them. They burned in a bit and sounded mellower and better after about 40 hours.)

After I had gotten used to the NOS tubes in the preamp, I asked Brent again about the mono blocks. He set me up with new input and driver tubes, all NOS. About $300 or so for 4 tubes. I put them in and lived with them for a while. They improved the sound quite a bit.

Finally, at a certain point, I was still hearing some harshness I wanted to try to tame. I swapped out the KT88 tubes for KT77 tubes and heard quite a nice change. Now I go back and forth on those output tubes and enjoy the variety.

I don't know what Raven puts in there, so consulting with the maker is good advice. Most manufacturers want to put in decent tubes that are available in good supply for customers. They don't want to break the bank on tubes in their stock units because they add to the bottom line for the customer and make their amp prices less competitive for no solid reason.

In contrast to the advice above, I cannot do left/right comparing because I have no balance knob.
I don't find tube rolling to be a waste of time; it's a simple change that yields interesting differences.
I don't find NOS tubes to be extraordinarily expensive. Yes, there are some outrageously priced tubes, but that is not all there is out there.
I have found NOS tubes, if tested by a reliable seller, to be reliable.
In addition to Brent Jessee, I have had very good service from Jim McShane.

@oldhvymec I recently had my ears tested and one ear is better than the other. Are both your ears equally good? If not, do you know how to compensate for that when you do your left/right testing? Regards,

@jerryg123  We're all "boobs"? Is that really what you want to say about everyone here? Why choose to put things so derisively? What do you think that says about you, Sir?

@jerryg123 The recipe for becoming a "lonely old man" it to be mean and impolite as a younger one. There's a difference between disagreeing with someone or pointing out their mistakes and demeaning them or calling them names. Yes, I have "sensibilities." They are ones that my parents raised me with -- be kind, be polite, listen carefully, and keep an open mind. It's not rocket science, but some still find it very hard to do. Look inward. Figure out why you're so mean. Heal yourself. Otherwise, have fun now, because a lonely life lies ahead for you. We're done.

@performance_series Thanks for your comment. I think it takes a village to keep civility alive. 

@b_limo The more I think about it, the more I'm wondering if the Raven will give your Salks what they need for best performance. Hope you can report!