Bought a used Ultraverve pre here on Agon, compared it side by side with my highly reviewed, more expense 12AU7 pre. Immediately sold the 12AU7 pre. Soundstage opened up, instruments and voices sounded more lifelike to me. I realized it was the sound my system was missing. Kara of Dehavilland built me a Mercury III and I rotate the two pre amps. I learned from this:1) more expensive is not always better 2) you can’t know what you are missing till you try it as it may be the sound you want 3) the preamp has a HUGE impact on your system. I am not saying 12au7 pres are not good, just sayin for my ears I like 6sn7 much better.
What made you change to a 6SN7 preamp?
If you made an intentional shift toward a 6SN7-based tube preamp, what sonic characteristics motivated your move?
I have been doing some comparisons and think I have some reasons I like the 6SN7 better, but there are so many factors which could be at play, that I'm not sure what is responsible.
Rather than list my details for others to analyze, I'd rather hear your answer to the basic question.
Tell me about your path toward a 6SN7 preamp?
What did you change from and why?
Even if, overall, the change was worth it, did you lose anything in the transition? What?