Yeah baby....I found a mate

Congrats! I like your system. Curious, what 6SN7 do you run in them?

If you want matching faceplates, you could try contacting David:

David Berning Co., 12430 McCrossin Lane, Potomac, MD, 20854. Phone: 301-926-3371 david@davidberning.com

Or, you could place a "wanted" ad here.

Happy listening.

Ironic, as I just purchased a pair of Raytheon 6SN7-GTB to try in the input stage of my monos.

Silver twins that sound as lovely as they look, perfect.

If memory serves, the Tannoys are bi-wireable. You should consider experimenting with horizontal and vertical bi-amping as well. Lots of options having the pair now.

My first guess would be that a tube was jossled and damaged in transit. Try swapping the tubes from the good one into the new one and see if the hum goes away. If not, contact David again. Chances are he did the preamp mod himself. He'll know what's going on.

Good luck and keep us informed. When you get it figured out, I'm sure you'll be happy with the purchase. I've always been impressed by David's designs.

Are you sure B & W didn't go with multiple smaller drivers to avoid massive cabinets? Compare the cabinets of the 801 Matrix and Nautilus iterations.