EAR 834P tube swapin

I have not done any mods but have tried several tubes.

My conclusion is the stock tubes are surprisingly well matched and perform very well. I expected to get huge gains when I went to smooth plate Telefunken's in mine and although it was an improvement, not what I expected.

This little phono is an incredible value and works amazingly well out of the box. Don't let me discourage you from experimenting, but I would suggest borrowing some premium tubes before dropping big bucks.

Also, the first tube is more important than second and third. You could get a snapshot of performance with a single premium 12AX7 that way.

No mods. done, not necessary IMHO. But have done extensive tube rolling just for the fun of it! Among the very best were Tesla ECC803S - neutral, airy and hard to beat. Various 5751's tried including GE, Raytheon windmill. Position V3 is now occupied by a 5751, proving more focused, less vague than any 12AX7. Positions V1 and V2, however, one particular 12AX7 won me over in no uncertain terms - get them if you can find them - MAZDA 12AX7 GREY PLATE 1957, it's as if these were made for the job, just AWESOME!

You should replace the stock tubes and the suggestions above are good ones. The 5751 in V3 (front position) is very nice as it is more focused than a 12ax7 but IMO it is a little more analytical.

I would also replace the coupling caps. It is a far bigger improvement than tube rolling. Try Auricaps.

Heavily modified by GNSC with NOS Mullard CV4004 (Private Reserve) from Upscale Audio. Very close to the sound of the RHEA for about half the price. I love mine. YMMV.