Much depends on the design of the unit involved. Lots of tube amps can sound just fine without matched output tubes if they are designed to allow for biasing of each tube individually. Some pre-amps, especially those that operate in a balanced mode absolutely need matched tubes to get the best sound. Some preamp tubes need not be matched at all because the benefits obtained in matching do not affect the sonic output. But, for the best sound I have always sought out matched tubes for critical applications in pre-amps. Unlike power tubes in most pre-amps there is no way you can adjust their output. Besides, the matching process should cull out noisy and microphonic tubes as well. The can be very important.
Don't know anything about 6 channel pre-amps or whether the design of your amp (?) makes matching necessary, optional, or a waste of money. One thing does come to mind though - if you are using one tube for both stereo channels, getting a tube which has been tested to insure that both sides of the tube are matched should benefit the sound.
Don't know anything about 6 channel pre-amps or whether the design of your amp (?) makes matching necessary, optional, or a waste of money. One thing does come to mind though - if you are using one tube for both stereo channels, getting a tube which has been tested to insure that both sides of the tube are matched should benefit the sound.