Tube rolling in Modwright LS 100 preamp

I use Black Treasure CV181s (6sn7 equivalent) and a NOS Philips 5AR4. Find this a very musical combination and the BTs an improvement over some NOS TungSol 6sn7s - sound stage, depth, bass, separation

Differences between tubes can be subtle, so you might want to listen to the Sophias for a while and then plug the JJs back in and see if you notice more of a difference after breaking in the Sophias and your ears.

Whitestix,

Opinions on tubes are really diverse, except that most people really like the ones you can't afford, like Tung Sol round plates.

I'd call Dan Wright and be prepared to tell him what kind of change in the sound you would like to get and how much you want to spend and see if he can offer some suggestions other than the Sophias he recommends on his web site.

If that doesn't solve the problem, talk to a reputable tube dealer and get his more experienced advice. You can just do a search for "tube dealer" in the Audiogon forums to get some names. These guys charge a little more than the prices you can find elsewhere, but buying from them is cheaper and easier than trying to become a tube expert yourself.

Here is a link to other opinions:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92112.0