Upgrading tubes

The 6N1P draws more heater current than the tubes in the 6DJ8/6922/ECC88 family, so anything in that group should be interchangable in a component designed for the 6N1P.   There are a plethora of NOS, vintage tubes available in both that and the 12AX7 family to choose from.   Generally speaking, British tubes(ie: Brimar,  Mullard) will have a warmer presentation and those from the USA and Germanic nations(ie: Sylvania, RCA, Siemens, Telefunken), cleaner, more defined.   A lot of the Amperex tubes fall somewhere between.  Just my observations, based on various components/circuit designs.    Happy tube-tasting!

Thanks for the tips rodman.  Will give the mfgs a look n listen

I think that Rodman's assessment of the various tube's sound is pretty much right on.

However, I have found that it really depends on the circuit that the tube is used in and how it's used.  I'm a Mullard man, (love that midrange), but in some devices they suck.

Only way to know for sure, is to just try a few different ones.  Sorry, this can get quite expensive, but really is the only way.

polkalover:

Tube rolling can be fun, rewarding, frustrating, and expensive. 
Before rolling a lot of tubes and money, I would suggest two things. Put at least 200 hours on the amp. Buy a Synergistic Research Black fuse for your Vincent amp. Unlike tubes, these fuses come with a 30 day return policy. I think you will be happy in the sonic improvement.

David Pritchard