Different Tubes and general purpose?

gunners01

I have the Line Magnetic 518IA integrated , the power tubes in mine are 845s versus your amp's  KT120s. I left in the stock 845 but changed the 6L6s to NOS GE, the tube rectifier to NOS RCA and the 12ax7s to NOS Tung Sol 5751s. The NOS tubes took the sound of the amp to a more satisfying level. For me, I found the lower gain of the 5751s more pleasing in the 518IA. Others have noted some NOS recommendations for 6sn7s, if you want to try new production I'd suggest either Sophia Electric 6sn7s or Black Treasure CV181s; I have used both in my Modwright LS100 preamp and found them quite good sounding. Per jetter's post it would be worthwhile to you click the link and  read Brent Jessee's assessment of the different individual tube types and their respective variants. So while I disagree with millercarbon's assessment of tube impact, I will agree with him that a quality power condition and cord, and isolation feet and so also benefit my equipment. I haven't gone the fuse route so I can't comment on that one way or the other.

Facten thanks for the constructive help.  I have had a nice power conditioner for a few years now and have noticed a small improvement...really just eliminating any very faint background noise that might otherwise degrade or mute certain frequencies.   I have not invested in a new power cable, but will explore that at some point in time. 

Your advice on tubes is hugely helpful and I’m very grateful.  

Once again millercarbon is wrong. I wouldnt call attention to this if it werent for his hubris and his constant Synergistic Research schilling. 

I am a fan of power conditioners only if you have power which is problematic. Further, I have never tried a power conditioner that didnt take me one step forward and one step back. I am more a fan of reducing noise using a passive device or a good isolation transformer.

gunners01-

Thanks millercarbon.  I ask as I’ve read plenty of articles about how there was notable, not step change, improvement in overall sound quality.   I get that that a lot audiophile purchases can either be snake oil or nearly inaudible changes.  
I have spent, at least in my world, a decent amount of $ on my system.  I’m largely pleased but I seam to be chasing the perfect balance and execution of several instruments in certain songs that seem to be not as crisp or prominent as i know they were recorded.  I would like to explore “tweaks” (i guess not upgrades) to my equipment that I’m hope can help me achieve what i want, without wholesale swapping out of equipment.  
My Harbeth HL5 plus sound incredible (coupled with a sub) on several albums (Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, New Order - Movement, the smiths - Hatful of Hollow), but on others (Big Country - the Crossing, or Led Zeppelin - 1st album) they seem to fail in the a really crisp and distinct mid range.  I could be the recording, but then again it may just be that these are speakers better suited for classical or jazz.  I was trying to explore other system changes to tease out more.

The components you have are fine. Especially the amp, which haven't heard but certainly is highly regarded. Guy in your situation, almost always better to pursue optimizing what you have rather than trading. Because what you will learn if you do this long enough, its always possible to elevate performance more with a few hundred in tweaks than you can ever get with even a few thousand in a different component. 

One thing you said has me concerned, or gets my attention. 

I’m largely pleased but I seam to be chasing the perfect balance and execution of several instruments in certain songs that seem to be not as crisp or prominent as i know they were recorded.

Being largely pleased is good, and a strong reason not to upgrade but to tweak instead. But "not as crisp or prominent as i know they were recorded." Two things wrong with that. One, you can't know. And two, it doesn't necessarily have to be the recording. Click on over to Better-Records.com you will find a whole business dedicated to just what I'm talking about. 

You're thinking of changing something in your system. Your system is the same for every recording. But you're not talking about every recording. So its not likely your system, is it? 

Also one of the biggest most common mistakes people make is trying to make a song or recording sound the way they think it should. This is actually the exact opposite of what they should be doing. The very best a system can do is.... nothing. It should pass the signal, amplify and reproduce, whatever it is. No editorializing! Every recording should sound different. Completely different. No two the same. Its a founding principle found in tomes like from Robert Harley and its a founding principle of my system. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367  Its in the description. 

But improved midrange presence and clarity are always good. So what you do is get some fo.Q tape. https://www.ebay.com/p/1358280415 Synergistic Research HFT are even better but some audiophools get triggered when the best is recommended over and over again, even though it is the best, so we will switch it up a little. Besides the tape really is amazing AND it more perfectly matches your midrange crisp and prominent quest. HFT are more across the board improving clarity everywhere from extreme low end to the top. fo.Q tape is more focused on eliminating micro-vibrations that muddle up the midrange and treble, revealing fine detail in a very natural way.

One thing that's been noticed with those same recordings you mention, they tend to sound really good right up until it gets loud with a lot of instruments and singing all together and it all starts to congeal. Used to think this was just the way it is. Well, turns out not really. The difference, what cleaned it all up, wasn't component upgrades. Wasn't the Herron, wasn't the Koetsu, nor the CTS cables nor even the HFT. And for damn sure it wasn't no tube. It was a tweak. 

Wow, way down here..  I haven't used your particular amp.  But I have heard The 805. quite a few times.. From the stock tubes he went to
RCA and Amperx (vintage) both improved the bass and low mids. Amprex better all round. He used Sylvania too. A lot more sparkle to that valve. Better highs for sure. NOT BRIGHT.. Tame sylvanias with good copper wire...

I have used countless others. Mac. VTL, CJ, DIY, ect.  Matched signal tubes can be quit a sonic nugget, if, they are not matched well to begin with, or have degraded.  L/R.

The big tubes, Unless there is a problem, USE them..KT120 hefty valve.

Again matched tubes go a long way on how a STEREO amp sounds make no mistake about it.. depth, clarity and cleaner phantom speaker resolution. 

Regards