Do vacuum tube test values reflect sound quality?

"A mess" meaning there would have to be at least one or two more tubes, preferably of high transconductance to use as CFs. But could you then delete one of the 12AX7s and end up with the same number of tubes?

While I recognize the importance of the 7C in audio history and its high sonic quality for its day (and its collector value), I don't think it measures up well against any. of the best phonolinepreamps of the past 25 years purely in terms of sound quality.  Not that I can prove that the 12AX7 it uses as a CF is an audible weak link. More likely the power supply and parts quality hold it back, in the sense that we have much better capacitors and resistors of all kinds available these days. Also, the one and only time I ever saw a schematic, it seemed overly complex, but I cannot recall specifics.

Most tube testers don't test tubes at normal in-use voltages, and that's especially the case with output tubes.  Other than noise associated with short circuits or excessive gas, how a tube tests won't really indicate sonic characteristics.  That said, I have 4 tube testers because I enjoy the process of testing vintage and/or new production tubes before I deploy them in a vintage amp.  Most recently bought a Maxi Matcher which is a little more helpful with matching output tubes, as it will apply 400 volts to the plate.  The final test of any tube, whether in a gain stage or output, is the gear in which it's used.

I get my tubes these days from a guy who drops them off, I listen for a while and then decide if they are the real deal. Hearing is believing. 
 

How tubes measure matters, but only as a baseline. You could have tubes that are identical in brand, and measure identically, and still sound different, though not likely better or worse if they are from a reputable provenance. 

Yes...better testing tubes will just have more life left. Also think about this; tubes from the same manf. that test the same or close to the same may sound different...manfacturing variances will occur on any mass produced product. 

Yes...better testing tubes will just have more life left. Also think about this; tubes from the same manf. that test the same or close to the same may sound different...manfacturing variances will occur on any mass produced product. 

Sock-puppet alert.