Rogue Audio RP-7V2 Tube Options

@jpipes 

I must be an outlier user of the RP-7 (original) because I tried many expensive NOS 12AU7 tubes and it simply never responded well.  The stock JJ tubes always sounded best.  

Unfortunately having also owned the JC5 amp I am guessing you have a very dark overall sound with that system because the RP-7 and JC-5 are already on the super smooth side of the fence. 

I have also heard that (but never owned) the new Genelax tubes are very good.  FYI bottom line you may regret spending a lot for NOS tubes and I do not see a need to. New tubes have come a long way. 

Assuming you want to at least try to improve detail give the Yugoslavian E.I. tubes a shot- not to expensive either.  

Brimar CV4003 from Upscale Audio were amazing in RP1 when I had that preamp. I also liked Gold Lions. Excellent tubes. 

@avanti1960 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I think the Focal Kanta speakers help balance the tone from the preamp and amp. Overall I am pleased with the combination.

@genoa 

Thank you for this recommendation.  I contacted Brent, and will probably go this direction-appreciate the tip!

Thank you all and happy holidays!

Glad to hear. Let me know how it works out.

I thought the RP-7 needed a little more tube warmth to counter an upper midrange glare.  Mullards had been recommended so I called Brent at Brentjessie. He didn't like them to we tried 3 other pairs of tubes moving from neutral to warm.  None of them solved the problem and he was out of Mullards at the time.  So I called Andy at Vintage Tube Service.  He recommended short plate Mullards and sent me a pair.  He said I was the second person that week to buy a pair for an RP-7.  Using them in place of the stock input tubes helped. I added a second pair for the output tubes (from Brentjessie) and that solved the problem.