Aries Cerat Helene vs MSB Premiere DAC vs Lampizator Pacific 2

@mitch2 now that you’d had your Helene for almost 11 months, if you don’t mind sharing, what did you decide about E280F and the rectifier tubes?

First, I have found the Helene to sound outstandingly musical, and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable addition to my system.  It provides a similar R2R type sound as the flagship Mojo Audio DACs I have owned, but pushes the envelope just a bit further with sweet, clear high frequencies, tonally rich vocals, and full powerful bass.  The sound is organically natural overall and should satisfy just about anyone who values a combination of musicality, dimensionality, tonal density, adequate resolution, and a bold, powerful presentation.

Regarding tubes, I have not dug too deep into comparisons, although I did initially purchase enough tubes that I have adequate back-ups. I decided I was not going to pay $900 for a metal base rectifier so instead, I have NOS, mid-1960’s, Mullard 5AR4/GZ34 rectifier tubes, including a couple of back-ups.  I am using NOS Siemens E280F tubes in the output stage and I have several pairs of those too.  I also have a couple of pairs of E810Fs and a couple of pairs of E180Fs.  While I tried the E810Fs and E180Fs long enough to verify that they work, I didn’t give them enough time to fully evaluate them beyond saying they sounded pretty good.  Once I dialed in the E280F tubes and found a good setting on the bias adjustment, I pretty much got back to my life and quit rolling tubes. 

Thanks, @mitch2!  One day i will find a used Helene and be grateful for this info on its tubes!