Hi NJoyzAudio: Is there a specific online retailer that has a sound reputation within the head-fi community? Is there a seller you buy from that you would recommend? Thank you.

Thank you, mudguardian. You’re in the UK? Do you only buy tubes locally or do you buy online? If the latter, which sellers are most reputable IYO?

LXMc: Thank you. I’m getting the hang of this with everyone’s help.

Thank you, mudguardian. I was thinking 100 hours would be a fair amount of time to listen, especially as this is my first tube amp. Zach said he swapped his tubes right away on the HA-3A, but I suppose that has a lot to do with being an experienced user of tubes and knowing exactly what you want...

Mudguardian: How long did you use the stock tubes before swapping? And thank you for reaching out. That we’re both newbie’s to tubes is cool.

Yes, I can see the difference and totally get it now.Thank you, so much. Tangentially, why we’re having this conversation to begin with: the music. Listening to A Decade of Steely Dan via the Verite closed. Set the HA-3A to high impedance using balanced output. The volume dial is around 8...

Do these Mullards qualify as long plates?

NJoyzAudio: What exactly does long plates mean? Thank you.

Betula: Thank you for sharing.

NJoyzAudio: Thank you. I truly appreciate your thoroughness. This is super helpful. Oh, yeah, I went back and A/Bd the Empy IIs and I went back and tweaked my chain and concluded that my initial impression was off. Listening now with the volume around 10 o’clock via 4.4 balanced, low gain...

Hi Betula: As I shared with NJoyzAudio, after he commented on my impression that the Empy IIs lacked girth, I went back and tweaked my chain and concluded that my initial impression was off. Listening now with the volume around 10 o’clock via 4.4 balanced, low gain through the D90 SE...

Hi NJoyzAudio: Thank you for reaching out to me. ". . . Renexx's quadrants the 2 on the lower half of the page, which are "Warm/Smooth/Rich" or the "Detailed/articulate/warm" quadrants for things like rock and blues. I see both RCA Black Plates and GE Early release grey plates in each of...

Mudguardian: Thank you. From what you describe, the Gold Lions are neutral; that’s, as you put it, “balanced.” I am not opposed to neutrality, but with tubes I think we are all looking for a little something extra. NJoyzAudio responded to a query of mine about figuring out tubes based on musical...

Thank you for clarifying DrDen. Notwithstanding, NJoyzAudio’s explanation does provide understanding as to how pairing works. Any insight you have on this topic will be greatly appreciated.

Hi djentbat: Thank you for the response. What tubes do you recommend for the AO? I also own the VC, although I haven’t paired them with the Cayin yet. Have you tried one/both with this amp?

Hi Mudguardian: Hope you’re well. Sorry if I missed this, but what headphones do you use with the HA-3A? Also, what genre do you listen to chiefly? Right now I’m listening to the Atrium open with the stock tubes to some hard-bop, it almost sounds like I’m ion a small club. Zach’s headphones...

NJoyzAudio: Thank you so much. I listened to my Empyrean IIs last night on the HA-3A and it changed the sound signature. Not that it was bad, but definitely not what I like about the Emyrean II sound. The sound was thinner, especially in the bass and mids. Is that a planar issue or a stock...

Hi Betula: Hi TheAbyss2022: Hope all is well. I’m listening to the Empy IIs on the H-3A and, I have say, they don’t sound quite as warm as they do through my SS amp using the same DAC, RME ADI-2. They seem to have more of a natural reference tone quality. I’d love for the bass to be beefier...

Hi NjoyzAudio: As always, thanks for the insight. I still have a while before I jump into the tube swapping game, but I am increasing my knowledge through this thread. It's already been said that my sound signature will be endemic to my preferences, but I imagine there are certain brands of...

Hope you’re having a great day. What brand are these tubes? Thank.

Jumping in here, though a bit off topic. Well, I’m finally getting a listen to this beautiful amp. Currently listening to Francisco on Jackie McLean’s Capuchin Swing. RME-ADI-2 DAC connected via XLR and HD600s via std output on H impedance, man this is sweet. I can agree with lovers of the HD600...

TheAbyss2022: I will be using the VC; LCD-5; EMPYREAN II AND; AO, so some planar and some dynamic.

NJoyzAudio: Your love and passion for this hobby is very much appreciated! What a comprehensive and digestible explanation on tube rolling. The first bit of advice that I am going to follow is to give the stock tubes a good run. Having not really heard a tube amp ever, except for a limited...

TheAbyss2022: It's here! I thank all of you for making this a cool buying experience. I will report tomorrow on my sonic experience. Definitely, going to have a good red blend and BlueNote tonight.