Hi
@Designsfx. I will confess, I am very much a tube roller, I bought tons of tubes and tried lots of combos (I don't even want to think about the money I spent), so my views may differ from those that don't like to roll tubes. I actually understand not rolling tubes and just going with stock as the tube rolling possibilities are endless (particularly when you throw in adapters). That is one reason why I don't like having lots of headphones. I like just having one pair, so I am not always thinking "gee, I wonder what this song would sound like on my other headphones"? Having this thought in my head can detract from my personal music enjoyment (others probably disagree, this is just how my brain works). I can see the same line of thinking when it comes to tubes and sticking to stock. Plus, hand on heart, I've never heard any of the Lampizator DAC's I've owned (4) sound anything but very good, no matter what tubes are installed. But, I have had very noteworthy improvements (to me) with certain, specific tubes. Whereas with most tubes, the differences are definitely audible and worth pursuing, but comparatively more subtle.
What I have done, is to try as many tubes as possible, after whittling down the list of potential tubes. After I reach my sonic goals, I stop. No more tube rolling. That is where I am at now. I am 100% settled, so I won't even bother to try anything else in the future.
With my two current Lampi DAC's, what I found initially was that power tubes mattered the most, perhaps overall influence on sonics at 80% power, 20% rectifier (Golden Gate). There are some power/rectifier tubes that change that ratio. In my Golden Gate, I still think the power tubes are most important, but with the particular rectifier and power tubes I finally settled on, perhaps the ratio is now closer to 70% power tubes, 30% rectifer.
With my Pacific, and the particular tubes I finally settled on, honestly, I'd be inclined to split it at 33%, 33%, 33% (power, rectifer, anode circuit). That is definitely
not the case with all tubes, however. With the vast majority of tubes I tried with my Pacific, I would put it 70% power, 20% rectifier, 10% anode. It is just with some very unique, particular tubes and high-end adapters where the ratio changed to roughly equal.
Of course, these are just my personal findings. I don't profess to have any special super powers, but I am very confident in what I am hearing. For many years, I wandered the audiophile desert, afflicted with FOMO and audiophile nervosa, but just within the last 6 months or so, I've found what I've been searching for and now, it is just the music
.
Sorry for the rambling...