MF X-Can v2 (Chinese clone)

Have you got a clone Dave?

The 6h23n eb works very well and aren't too expensive. I'm also fond of the orange globe tubes - they're an ec88 variant; amperex 6d j8 is the number, I think. The Jan Philips 6922 is also a nice tube.

If you are playing around with valves, tbh, I really wouldn't go mad. Although there are many reports about this or that 'wonder tube' I'm going to be really honest - save your money. I have tried all kinds of cheap tube and I'd rather spend my money on 4 cheaper alternatives rather than spend a load on one particular 'flavour of the month' tube. They seem to retain value according to their rarity rather than sound and I can't really understand why people go and spend a fortune on tubes for small improvements.

Imo, differences can be very exaggerated and bigger/better differences can be had with another headphone!!

However, someone will probably disagree with me sooner or later .... But I wouldn't spend a lot of dosh!!! Just listen out for noise levels - some are noisier than others.

The born again caveman knows good tubes.
These amps need gain matched tubes as the tube is used as a so-called LTP (Long Tailed Pair) input stage.
Both halves of the tube need to match for distortion figures to be low.
The tube halves need to be matched, you don't need a pair of matched tubes.

Tubes can last VERY long but some are very short lived.
If the amp has distortion or shows other problems perhaps you should give other tubes a try.

Problem when buying tubes is that:
A: You don't know how 'used' they are (have to rely on the sellers word)
B: When tested it is a 'momentary' thing and one of the tube halves may go bad sooner than the other.

Buying tubes is always a gamble.
Even with brand new ones.

Funny you mention that.
Yesterday the bulb in the downstairs loo 'popped' and today the lamp in the kitchen.

Something not everyone knows.
You can greatly extend the lifespan of (normal filament) light bulbs by using a dimmer.
A 40W light bulb being replaced by a 60W or 75W and (permanently) dimmed to give the same amount of light as the 40W will last MUCH MUCH longer.
That can be 2 to 10x longer.

In case you are wondering... neither bulbs that blew in the last 2 days had dimmers fitted.

Of course it is nearly impossible to dim bulbs below 60W, chances are the lamp will 'flicker'.
The trick doesn't work that well on lower wattage bulbs even when a few of them combined are well above 60W.

Also... it isn't wise to dim Halogen bulbs.. this will shorten their lifespan.
The reason for this is the halogen gas ONLY works at very high temperatures.
When dimmed the temperature becomes lower and the gas doesn't do its job any more and the filament burns up quicker.

Dimmers work by phase regulation and emit a LOT of electrical garbage into the mains so always try to use/find ones with a decent filter in it.
These usually aren't the cheaper ones.