[jdandy]

Originally Posted by jwc

Already have your tubes ready.....that is nice. Where did you get them? How did you make your choice of which type to use........I have seen almost everyone choose the Gold Lion for the power tubes....but how about your choice on the signal tubes?

Ron C had a great post in the past about how the "use of tubes" change when the amp is in mono. I think some of the tubes aren't used in mono but have to be present to function.

Anyone remember the particulars of how that works....

jc

JC.......I have been tube rolling for years in a number of amps and preamps I have owned. The Gold Lions KT88's and Philips JAN tubes were in my previous MC275 MkV, and sounded far superior to the McIntosh stock tubes, so I purchase the same tubes again to install in this MC275. It is a great tube compliment for this amplifier. I purchased the tubes from TubeDepot. They have always given me good service, quick shipping, and perform accurate tube matching to my satisfaction.

When using balanced cables, the only tube not being used in the MC275 is the 12AX7 in the very first socket, as this tube is only used when connecting the amp with unbalanced cables. The tube has to be in place, though, to complete the tube heater circuit as I remember. It could be any make tube when using balanced cables, but I use the same 12AX7 tubes in all three sockets just as a matter of course, and for aesthetics. I don't want one oddball tube sticking out like a sore thumb. I leave the tube cage off so I can enjoy looking at the tubes, so how things look is important to me.