Well said Donnie.

I made a change. In listening to my less than stellar recordings I kept being bothered by a bit of unruliness in the treble that became a bit fatiguing. By process of elimination I discovered this was coming from the Cryotone 12AU7 that I was using in the ZROCK2 and the input position in the SEWE300B. I replaced those with a pinched waist Amperex 7062 in the ZROCK2 and a pinched waist Amperex 6085 in the SEWE300B (both tubes I love) and played around with the gain and. . . well that fixed that.

I still have Cryotone 6922 type in the driver positions in the SEWE300B and those sound great and don't seem to have been contributing to that bit of fatiguing treble.

Edit to add: after posting this and listening a bit I realized that these Cryotone driver tubes had been in place for some time and I added Verafi Audio products to great success since then that have all settled in. . . why not try a pair of my Amperex 7308s in that position and see what those would sound like now?

I did so, put in a pair of white label US made. Sound is great! I love the Amperex sort of house sound, and in comparison to the Cryotone these are less "forward" and there is a small spoonful more room sound, more image bloom, a bit less "hifi" like and more how music played in a room sounds--the polite way to say it may be to say that the Cryotone seem a bit more analytical. I especially like what changes with the contrabass violin and the piano reproductions. (I used to think of this as a dollop of "warmth" but as my power has gotten cleaner and cleaner it seems more as just a difference in tonal presentation, slight, that gives a more "vinyl-like" sound perhaps; in my system now vinyl and cd and SACD almost have identical sound characteristics--a wider gap has closed, a good thing).

I'll leave these in for a spell, and see if the sound continues to seduce me. The Cryotone tubes will sound good in my audio/visual system in the meantime, replacing RCA Holland 7308s there. (Actually the differences between the 7308s and the Cryotones is as easily detectable and appear the same via headphones in the audio/visual system--the Anniversary modded glass resistor fitted CSP3 there really reveal so much--the rest of the system though is a tiny bit less resolving than the main system, and in the larger room the differences via speakers are less pronounced).

Something that has been percolating in my brain after a year, nearly two, of  listening to Cryotone tubes is that the process really does yield good results, and I believe that the claims of longevity are likely true, but . . . the source tubes are still Eastern European or in the instance of a rectifier Chinese, and there are still aspects of these tubes that are fundamental and different than the best NOS tubes. . . the cat's meow would be a Cryotone Amperex 7308 or 7062. . . but that just isn't possible, I understand that.

Wow. The system is sounding so so good these days. And the level of transparency is high, yet with the ZROCK2 working so hard the sound is not at all etched, grainy or analytical, but musical--I am really crediting the Amperex 7308s and 7062s here, as well as the always firm yet also delicate anchor of the Psvane Treasure 274B-Z rectifier.

It is at such a level of clarity now that I have been able to really hear "footers" in their presentation-shaping character, and have played around with footers under my TTPSU for the Rega turntable and my ZBIT, components that I never really felt were much influenced by footers before. Under the TTPSU I have settled on a set of Japanese feet I bought off ebay years ago that are about 2" towers of aluminum partially filled with some fine beads. These give a very neutral and airy presentation compared to other footers I've tried there. And I have returned to a set of three VooDoo Cable IsoPods under the ZBIT which gives me a subtly darker presentation, I always enjoy that for most music I spin.

I have one more set of the Stack Audio feet on the way from Great Britain--these to replace the IsoPods under my PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter--the Stack give just a bit of warmth when the weight factor is just right that I am missing with the IsoPods and that will bring the vinyl playback up a tiny notch towards the digital playback.

Now that the weather is cooler listening sessions have been amazing!

I’m really glad you liked the Stack Audio feet Lon—-love em! After reading your post, I want some for my ZBIT as well lol—how many did you put under it (considering the narrow chassis)?

Awesome—glad to spread the Stack Audio love!

OMG. . . I seem to have hit upon the perfect tube complement for my system and room and requisite speaker positioning. . . I haven't even thought of touching a tube for days which is unusual. The RFT 7308s are a big part of it, they were a bit too bright before but with the Sunbeam Holland made 12AU7 and an orange globe Holland Amperex 12AU7 I don't think I had ever used before (the Sunbeam in the SEWE300B and teh Amperex in the ZROCK2) brightness is not an issue and there is detail and also an easy flow.

Vinly playback and digital playback are on equal footing (though of course each distincly their own) and I'm spinning away and enjoying all the listening. Which is what it's all about, ewpecially in this particular stretch of time. Color me one VERY happy Decware camper. Now I just have to live through the wait for the ZROCK3. And manage my money a bit better.

Lon, Those are my favorite E188CC/7308 tube.  I have several mid ‘60’s pairs with the large oval getter. The French Philips/ LaRadiotechnique factory made tubes (RTC, RT, Dario Miniwatt) I feel sound better than the US and Holland Amperex versions. Just more dynamics, detail and just sound more alive.  Of course all are great sounding tubes.  Just something special with these French made versions. Enjoy!

The new firmware upgrade for my DAC--titled Mount Big Sky--is coming into its own after about 48 hours of use and is a very interesting improvement. Soundstage is a bit wider and deeper and there is both a bit more bass (or so it seems. . . I think it's because the "black background" has become really "stygian") and the higher frequencies are a tiny bit more relaxed. Overall, just what I would want in an improvement.

So as a result I've fallen out of my complacency and rolled some tubes and I find that I love my complement with the E188CC/7308 and the Psvane Treasure 274B-Z and also a new combo that is the RCA labeled Holland 7308 and the Sophia Electric Aqua II 274B rectifier.

Both combos sound very similar, each being a mix that "corrects" the shortcomings of each input and rectifier in reverse. It's really nice to have these two variations to play with. . . and I can put aside so many other tubes that just don't measure up with the input and output and regulation tubes.

Speaking of regulation tubes I tried using Amperex 0C2 in place of the 75C1 and they just don't have the magic these little blacked out 75C1 do. They sound more . . .solid state. Next time I have the urge to tube roll I'll try 0B2 and 0A2 types in combinations and see how that works out. The three 75C1 remain the undefeated champion and other tubes are afraid to get in the ring opposite them. . . .

I placed that Eliane Elias cd pic on this thread by error.

I've been experimenting with regulation tubes again. It's so hard to break the habit of 75C1--they have a special hue and texture that I just instantly prefer.

I've been playing with trios of Amperex 0A2, and Amperex 0B2 and I really need to let them get some more hours on them to open up. I put in a trio of RCA 0C2 right now and they are immediately more appealing to me, going to let them season in a bit. Have to say. . . I really want to put the 75C1 back in. . . they have just become the heart of the tone of the amp for me.