Dude's 6SN7 replacements with Chinese CV-181/6SN7

My Dude is about a month running in my system now...theres a really lot

to like but tube rolling will be soon... Im assuming the 6sn7s are all i should be looking for...the others just keep in as per Paul
? Thanks

I like RCA tubes from the 40's. The other 6sn7's I like are the black base Marconi's.

The Dude is really amazing sounding and takes about 200-300 hours to fully open up and settle into the sweet music it is capable of. Congrats on your Dude purchase!

Well, I did my "default move" which is to call Andy at Vintage Tube Services again...he had helped me equip my trusty Sonic Frontiers Line 3 Custom Edition with some great sounding tubes so I figured I'd trust him again. I too have RCA 6sn7's coming from him now (they should be here in a day or two) as well as the other 2 too...(6080 and OD3)...they're all vintage NOS late 50's-early 60's which he assured me should sound fantastic and he's matching all 5 6sn7's so anyone can go anywhere (I too have the 2 per channel plus the pwr supply section for a total of 5). I also have the heavy duty transformer and all the accompanying "heavy duty" upgrades...). It IS coooool... What a beauty AND beast wrapped into one unit!
I let it stay ON for almost 30 days straight so it has its 500+ hrs on it but since then I've been turning it off when not in use then powering up when I want to have a dedicated listening session...this normally entails a half hour warm-up period for my [tube] amps anyway so it's easy and no problem. Paul said it will sound fine this way...
I told Andy I wanted rich but detailed sound...no glossy cover-ups, just natural, organic...wide & deep staging...(yes, we all want it all) and he said these RCA's were the ticket. I'll put a few hundred hours on them and hear what's what...
Thanks for the advice Bill and all...
I am curious about those Marconis though...I wonder if a pair swapped with/into the RCA's could be a satisfying combination?

I also purchased my tubes from Andy including the same od3 and 6080 tubes you have coming.

The first thing you must do is get a power cable from Paul. It will be the biggest improvement you will hear without a doubt. I use nothing but Paul wire.

Hi Bill, Thanks for your advice on the power cable. Yes, I know you had mentioned Andy from VTS, and as I said I had used him before too. I don't want to hijack this thread (I wish we could pm or somehow talk...) but I am a big believer in aftermarket power cables and am currently using one of my very favorites on the Dude, it's a Triode Wire Labs model "8G American" and quite a tremendous performer (reasonable too).
By coincidence I happened to have bought a CRL (Cable Research Labs ) power cable many years ago because I had heard of their reputation and thought I'd give it a try...It turned out to be extremely stiff and difficult to work with in my limited space behind my previous rack configuration so I set it aside at the time and never really pursued it since.
What a coincidence that I now end up with a Dude (CRL for those that didn't know, was originally a big part of Paul's domain for awhile, though I don't know the exact details...) Anyway, when I had mentioned the cable to him, Paul told me it was a very good match for the Dude and to give it a try. I sent it out for cryo treatment and just got it back recently so I'll be experimenting with it versus the TWL and hear how it goes... It should be interesting.
This is a great hobby if you have the time and patience for it...
As for the original post...I would like to know how the Sophia 6sn7 would sound in the Dude... I use Sophia Mesh Plate Ceramic Base Gold Pin 300B's in my Canary CA 301 MK2 amp in another system and I like them far better than the stock EH's it came with (but I guess that's to be expected)... they are much more open, articulate and expansive with surprising frequency extension at BOTH ends including remarkable potency and dynamics [in my particular application] (amp runs 2 pair per channel for 22wpc) into 95 db sensitive 8 ohm Silverline Sonata 2's [with a midrange on female vocals that is breathtaking...]
So, it makes me wonder how the Dude might like the Sophias, especially the two pair per channel version like ours...just maybe swapping out 1 pair split L/R...
Interesting. Good luck and keep us informed...