Best 6SN7 Pre Amp tubes?

I did "almost" the same thing as Zman. I started with the Black Treasures, then when to the Sophias in my LS100.

Had I started with the Sophias, I probably would have stopped looking, but I also really like the BT alittle more.

I bought my BT's, (and some Psvane for the phono stage) from Grant Fidelity. Excellent company to work with.

I tried alot of different 6SN7's too.

My answer may be partially relevant. I have BT and Kenrad black tubes. The BT is more open and Kenrad is smoother.

Both these tubes offer an improvement over regular new stock 6SN7's, however both are left in "the sonic dust" by NOS Tung Sol Blackplate Oval plate 6NS7's. They offer sonic beauty and give the illusion of sounding just like real music. If you want details on their sonics go to my review on the Flora preamp when I put these tubes in.

They are very hard to get and are not cheap by any means, but there worth every penny you would spend on them. You might contact Brent Jessee to see if he has any matched pairs for sale.

"Best" is in the eye/ear of the beholder. There is no definitive "best" anything, it's all subjective. When you ask a question like this, the answers will always be what folks think is "best" to them in their system.

I have the Tung Sol Blackplate that Teajay is talking about. It is a very good tube.
But the OP didn't ask about the Tung Sol, and it didn't take me off the quest for 6SN7's. The BT did.