Matched tubes?

[LPDlx]

So, I bought the 50W Plexi kit and assembled it over the holiday...
Went through the testing steps...
Was good thru the preamp tubes (voltages were reading about 5% high, but nothing alarming)
Walked over to pick up the E34Ls...
and dropped one. D'oh! Shattered glass everywhere. Now I'm in the market for new tubes. I'm probably going to stick with the JJ E34Ls for now, just to get a baseline on how the amp sounds. Here's my question, does Metro match their tubes in-house, or do they just get matched pairs from other suppliers? If they are matched, is it just for idle current, mutual conductance, both, or something else? In my disgust, I threw out the old tube boxes (adding the leftover single to my stash...I've got an SE amp to feed as well)-I noticed there were some numbers written down on it, and I'm assuming it was the matching criteria. I've been reading the forums for a long time, and you're all a fiercely loyal group of folks and for good reason. I'm certainly glad I went with the Metro kit. Now it's a question of whether or not I get the 2203 or the JTM45 kit next...

I don't have a problem, I can stop at any time!

[novosibir]

You only have one common bias adjust trim pot, not individual adjusters for each tube, hence you need matched output tubes. A duet for a JTM45, a quad for a 2203

Larry

[thousandshirts]

If you're in North America, a good EL34 to get is from Terry, the Tube Tramp. He doesn't stock many new production tubes, but he carries both the Shuguang KT66 and the Shuguang EL34. I have had excellent luck with both Terry and his products. They are burned in beforehand. I have had no bias drift issues with any of his tubes. And Terry stands behind his customers 100%. The Shuguang EL34 is a great choice. It might not have the extremely long life of the JJ EL34, but it blows the pants off the JJ EL34's in terms of sound. The Shuguangs sound way better to my ears. What is more, the Shuguang EL34 are cheap! If I wanted to spend any more than the cost of the Shuguangs on power tubes, then I'd be buying NOS stuff! Nothing against Metro. But Terry is a truly wonderful supplier of quality NOS (pre and power) and reliable new production power tubes.

[joshwilson3]

I've heard some say the amp sounds better if the tubes are'nt matched. Just within a certain range. Any info on this?

I'll be going with 6550 for my 2203 build.

[LPDlx]

Maybe I wasn't clear about my question. I know the amplifier needs matched tubes. Different suppliers use different criteria to match tubes. Which is best? Also, what criteria is used to match the tubes included in the Metro kits? Thanks.

I realize that I could just buy the same tubes every time, and that would certainly cut down my need for biasing. However, I didn't want a Mes@ B00gie. Marshall designs are kind of like air-cooled VWs...they need regular maintenance

[thousandshirts]

Maybe I wasn't clear about my question.

Oh, ok, nevermind.