Shawners
A point of reference from my own experiences.
Just recently I purchased one of the new Traynor combo amps w/extension cab.
It came stock with Sovteks...(3) 12AX7's in the front end, and a pair of 5881WXT's for power.
The amp sounded fine...but I wanted a bit more harmonic definition and a meatier, chunkier tone. I decided to try some different tubes.
So far...I've tried out a few brands in the preamp section...Sylvania/GE/RCA/Raytheon...all good NOS tubes.
And I've tired out a few brands in the power slots...Tung-Sol/Philco/Philips/RCA black plates.
You know what...some sound good...and some suck!
I've spent a few hundred dollars, and right now, I have a couple dozen 12AX7/AU7/AY7 and another dozen of 6L6/5881 tubes...each one has a different flavor, and some I may not ever use again...because I have others that I like better...
and, I will be getting some more tubes, just to see how THEY sound in my amp.
There is NOTHING wrong with any of the tubes I have...they all check out and spec out just fine...BUT...there is a big difference in how they sound.
So...don't expect any "good sound" guarantees just because you buy a new set of tubes!
You have to try 'em out...and if they sound like shit...then you try some different ones.
If the tubes are truly bad/faulty...then return them for substitutes.
But I don't see that there is anyone here that is to blame for anything...it's just experimentationtrying to get the tone that YOU like...that someone else might hate.
Move forward with it...don't dwell on it and get all worked up about ityoull find a nice tube combinationjust might take a few tries.