I feel its total tonal richness and complexity are superior to the British stuff. We ship this amp with NOS preamp tubes and a choice of Phillips or Svetlana 6L6GCs. One deviation from original design was the elimination of the dual 5U4 power supply. When this amp was designed, the 5AR4 was not a tube that was widely available. The 5U4 was only game in town for high current application.
Trouble is, they pull a lot of heater current and that nessesitates a big-ass power transformer.
I feel that the stock power tranny, the Triad 7993, was the absolute minimum that could have been used to handle them. By using the GZ-34, we get the same attack dynamic as the dual 5U4, and keep the tranny much cooler and happier. When doing so, a rebias is recommended, but not nessessary. This is one of our favorite Victorias. To print this, click here.