Absolutely maybe. Feel better?
In general, you probably want matched output tubes. (Hi fi folks like matched preamp tubes, but most guitar amp folks don’t care about that.) Matched tubes mean they will all draw the same current under the same conditions, at the very least. This yields the most uniform waveforms, makes biasing easier, and is generally easiest on your output transformer and tubes. On the other hand, unmatched tubes can produce distortion sounds that some people like. If this is the case, great – just realize that to keep that sound, you’ll need to match any new sets of tubes to your current set, instead of to each other, per se. -Distilled from several, huge, flame wars. • What do I need to look for in matched tubes? Now there’s a thermonuclear topic! There are a variety of opinions. Here’s one take on it. “Tubes can be matched in two operating conditions. “Static” matching is where the tube has its bias set, and there is no signal applied to it, and the tubes are matched to setup equally in this no
