Thanks for the detailed post and links!
I wasnât sure how much life I would get out of a pair⌠because I leave my MT 602 powered on idle almost all day lol
The siemens you linked and something close to the stock tubes, Id just want a keep a couple around as spares. But like you and @Ohmboy noted, I think they should easily last 2+ years so not much to stress about. I was actually thinking like a year at best just because I leave them idle 
Received the siemensâ and can confirm, improved soundstage and top end.
I prefered these on my 58x vs the stock tubes, slight improvement to the treble but hardly much of an improvement to the soundstage. On my T2 iems, treble is clearly lifted but not out of hand are too sharp.
I will keep these in as prefered choice for the Mt 602⌠but interested to know where to go from here for someone who prefers a brighter signature
Siemens 5654W are the least Tubey sounding 6J1 tubes Iâve come acrossâŚhave you tried solid-state? 
100% agreed! Any brighter and may as well go solid state lol, I have tried the schiit magni but I think I prefer the MT 602 for now⌠so let me+us know if you get any other tubes 
I got tubes⌠Theyâre really dark though xD
Oh and I didnât like the Voskhodâs they werenât a good match for the Timeless 
Which tubes and compared to what other tubes?
Sylvania 5K6 (or 6K5???) from the 1950âs.
Dark compared to the stock tubes
Yeah that was the same for the Voskhodâs but the Siemens are much brighter and forward sounding which helps improve the soundstage 
Can anyone speak to how this amp compares to the Xduoo TA 26?
Iâm really happy with my MT 602, so I want to avoid buying another tube amp if the performance improvement is just incremental.
A random feed that come through on my Youtube so thought Iâd post itâŚ
I was in a similar boat. I love my Schiit and would have preferred to keep it all Schiit, but the Mt-602 pre-out uses the tube stage. From everything Iâve read the Vali 2+ doesnât. Only uses tube for the HP stage.
For me that was a deciding factor because for my Turntable setup I wanted to add Tubes into the chain for HP and Speakers.
OMG thank you for replying! and that actually doesnt look bad, i kinda like it 
yeah keeping all schiit would have been nice but since they have the mt602 for cheaper i just cant justify it other than looks. any other pros and cons ?
Hard for me to do a direct pro/con with the Vali 2+ as I donât have one. A big negative though of the MT-602, is the stock tubes are awful. They sound ok until music gets busy, then the imaging and everything just falls apart. Upgrading the tubes to Sylvania JHS 6AK5 from the 1950âs really brings out the magic. Increased sweetness in the highs, increased thickness without blot and an increase in the soundstage. So factor that into the cost.
Thanks for the suggestion, guess I will try these out next 
Can confirm. Insane!
Ordered an MT-602 last night from Apos. Also ordered some tubes from Amazon: 2 X GE JAN 5654W and 2 X 6J1P-EVâs (Voshkods).
Amp and three sets of tubes for $200.00 Canadian. I had a $25.00 Amazon gift card, so the whole deal was pretty cheap. Curious to try it out. If I like it, these tubes are pretty cheap to keep rolling too. matched sets of 403bâs and 6AK5Wâs would be next. 
As a bonus, ordering from Apos doubled my warranty! Now, if they would just offer me a discount on the Caspians, I would be all set. 
Congrats, Shane! Enjoy that. I am curious as to how the Voshkods will sound. This little guy is a reasonable way to play in the tube space. I often drool over the Woo WA-22, but I look at those tubes and I see nothing but dollar signs to roll or maintain that amp.
Anyway, have fun!
I loved the Voshkods in my Little Dot MKIII.
I have been underwhelmed with tube and hybrid amps for a few years now, but I am willing to try a cheapie. I love the look of Woo amps, but they are crazy expensive.
If this goes well, the 6AK5Wâs and the 403bâs are also pretty affordable. Could be some cheap fun.
On the flip side, that new WA7 (3rd gen.) looks incredible, if I wanted to go big. But man, I would want to hear it first. That amp would be about $2,000.00, landed here in Canada. Donât really need a DAC/amp, but it sure is pretty.
Love the WA7. I saw a really good youtube vid on that unit (though I am drawing a blank as to who it was at the moment!) and was impressed. However, it is not the right solution for me at this particular point in time.
