Denafrips says leave the Ares 12-1 on so I do. My tube amp I turn off but try not to turn it on and off and on and off because that isn’t good for tube life. My Outlaw RR2160 goes to standby. My brain switches off at random times.

Whatever you do don’t look up the famous quotation by Oscar Wilde about temptation.

R8 owner for 2+ years. I prefer the amp with EL34 tubes. When one of the stock KT88s started to make crackling noises is when I decided to make the change. The highs are sweeter with the SED Winged C EL 34 tubes compared to the stock tubes. You will find more options for NOS and new tubes with EL34s. The caveat here is I don’t have any experience with any high quality KT88s to make a comparison but I do see that they are expensive. As far as the loss of power output with EL34s, I haven’t noticed anything. There is also some discussion that the R8 is more in its comfort zone with EL34s because the tubes are less demanding on the internal circuitry. It should be noted that if you are looking to make the greatest sonic improvement in your R8 the tubes to roll are the two 6SL7s. There are many NOS options out there. Check out Brent Jesse for awesome information on tubes for the R8. I buy from vacuumtubes.net in Florida. Their prices are competitive and they won’t charge you tax. YMMV Have fun, tube rolling is a blast (but can be detrimental to your bank account). Stereonet has a great forum for R8 owners too.