Ok, so I'm a newb when it comes to tube amps, and hifi audio in general, but I've been taken by the stories here about how fantastic they sound. So I dove in and got most of the generic electronics, but have started to run into questions my electronics training cannot answer.
When it comes to the aesthetics of the build... I didn't want to buy a pre-made chassis (no money left in the budget). Is there a reason to use a non-magnetic metal like aluminum? Would a block of iron or nickel or copper cause some kind of unwanted magnetic interaction or hum?
Also, would the experts here advise against adjusting the location of the tubes? Would extending the ports to different locations on the chassis cause problems?
I've read a few threads here that suggest mounting the output transformers as far away from each other as possible.
I'm all over the place here, but any suggestions or tips would go a long way.