Hey-Hey!!!,
It is an option either way. I have not built one exactly thisway yet. I think it has potential to be comparable to the caascode. I had good results with 6AU6's and think that the g2-cathode voltge reference would make the pentode a bit better than the variant I tried( which was quite nice to my ears ).I think I will assemble the next amp this way with the pentode front. It has a better tolerance to transient overvoltage than the MOSFET voltage source does. It is a bunch of trades, and the voltage may not be such a worry if B+ is under 400V. For 650-700, I am going to have some worries with the MOSFET voltage ref. now that I think about it...
regards,
Douglas