Jab-
I guess I should be glad I'm only dealing with 1 quad and not 5! I did purchase the JJ/Tesla's from the Tube Store (on their recommendation). I've been happy with their service though pricing with the declining dollar was better in the past hence the use of Doug's Tubes more recently. I did buy matched tubes from them and when ordering spares used their perfect number system. Have to say when installing the spares it wasn't plug and play as expected...re-biasing was needed. I had thought matching meant direct replacement without the need to re-bias. Not really a problem since each power tube in the JoLida can be sepaately biased. Perhaps matching meant less of an adjustment was needed than would otherwise have been the case. I'm running Totem Forests (~87db) so not all that efficient but not the nadir of inefficiency either. The JoLida has been a good value for me - do you think power conditioning might help? Note too I had 5+ yrs on the original Sovtek 6550s so am inclined to think it might be more an issue with the JJ/Teslas. Are you running the Shuguang KT88s? They are the only Chinese KT88s I see listed by the Tube Store. Note too the JJ/Teslas aren't all that cheap...not up their with the Gold Lions but at $74 a pair not exactly cheap either. OK - thanks for the input. Let me know what KT88s you like.
I guess I should be glad I'm only dealing with 1 quad and not 5! I did purchase the JJ/Tesla's from the Tube Store (on their recommendation). I've been happy with their service though pricing with the declining dollar was better in the past hence the use of Doug's Tubes more recently. I did buy matched tubes from them and when ordering spares used their perfect number system. Have to say when installing the spares it wasn't plug and play as expected...re-biasing was needed. I had thought matching meant direct replacement without the need to re-bias. Not really a problem since each power tube in the JoLida can be sepaately biased. Perhaps matching meant less of an adjustment was needed than would otherwise have been the case. I'm running Totem Forests (~87db) so not all that efficient but not the nadir of inefficiency either. The JoLida has been a good value for me - do you think power conditioning might help? Note too I had 5+ yrs on the original Sovtek 6550s so am inclined to think it might be more an issue with the JJ/Teslas. Are you running the Shuguang KT88s? They are the only Chinese KT88s I see listed by the Tube Store. Note too the JJ/Teslas aren't all that cheap...not up their with the Gold Lions but at $74 a pair not exactly cheap either. OK - thanks for the input. Let me know what KT88s you like.