Jolida jd-502p

Wilson,
I also have a Jolida 502 (but the CRC integrated version). I have bass heavy speakers, so I'm set up to (I think) do the opposite of what you are trying to do, but for the record: Soviet tubes from Jim McShane for power amp [I highly recommend these economical tubes -- even though I can never remember their actual name], either JAN Sylvania 12AT7WB to tighten up the base or Ei Elite Gold 12AT7 if I want more top end sparkle, & I switch between RCA long black plates and Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7 for the rich midrange. Good luck.

Batch

Please don't lure me into the lurid world of Old Tubes. It just seems like an network of crazed and sweaty audio geeks yanking dusty old tubes from abandoned 1950s radios to put on questionable testers while trying not to knock the painted logos off. Give me a New Sensor shiny glass product instead!

Although Philips "Mini Watts" are on my short list of things to try someday...is that so wrong?

Wolf, I agree on trying small signal 8-pin and rectifier tubes of a vintage era. As far as power tubes there are top quality examples being manufactured and they are NEW with guarantees. Now tube rolling in instrument amplifiers...

I've had insane luck with guitar amp tubes...the last time one failed on me was in my Magnatone combo in 1968. This includes constant gigging for YEARS using an old Boogie, a HiWatt, a 1960 blonde Bandmaster, various Twins, Marshalls, etc., etc... I had a 1960 all original brown tolex Deluxe that I used as a studio amp seemingly forever and finally changed some leaky caps and it sounded exactly the same. I mean really...all the effort used by me and everybody else to isolate and pamper our hifi stuff, and I watch an airport lunatic drop a Twin Reverb in an Anvil case 10 feet out of an airplane...that amp worked perfectly for about 6 more years until I sold it.