Cayin H80A - Preamp tube rolling

Thanks for your respnse Uberdine. Sorry I haven't responded sooner but I've been traveling. I'm not sure what the original tubes were because I bought them second hand and it looks like the original owner has put in a Groove Tubes that are in fact 12ax7's, which have too much gain. I was actually considering Amperex's or Telefunkens, maybe the latter for more smoothness since it's a solid state power section.

Hi there,

Here is what I tried and I am quite happy :Sylvania Short Gray Plate JHS 12AU7 / ECC82 Military Tubes. They may be listed new for even 70-ish bucks, but I found them on ebay for 15$. I was hesitant at first, but gave it a try and do not regret it. The original tubes in the amp have "Cayin" written on them. They are not bad at all, but with these ones the sound is smoother and bigger.
My set-up is Oppo 95 and Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M. The speaker cables are QED (900$/pair) and my interconnects are QED quinnex. Not bad either.
Other tubes I was considering (from my previous experience with an Audiomat Arpege Reference) were the JJ Electric 12AU7. The Arpege uses 12AX7, but I thought they were pretty good for the money (15$ each).
If you try some of the more expensive tubes, let us know.
Cheers

Bobul,

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I'll look into the Sylvanias. I'm running bookshelves as well, Dali Mentor 2's. I'll keep you posted if I try anything else. Cheers.

Hao