I have a nearly new Cronus Dark in my second system. Like you, I recently began some tube rolling, only the center preamp slot, because my experience in tube rolling with a CM2 was that the other tubes make only a negligible difference.
Mostly I have been playing with new-production tubes because I generally find they tend to perform better than NOS tubes. That has been a recurring pattern in almost every tube-based product I’ve owned. Perhaps that’s only because I don’t purchase the NOS tubes that go for like $300 each.
Anyhow, I recently purchased a low-noise, matched-triodes Genalex Gold Lion 12au7 from Tube Depot. I also purchased the same JJ preamp tube that Rogue used to supply in the CMII. Previous to these I purchased a NOS Telefunken smooth-plate. In playing with all these, this is how I would rank their performance:
Best: gold pin JJ ECC82 that came stock with the CM Dark.
Next Best: JJ ECC802S that Rogue used to equip in the CMII
Next: NOS Telefunken smooth plate.
Least Good: Genalex Gold Lion
Yup, the Gold Lion has been the least enjoyable of these, and by a rather wide margin. It could need more hours, but within the 10 or so hours I tried to tolerate it, the sound was closed in, with a very recessed midrange.
The Tele was a little grainy relative to the JJs, but then I didn’t buy a $200 example from VTS, rather a $100 one I found on ebay.
I too will vouch for Andy at VTS: great tubes at mostly reasonable prices. Where he and I greatly differ is his appreciation for NOS RCA tubes. Every time I go with that recommendation I end up disappointed. Personally, I would only pick from his stock of Amperex, Teles, Siemens or Mullards.
I have had some unpleasant experiences ordering from Brent Jesse. Two of the half dozen or so orders I received from him were total duds, completely unusable on arrival. I have had no such issues with any of the other popular tube vendors.
