Preamp tubes in power amps

I’m not familiar with your components, but you want to first upgrade the input tubes or voltage gain tubes, same thing, I think. As to whether the preamp or amp would have the most impact, I’d guess the preamp unless the tubes in your pre are not used for voltage gain and are in the amp.

That’s unfortunate about the 7DJ8s, but it shows why you need to talk to the manufacturer. 7DJ8s are often used as subs for 6922s these days.  Did you talk to Upscale about the problem?

I’m a tube rolling proponent , so I would say yes to both questions, but how much improvement you would hear or what brand of tubes would sound best to you, I can’t say.

If you go to tube dealer Brent Jessee’s website:

BRENT JESSEE RECORDING HOMEPAGE (audiotubes.com)

He has broad, general descriptions of the sound of various tubes. The only problem is that they may not sound that way in your gear, in your system.

You can call any of the people I mention and they will talk to you about what tubes you might like, and I have read many posts saying that all three have given the callers excellent advice.

Maybe people with the same components as you will chime in, but I also suggest calling the maker of the gear for advice. NOS tubes have gotten expensive, like everything else, so it’s hard to tell you to experiment till you find what you like.

Two other knowledgeable sources of tube advice are:

Andy Bouwman at Vintage Tube Services - Great to talk to, has great tubes, good prices, but can be slow. Many people love Andy.

Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio - Very knowledgeable but has a very no-nonsense style that some people don’t like. See the thread: Upscale Audio and Primaluna | Audiogon Discussion Forum for opinions and a couple of posts by the man himself.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

See if you can get Viktor to talk to Upscale or get an email from him stating the 7DJ8 is not suitable for his preamp and pursue the matter with Upscale.  Did Upscale know that you planned to use the tubes in a BAT pre?

Some manufacturers advise that you can't do better than the stock tubes because that's what they designed the pre or amp with, others encourage tube rolling. I guess unless you hear from someone who has the same components and had success tube rolling, I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendations.