doing the CJ tube replacement for $310 would be a quick and easy way to get things squared away. Then, down the road, you could roll some tubes. But I'm sure part of that $310 is a fee for their special knowledge of the right tube combination. Maybe not the best value per se, but definitely a quick and easy way to clean the slate and start from a proper baseline.
But i would have to agree that the Gold Lyons would be more of a lateral move. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but i just try to make a little bigger move when I do an upgrade.
I'm not talking about exceeding the $130 budget either. But the sound quality gains will be significant, especially since preamps tend to have more influence on the final sound characteristics than amps (and yes, I know, I know, some of you will argue with that ... yeesh).
In fact, you may just ask yourself, "why did it take me so long to figure this out ... :)"
But i would have to agree that the Gold Lyons would be more of a lateral move. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but i just try to make a little bigger move when I do an upgrade.
I'm not talking about exceeding the $130 budget either. But the sound quality gains will be significant, especially since preamps tend to have more influence on the final sound characteristics than amps (and yes, I know, I know, some of you will argue with that ... yeesh).
In fact, you may just ask yourself, "why did it take me so long to figure this out ... :)"