Your choice of EL34's

Yes, I auditioned a Jolida 302B with both the stock and Svetlana tubes and the Svet's sounded very good to me (warm and full). The only other EL34's that I have ever owned/used have been Mullard XF1's and 2's, though in different/vintage amps so a comparsison would not be valid. The Svet's, again, sounded very sweet and 3D. I do have NOS Mullards on hand in the event that I ever own such an amp again, but still would not hesitate to try the Svet's as well, based on what I heard.

Albert: Thanks for the tip on KT77's (never heard or heard of them). I will add them to my hit list when we are on our thrift and flea outings. Currently looking for #50's for a friend. All of the old repair shops have already been stripped by a local tube dealer (years ago), but I do run across good tubes from time to time. I picked up a NOS pair of XF1's a few month's ago for $20 (in a CEC Mullard box and the tubes are stamped Dynaco). I had thought of selling them, but decided that I could not afford to replace them. LOL.