Aesthetix Rhea and Calypso Tube rolling-what did you do?

Gave Andy a call.  I already have Amperex 7308 green globes in the 6922 position in the Calypso, but pulling the stock Sovteks and going with a pair of 60's Amperex bugle boys.  Looking forward to the see what the change will be.  I'm certain for the better.  Once that's put to bed, might go same way with the Rhea signature as well, Amperex all the way through.  

There's a ton of great info and feedback on those Amperex 12ax7s.  Seemed like a 'safe bet' to start there.  I can see how this becomes an addiction real quick.  I thought I had a problem with Pinot Noirs, betchya that takes a back seat to tube rolling.

Old thread but current thoughts... I have had the Calypso and Rhea Signatures for a long, long time, tried most every band/type and find a 5751 RCA triple mica black plate to be the weapon of choice in my pre, with Amperex 6DJ8s. I utilize an NOS quad of Telefunken smooth plate 12AX7s (Amperex Bugle Boys were also very nice, perhaps offering just a bit of music sparkle (NOT overly tipped up at all)) in the first gain stage of the Rhea for their clean, top to bottom linearity and lack of added colour, and RCA 7058s (per Glenn at Aesthetix) in the 2nd stage (RIAA). The 3rd has far less influence on tone. I found a date matched pair of Telefunken 6DJ8 medical grade that are dead quiet (between the music of course) for the final sockets. Sounds lovely and very revealing.

73cuttyspreme, I certainly agree with your choice of gear and your take on what you want sonically out of these fine components. It very much mirrors my own. Your approach is sound. After investing what you have in the hardware it would be a huge misstep to be cheap about valve selection, ridiculous actually, especially given the lifespan of a well vetted set of signal tubes. These offer more to the mix than does a good set of performance rubber on a sports car or dash of spice on a otherwise excellent meal. I have had my two units since before sending them both back to Glenn and Jim for Signature Editions. Now thinking toward Eclipse upgrades... 

Bye the way, there are several very reliable NOS tube sources still in business but a note from experience, Andy at VintageTubeServices is a rare gem and a gentleman! I have signal tubes that he hand/ear picked over a decade ago that are still sounding as sweet as the day I plunked done my hard earned dollars for the privilege. If you where interested and couldn’t readily find a pair of RCA 7058s (for the second gain stage), they are commonly pretty cheap when one can find them, but PM me and I’d be happy to send you a pair. 

Please follow back up in this thread and tell us what you find and how it worked out. Do this for future readers (as so many don’t bother to do).

I went with Andy B over at VTS.  Super stellar guy.  Takes the time, wants to ensure you know what you are getting.  In this current age of commerce Andy is a breath of fresh air.  I cannot recommend him highly enough!  He's got my business for life, and should probably stock up on every tube I can right now and get a lifetime supply in the 'audio drawer'. I ended up with Amperex 60s vintage 12ax7 and 6dj6 tubes and wow, just wow.  Super quiet, wonderful transparency.  I was able to drop the gain on the Rhea one click, after many years, finally aware of what this unit can do.  I am most likely going to send it out for an Eclipse upgrade here at some point.  I think this is finally the sweet spot in regards to the hifi here.  You can't necessarily do better, you can only do different, and that's a great place to be in....