Tubes for Jolida Fusion Preamp

My 2 cents as a tube roller is to recommend buying from a dealer with a good return policy (thetubestore.com is a fave) as I've had NOS tubes fail...nice when they're replaced free of charge, and for me a key is buying NOS and not simply OS (old stock) as I really can't trust used tubes unless I'm the one who used them, although maybe I'm paranoid. A fave currently are the NOS Mullard 12AT7s in the phase splitter role in my amp because they explode on start up (what's not to like about that?), and I just ordered a pair of new Gold Lion matched and balanced premium gluten free all natural organic 12AX7s just to see what all the fuss is about (they do look cool after all), and because they're on sale! BLACK FRIDAY man...

I'm happy to report that the Gold Lion Matched and Balanced (including triodes for another 5 bucks each) Gold Pin Premium 12Ax7s sound amazingly better than anything I've previously used in my Jolida 502p...and they're barely broken in. Maybe the hype is true after all.

Those AT7s with the gold pins are tempting and I hope they have those when my 4024s wear out.