12ax7 tubes can be enterchanged with xxx tubes?


i have a jolida cd player which uses 12ax7 tubes, looking for warmer smooth top end and larege soundstage. some have said to use 5751s or 12au7. can i use these in my cd?
dvdgreco
The tube most likely to give you the warmer tone is an NOS Mullard. The Blackburn Mullards and all of the 50s to 60s longplates will be your best shot. I should forewarn you the market is rife with spent used pulls that have questionable performance. The Jolida does not put a lot of demand on the tubes so you may get away with a couple of weak ones.
In the out put section of the Jolida CD player I was quite pleased with the 80s Mil Spec Mullard which used to be available here on the Gon by the same distributor of the KR tubes. I think it was the CV 4004.
For a wide sound stage I agree that the 5751 is the ticket. I would stay with grey plates as they always seemed a bit warmer to me. For Bass emphasis in particular I would opt for the GE, with the triple mica being preferred. The 5 star, the JG mil spec, and civilian all possess abundant bass. The 5751 Blackplates of all brands are in general a better all around tube IMO. They have taughter bass and cleaner treble.
As you have been told it is always a matter of taste. If you want to save a bundle, and just get a sense of how a 5751 might sound, I would certainly try the current production Sovtek, which the dealer will back to boot. It doesn't hold a candle to my and most everyone else's favorite Triple Mica Blackplate 50s vintage Sylvania, but they are virtually extinct as true NOS. The cost for good pair is prohibitive and may not be appreciated in that application.
FWIW only a 12AX7 or it's known close subs like the 7025 6681 and 5751 functioned in my CD player. I.e. the 12AU7s nor the 12AT7s simply did not work for some reason.
Good luck
5751 should work fine. 12AT7 might work. I wouldn't try 12AU7.

I like the 1950s GE and RCA 3 mica black plate 5751s.
Can anyone provide a good source for the RCA 5751 triple black plates. I ve seen them for sale by upscal audio 50/ea. is this the going rate? do i need to purchase the gold version for xtra 25/ea for my application?
$50 for a more or less gaurunteed tube of that age and scarcity is a very reasonable price. In that application, I really don't think you need to spend the extra money for the quieter tubes. Obviously YMMV etc. try the standard grade and see for yourself.
FWIW The RCA triple mica blackplate is indeed a very good 5751 but not particularily warm.
IMO:
So many really good choices in vintage 12ax7 that I would recommend trying:
Almost any 50's or 60's vintage USA made 12ax7 will sound better than current production ones. Try RCA or GE or Sylvania grey plates also...not quite as refined as the soo sweet black plates of that era, but still very good, and don't command the premium prices either.

Holy grail 12ax7 for me: Telefunken smooth plate, closely followed by the ribbed plate:

Any Mullard or Amperex from that era:

I have 15 12AX7WA Sylvania, USAF stamped mil spec tubes dated 12-64 that are some of the finest tubes I have...absolutely smooth, very quiet, with very fine detail that I paid $5/ea. for....so you can find super tubes for fair prices if you just broaden your search field a bit.
Good Luck....tube rolling is great fun!