Can excellent tubes transcend modest amps?

Expensive NOS tubes will make a difference in a modest amp, but they won't
overcome a modest power supply, and they won't transform a modest amp
into a very good amp the way a better power supply would.

IMO, a sure indicator of a great amp is its power supply. Allocate your dollars
to an overbuilt power supply before you spend your money o tubes.

IMO, NOS is very overrated. The most important thing is quality capacitors, well built power supply, quality circuit, and a well matched dammping factor between amp and speakers. NOS is just a blip in a far more complex chain of events. Good tubes by Winged C, and JJ are as good as NOS, and even better in some cases. NOS is a good way to make a lot of money on old tubes. NOS is hard to match, and many have a lot of hours on them. I like new, but do have NOS too, I just buy new now after comparing the two. A bad circuit cannot be saved by NOS. Point to point with no PCB is great and quality caps like v-cap will do more than NOS ever hoped to do. NOS and power cords are similar IMO in that they are very over emphasized and emphasis should be elsewhere. Jallen

I owned Rogue M 150s and tried evertything aftermarket to get the top end to open up, including gold fuses, and cryoed tubes. Just couldn't compensate for the average output transformers. In fairness, better transformers cost quite a bit more. If Rogue used them, the amps would no longer be $4K per pair.

I much prefer tubes at my source and SS everywhere else. Less hassle and less money.

The newer ASL is much better made. Cayins I've heard are outstanding. I have no Jolida reference.

Replacing stock tubes with cryoed Russian 6922s in my Raysonic 168 was a HUGE improvement, but my system is highly resolving

AudioFile, let's clarify this a little. Yes, Pirelli P zeros are worthless on an Impala. However, cheap retreads are a nightmare even to that car.

Jolida sends out their amps with notoriously lame tubes. I don't have a problem with Jolida or ASL gear, I just have a problem with $2 tubes put in them at the factory. Tube upgrades even to modest priced tubes ($10 each) will make a noticeable difference.

Well I tend to agree with Audiofeil. That is not to say that the OEM tubes are WAS, just that you can usually, for just a few more dollars, get new production alternatives that will be quite suitible for you. You don't need to spend big bucks on NOS tubes to get a good result when you are using modest components unless you are seeking a very specific result and you can't find a new production tube that will get you there.