OK, I've got my kevlar vest on so will just come right out with it: I'm running a pair of 1960 GE 6BL7 GTA drivers in Elise and damn if it isn't far better than expected. The treble is actually quite beautiful and extended, mids sounded a bit "wooden" and bass a bit flabby 1st few hours but both are definitely improving as I hit 10 hours or so. This is a 1.5A heater current / high amplification (15mu) triode FWIW, with an energetic sound and I like it best at low to medium volumes. And the kicker: It was $20 for the pair!
Bottom line: These won't be replacing my Ken Rad VT-231 or other favorite 6SN7 tubes but it's good to know there are still highly affordable tubes out there to play with even after I retire and my kids force me into a nursing home I can barely afford. And as for GE bashing, every hobby needs fodder for humor. In the symphony making fun of the viola is a given. Just don't be surprised if on occasion the viola soloist in the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante K. 364 steals the show.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.