[jdandy]

Originally Posted by prepress

Meantime, while I review previous comments, both mine and others', what is it about the Gold Lion 12AX7 tubes that make them so popular in particular? I did make comments about them having a more balanced sound frequency-wise in my previous setup, but welcome other opinions, since others will have different ears and systems.

Charles.......I have experimented with various small tube gold pin Gold Lion tubes (12AX7, 12AT7, 12AU7) in a number of different McIntosh amplifiers and preamplifiers for the past eight years. I have compared their performance to Tung-Sol, Philips, Mullard NOS and reissue, Telefunken, and Siemens. All of the different tubes have been delightful although each bears a personality, and that includes Gold Lion tubes. What I have found with the Gold Lion tubes is a particular performance level that contradicts its price point. In fact, at a typical price of less than $39.00 per tube, the Gold Lions offer a well balanced frequency response from bottom to top, as well as excellent signal to noise level, i.e. very quiet when compared to others. The Gold Lion manufacturing standards are high, which equates to longevity. When you consider a $60.00 to $150.00 or higher price range per tube for other premium tubes, often NOS if available, then compare their performance to the Gold Lion tubes it becomes apparent just how good the price to performance ratio is for the Gold Lion tubes. I have found that the Gold Lion ECC83/B759/12AX7 and ECC81/B739/12AT7 tubes approach the same high performance standards and low noise levels of their Telefunken counterparts without having to pay upwards of $200.00 per tube for the very scarce NOS Telefunken. In my opinion, this is the reason Gold Lion tubes are widely embraced by audiophiles. They sound wonderful, are quiet, readily available, reliable, and their cost is reasonable.