Current Tung Sol sound fine in my rig (compared to some JJs and old Mesas I had hanging around)...seems like a goldless Gold Lion, but if the Gold Lions are truly better I need to know why and how and I will then get them and stick the bastards right in there. |
Stevecham...are the Gold Lion's innards (technical term) the same as the modern Tung Sols? They look very similar. |
But what about the Gold Lion 12ax7s? I need more information. At least 17 more words or 3/8s of a paragraph...something...anything. |
NO...I need more. But I might actually do that. Thanks. |
Ya know...I have the same reaction to that site. I've been there before and really its format just blows chunks. Is that because people actually like the style or its just been that way for a long time and it's comfortable somehow? In any case, although I may talk to Jim McShane, I'd still like more opinions from people here since I'd rather be here than there. |
Ryriken...an unabashed attempt at a sale instead of opining on Gold Lions is simply tawdry. How much are they anyway? |
I'm boycotting and protesting the AA Tube Asylum for archaic formatting! Also, I prefer this brain trust anyway.
I had a conversation about 12ax7s with a dude at "thetubestore" and he thinks the Lions are a nice but more classic sounding tube (i.e. "mellower"), and the "preferred" 7025s they sell (they sell both so there's no incentive to sell me cheaper tubes) are cleaner. I am not in the market for old tubes at the moment since it seems that there are some great new tubes that unlike the "vintage tube" market, haven't been passed around by collectors, or tested on sketchy machines by sketchy testors after being yanked out of some hapless dusty old radio to be sold for big bucks with no warranty with bent rusty pins and smeared printing. I just read a review of the new ARC Reference 150 using KT120s and I have yet to hear anybody dislike that tube in any meaningful way, and it's about as new as it gets. Also, the ARC Ref is about 9 times the cost of my Jolida so I feel thrifty. |
Mulveling...you make a compelling case, and maybe I will get some Great Mullards just so I can say to strangers, "I now have Great Mullards"...totally worth it if only for that, although I assume most people would think I'm talking about a dog breed. I've had some old tubes around...usually stuck in a guitar amp and yeah, they do work a long time....really long...my 61 Fender Deluxe (got it in 1970) had original tubes for 50 years. I'll keep gathering opinions like the one I'm currently fishing around for about the 7025s the TubeStore dude was talking about, although they may have limited magical warmth (really...he described them sort of like that). |
Mechans...are you saying there's something wrong with exploding tubes? You're supposed to only be concerned with the sound of the tubes and not conflagration issues, and always wear safety glasses. My post specifically asks for opinions about the NEW 7025s offered by thetubestore, since the dude there recommended 'em as "carefully made Chinese tubes that aren't euphonic" or something. I'm still waiting for those opinions, and am printing the question on a t-shirt as we speak. I am with you on the "only discuss tubes with people interested", and take it further to include "all things audio" as trust me, generally speaking, nobody cares. I have yet to experience ANYONE (except another audio geek) seeing my somewhat elaborate hifi system for the first time and asking, "please kind sir (filthy Dickens-esque central casting peasants make up most of my friends), show me what it can SOUND LIKE." |
I ordered the matched "Preferred 7025" tubes from Thetubestore and will be forced to try them completely on my own...flying blind...nobody to provide pre-purchase comments...abandoned...but I'm gonna stick my Tung Sol 12AX7s in my guitar amp so there will be 2 tube change experiences at the same time. |
After a couple of days with the matched set of "preferred 7025s" I can say they're a qualified success. Exactly as described in the sense that they're more tonally accurate and somewhat tighter sounding than the Tung Sol 12ax7s, with a bit more clarity over all. |
Hey Jedinite24...you get your 502p up and running yet? Yeah...try these 7025s...they're really good. I've kept the EH 12AT7s that are original to the amp since, from what I've read anyway, they're supposedly somewhat "tone neutral", but that won't preclude me from looking around for other versions. I won't stop until I'm crushed under a pile of extra tubes. |
I've got AC so the 502 heat doesn't matter, although I did worry about that at first. I stuck it on the bottom of a rack with plenty of room above it, but it does insure that all the gear above it will never freeze. I just noticed the 502 stays mostly cool on the bottom so the vents seem to work, and the transformer cover isn't hot so I know the kt120s aren't melting anything. |
