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RE: Genalex Gold Lion Made in China

Posted by TubeAcolyte on June 5, 2017 at 10:14:35:
Ahoy!

Ya, this is kinda old news. Gold Lion offers two different new-producton 12AX7 tubes under their brand. Once is Russian-made by New Sensor, and the other is Chinese made by Shuguang.

The Russian one, to me, resembles by look a Sovtek 12AX7LPS. I imagine there are notable differences in materials which distinguish one product from the other.

The Chinese one is an in-house reproduction of 12AX7s of old (perhaps using old tooling as well). Officially, they label it as a 7025. Unlike the standard Shuguang 12AX7 type, the new one resembles an old Mullard, kinda.

Tone-wise, I don't have enough experience to talk about the Russian Gold Lion. Lots of people love it, though. From the details analyses I've seen where plate resistance, gain, and transconductance are measured, they read typically read pretty high in the transconductance department. Kinda like how old Sylvania 12AX7s (long grey plates) can read much higher than the standard Mu you'd expect.

I've played with the Shuguang 7025, and with some good success. They have a bit of a bite to them, a decent amount clarity, good gain. They're not amazing across the spectrum, and they have a more modern tone. But still good and worth trying. I like them over most other offerings if I need to stick something reliable and decent in my guitar amp.