Genalex Gold Lions have taken my pre amp to another level

Shadowfax

Shadowfax

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May 8, 2013
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Location
Bucks County PA
I got my 2 matched pairs of AX7 and AU7 tubes in the mail yesterday. Dropped them in my VAC and let them simmer for an hour before I gave them a listen. I was warned by several people that they may be a little harsh at first and for the most part that was correct. But, it was mostly the lower end that was muddy, the mids and highs were much better than I was used to from the start.

After 3 hours the bass started to become more detailed and more pronounced than any of my older cheap tubes, which was one of my main goals. The voices, percussion, piano and such are very nice. The last time this pre sounded this good was when my neighbor bought it new tubed with Golden Dragons. I think the Lions are even better already.

What I like is that the overall gain is slightly less than I am used to so I have a little bit more control over low volume, first and second clicks on the 2 knobs. I also tested the Passive mode, 12ax7 only, and was pleased that I had super detail at the lowest volume and it got better the more wide open I ran it.

Another observation is just how quiet and black the setup now is when no music is playing. And, when it is playing, it is coming from a much quieter noise floor. The detail and separation of all instruments is awesome. And this was only after 4 hours of warm up / break in.

For the $150 spent, I think I made a very good choice along with all the help and suggestions I got here and elsewhere.


The one thing I don't like, and goes against what is cool about tubes in general, is that they don't light up or glow. You really have no idea that the Pre is even turned on.

Cheers!
 
Brian.......Don't let me be the one who said I told you so........OK, I told you so. :)

The Gold Lion's will really strut their stuff after about 40 hours. I put two Gold Lion 12AU7's and one 12AX7 in my McIntosh MA230 that had old RCA and Sylvania small tubes in it and the difference is night and day. The integrated amp is nearly 50 years old and sounds as quiet, dynamic, and detailed as many modern amplifiers. I'm getting ready to try a quad of the New Sensor 7591 power tubes sold under the Tung-Sol name. They have just been released and are getting good reviews. Quality tubes make all the difference in the world.
 
They have been idling for 24 hours now and I just tried to push the CG3+Tony Levin & Pat Mastelotto and the bass was still real congested, but better than out of the box. I am even getting some decent bass out of the old Continentals too :)
 
The Genalex Gold Lions cryo 5ar4's are excellent too. IMS, they replaced my Mullard fat base tubes. They were more dynamic, faster, and more open. If your system doesn't need the extra warmth, these are very nice.

Joe
 
Gold Lions are a great deal for reliable tubes.

Glad you love them.
 
Brian.......Don't just idle the tubes, play them. Get some electrons flowing through the grids and collectors. That's how you break tubes in.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
That would be a first for a Russian or any currently made tube.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I'm being a little optimistic....

hours%20%281%29.jpg
 
Nice Steve!

Slowly sounding better the more I play. What I thought was a loss in gain is turning out a little the opposite as these break in. That is the worst thing about this Pre, besides 2 separate volume knobs, I don't have fine adjustment since I am stuck with the pre-set clicks.
 
Shadowfax said:
Nice Steve!

Slowly sounding better the more I play. What I thought was a loss in gain is turning out a little the opposite as these break in. That is the worst thing about this Pre, besides 2 separate volume knobs, I don't have fine adjustment since I am stuck with the pre-set clicks.
Click to expand...


Brian.......The lack of infinite volume control is a drawback to resistor ladder volume controls. It was for this reason I passed on a headphone amplifier I was otherwise interested in a few years ago.

Glad to hear the GL's are breaking in nicely.
 
Dan,

When I had my previous Sound Valves 101i Pre, the volume know also had detents, but it was a tiny spring clip that I was able to remove and create an infinite adjustment, the VAC just isn't the same with its mechanical clicks.

Anyway, I have a little over 20 hours of music play on the new tubes and they are actually starting to glow a little. The sound has been steadily improving and noticeable. The bass still has a little to go so it is not so congested on pressing tracks, but tone and timber are sounding real good.

Now, this is where I love my wife even more.....she has pretty good hearing and notices subtle differences. Since last week, all she asked was if I was happy with the new tubes. We never discussed the sound differences at all I I didn't lead her on 1 bit. Last night while listening, I asked her for a suggestion of Piano. She picked Elton John Tumbleweed Connection Mobile Fidelity release. It was pretty stunning and to prove the point of how when things sound good, it's easier to get away with more volume, she asked me to turn it up more, several times.

So I asked her what if anything she has noticed and the answers were...

More Detail
More Separation of Instruments
and Less background noise, music coming from a quieter space / noise floor

So without any prompting, she was able to identify all the improvements these tubes are making. Gotta love a wife that plays along like that :)
 
Brian.......Your post put a smile on my face. Your wife nailed it very well. You are quite fortunate to have a wife who enjoys listening and is attentive enough to zero in on changes she has noticed. I am pleased to hear the Gold Lions are blossoming. You still have about 25 more hours before they settle into their permanent voice but you are beginning to get a real taste of what the Gold Lions deliver.

I wish I could get Marlene interested in listening to music with me but she is a TV person. There is always something coming up that she just can't miss. I do my listening alone. I still love the experience but it would be fun to share it with someone who had an interest in music and the sound system. For all I know she probably wants me to sit and watch Lifetime Movie Network with her. No can do. :cool:
 
Well I must be at or over that 50 hour mark by now. I don't have the meter to know for sure.

I never knew my Clearfields could actually vibrate my chest, but I got exactly what I wanted out of these tubes. Bass! Clear, separate, up front with the rest of the instruments and so on. The overall separation and quietness has allowed me to listen a little louder without annoying the SO.

I am sure many of the other suggested tubes I could have purchased would have been a good choice, but I am not at all disappointed with these Russian New Stock tubes. Overall, it sounds like I have a completely different system if you were blindfolded for the before and after.
 
Shadowfax said:
Well I must be at or over that 50 hour mark by now. I don't have the meter to know for sure.

I never knew my Clearfields could actually vibrate my chest, but I got exactly what I wanted out of these tubes. Bass! Clear, separate, up front with the rest of the instruments and so on. The overall separation and quietness has allowed me to listen a little louder without annoying the SO.

I am sure many of the other suggested tubes I could have purchased would have been a good choice, but I am not at all disappointed with these Russian New Stock tubes. Overall, it sounds like I have a completely different system if you were blindfolded for the before and after.
Click to expand...

Brian.......Gotta love it when a plan comes together. Happy listening.
 
Brian...the only thing that puzzles me is that when you first put them in the tubes were not glowing and I think it might have been at the 20-hour mark they started to do so, albeit just slightly.

For the tube aficionados out there is that normal? I know in my set-up both the small signal tubes as well as the power tubes glow. And I know that some tubes don't light up. The weird thing that struck me in your case is that they did not do so at first and then after a while they did! Any explanations for this from anyone on AS? Just curious...
 
PS: congrats on the improved SQ from the new GL tubes :thumbsup:
 
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