12AX7 Tubes Comparison: Mesa Boogie SPAX7-A v. Genalex Gold Lion

Guitar preamp tubes comparison: Mesa Boogie-branded SPAX7-A (premium, low-noise 12AX7) against the much praised Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 (standard pin version).
Gear used:
- Guitar: LTD EC-1000T/CTM (EMG 81 and 60 pickups)
- Preamp: Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp
- Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo (3rd gen)
- Poweramp + cab impulse responses
- No EQ'ing / post processing / etc.
- Klotz LaGrange cables
Intro music by LiteSaturation from pixabay.com
00:00 - Intro
00:17 - Clean
01:54 - Crunch
04:10 - Overdrive

[@stevenrussell5085]

Great video thank you for the comparison that is exactly what I wanted to know. The golden lion to me does sound clearer and more natural in the med gain, similar enough in the high gain and slightly more bell like in clean so definitely better for what I want but close to double the price where I am so not that much better 😁

[@thebeaner687]

Honestly I liked the Mesa Spax7 better. The one thing I noticed was that the Genalex Golden Lion had no sustain. The notes rang out for much longer on the Mesa tube while the Genalex killed the sustain. It probably killed the sustain because of the Low Noise factor and reduced microphonics. I once bought some 12AD7 tube by NEC in Japan which was supposed to be ultra low noise and that tube killed everything too.

[@alainmalo3791]

Le lion il passe par tous superbe . good.👌

[@Gratefulcassady]

Nice video