The JJ ECC81 is a superb example of the classic 12AT7. Most commonly used for driver applications these high current tubes have a warm and neutral character with great detail. The Gold Pin JJ ECC81 is based on the same construction as the original JJ ECC81. The internal components go through additional selection and processing during assembly. After working with these tubes for several years we can confirm they do test more consistently and sound noticeably different than the original JJ ECC81. Also available with current Balanced triodes for phase inverter use and Balanced and Matched in pairs or multiples.
All our preamp tubes are stringently tested for noise and microphonics using Amplitrex testers driving an external amp. There is no extra charge for low noise and microphonics testing like with other tube vendors. If a tube does not pass our strict performance criteria it's tossed or sent back to JJ Electronic for evaluation.