Tung-Sol 12AX7 / ECC803-S Gold Preamp Vacuum Tube
The Tung-Sol name and trademark have been acquired by the New Sensor Corporation. This new production Tungsol tube is manufactured at their Xpo-Pul factory (also known as Reflektor) in Saratov, Russia. New Sensor is an American corporation and since taking ownership of this factory has been steadily improving the quality of current production tubes. The Tungsol 12AX7/ECC803-S preamp tube has gold plated pins and is low noise and low microphonics. From our review of this tube: "There are only so many ways to describe vacuum tube tone and most have become clichés. The Tung Sol 12AX7 has the gain and drive of a Chinese 12AX7 and the pure tone of a Mullard or Brimar."
According to the manufacturer, this Tungsol 12AX7 is the Ultimate 12AX7. Big, warm, and musical. High Gain, ultra-low microphonics, and superb linearity with a dynamic 3-D sound.
Note to audiophiles: These tubes are great for linestage preamps, but generally not phono stages where a very low noise floor is required.
One other note about the construction of these tubes is they have filaments that are almost completely encased in the plate structure. They don't "light up" brightly when working properly.
Other Tung-Sol tubes 12AX7 TypesAdditional Information and Downloads
Reviews:
12AX7 Tube Review
Tube Matching Information:
Matched Sections Service
Downloads:
Tung-Sol 12AX7 / ECC803-S Gold Datasheet (PDF)
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF reader
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 3 monthsAll our tubes are guaranteed for 3 months from the date of purchase. (Any exceptions will be noted on that tube's Warranty tab)
If you receive a tube that does not perform to the manufacturer's specifications, please do the following:
- contact us to get a return authorization
- return it via regular mail within 90 days from when we shipped it, and we will provide an exchange or refund of the full purchase price of the tube.
Returns not related to warranty or defect will be considered at our discretion, and are subject to a 15% restocking fee.
We can not accept returns that don't have an authorization, are past 3 month, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
12 reviews
Tung-Sol 12AX7 / ECC803-S Gold | Really nice preamp tubes and great service
by MBdena -
I bought these 12AX7 preamp tubes (along with 4 matched EL84 tubes) on a Saturday evening on the West Coast and they were delivered on a Tuesday afternoon. I am using them on a Glow Two push pull amp and heard an immediate difference in sound quality. I can't wait for them to break in. Thanks!
The Perfect Preamp Tube for Me
by Edward
This tube is my #1 tube that I rely on the most. Every preamp for every amp that I own gets Tung-Sol 12AX7 tubes lined front to back.
I have used these tubes religiously for 16 years and I simply don't feel the need to use any other brand of preamp tubes or use multiple brands at the same time. The Tung-Sol 12AX7 gold pin tube is perfect for all of my needs.
I use them in my
1976 Marshall JMP 2204
1984 Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+
1986 Marshall JCM 800 2203
1990 Mesa/Boogie Quad Preamp
2007 Bogner Uberschall
2021 Victory Super Kraken
I also use them in my outboard audio engineering gear.
Trust me if I could afford to buy these tubes by the case I would.
Simply put the Tung-Sol 12AX7 gold pin tube is worth every single penny.
Good V1, V2 & V3 pre amp tube set up.
by Joel
I ordered a matching triad of 2) Tung Sol 12AX7's gold pins and 1) Electro- Harmonix 12AX7 gold pins. I put the EH in V1 position and the Tung sol's in V2 & V3 position. The Electro-Harmonix is a well balanced tube and help tame the Tung Sol's High gain sound down the right amount. Hi's Mid's Lo's all there with a Tung Sol Punch. Your Amp will sound more than ALIVE. Super Sonic electroflying energy. I ordered 3 Tung Sol 12AX7's and received the Electro-harmonix 12AX7 by mistake. I could have returned it but glad I did not. I would have never tried this pre amp tube arrangement. If I used all 3 Tung Sol 12AX7 pre amp tubes my amp would sound more "High Gain" and not as good as it does now.
Perfect tight and crunchy V1 tube in your SV
by Mike
The perfect V1 tube for a Marshall Studio Vintage. More Gain, Tighter bottom. A little noisy but sounds so much better with this tube. I tried a lot before settling on this one and this one stood way above the rest.
I'm here now to buy a few more to try in my Mini 800 and 1987X.
Sound Stage
by Michael A.
The Tung-Sol 12AX7 Gold is pure audio candy. The sound stage is absolutely gorgeous. I compared a quad set of these to the regular Tung-Sol 12AX7 as the pre’ section driver in my twin stereo power amps. They are definitely not the same tubes. In my system, these tubes have tight and punchy bass with an upper mid range focus and treble that delivers great detail and pop. The soundstage has large dimension and is very open and airy and forward leaning compared to the regular Tung-Sol. I suspect that many audiophiles will prefer the gold version. However, I have chosen the regular version as my go to. The regular version has a warm and non-fatiguing presentation that suits my system and listening. If you are considering the Tung-Sol 12AX7 for your audio system then I would recommend getting a set of each of the regular and the gold versions, if you can, and make your own choice. I think both of the Tung-Sol 12AX7 are excellent tubes.