Tubes for a Conrad Johnson 17LS?

I own a 17LS.

I need to replace the tubes. I don't have a lot of funds now for NOS tubes.

EH 6922 seems like a good choice for a stock tube with the CJ preamps.

I also have easy access to a local cryo-facility so may eventually try cryoing the EH 6922 to see what improvement is possible.

Question: There seem to be two types of EH 6922. Those with gold pins (a bit more expensive) and those with non-gold plated pins (not sure if these are steel or nickel-plated).

Are the gold-plated EH 6922 much better? If yes, what are recommended sources to get the gold-plated EH? I can get the regular EH 6922 locally (in Canada) from PartsConnexion or TheTubeStore.

Also for this application is it important to get matched/balanced tubes. Some vendors seem to offer this as a service, typically $5 upcharge. I called CJ and they sell matched/balanced EH 6922 tubes as well, $115 for a set of 4. Does anyone know if the CJ replacement tubes are gold-plated?

Thanks for your input.

Chuck:

I ordered a set (4) of the EH6922 with gold pins. I will post my impressions once I have had a chance to evaluate them. If they work out well, I may order a second set and get them cryoed to see if that makes a difference.

What was the burn-in period in your experience?

Steve