Generally, Europe made some very good sounding small signal tubes. Since an EC90 is a European equivalent for an 8080, and depending on the brand of the tube, I would venture to say a Telefunken EC90 may sound a bit better or be quieter then their American equivalent. JAN tubes (joint Army Navy) U.S. made tubes can be very good as well. The problem is, the military spec for each JAN tube model was different. Was it a quieter tube or less microphonic? It was difficult to find out. In addition, consumer type RCA, GE, Sylvania etc. were some exceptional tubes. Many of them are highly prized, and this depends on the tube type. Did you know that some U.S. manufacturers branded their name on other manufacturers tubes?. Sometimes an RCA branded tube was actually made in Europe by Amperex. It wasn't uncommon back in the day. Johnmc87, not a dumb question at all.