[supabayes]

  Funny you say that. I just sent my Ragnarok back to Schiit today because I wasn't wow'd by the product pairing with the 800S (I'm still within my 15 day return window).
 
And honestly, I could not tell much of a difference between the  $1600 Ragnarok and my good ol' $250 O2 amp/dac. I'm starting to believe that solid states do not really change much to the musicality after a certain price point. Hence, why I am here scouting tube amps.
 
I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on the 339 from shenzhen but I kinda want to lurk here more for opinions. Has anyone compared the 339 to other tube products with the 800S or the 650?

 
 

Don't tube amps have potential to change sound in a distinctly different manner than solid state? Isn't the Ragnarok being compared to tube kind of like comparing apples and oranges?

I didn't notice much of a difference between the solid state O2 and the solid state Ragnarok, but is the perceived difference between those two in any way contraindicative of hearing a difference between O2 and 339?

 
@tkddans The Rag is powerful, detailed and musical with both 800S and HEK. It's a pity that it didnt work out for you. If I have only 1 amp, it will be the Rag as it is transparent i.e. does not add or subtract from the source. I get more bass from HEK because it is the more bassy headphone compared to 800S. It is also versatile with the balanced out and speaker out.
 
339 performance is very dependent on the tubes. For the combo of tubes in my 339 right now, 800S bass performance is good. Sound is not warm at all, it's neutral - like the Rag. For the stock tubes that come with 339, you may or may not hear the difference between O2/339 given that you didnt for O2/Rag.  

 

[supabayes]

  When I try to go to my cart on yuking09.com, I get a window that says the site has no certificate. If I ignore the warning and proceed anyway, I get a "cannot load page" error. Is the site not working?
 
The only other place I found that sells the 339 is shenzhenaudio for an "upgraded" version. This site gives both black and silver options but does not offer the two tube input options as yuking09 had. What the hell is happening? :/
 
I really want this amp but I don't know what to make of either site right now. Should I buy at shenzhenaudio even though I don't know what set of tube inputs I will get?
 
Some questions are asked but sketchily answered idk.
 

 
Sent you a pm.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@adeadcrab, or anybody else of course. So I'm sick of waiting for the replacement tube to arrive, taking forever. I have found a local supplier who says he has NOS 6J5 tubes from GE, Westinghouse, Sylvania metal for $10 each or glass for $15. He did say other brands also, but wasn't specific. Between those three mentioned, is there a better choice, and relatedly, is there a reason why glass valves are better than metal? Thanks in advance. Hopefully I can go over today or tonight and end this frustration. Imagine getting a new amp like this and not being able to hear it. Cheers.
 
Edit: His ad mentioned many other tubes so I guess it is possible he may have some hidden gems and not just for the 339. If anybody is looking for something specific that has been hard to find, please let me know and maybe this will be a lucky source. So feel free to suggest gems that you think a 339 owner in particular should be looking out for!

 

[supabayes]

  I am spending 100% time with my HD800S since picking up the 339. My HEK and Ragnarok has 0% hours except for comparison. The 339 puts fast and tight bass into the 800S, coupled with the exceptional musicality - I don't miss the HEK at all. Before getting the 339, I have enjoyed the HEK more than 800S driven by the Ragnarok. The 800S just don't pack that bass with the Rag.

 
Tonight, I changed my 800S cable to balanced with the Ragnarok. Musicality and bass are actually quite good, close enough to match that from 339. Which reminds me of what I knew about the 800S and Lieven has mentioned in his review of the 800S - it performs better with the balanced cable. Now, I can only imagine how glorious the 800S will be if 339 has a balanced headphone jack. Is there anyway to persuade the designer to come up with a balanced version of 339? 

 

[tkddans]

   
Tonight, I changed my 800S cable to balanced with the Ragnarok. Musicality and bass are actually quite good, close enough to match that from 339. Which reminds me of what I knew about the 800S and Lieven has mentioned in his review of the 800S - it performs better with the balanced cable. Now, I can only imagine how glorious the 800S will be if 339 has a balanced headphone jack. Is there anyway to persuade the designer to come up with a balanced version of 339? 

I also thought the balanced connection between the 800S and Rag was more musical than than the 1/4" connection. However, I found that the loud parts got too loud, despite the average dB reading similar to the 1/4" connection. The balanced allowed the loud parts to be a bit overwhelming and uncomfortable, so much so that I had to lower the overall volume to avoid painful peaks. Unfortunately, lowering the volume for the music as a whole just made the general experience less pleasurable.
 
Altogether, the balanced became a hassle of adjusting the knob on the Rag if I wanted to enjoy the music while also avoiding 85+ dB during loud moments (85 dB is said to be the point at which long term hearing damage occurs if experienced long enough).

 

[supabayes]

  I also thought the balanced connection between the 800S and Rag was more musical than than the 1/4" connection. However, I found that the loud parts got too loud, despite the average dB reading similar to the 1/4" connection. The balanced allowed the loud parts to be a bit overwhelming and uncomfortable, so much so that I had to lower the overall volume to avoid painful peaks. Unfortunately, lowering the volume for the music as a whole just made the general experience less pleasurable.
 
Altogether, the balanced became a hassle of adjusting the knob on the Rag if I wanted to enjoy the music while also avoiding 85+ dB during loud moments (85 dB is said to be the point at which long term hearing damage occurs if experienced long enough).

I don't have this issue with 800S balanced with both my V181 and Rag. What song did you experience this most? 
 
@Ultrainferno,  did you experience this with 800S and V281?

 

[Ultrainferno]

   
Tonight, I changed my 800S cable to balanced with the Ragnarok. Musicality and bass are actually quite good, close enough to match that from 339. Which reminds me of what I knew about the 800S and Lieven has mentioned in his review of the 800S - it performs better with the balanced cable. Now, I can only imagine how glorious the 800S will be if 339 has a balanced headphone jack. Is there anyway to persuade the designer to come up with a balanced version of 339? 

 
You know, I've been thinking about that too...

 

[africanus]

The only other place I found that sells the 339 is shenzhenaudio for an "upgraded" version. This site gives both black and silver options but does not offer the two tube input options as yuking09 had. What the hell is happening? :/

As far as I know, the "upgraded" version refers to the 2013 version of the original design (tubes). I had the same doubt when I purchased my LF.

 

[adeadcrab]

  I want some tubes

Go get some tubes. One of the power tubes was dead on arrival when my amp was shipped and I waited 3 weeks for a replacement.

 

[africanus]

Here's an anecdotal story;

Two days ago I wanted to see how my audo gd-fun DAC/Preamp/Headphone Amp unit sounded compared to the 339. I use it as my DAC and preamp in the equipment chain to the 339 but have long since forgotten about the headphone amp part of it.


I discovered that the 339 has slightly more detailed bass and a much more extended treble, with cymbals more detailed and natural sounding than the solid state audio-gd fun. This was a $450 all-in-one amp that I was set on as my only headphone gear for a few years. Besides this the soundstage and imaging are also noticeably better with the 339. You would think the OTL amp would have less treble than a solid state amp but really the solid state amp was the one lacking

That is my experience also. However, since I am not a strong believer in amplifiers' sonic differences (when correctly built), I suspect that the effect is due to the harmonics created by the tubes. Lows and mids are boosted (including high-mids, hence the improved details) whereas the harmonics of highs are beyond our hearing capabilities. The result, then, is a pleasing, detailed and "meaty" sound. Whatever the cause, in any case the outcome is as described.

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
Go get some tubes. One of the power tubes was dead on arrival when my amp was shipped and I waited 3 weeks for a replacement.

Any real difference between the three companies I mentioned GE, Westinghouse and Sylvania?

 

[adeadcrab]

The model of tube is usually more important than the name printed on them. That said I don't have any experience with the tubes you are looking for. Just get any of them, let's say Sylvania metal.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  The model of tube is usually more important than the name printed on them. That said I don't have any experience with the tubes you are looking for. Just get any of them, let's say Sylvania metal.

So just had a conversation with the older gentleman who is going to bring the tubes to my house tomorrow! He is an old school HAM enthusiast so hence his interest in tubes. What he tells me is that he may not have matched name brands, but he matches them electronically. I know that for audio purposes this is less than ideal, but he feels he can get me a nice coke bottle shaped glass set of 6J5 tubes matched electronically. At least in the short term until my matched set arrives I can test the amp. It won't hurt to have an old school tube head stop over and look at things for me. He says he has a bunch of 6080s, no 7236 sadly. I'm going to see if I can't get a better idea what he has, you never know, I might find a few gems, and he literally lives about 10 minutes away! My other hope is that he likely has buddies so perhaps I will find a network of tube-heads to source from locally! Wish me luck.

 

[adeadcrab]

Nice one, you potentially struck gold there.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  Nice one, you potentially struck gold there.

Indeed. What do you think about not having matched brand tubes, but matched electronically? In theory if tubes can sound very different this might have an audible impact correct?