[supabayes]

Nice pics. The LED looks green - are these custom?

 

[Sonic Defender]

  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.
 

Email them and ask, hopefully Shenzheaudio replies quickly.

 

[tkddans]

 
Email them and ask, hopefully Shenzheaudio replies quickly.

I sent a support ticket to shenzhenaudio. I still don't know why yuking09's site isn't working though, and why the site fails to have a legitimate certificate according to my web browsers. Should I trust shenzhenaudio or just wait until yuking09 is working? What is this "upgraded" version and what tubes come with it? Shenzhen doesn't even list the tube inputs

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
I sent a support ticket to shenzhenaudio. I still don't know why yuking09's site isn't working though, and why the site fails to have a legitimate certificate according to my web browsers. Should I trust shenzhenaudio or just wait until yuking09 is working? What is this "upgraded" version and what tubes come with it? Shenzhen doesn't even list the tube inputs

I have purchased from shenzheaudio before, they are fine. The upgraded version is the one I have with the different, warmer family of input tubes if I'm not mistaken, the 6C5 etc version. I haven't been able to hear mine yet as it arrived with a damaged input tube so I have no idea what it sounds like. Most frustrating.

 

[tkddans]

I have purchased from shenzheaudio before, they are fine. The upgraded version is the one I have with the different, warmer family of input tubes if I'm not mistaken, the 6C5 etc version. I haven't been able to hear mine yet as it arrived with a damaged input tube so I have no idea what it sounds like. Most frustrating.

They're a fine site that ships damaged tubes? Ummmm

EDIT: Thank you for confirming the tubes that they ship out, the warmer set. I appreciate it

 

[Sonic Defender]

They're a fine site that ships damaged tubes? Ummmm

EDIT: Thank you for confirming the tubes that they ship out, the warmer set. I appreciate it

I bought mine used, it wasn't from a store.

 

[adeadcrab]

  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.
 

You gotta chill he told you it is the neutral version. Those are the same tubes that shipped with mine, the otk2 are the black russian input tubes and were used in those graphs a few pages ago.
Also, both models accept the exact same power tubes. Also, I told someone else here which power tubes are compatible only yesterday.

Yuking's site was down, now it looks like he rehosted it on wordpress so authentication and shopping might not have been sorted out yet. It really should have been before going live but oh well, this isn't woo audio!

Send yuking an email or check back here as they monitor the thread. You can probably just order from shenzen...

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[tkddans]

You gotta chill he told you it is the neutral version. Those are the same tubes that shipped with mine, the otk2 are the black russian input tubes and were used in those graphs a few pages ago.

Also, both models accept the exact same power tubes. Also, I told someone else here which power tubes are compatible only yesterday.


Yuking's site was down, now it looks like he rehosted it on wordpress so authentication and shopping might not have been sorted out yet. It really should have been before going live but oh well, this isn't woo audio!


Send yuking an email or check back here as they monitor the thread. You can probably just order from shenzen...


Good luck and enjoy!

Sorry if I wasn't chill I don't know how it works on their end. Thank you for your info and I will be patient as I email them!

 

[adeadcrab]

Don't forget if you order from shenzen make sure it's the 2013 version. 2013 has black resistors instead of yellow

 

[Sonic Defender]

@Sonic Defender: If this helps you this is what I did when I received my LF: relax; enjoy the stock tubes; enjoy the music; get used to the sound; go buy some "better" tubes as those recommended by the more experienced users in this thread, as long as you spend as much as the 20% of your budget for tubes (or, in other words, buy some tubes that are supposed to be just "somewhat" better); do not seek the "sonic bliss" by now; enjoy the music; get used to the sound. Now, ask yourself if you can hear the difference and, if you do, if it is worth it. Then proceed. My experience is this: I did purchase some better high-power tubes but, to this day, I have not find a reason to change the stock tubes. Lazy? Probably. Satisfied? For sure.
 

Thanks for that, and I agree, but I never did have the stock tubes as this was purchased used and the tubes had all been changed and when it arrived one of the input tubes was bad. I'm only trying to get a small stock pile as the availability and durability of tubes seems so questionable that I'm afraid to get caught looking a year down the road to face diminished supplies and higher prices.

 

[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.

 

[tkddans]

  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.

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?

 

[adeadcrab]

If you returned the ragnarok over an 02 maybe another amp is not for you.. if you want to stay with SS a violetric amp would be like a warm tube amp.

Anyway I feel the LF 339 would be miles ahead of the 02 amp and you should get it, but if you didn't notice any differences listening to the ragnarok then I don't know what else to say..

 

[tkddans]

If you returned the ragnarok over an 02 maybe another amp is not for you.. if you want to stay with SS a violetric amp would be like a warm tube amp.


Anyway I feel the LF 339 would be miles ahead of the 02 amp and you should get it, but if you didn't notice any differences listening to the ragnarok then I don't know what else to say..

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?

 

[adeadcrab]

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.
 
If you checked out the amp measurements the LF 339 *SEEMS* to be fairly flat.. if the ragnarok is the same (which for the price it should be) then would there be much difference? There obviously would be a difference, the 339 will have a slight increase in bass and rolled off treble but will you hear it? This is with the right tubes.You could roll in warmer power tubes or warmer driver tubes and that will change the sound a lot more.
You could consider software EQ on the ragnarok/O2. I have also heard the 02 has issues with clipping; never tried the 02 so I can't speak from experience. Just a few thoughts without (hopefully) too much BS