xmdkq
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Can't reply to the mail
La Figaro 339
- Thread starter cal8949
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Great details and 3D-ish staging and imaging from the EF86 whilst the 5998 provides the power AND bass. Such a wonderful combo. Thank you to those who recommended this fantastic combination. My 6XX has never sounded this good; veil lifted with bass to boot, unheard of in my 6XX till this combo.
cukis350
100+ Head-Fier
I just saw this on eBay today and I just want to confirm this will work for my version.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/401699746642
Yup, those work as power tubes. You should be able to find a better price though, I recommend giving this guy a call, I believe I paid $300 for a pair of 5998's a year ago:
http://vintagetubeservices.com/contact-andy/
I received the GEC A2293 CV4079 power tubes (if anyone wants to try this, also requires an adapter: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-Dual-G...m2f2379c67b:g:WisAAOSw2yVbtq1f&frcectupt=true) and Mullard EF-86's today and am trying them out. I decided to "cleanse" my ears by using some tubes I don't like as much. If these are as close to the 5998's as indicated then it's often very hard to tell and would be best if I had two La Figaro amps for the comparison (which I don't). As expected, the "cleansing tubes" still annoy me and became fatiguing after a while.
The GECs are some great tubes and more reasonable for your budget compared with the 5998. 4 A2293 CV4079 tubes + adapters should run less than $200 vs $300 (or more) for a pair of 5998's.
These definitely sound very similar to the 5998's, open/airy, detailed, clear. Some punch, could do with more (I would say the same about the 5998's). Lively without being fatiguing. Voices are great, male and female. Good for a wide variety of music. So far I've tried classical, classic rock, 70's jazz, 80's pop, and recent pop. All really good.
The Mullard EF-86's are also nice, my only complaint is I prefer the bass on the Philips 6SJ7. I have a Loki, after adjusting the settings all is well.
Worth noting the gain is very high with these, I almost fell out of my chair after switching!
This is a great combo with the HD800 (+ SRD mod). These headphones thrive on clarity and detail which this amp + tubes delivers. After I tweak the settings on the Loki, this sound is hard to beat.
Now if everyone can stop recommending more tubes I will finally stop spending money on this amp!
The GECs are some great tubes and more reasonable for your budget compared with the 5998. 4 A2293 CV4079 tubes + adapters should run less than $200 vs $300 (or more) for a pair of 5998's.
These definitely sound very similar to the 5998's, open/airy, detailed, clear. Some punch, could do with more (I would say the same about the 5998's). Lively without being fatiguing. Voices are great, male and female. Good for a wide variety of music. So far I've tried classical, classic rock, 70's jazz, 80's pop, and recent pop. All really good.
The Mullard EF-86's are also nice, my only complaint is I prefer the bass on the Philips 6SJ7. I have a Loki, after adjusting the settings all is well.
Worth noting the gain is very high with these, I almost fell out of my chair after switching!
This is a great combo with the HD800 (+ SRD mod). These headphones thrive on clarity and detail which this amp + tubes delivers. After I tweak the settings on the Loki, this sound is hard to beat.
Now if everyone can stop recommending more tubes I will finally stop spending money on this amp!
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adeadcrab
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Haven't been on head-fi since the site redesign.. great to see some new LF339 users 
I've had this unit for a few years so I guess I'm a veteran now, huh? *Leans over to check the tubes..* Bendix 60850WB (graphite plate) and Tung-Sol 6DJ7T (mesh plate) as the power / driver tubes, sounds great as always.. although only one pair of the Bendix
Closest to the 5998 I have are the Tung-Sol 7236, rebranded as Cetron.. really neutral solid state sound with those power tubes in there. I even rock some Shuguang 6N13PT power tubes from time to time, they sound very neutral too
I've had this unit for a few years so I guess I'm a veteran now, huh? *Leans over to check the tubes..* Bendix 60850WB (graphite plate) and Tung-Sol 6DJ7T (mesh plate) as the power / driver tubes, sounds great as always.. although only one pair of the Bendix
Closest to the 5998 I have are the Tung-Sol 7236, rebranded as Cetron.. really neutral solid state sound with those power tubes in there. I even rock some Shuguang 6N13PT power tubes from time to time, they sound very neutral too
adeadcrab
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Those work with the 'bright' version of the LF339, which apparently is the default (and rightly so, imo).
If you've got the 6AS7G / 6H13C/ 6N13P compatible amp, this will work. And very well too if these reviews are accurate
5998 / 7236 / 6080 are also compatible model numbers. Though worth mentioning the graphite bendix 6080WB is not the same as, say, the thompson 6080. They are both compatible but only a few have that truly exceptional sound.
africanus
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FYI, La Figaro 339 is now available from Massdrop in both 110V and 220V variants.
whohasaquestion
Head-Fier
Only if this amp has line-out...
Nothing a 1/4" to RCA cable won't fix haha
Mizicke5273
100+ Head-Fier
I got my CV4079/A2293 adapters and some GEC CV4079 tubes in over the weekend. Took a few tries to get them settled in. I had some sound quality issues with them originally, but I narrowed it down to being a bad paring with my Telefunken EF 86 driver tubes and my Beyer DT 880. I swapped in a pair of Telefunken EF 800 and had much better results.
This combo is very smooth with, what I think is, the best bass that I have heard from my La Figaro. It is very nice listening to this combo with my LCD-2c and Aeolus. So far, I think I like this tube roll better than my Mullard 6080 & EF 86 roll; which was my favorite and go to before.
Has anyone tired the Bendix 6080wb tubes? Are they worth the high price tag? Are they really that much superior compared to the other suggested tubes?
attmci
Headphoneus Supremus
Nice tube. But don't pay the current eastbay price.
How much would you pay for a pair? And have you actually tried it?
adeadcrab
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I was just using the 6080WB last week before i rolled in the 7236 for a solid state sound.. so solid state that I had to eq the treble down using the DT880
I can try the 6080WB and give a comparison. From what I remember they gave a wide soundstage and imaging, with a strong bass presence.
edit: before I give a review on these tubes, I'll tell you what I paid for them:
Year: 2015
order: Quad Matching JAN CTL Tung-Sol Branded Bendix 6080WB NOS Testing Graphite tubes
price: £195.00 GBP (256 USD)
At the time this was a pretty good price, and for four (4!) of these tubes.
The current ebay listings I've seen are 2 slotted plate 1962-era tubes for $400 USD... these are not prices for tube amp owners, these are collector prices... If you really want this tube AND you also have a tube amp, you could get them. May as well get some 6H13C tubes which can be $35 per pair and realistically, would sound 75% as good as any other tube.
On the other hand, limited supply of these NOS tubes is driving the price up nowadays.. and the bendix 6080WB will likely never fail And these are the slotted version, which are supposedly better than the solid graphite version of this tube.
I can try the 6080WB and give a comparison. From what I remember they gave a wide soundstage and imaging, with a strong bass presence.
edit: before I give a review on these tubes, I'll tell you what I paid for them:
Year: 2015
order: Quad Matching JAN CTL Tung-Sol Branded Bendix 6080WB NOS Testing Graphite tubes
price: £195.00 GBP (256 USD)
At the time this was a pretty good price, and for four (4!) of these tubes.
The current ebay listings I've seen are 2 slotted plate 1962-era tubes for $400 USD... these are not prices for tube amp owners, these are collector prices... If you really want this tube AND you also have a tube amp, you could get them. May as well get some 6H13C tubes which can be $35 per pair and realistically, would sound 75% as good as any other tube.
On the other hand, limited supply of these NOS tubes is driving the price up nowadays.. and the bendix 6080WB will likely never fail
And these are the slotted version, which are supposedly better than the solid graphite version of this tube.
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