[UntilThen]

Not possible, too cold for mermaids

Use your imaginations ! Hug the mermaid as you swim ! You'll both be very warm !

 

[bpiotrow13]

Got this $10 RFT EF86 set. Untested, purely gambling, 10+ days to arrive from Romania.

Initial impression? Very satisfied!

I will test further after some pin cleaning, and then pair them with some good power tubes. So far it works great with my 6N5C, and apparently better than the 6SJ7GT.

Looks nice RFT should be rather warm sounding?

Shipping takes ages now...

 

[hp4fun]

Looks nice RFT should be rather warm sounding?

Shipping takes ages now...

Yes. It is a hidden gem (or it was just me who did not know?).

 

[bpiotrow13]

Use your imaginations ! Hug the mermaid as you swim ! You'll both be very warm !

Will think about it while listening to La Figaro

 

[bpiotrow13]

Yes. It is a hidden gem (or it was just me who did not know?).

I have not heard rft ef86 but had RFT 12au7 and it was very warm, but soundstage and detail retrival was below average.

 

[hp4fun]

Quickly rolled the Mullard 6080 as power tubes. Compared to the Mullard EF86 I cannot actually tell the difference. At a few points I think I like RTF a bit more.

I even don't want to mention it is $4 a tube, and the Amperex or Mullard EF86 is 10x ($30-50).

 

[bpiotrow13]

@hp4fun true, 10 usd is a steal. Are they silent?

 

[Galapac]

Russia has some good tubes...I do like the 6N13S...just as good if not better than a regular 6AS7A. Don’t let the low prices deter you from rolling them. RTF, Svetlana, Foton, to name a few.

 

[hp4fun]

@hp4fun true, 10 usd is a steal. Are they silent?

Yes. But it is in the afternoon and I need midnight to test whether it is ok silent or dead silent

 

[hp4fun]

A few quick updates. I rolled Bendix 6080 and tested Mullard EF86, Amperex E80F, 5693, TS 6SJ7GT (solid). Test piece is quite simple: Barenboim's Saint Saens Organ (yeah, I love all 6 versions I "collected" in Tidal. I did have half of them back to CD time)

1. RTF EF86 has very tiny microphonic noise. Only noticeable at midnight.

2. RTF is slightly warmer and has a narrower soundstage and slightly worse separation than Mullard. If anyone compares Senn HD 650 against HFM HE560, you may understand me a bit better. It is more focused and you might like the music a bit better. Sometimes more engaging, but at the same time you need to try harder to what instrument is where.

3. RTF better than Amperex E80F imho. E80F sounds less dynamic to me. I think it might be the EF86 vs E80F different overall.

4. 5693 is not impressive. Nothing really bad, but quite blurry and just like listen through a curtain. Maybe 5693 needs to pair TS 5998 and not others. Don't have time to verify.

5. 6SJ7GT is terrible compared to EF86. Maybe my pairs are too weak (for anyone who followed my discussions, I got them for $10 each).

So I think it might slightly worse than the Mullard EF86, but still very competitive. Depending on your mood you might like it better.

Finally, I rolled the 6N5C back. I feel the RTF EF86 works with 6N5C better than the Mullard 6080. 6N5C + RTF EF86 very enjoyable in various music I tried in the rest of the session (pop, electric, vocal, chamber). Very versatile!

So my new goto test set is now 6N5C + RTF EF86, and TS 6SJ7GT is out. My record low is $22 + $8 for all 4 tubes (shipping included. The previous record has the same number but excluded shipping).

 

[haasaaroni]

Anyone here have any luck pairing a sensitive planar with the La Figaro? Wondering if my Ananda's would respond well to it. I have no doubt about my 300 ohm cans, but 25 ohms seems pretty low to be paired with an OTL...

 

[UntilThen]

Anyone here have any luck pairing a sensitive planar with the La Figaro? Wondering if my Ananda's would respond well to it. I have no doubt about my 300 ohm cans, but 25 ohms seems pretty low to be paired with an OTL...

Yup my LCD-X 20 ohms pairs perfectly and my HE1000se 35 ohms pairs perfectly too. Try it.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Anyone here have any luck pairing a sensitive planar with the La Figaro? Wondering if my Ananda's would respond well to it. I have no doubt about my 300 ohm cans, but 25 ohms seems pretty low to be paired with an OTL...

I have listened to lcd3f (110 oms) and Meze Empyreans (32 oms). Lcd 3f not really sensitive but sounded awesome. Meze sounded a bit dumped (?) If i may say so, not really lively and with a bit loose bas. However, still quiet, without hum. Still someone may like it, but meze can sound a lot better. To be clear, meze can be tricky to drive. I think someone said LaFigaro can drive anything like 32 oms and above.

 

[UntilThen]

I have listened to lcd3f (110 oms) and Meze Empyreans (32 oms). Lcd 3f not really sensitive but sounded awesome. Meze sounded a bit dumped (?) If i may say so, not really lively and with a bit loose bas. However, still quiet, without hum. Still someone may like it, but meze can sound a lot better. To be clear, meze can be tricky to drive. I think someone said LaFigaro can drive anything like 32 oms and above.

It's a case of too much bass when you put the 2 together. La Figaro 339i is no wonder amp and there will be limitations. That is why I also have transformer coupled SET amps and now I have decided to keep Taurus.

 

[haasaaroni]

It's a case of too much bass when you put the 2 together. La Figaro 339i is no wonder amp and there will be limitations. That is why I also have transformer coupled SET amps and now I have decided to keep Taurus.

Yeah 339i being no wonder amp is good input. TBH I think I've just been trying to "fix" the Ananda's sound for too long, with SET tube amps, hybrids, warm solid states, maybe it's time to change headphones. Hoping an amp like the 339 will help the bass impact and fix the weird upper mid-range/treble tonality might just be too much to put on any amp's shoulders.