[UntilThen]

LF339 really sings with Mazda Thorn EF86 and Svetlana 6H13C. Cheap tubes but the sound is glorious. I do prefer EF86 over EF80. Just a lot more resolving with details and clarity... and the soundstage.... wide
 
Listening with T1.

 

[adeadcrab]

Svetlana do not get enough praise here
 
enjoy

 

[UntilThen]

It has been back and forth between ZDS and 339 all night. Utopia, HD600, HD650. Yggy via Lynx 16e card as source. Both very good in different ways, but it is totally dependent on tubes, and I am purposely using a darker set in both. 339 remains more dreamy (and thus more immersive) with my transducers, yet powerful and spacious. ZDS slightly more transparent and resolving; slams hard yet more refined. Huge caveat due to tubes used, as I need Bendix, 7236, or GE 6AS7GA for a more neutral set. Tungsol 6SU7GTY RBP as driver in ZDS--if I really wanted to play hard, it would be Mullard ECC35 (but equally so different tubes in 339).

339 is very close to ZDS. And it wins on pure enjoyment level most of the time. I have come to truly appreciate the suggestions upon entering this thread for the RCA 6AS7G/TS EF86 mesh combo.

 
LJ, thanks for the impressions of both tube amps. I've no doubt you are experiencing the best sonic signatures with your gear. Glad to hear that the Figaro is holding up well against the ZDS. 

 

[gug42]

Hello

So no probleme with low impedance headphone (50 ohms and 100db sensitivity) ?

Thx

 

[adeadcrab]

no

 

[wadi]

What is the volume knob position with HD800? Mine are around 2 o'clock. I'm also wondering which tubes affect the gain more?

 

[adeadcrab]

7236 and 5998

 

[gug42]

Hello

So no probleme with low impedance headphone (50 ohms and 100db sensitivity) ?

Thx

 
 

  no

 
Cool, great
Si it will be ok with a fostex th-x00 and a shure srh1540 ? 
(Sorry to re-ask, i'd like to be sure ... I ve read that ouput impedance is too high for thoses headphones .... and the bass will be negatively impacted ...)
 
 

  7236 and 5998

 
From my read thoses tubes will lower the ouput impedance.
At the begining of this thread :
http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/946485/

 

[Sonic Defender]

  no

Well, I have to say that with my 64ohm Sony Z1R I actually found the bass too become too warm and less controlled. It could be expectation bias, but I have to say it seemed very obvious at the time. Despite that, I have no doubt that even if the changes I thought I was hearing were real and not "expected" I could see some people actually really liking it. The midrange on the Z1R when driven by the 339 was amazing I thought, very rich and tactile.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Well, I have to say that with my 64ohm Sony Z1R I actually found the bass too become too warm and less controlled. It could be expectation bias, but I have to say it seemed very obvious at the time. Despite that, I have no doubt that even if the changes I thought I was hearing were real and not "expected" I could see some people actually really liking it. The midrange on the Z1R when driven by the 339 was amazing I thought, very rich and tactile.

It depends on the headphone. Probably the closest to that I tried was the Fostex TH-X00, which sounded very good only with EF86 TF silver shields as drivers, but still it was not as well controlled as from other amps on hand; another example of a less than ideal pairing would be the AKG K7XX, which sounds VERY good from something with high-current like a Lyr.

The HE-500 is an example of a low-impedance headphone that sounds beautiful from the 339. I have heard good things about the LCD-2, too, though have not tried it. Why this is so is beyond me. All I can say is that upon receiving the 339, I sold all other amps that were supposed to drive the HE-500 better than OTLs.

Finally, the Utopia, being low impedance, also sounds great from both OTLs on hand.

On another topic, other recent headphones which are high impedance and about which I suspect would pair very well with the 339, include the ZMF Atticus/Eikon and the Beyerdynamic DT1990/Amiron.

 

[Sonic Defender]

The HE-500 is an example of a low-impedance headphone that sounds beautiful from the 339. I have heard good things about the LCD-2, too, though have not tried it. Why this is so is beyond me. All I can say is that upon receiving the 339, I sold all other amps that were supposed to drive the HE-500 better than OTLs.
 

I believe planar headphones have less variability in frequency response as the output impedance of the amp changes. I was spending some time researching the topic a while back, but sadly just as I was starting to get a better understanding of things I had to reallocate my time elsewhere so I'm not positive about that. Either way, I can concur, I really liked the LCD 2F I owned with the 339. I can't say that I recall the bass becoming less controlled and warmer sounding as I did with the Z1R. I also somehow suspect that with dynamic drivers the size of the driver is important to the amplifiers ability to dampen it effectively so perhaps the large 70mm driver in the Z1R versus the 40mm Utopia driver might explain how you found the Utopia to work well with the 339?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I believe planar headphones have less variability in frequency response as the output impedance of the amp changes. I was spending some time researching the topic a while back, but sadly just as I was starting to get a better understanding of things I had to reallocate my time elsewhere so I'm not positive about that. Either way, I can concur, I really liked the LCD 2F I owned with the 339. I can't say that I recall the bass becoming less controlled and warmer sounding as I did with the Z1R. I also somehow suspect that with dynamic drivers the size of the driver is important to the amplifiers ability to dampen it effectively so perhaps the large 70mm driver in the Z1R versus the 40mm Utopia driver might explain how you found the Utopia to work well with the 339?

That makes sense. As for the Utopia, I have no idea why it works so well, perhaps due to a bump in its impedance curve. Ideally, I would access a top-shelf SS amp with lower OI to determine which I prefer, as it is possible the 339's high OI is holding back some of the speed of the already fast Utopia (confirmed only slightly by using my DIY SS and ZDS on low gain). I still do not find it slow or limp though, which is how the Fostex and AKGs sounded.

 

[gug42]

Thx for thoses informations about headphones who pair well and no so well  !
 
So, i can extrapolate than a shure srh1540 will not make a good match ?  50ohms and 99db sensitivity ....

 

[Sonic Defender]

@Liu Junyuan, can you check out this thread. http://www.head-fi.org/t/821782/atticus-and-eikon-the-new-dynamic-driver-headphones-from-zmf/3090#post_13396863​ I simply made the suggestions that some members have found the 339 can compare well to the Zana Deux in performance and a poster essentially called this a hype thread and implied the 339 was a joke compared to the Zana Deux. I don't think the poster is in a position to make such pronouncements so perhaps you could pop into the thread and offer your take?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

@Liu Junyuan
, can you check out this thread. http://www.head-fi.org/t/821782/atticus-and-eikon-the-new-dynamic-driver-headphones-from-zmf/3090#post_13396863​ I simply made the suggestions that some members have found the 339 can compare well to the Zana Deux in performance and a poster essentially called this a hype thread and implied the 339 was a joke compared to the Zana Deux. I don't think the poster is in a position to make such pronouncements so perhaps you could pop into the thread and offer your take?

Not going to bother. It's probably not worth it as the person seems already predisposed to his opinion, and since I have no experience with the ZMF headphones with my amps, I would likely be taking things too off topic. He's illogically categorizing any opinion which praises an amp alongside the ZDS as another example of what he says is hype-fi, lumping this together with the eccentricities of some members on the Elise thread. This is a logical error. The 339 is also not a FOTM amp because it is not very popular, nor was it when I purchased it.

I have been living with the 339 for two years and the ZDS for one, and I will take more stock in my own opinion. They are both great amps and are different enough to suit different preferences and moods, kind of like the Atticus to the Eikon, if you will. The ZDS is the better amp for me in some cases while the 339 is in others.