[TrollDragon]

  Do you think a point-to-point build is better than a printed circuit board for tube amps?

Yes Indeed.
Sgbwill2 sums it up very nicely with the ease of modification and/or parts replacement.
 

  The clean point to point internals was one of the attractive features of this amp which made me buy it. In all the reviews I have read the internals and build quality have been highly praised and allows for easy modification / replacement of parts . I am also led to believe the La Figaro 339 is in the same league as the WA2 at almost half the price, and going by the headfonia review the reviewer actually prefers the warmer sound of the La Figaro. Cant wait to try it I'm so excited should be a nice upgrade from the LD.

 
I could very easily get used to the 339 if it is anything like Lieven's review.
Headfonia

 

OTL Amp comparisons

Compared to the Bottlehead Crack, the OTL Crack is the faster amp of the two, it it clearer sounding and focuses more on the treble. Bass with the Crack is punchier but not as deep and it doesn’t quite have the same rumble. Overall the 339 is smoother, warmer and laid back with an even bigger sound stage. It just makes you feel the music better (softer) as the crack. The Crack is a great deal and an excellent amp as we already said in our review but the La Figaro 339 is the better amp for me. Compared to the Woo Audio 2, the 339 is the more tube-ish sounding amplifier with a much warmer sound. The WA2 sounds much cleaner and faster but misses the warmth and soul I like of the 339. The WA2 is more analytical as the 339 and the bass depth and rumble isn’t quite the same, however it does have an even bigger sound stage. 

 
Now you have different tubes to chase... 

 

[sgbwill2]

  Yes Indeed.
Sgbwill2 sums it up very nicely with the ease of modification and/or parts replacement.
 
 
I could very easily get used to the 339 if it is anything like Lieven's review.
 
Now you have different tubes to chase... 

A lush warm tube sound is what I am looking for as for tubes I knew I would eventually get a 339 so I pre purchased some tubes that came up cheap. I have a pair of RCA 6AS7's and rebranded Tung Sol 6SJ7 mesh plates already to try. Hopefully I will get myself a pair of catham/tung sol 6AS7's eventually but prices are unfortunately extremely high at the moment

 

[i luvmusic 2]

 

  Just bought a La Figaro 339, 2011 version. My dream amp cant wait for it to arrive, interested to compare it with the LD. BTW both the 2011 and 2013 versions have 12% off them at the moment on ebay that's why I could finally afford it lol.

Congrats!
Very nice, it should perform Toe to Toe with MIKELAP's Woo collection.
 
The point to point build on those looks great.

WOW! look at those power resistors,I would bypass some of those CAPS with film or replace some of them if there is enough room.

 

 

[genclaymore]

   
Yes, I own all these tubes, but I haven't listened to any of them in a long time....  I can say that when I was listening to these tubes, I thought the tall-bottle GE 6HM5, manufactured in Gt Britain, was superior to both the Mullard M8100 and the Voskhod 6Zhip-EV. Also, a number of posters found the EI 6HM5, manufactured in Yugoslovia, and the US-made Sylvania to be similar. Again, you want the tall-bottles. The short bottles are nowhere near as good.
 
And these 6HM5's are cheap. I see that the EI's are currently going for $12.50 a pair with free shipping. And since the vendor will accept offers, you might be able to get them for less.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6HM5-EC900-EI-Yugoslavia-NOS-matched-pair-Little-Dot-Amp-FREE-SHIPPING-WW-/251691711374?
 
Set your LD for EF95 tubes, and they are plug and play.

If i read that right you mean the GE ,EL and Sylvania to be similar. or you meant just the EL and the Sylvania. As I found a deal with 5 GE's for 19 dollars and they are the tall ones. I tried to get the EL cheaper but the seller declined my offer.

 

[Acapella11]

  Yes Indeed.
Sgbwill2 sums it up very nicely with the ease of modification and/or parts replacement.
 
I could very easily get used to the 339 if it is anything like Lieven's review.
 
Now you have different tubes to chase... 

The 339 layout looks really neat. It should sound great. Hifimanrookie was posting a lot in the HE-500 thread, which I subscribed, about the Darkvoice 337/Lafigaro 339, for example here. He absolutely loved it. Based on Lieven's review, I would choose the WA2 but with the right tubes you could probably make me like it too

.

 

[gibosi]

  If i read that right you mean the GE ,EL and Sylvania to be similar. or you meant just the EL and the Sylvania. As I found a deal with 5 GE's for 19 dollars and they are the tall ones. I tried to get the EL cheaper but the seller declined my offer.

 
Yes, I believe the GE, EL and Sylvania 6HM5 to be quite similar. Personally, I have not heard the Sylvania and EL, but others report that these and the GE are quite similar. So my general advice is go for the cheapest ones.

 

[MIKELAP]

   
I tried using a Dremel, but my hand just wasn't steady enough. lol. So I used a pair of flush cutters. Tube pins are relatively soft, so snipping them off flush with the glass is a simple matter.
 
 
 
Hold the tube in your hand, upside down, and count the pins clockwise, from 1 to 7, as in the following pin diagram, and snip off pins 5 and 6. Using this technique, you can roll 6AQ6, 6AT6 and 6AV6 as EF92 tubes.
 

 Here's a picture of which pins to cut off                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

[MIKELAP]

  Congrats!
Very nice, it should perform Toe to Toe with MIKELAP's Woo collection.
 
The point to point build on those looks great.

The inside is really nice alot nicer than the Woo  very clean .  But there's one thing TD what you cant see cant hurt you .Damm i just saw it lol .But there's an upside to everything .Ahhhhh!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 
                                                                                                                   

 

[TrollDragon]

Those CMC sockets are very nice! The Woo is also a great build!

 

[bbmiller]

Thanks gibosi and MIKELAP the picture of those flush cutters convinced me that those were far superior to any tool I have now for cutting tube pins. And that other picture will be very reassuring should and when I decide to cut tube pins.

 I did find searching by picture to find where you buy those a little challenging though. I had to resort turn in the picture on its side and reading the labeling exactly to find them on eBay.
The eBay link if anybody else is interested is here with a price of only US $6.78.

 

[sgbwill2]

  The inside is really nice alot nicer than the Woo  very clean .  But there's one thing TD what you cant see cant hurt you .Damm i just saw it lol .But there's an upside to everything .Ahhhhh!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
   
 
Still very neat inside compared to the likes of the LD range haha. I would love to compare both the WA2 and LF 339 side by side some day. Maybe when I'm older and have more money in my pocket it may be possible So excited for the LF to arrive. Now the long wait for it from Hong Kong!

 

[mordy]

If you do not have a flush cutter to cut off the tube pins, a small regular cutting pliers will do fine. The tiny pieces left can be covered with small pieces of electrical tape. Do not try to bend the pins to get them off because it may cause the glass to crack.

 

[mordy]

Just wanted to correct a little typo: You won't find what you want by searching for EL tubes - the correct name is Ei. I think the name means something like Electronic Industry in the Yugoslav language.
 
PS: Oskari, was it Phillips or Philips?

 

[Oskari]

  PS: Oskari, was it Phillips or Philips?

 

 

 

 

[TrollDragon]