ZMF Aegis Official Thread

[lllkkkoo]

input tube report, driven by holo spring 3 kte
Sylvania 6sl7wgt halo getter - More diffused, more extended
Rca 5691 - More weight and more tactile
Rca 5691 have around 16 hours on them.. lets see if they will open up more (i hope they do)
My pref leans toward the diffuse and effortless/ease/airy type of sound rather than tactility/solidity though, although, the 5691 do have something going on in the midrange i think.

 

[yupio]

Nice selection of tubes!

Guess who's the influencer

 

[Toonartist]

I see some people using the Elrog 274b. How is that going? I was using the Elrog 300bs in my HA-300mk ii and one of them blew. Thomas said the Elrog 300b basically weren't compatible with several amps due to an inrush of current on start up. This short initial bump in current stresses the filament and blows it over time. My 300b Elrog tubes lasted exactly 1 year before one of them blew. Wondering if we know how compatible the 274b is with the Aegis? I loved the sound of the Elrogs, but I'm apprehensive about investing so much in tubes unless I'm 100% on the compatibility. Thomas ultimately replaced my dead tube, but I really hope Elrog eventually extends their warranty period for technical issues like that. I think they should match the WE warranty of 5 years for their prices.

Anyway, how does the 274 sound in the Aegis? I bet it is nice.

In one word, expansive.

It produces a very large grand sound... a bit like everything was enlarged but perfectly placed with precise imaging and distinctive layering. Very "Real" sounding. Beautiful decay... really nice and full of detail throughout the range. Bass is tight, textured and fast. EDM etc is a joy with ZMF AC + ER274b, GEC KT88, 5691 and I've also found the Cossor VT60a to be up there with the GEC KT88. I've been running it for quite a while now and stopped using any other rectifier (since Jan 2024).

The bad news is it requires a first cap rating of 4uF. The normal spec for the DIY one was 22uF but I changed it so I could use the Elrog 274b, and other 274b tubes without fear of arcing or shortening the life. The ZMF Aegis first cap is also out of spec for all but the Sophia Electric Aqua 2 274b from what I understand.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

In one word, expensive.

FTFY.

 

[Toonartist]

FTFY.

Yeah, it's not the cheapest.... but, it is half the price of a Takatsuki 274b.... bargain really

Well, it is for me anyway as I love it way more than any other one and it's now a permanent fixture really. When it dies, I'll certainly buy another straight away

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Yeah, it's not the cheapest.... but, it is half the price of a Takatsuki 274b.... bargain really

Well, it is for me anyway as I love it way more than any other one and it's now a permanent fixture really. When it dies, I'll certainly buy another straight away

Oh I really just couldn't resist, it just fit too perfectly definitely not against anyone spending on what they love. I mean, I've got a $5K amplifier in the works...

 

[Toonartist]

Oh I really just couldn't resist, it just fit too perfectly definitely not against anyone spending on what they love. I mean, I've got a $5K amplifier in the works...

lol... I was waiting for it really I found myself double checking as it would be a funny and fairly accurate typo!

It's a shame Elrog don't do any power tubes that would work in the Aegis, it would be nice to have a high end new production option. I'm also sort of hoping Western Electric add a new production 274b to their new 300b line up. The Takatsuki really appeals but at £1150 from their UK dealer it's a hefty price to swallow!

 

[L0rdGwyn]

It's a shame Elrog don't do any power tubes that would work in the Aegis, it would be nice to have a high end new production option. I'm also sort of hoping Western Electric add a new production 274b to their new 300b line up. The Takatsuki really appeals but at £1150 from their UK dealer it's a hefty price to swallow!

Yeah Thomas Mayer is most interested in directly heated triodes, I'd be surprised if he ever produced a power pentode line, but entirely possible. Western Electric did that poll a little while back asking what tubes the public would be interested in them producing. I know a large number suggest EL34 and the like, and there is high demand there, so perhaps a premium new production model will arrive from Western Electric someday.

 

[AnyDave]

Yeah Thomas Mayer is most interested in directly heated triodes, I'd be surprised if he ever produced a power pentode line, but entirely possible. Western Electric did that poll a little while back asking what tubes the public would be interested in them producing. I know a large number suggest EL34 and the like, and there is high demand there, so perhaps a premium new production model will arrive from Western Electric someday.

Yeah, if I was a betting man, I would bet on WE releasing: 12ax7, EL34, 6L6GC and EL84 (not necessarily in that order).

I think that those are the four models that would have the highest demand as they are core tubes in guitar amps and also used in Hi-Fi applications.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Yeah, if I was a betting man, I would bet on WE releasing: 12ax7, EL34, 6L6GC and EL84 (not necessarily in that order).

I think that those are the four models that would have the highest demand as they are core tubes in guitar amps and also used in Hi-Fi applications.

You're probably right, since that is such a large market. I'd welcome all of them, except the 12AX7, which is not really a hifi tube IMO

What I want from new production tubes is not likely to happen unfortunately. I want high gm triodes (e.g., EC8020, 437A) and frame grid pentodes (e.g., D3a, E810F) as these tubes have tons of hifi applications, but they also represent the peak of tube engineering and much of that equipment and knowledge is likely lost. I also want a new 5687 / E182CC equivalent (with identical pinout). JJ ECC99 is essentially equivalent, but they used a different pinout, which is drives me absolutely crazy. Another family of tubes with tons of hifi applications. Lastly, I want a new production 6AS7G / 6080 / 5998 type of tube for OTLs. Or even a 6BX7 adjacent tube. Just don't know if the demand is there for all these tubes though as they are definitely geared more towards hifi applications.

Oh and more new production type 45. A high quality commercial 45 headphone amp would be fantastic.

 

[AnyDave]

You're probably right, since that is such a large market. I'd welcome all of them, except the 12AX7, which is not really a hifi tube IMO

What I want from new production tubes is not likely to happen unfortunately. I want high gm triodes (e.g., EC8020, 437A) and frame grid pentodes (e.g., D3a, E810F) as these tubes have tons of hifi applications, but they also represent the peak of tube engineering and much of that equipment and knowledge is likely lost. I also want a new 5687 / E182CC equivalent (with identical pinout). JJ ECC99 is essentially equivalent, but they used a different pinout, which is drives me absolutely crazy. Another family of tubes with tons of hifi applications. Lastly, I want a new production 6AS7G / 6080 / 5998 type of tube for OTLs. Or even a 6BX7 adjacent tube. Just don't know if the demand is there for all these tubes though as they are definitely geared more towards hifi applications.

Oh and more new production type 45. A high quality commercial 45 headphone amp would be fantastic.

I agree with you (at least mostly) that those would be cool. I also agree that it's probably not likely.

WE has hinted that they are looking for some higher volume offerings as they've moved into a larger facility (at least that's what I seem to remember reading). They also vaguely hinted at something like a 12ax7 being first. If I were them, that would be my first play as many guitar amps uses at a few of those (or more) for preamp tubes and phase splitters. They are also popular for tube phono preamps. It would be the easiest higher-volume play if that's what they are going for.

But it's not totally clear what their actual plan is, nor their timeline. There are some grumpy folks on guitar forums that expected them to be released 6 months after WE first talked about it, but I suspect it'll be 2-3 years at least, assuming that it happens at all. But I'm just guessing.

 

[AnyDave]

OK, this is the Wired article on it:

https://www.wired.com/story/one-mans-quest-to-revive-the-great-american-vacuum-tube/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Sure sounds like 12ax7 will be first. He also mentions that the guitar market is 10x the Hi-Fi market, so that clearly has their attention.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

OK, this is the Wired article on it:

https://www.wired.com/story/one-mans-quest-to-revive-the-great-american-vacuum-tube/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Sure sounds like 12ax7 will be first. He also clearly says that the guitar market is 10x the Hi-Fi market, so that clearly has their attention.

Well that's a bit of a disappointment for me, but no big deal. For hifi, there are better alternatives to 12AX7, but I get it, we are beholden to our guitar amplifier overlords.

 

[AnyDave]

Well that's a bit of a disappointment for me, but no big deal. For hifi, there are better alternatives to 12AX7, but I get it, we are beholden to our guitar amplifier overlords.

Ultimately, if the 12ax7 succeeds, it still could be a very good thing as EL34 and 6L6GC would be very nice to have as higher grade versions.

 

[jonathan c]

Well that's a bit of a disappointment for me, but no big deal. For hifi, there are better alternatives to 12AX7 but I get it, we are beholden to our guitar amplifier overlords.

... in tube h/p/a cases** where I use / have used 12AT7 / ECC81 vs 12AX7 / ECC83, there has been less 'constraint', more 'headroom', greater dynamic range.

(** Icon Audio HP8, Quicksilver Audio, Schiit Mjolnir 2, Schiit Valhalla 2, Woo Audio WA3, Woo Audio WA6)