ZMF Aegis Official Thread

[theveterans]

I have a set of 1958 Melz 1578 in my Freya+ that are sublime. I think I'll start with the 7F7s though, but given how much I love the Melz sound in my preamp, I may have to look into that. I know nothing about CV1985s. That's a new tube to me. I've also heard good things about RCA red base 5691s as well. One of the things which attracted me to Aegis was the sheer volume of possible tubes to roll into it, and that so many have said that it sounds lovely without god-tier tubes in it (thankfully!).

While I can't speak for CV1985 against the CV1988 or Melz 1578 against 1579, I can speak for the RCA 5691 vs RCA 5692 since I have both of them. RCA 5691 does not sound like the 5692 at all. The 5692 is warmer than 5691 and stages more intimate, but spherical while 5691 is more expanded in the depth and more out of head. 5691 is also more tactile than 5692 (on different amps (ampsandsound Forge for 5692 and Aegis for 5691) of course). In general, I find the the 6SL7 tube types even more linear sounding than 6SN7 tubes which is more midrange-y and slightly "more romantic/lush". Maybe 7F7s retain that 6SN7 character hence why a lot of Aegis users prefer using it (I haven't tried the 7F7 BTW)

 

[DACattack]

@theveterans Interesting that the 5691 and 5692 are so different. I have some CBS Hytron 5692s which I like a lot, and thought the RCA 5691s might be similar in sound. Lots to listen to and learn about. Thanks for sharing your impressions.

 

[idairyou]

I got all of mine from Ebay. As far as I know all 7F7s are made by Sylvania but some are rebranded. So I would say its pretty safe to go with any brand. @Wes S has an amazing post on which ones to look out for here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-aegis-official-thread.972476/post-18623439

I got my 7F7s off of Reverb.com

Just like EBay make sure the seller has a good rating.

 

[mchuckp]

@theveterans Interesting that the 5691 and 5692 are so different. I have some CBS Hytron 5692s which I like a lot, and thought the RCA 5691s might be similar in sound. Lots to listen to and learn about. Thanks for sharing your impressions.

If anyone happens to be looking for a high quality pair of true NOS 5691s, I know a reputable seller in the US that has a whole box of brand new ones. I paid $225 for a pair and loving them. May be able to haggle him lower. I’ve bought a few other things from him as well including a true NOS RCA 5R4GY DD Getter.

PM me and I can give you his contact info if interested. He may have some other stuff as well that would be great for the Aegis.

@Schuie Driver has bought tubes from him as well.

 

[Isaacc7]

That's a couple folks now lauding that mix of tubes. (I like synergistic combos that don't mortally injure my wallet. )

Does anyone has a source for Sylvania 7F7s? I found a few sites selling 7F7s but none indicated brand.

You can get them so cheaply from dealers I would just order some and ask them to give you pairs of the same kind. They are all made by Sylvania and they are all going to be pretty good. $12 from Tube Depot, $9 from Brent Jesse, and $8 from surplus sales of Nebraska. The 7f7 and 7n7 are examples of tubes that are better buying from dealers than eBay.

Edit: There is a whole class of tubes that make more sense to buy from dealers than eBay. Things like 807, 6bg6, 6av5 and other tubes originally designed for RF or TV are frequently cheaper from dealers. They are a lot better to deal with when it comes to screening tubes and returns as well. Plus you can usually pick up the phone and talk to them. I have gotten some screaming deals from dealers. Mullard 12j5gt for $8, Sylvania metal base 6sn7w for $20, round plate 7n7 for $10, used GEC metal base b36 for $75, and probably more. With enough practice you can get a feel for what tubes are probably cheaper through a dealer.

 

[iamoneagain]

If anyone happens to be looking for a high quality pair of true NOS 5691s, I know a reputable seller in the US that has a whole box of brand new ones. I paid $225 for a pair and loving them. May be able to haggle him lower. I’ve bought a few other things from him as well including a true NOS RCA 5R4GY DD Getter.

PM me and I can give you his contact info if interested. He may have some other stuff as well that would be great for the Aegis.

@Schuie Driver has bought tubes from him as well.

So I got a little worried about the RCA ones I have because the base is almost brown and didn’t see the 5691 on the glass. Was thinking I had a non military standard tube. But after taking one out I saw the 5691 faintly on the glass. Found out it’s basically the same as the brighter red base ones but more rare. Think used before switched to red base but everything else is identical. It’s from 1960.

This was my first tube purchase and wasn’t really sure what I was buying at the time. Kind of like how I bought the f32 gz34 because it was cheaper not realizing the f31 fat base or metal are the prized ones.

 

[peppy]

I really am blown away by this amp. The fact that it can be dead silent for my radon 6 but still power my tungstens with authority is amazing to me. Not to mention the vast amount of tube options to fine tune the sound to what you desire. I'd love to write a more in depth review someday but for now I wanted to share that I have found the aegis to be my favourite paring for the tungstens (over the headamp cfa3). Weirdly I enjoy my atriums a little more out of the cfa3. However, the aegis just feels effortless in how it powers the tungstens. I'm on medium gain and around 12 o'clock so there is plenty more headroom. The sound remains impactful and open even on the hard to drive tungstens. Hopefully this helps if someone is considering this pairing.

Also extra question for those who have ordered adapters from Deyan, how long does it usually take them to arrive to the States?

 

[theveterans]

I really am blown away by this amp. The fact that it can be dead silent for my radon 6 but still power my tungstens with authority is amazing to me. Not to mention the vast amount of tube options to fine tune the sound to what you desire. I'd love to write a more in depth review someday but for now I wanted to share that I have found the aegis to be my favourite paring for the tungstens (over the headamp cfa3). Weirdly I enjoy my atriums a little more out of the cfa3. However, the aegis just feels effortless in how it powers the tungstens. I'm on medium gain and around 12 o'clock so there is plenty more headroom. The sound remains impactful and open even on the hard to drive tungstens. Hopefully this helps if someone is considering this pairing.

Also extra question for those who have ordered adapters from Deyan, how long does it usually take them to arrive to the States?

If it powers Susvara OG and Raal 1995 Immanis effortlessly, it should easily power Tungsten too

 

[Toonartist]

Also extra question for those who have ordered adapters from Deyan, how long does it usually take them to arrive to the States?

Congrats on your new amp … the aegis really is a versatile amp and can be tweaked with any number of tubes. I can’t imagine a headphone not sounding good with it as there is bound to be a tube option to suit!

When I ordered adapters from Deyan they took just over a week to arrive (UK) which I felt was very good. Very well made as well!

 

[mchuckp]

I really am blown away by this amp. The fact that it can be dead silent for my radon 6 but still power my tungstens with authority is amazing to me. Not to mention the vast amount of tube options to fine tune the sound to what you desire. I'd love to write a more in depth review someday but for now I wanted to share that I have found the aegis to be my favourite paring for the tungstens (over the headamp cfa3). Weirdly I enjoy my atriums a little more out of the cfa3. However, the aegis just feels effortless in how it powers the tungstens. I'm on medium gain and around 12 o'clock so there is plenty more headroom. The sound remains impactful and open even on the hard to drive tungstens. Hopefully this helps if someone is considering this pairing.

Also extra question for those who have ordered adapters from Deyan, how long does it usually take them to arrive to the States?

Tungstens: I just got mine a few days ago. I'm pretty floored on how these sound on the Aegis. Amazing staging, separation, depth, and some great weight of note while still being nimble. Like you said, there is PLENTY of headroom. I've tried them briefly on a Burson Soloist and using the amp in my Chord TT2. Sounds "quite good" but to me just not even close to the same ball park as Aegis. I don't know if that is mainly because I highly prefer tubes or if those amps just don't do them justice. Likely some of both. Been wondering if a lot of Tungsten owners don't realize what they are truly capable of using some SS amps that can make them loud enough but that don't allow them to truly shine. I've been searching for a headphone that would be a good compliment to my Atriums so I can own 2 sets of headphones that I would actually use regularly and think I finally found them.

Deyan Adaptors: I've ordered from him twice over the years. Each time was pretty quick given they come from the EU. The last ones I got about a month ago, he shipped next day and I had them about a week later. Probably depends on how busy he is.

 

[SunRa Fan]

A new production tube shout-out...I'm really enjoying the TAD 6L6GC STR Black Series. Great sound right out of the box so far. It gives me hope to get good sound from new production tubes. I have some NOS RCA 6L6GC Black Plates as well and these new TADs are competing very well. They came with 20+ hours of burn in already on them from Tube Depot. A great match for the Atrium Open.

(5691 reds and 5R4GY DD on the front side)

 

[Schuie Driver]

A new production tube shout-out...I'm really enjoying the TAD 6L6GC STR Black Series. Great sound right out of the box so far. It gives me hope to get good sound from new production tubes. I have some NOS RCA 6L6GC Black Plates as well and these new TADs are competing very well. They came with 20+ hours of burn in already on them from Tube Depot. A great match for the Atrium Open.

(5691 reds and 5R4GY DD on the front side)

Price on them certainly appeals to my cheapness!! Might be a nice alternative to the JJ EL34 which is my current go to tube for rock.

 

[SunRa Fan]

Price on them certainly appeals to my cheapness!! Might be a nice alternative to the JJ EL34 which is my current go to tube for rock.

It's still early on, but these TAD 6L6s also exhibit the same focus on voice, guitar and synthesizer sounds as NOS RCAs. They're perhaps also a bit cleaner in sound as well. I spent a few hours listening to them last night, which, for me, is rare for a new production tube.

 

[Schuie Driver]

I was having a conversation with @mchuckp last evening in regards to Aegis (DIY version) and how much it continues to blow me away sonically. This is really my first dedicated tube amp and it just has turned what I always assumed tube amp sound would be on it's ears. Granted, I've really only heard it with the ZMF Atrium Open (which clearly benefits from tubes), but compared to my Burson Soloist (which I didn't think was a poor sounding amp at all), I just feel more engaged while listening and am able to separate out parts of tracks that I don't feel as if I could as easily before. It's like now I look forward to getting some listening time in because many times it's an experience whereas through the Burson I liked to listen, but many times it was while I was doing other things like surfing the web.

 

[betula]

I was having a conversation with @mchuckp last evening in regards to Aegis (DIY version) and how much it continues to blow me away sonically. This is really my first dedicated tube amp and it just has turned what I always assumed tube amp sound would be on it's ears. Granted, I've really only heard it with the ZMF Atrium Open (which clearly benefits from tubes), but compared to my Burson Soloist (which I didn't think was a poor sounding amp at all), I just feel more engaged while listening and am able to separate out parts of tracks that I don't feel as if I could as easily before. It's like now I look forward to getting some listening time in because many times it's an experience whereas through the Burson I liked to listen, but many times it was while I was doing other things like surfing the web.

Welcome to the sweet and engaging world of tubes. And you started quite high up with the Aegis. Enjoy!
(I used to own and like the Soloist as well, but the two amps are worlds apart.)