I got the preorder price as well, and man that sure was a deal. I much prefer the custom Walnut Burl base and ZMF logo too.
.Indeed it was a bargain. And mine is currently for sale! https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/price-drop-zmf-pendant-se-headphone-amp.24900/
That's a really nice looking one too! Good luck with the sale.
) so many times while listening as I have with this tube. I have heard a bunch of really exotic NOS tubes over the years, and have been blown away before, but this is on a completely different level from them all. The texture and weight of the notes is so thick (but not overdone at all) you can literally feel it, combined with speed and super snappy transients with just enough edge, more detail/transparency and nuances than I have ever heard before, and a stage that expands in all directions with full on 3D holographic imaging. I thought I had heard holographic imaging before this tube, and now I really know what the term truly means. The sound is projected deelpy front and back and all around and in between, with images fully fleshed out like I have never heard before, sounds exploding and floating out of a super black background (the blackest I have ever heard) from all directions, with decay that lingers but just long enough to hear every last note and syllable. As I have mentioned before, I feel like I just upgraded a major component, so for me that definitely justifies the high cost of which is a bargain compared to upgrading a component. Truly a magical experience, and one I am glad I finally took a chance on. A special thanks to @nwavesailor for giving me the nudge to finally buy one! I am looking to get another amp to add to the mix (DNA Stratus, Cayin HA300mk2, and Decware/ZMF OTL), and whichever one I end up going with is going to have some tough competition with the Pendant SE and my current tube combo. There really is nothing more satisfying in this hobby than finding that special tube combo that takes things to levels you did not know were possible!
I can't believe this has not sold yet, and especially with that gorgeous base and great price! GLWS!
Those are latter years version, and don't have the welded plates and foil getter, so not quite the same. I have a few of those as well, and they don't have the magic of the welded plates. Just for reference, the earlier version I am using, does not have those holes in the plates or an O Getter.@Wes S are these the RFT EZ81s to which you're referring? Is THERE more than one style of this tube? I don’t want to buy the wrong one.
Those are the ‘halo getters’: look towards the top inside the glass. The preferable ones are ‘foil getters’: those are covered in foil.@Wes S are these the RFT EZ81s to which you're referring? Is THERE more than one style of this tube? I don’t want to buy the wrong one.
There is no wrong (i.e. bad) RFT EZ81. It is that ‘foil getter’ > ‘halo getter’.@Wes S are these the RFT EZ81s to which you're referring? Is THERE more than one style of this tube? I don’t want to buy the wrong one.
The welded plates (earliest) are actually the better version and what to look for. The foil getter can have stapled plates (during the transition), and those don't sound as good as the welded plates. I have 4 different versions.
