New Concert Fidelity CF-080 LSX2-V2

[bebop86]

Hey guys- Both pieces arried yesteday!!
I ordered from Brent Jesse a pair of Mullard 6Ca4 also some amperex bugle boys 12AU7 and the Mazda 6189 to try-
What are you fine folks using for power cords?? Also how about the tuning fuses- Are they worth it or snake oil-
I also just ordered from MG Audio the AG series interconnects which came highly recommended- Thanks so much for all your help- I cannot wait to get everything in and settle in to some great music---

 

[ted_b]

Hey guys- Both pieces arried yesteday!!
I ordered from Brent Jesse a pair of Mullard 6Ca4 also some amperex bugle boys 12AU7 and the Mazda 6189 to try-
What are you fine folks using for power cords?? Also how about the tuning fuses- Are they worth it or snake oil-
I also just ordered from MG Audio the AG series interconnects which came highly recommended- Thanks so much for all your help- I cannot wait to get everything in and settle in to some great music---

Congrats. On my pre I use Greg's Silver cables (which I reviewed sevral months ago; I use his copper Cu2's elesewhere and his Planus III speaker cables too...magical and amazing). My power cords are Sablon Petit Coronas. A bunch of us have found that the inexpensive but somewhat difficult to find Sylvania Gold brand Gold label 5814s are truly the most musical yet detailed tubes for the CF-080 we've ever tried. Brent doesn't like them, but oh well.

 

[MarinJim]

I now am using all Mullard tubes inside my CF preamp, and Siemens E82CC on the back. Cabling is Purist Audio Canorus a/c and Proteus Provectus interconnects. I have had my Jena Labs Pathfinder 19's speaker cables now for several weeks and these have had the biggest impact on my system.

 

[Uk Paul]

Excellent bebop, you selected some fine toobs aswell, I've not yet bettered the 6Ca4 position Mullard. Likewise, with the Mazda 6189, they are wonderful. Martin Colloms preferred this also, have you read his review? Fuses I've not changed, I'd stick with stock to begin with, I think you'll save your money..

I will hunt out some Nos Sylvania too, always open to suggestions..

 

[LL21]

Hey guys- Both pieces arried yesteday!!
I ordered from Brent Jesse a pair of Mullard 6Ca4 also some amperex bugle boys 12AU7 and the Mazda 6189 to try-
What are you fine folks using for power cords?? Also how about the tuning fuses- Are they worth it or snake oil-
I also just ordered from MG Audio the AG series interconnects which came highly recommended- Thanks so much for all your help- I cannot wait to get everything in and settle in to some great music---

congrats! I was just posting under a different thread...Zanden 3000...that i also use 2 Mullard 6CA4s in my Zanden PSU along with Sylvania 6X4...tremendous all around improvement, particular in the bass.

 

[mep]

congrats! I was just posting under a different thread...Zanden 3000...that i also use 2 Mullard 6CA4s in my Zanden PSU along with Sylvania 6X4...tremendous all around improvement, particular in the bass.

Mullard branded or real Mullards? I previously posted a link from Mike Elliott about how so many companies sold 6CA4 tubes with their brand name on them that were sourced from other tube companies. Maybe because you live in England you have a better chance of buying *real* Mullard 6CA4s. Maybe. It was such a common practice for all of the major tube companies to work with each other in order for production to meet demand during the hey day of tubes. I had RCA branded EL-34s which were really Mullard XF-2 EL-34s. I still have some RCA branded 6922 tubes which were made my Mullard. There are zillions of examples.

 

[bebop86]

Where is a good place to find the Sylvania's??- My MG audio cables should be here tomorrow!!! How much burn in time should I expect-- Once again thanks to all for the help and great advice!!!

 

[ted_b]

Where is a good place to find the Sylvania's??- My MG audio cables should be here tomorrow!!! How much burn in time should I expect-- Once again thanks to all for the help and great advice!!!

The Sylvanias are available at most good tube vendors. I got my latest batch here:
http://tctubes.com/Sylvania-GB5814A-12AU7-matched-pair.aspx
Greg's PIII's will take 300 hours+, the interconnects about half that.

 

[LL21]

Mullard branded or real Mullards? I previously posted a link from Mike Elliott about how so many companies sold 6CA4 tubes with their brand name on them that were sourced from other tube companies. Maybe because you live in England you have a better chance of buying *real* Mullard 6CA4s. Maybe. It was such a common practice for all of the major tube companies to work with each other in order for production to meet demand during the hey day of tubes. I had RCA branded EL-34s which were really Mullard XF-2 EL-34s. I still have some RCA branded 6922 tubes which were made my Mullard. There are zillions of examples.

Honestly, I do not know. The tubes have the Mullard logo and label on them. But i would otherwise not know how to tell...and by the sounds of it, there may not be a way to tell. Is there?

 

[bebop86]

thanks ted- Just ordered a pair - he only shows one pair in stock- still waiting on my MG cables should have been here already -

 

[Taksil]

Congratulations!

thanks ted- Just ordered a pair - he only shows one pair in stock- still waiting on my MG cables should have been here already -

Great to read that you are enjoying your CF pieces!

I am toying with the idea of sending my DAC040 back to Japan for the BD upgrade.

 

[bebop86]

Thought I would give an update and progression- First off the sound of the pre and DAC are amazing- Sound stage is very 3d- Voices seem to go floor to ceiling and I have never heard a blacker background!!- MG cables are also amazing- Although as TedB has stated took about 200 hrs to break in- Want to thank Mike Kay at Archon Audio for his help- great guy Highly rec!! As far as tubes go - I found the Amprex to have very tight bass BUT took away the dynamics of the units compared to the Sylvania's- The Sylvania's have by far the best dynamics and "air" but seem a little loose at the bottom end- The mazda's have a little less dynamics then the Sylvania's but also a little loose at the bottom- This all is system dependent using my ATC 100's- I def. liked the Sylvania's the best but need something that will tighten up the bottom end a little- Brent Jesse rec. trying the Telefunkens?? any other thoughts - As always thanks for the advice!!!

 

[Uk Paul]

Somehow I thought you might be pleased bebop, glad it all came together to give you more musical enjoyment..

And, you also have the opportunity for the Ni-Mh upgrade to the DAC when you want to take it to the next level..

KR,
Paul.

 

[LL21]

...As far as tubes go - I found the Amprex to have very tight bass BUT took away the dynamics of the units compared to the Sylvania's- The Sylvania's have by far the best dynamics and "air" but seem a little loose at the bottom end- The mazda's have a little less dynamics then the Sylvania's but also a little loose at the bottom- This all is system dependent using my ATC 100's- I def. liked the Sylvania's the best but need something that will tighten up the bottom end a little- Brent Jesse rec. trying the Telefunkens?? any other thoughts - As always thanks for the advice!!!

Only advice is that Brent Jessee has always been great, along with Andy at Andy's Vintage Tubes and Upscale Audio. I also just came across some Mullards from Alfred Kayser of Sympatico/SME Tonearms in Canada.

 

[bebop86]

LLoyd- what are the atributes of the Mullards ??- How do you like them ?- thanks

 

[LL21]

LLoyd- what are the atributes of the Mullards ??- How do you like them ?- thanks

Hi...I am not the best person to speak on this. The CJ GAT is not as sensitive to tube rolling as other equipment like Zanden. So the differences may be more or less in you equipment. That said, I found the mullard ecc88 to have a broad range but hard sounding...until I added an EAT tube damper. It never became liquid or nuanced but somehow it became less hard/unforgiving and instead seemed to impart a purity that surprised me. I had those tubes in storage for years...put them in GAT when my Amperexes got old and I was waiting for new ones. And it took me a couple hours of frustration to realize why I put them in storage for 2 years...then I put EAT tube dampers just for sport...and they have stayed in GAT for a year or more. Not quite as nuanced or lithe as the Amperex...more strait up delivery...but pure enough with tube dampers that I did not care to spend the 2x price for Amperex US PQ white labels.

My only other comparison are sovtek 6922 which sounded very rough and jan Phillips....very lyrical, light and good but not best detail....but very prone to microphone. But again with EAT tube damper it's a hard tube to beat for the money...less than 20 bucks.

 

[bebop86]

One more question- Has anyone changed the footers that come with the pre and dac to something else and did it make a difference- thanks

 

[LL21]

One more question- Has anyone changed the footers that come with the pre and dac to something else and did it make a difference- thanks

I'm no techie, but my gut tells me you should try with a likelihood that isolation will provide a stronger, denser signal. Pure gut...but looking at some of the photos of the interiors I've seen from time to time, thickness of the casing metal, I have this sense that airborne and other vibrations will affect this unit. Perhaps change footers or use HRS or Stillpoints underneath and HRS/Artesania on top? My two cents.

 

[MarinJim]

One more question- Has anyone changed the footers that come with the pre and dac to something else and did it make a difference- thanks

That was the first thing I do. I use HRS Nimbus footers and damping plates on top.

 

[LL21]

That was the first thing I do. I use HRS Nimbus footers and damping plates on top.

Same here. After some experimentation, I have 'isolation sandwiches' for each of my components...8 in total...even my amp and sub. For source/pre, HRS M3 or nimbus/couplers underneath and HRS/Artesania dampers on top. For sub and amp, Auralex isolation platforms underneath, and a combination of Artesania/Stillpoints Ultra 5s on top...with a 45-60lb (20-28kg) granite block on top of the damper for a dense weight to help the damper block out further vibration.

The result has been a tremendously reduced noise floor, a far more solid image...and fortunately the tonal sweetness of my system which I prize so highly...has not only been maintained but it has been intensified presumably due to the denser images. I feel like I hear more of the voice that the system was originally designed to play.