I am breaking in the 802 as well and have found them to be a refinement as well, especially in the bass. I think the upgrade is commensurate to the change from OS1 to rs1003
LampizatOr Horizon - Tube Rolling Paradise
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Laszlo has kindly sent me demos of both ef802 and the subminitures to evaluate. I’ll post my findings on both here and the Baltic thread. The tubes they will be replacing in the 6sn7 position are Valvo e83f in xuling adapters. For greater context, the rectifier is a Tungsram pv4200 from Viennese factory and the output tubes (not directly relevant to H dacs) are Tungsram nickel e80cc. The latter have a neutral and linear high resolution character, so people can correlate them stylistically with their own output tubes.
Laszlo’s package arrived yesterday and I must say they look lovely! The ef802 are unused, so I immediately slapped them in for a week of burn in before any critical listening. The subminiature microphone tubes alongside look tiny yet exquisite. Based on what Laszlo tells me, they should be an interesting listening proposition and are great value. Since the tubes have flying leads, they are soldered directly into the base and avoid having another base / socket interface to navigate. Given our experiences of how different adapters can impact sound quality, this augers well.
The small “microphone” tubes look interesting- what type of tubes are they?
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
You are in for a real treat Mark. For me having tried them all including the much lauded and heretofore my very favorite TFKN c3gs, this TFKN ef802 is end game. ...not too hot, not too cold but "just right"
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
My "Next"Horizon with XDMI input, anxiously awaiting arrival of Taiko Olympus and IO
Here are the Russian subminiature tubes that @Sablon Audio mentioned. They're really small! Here is a picture for scale against the P17C; each tube is about the size of a AAA battery.
For anyone who has not yet tried the C3G, I'd suggest reach out to Laszlo and trying these. Hats off to @takacs75 for finding something that's superb (some pros/cons compared to the TFK C3G) but quite a bit more available. I'm still undecided if I like the TFK C3G more or not, but I'm certainly humbled by how good these are (I had presumed that these little Russian tubes might not be).
Obviously, YMMV since the Horizon blends the triodes together w/ the pentodes; in this case I'm running GEC KT88.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Laszlo and Tibor to we tube whackos are truly system changers as they have opened our eyes to the world of tubes that none of us would have ever experienced without them
The TFK EF802 is just opening a really special bottle.
Wow, I ask, where the hell did this one come from?
Better savor it while it lasts.
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How many hours have you given it Keith? They were new when I received them and I gave them almost 200hrs before listening myself.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Simone is that unit's color called silver? Real copper top?
Yes! Sahara Silver with copper top. The zebrano adapters from @takacs75 look gorgeous on the copper background
My EF802 are opening up splendidly. They are gorgeous. I liken the upgrade to the move from OS1 to RS1003 tubes: refinement, bass control, linearity and a delicious midrange that the Marten speakers drink up and then turn into champagne. These tubes are oh so nice. I couldn’t be happier. So far, the 2504, Rs1003 and EF802 are the “what’s best” for me.
PS I have rolled everything and have tons of tubes which I may sell soon, if anyone wants anything that got me to this end game
PS I have rolled everything and have tons of tubes which I may sell soon, if anyone wants anything that got me to this end game
A 91 year-old guy is stretching his legs after a looong sleep ... I'll see how it develops after a few weeks at the gym
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