Concert Fidelity CF-080-LSX2 line stage owners, try Amperex "Bugle Boy" 12AU7 tubes!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Steve Hoffman, Sep 28, 2012.

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  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Those of you who have the Concert Fidelity CF-080 line stage (and I know a few of you do, copycats!) you need to try Holland made 12AU7 Bugle Boys!

    I've had Masa's CF0080 line stage for many years. Actually I have two of them, the prototype in black (you might have seen it in action at RMAF and CES, etc.) and a newer production model with Mullard EZ81 rectifier. If you have Amperex Bugle Boy 12AU7's in your tube stash, this is THE preamp to use them on. I've used Tungsrams in there, Telefunkens, Mullards (too laid back) and even RCA "Clear Tops" (too aggressive) but I think I've really found the best 12AU7 for this design.

    The Bugle Boys really make a 3D sound, more than usual with this line stage. I mean, any $20,000.00 preamp is going to make magic but the Bugle Boys give extra. In any other circuit I've tried them in I've been underwhelmed but in the 080 it's extra magic.

    So, take a tip from me and get a NOS pair. Make sure you don't get fakes. The real ones are out there but could be over $100.00 a tube now. Worth it in this case...

    They are also great in the Concert Fidelity A/D, etc. but the line stage is THE place to have a primo pair of these.

    http://www.concertfidelity.jp/index.html

    If you want an even more forceful sound (too over the top for me) you can try some 12AT7's in there. Both Hajime Soto and Masataka Tsuda (Masa) tell me that this is OK. It's louder in gain but if you want to have a treat, try a nice Mullard, Mazda, etc. 12AT7. I had a pair in mine for a week but I wanted more neutrality with that 3D midband intact so I went back to the 12AU7 tube. The Amperex Bugle Boy 12AU7's do it.

    Carry on.
     

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    Steve Hoffman, Sep 28, 2012
    #1
    Paul@Z-axis likes this.
  2. JA Fant

    JA Fant Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Gulf Shores, AL, USA
    Beautiful pics!
     
    JA Fant, Sep 28, 2012
    #2
  3. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Location:
    Somewhere in the middle
    Start the identification process for those Amperex tubes by looking for "X" seams across the top of the tube - that's a good starting point in identifying Phillips family products. If they're like Amperex 7308s, look for a Herleen factory code that will be 2 lines of numbers/shapes/letters etched in light gray/black along the bottom side of the envelope. Brent Jesse's tube site has a nice decoding list to identify the who/where/when Phillips family tubes were made - bookmark this for a great reference page if you're looking for genuine NOS tubes: http://www.audiotubes.com/mullcode.htm
     
    indy mike, Sep 28, 2012
    #3
    Good Vibes, hi_watt, Dino and 1 other person like this.
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Mike,

    Much appreciated. Don't want anyone buying fakes.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Sep 28, 2012
    #4
  5. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Location:
    Somewhere in the middle
    Easy to fake paint markings on new production tubes - a little research will save $$$ in the long run.
     
    indy mike, Sep 28, 2012
    #5
  6. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Those tube pins may need a cleaning. ;)
     
    LeeS, Sep 28, 2012
    #6
  7. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Just some pic I found on the Internet. You'd be amazed at how many people (probably most) who have no idea what a "Bugle Boy" is but don't want to ask.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Sep 28, 2012
    #7
  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Good thing about Bugle Boys is that no matter which version one has (long plates, short plates, winged plates, Grey plates, purple plates, plaid plates, etc) they all sound about the same. In other words, the same basic sonic signature.

    The thing is, real BUGLE BOYS are not rare rubes. Expensive tubes but not rare, same as Telefunken input tubes. A lot were made, a lot were sold in the USA.

    On the other hand some of these RTF or RFT (whatever it is) from France, etc. tubes are much harder to find, so it is a relief to me that a "common" tube like an Amperex Bugle Boy is my tube of choice in this unit. If I didn't have 40 new old stock already, I could find some good examples. All it takes is money and a good, honest dealer.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Sep 28, 2012
    #8
  9. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I really like that fact that we can get better and different sound by using old vacuum tubes. It's like preserving history in some ways.
     
    LeeS, Sep 28, 2012
    #9
  10. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Location:
    Somewhere in the middle


    12au7s haven't shot into the stratosphere like a lot of the tubes audio gear uses - 12AX7s, GZ-34s, 7308s, EL-34s, 6550s, KT-88s, 300Bs - if you're patient you can occasionally unearth some goodies that don't add up to a house payment, but they're few and far between. The Amperex tubes showed up sold through a number of Philips controlled brands, and also labeled for companies like EICO - those tend to sell for less than the Amperex tubes with the neat logo.
     
    indy mike, Sep 28, 2012
    #10
  11. Paul@Z-axis

    Paul@Z-axis New Member

    Hi Steve, are you still using these tubes in your LSX2? I'm hunting out options for mine so will track some down, sounds like that make Masa's pre sing!
     
    Paul@Z-axis, Jun 14, 2014
    #11
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Still using a pair of Amperex Bugle Boy ECC82's, yes. In the gentle circuit of the Concert Fidelity preamp the pair of Bugle Boys should last forever.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Jun 14, 2014
    #12
  13. Paul@Z-axis

    Paul@Z-axis New Member

    Thanks, will hunt some down..
     
    Paul@Z-axis, Jun 17, 2014
    #13
  14. shaizada

    shaizada Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orange County, California
    I just rolled in a pair of Beckman/Amperex 7316 tubes (according to Brent Jesse, one of the best 12AU7 type tubes ever!). Can't believe that they go for $400 for a matched pair now...crazy.

    Fantastic sound through all of the Concert Fidelity gear, no doubt about it. Clear like spring water...

    I wonder if our host is still using these electronics?

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2015
    shaizada, Dec 9, 2015
    #14
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I'm using the line stage in my other room, yes, with Bugle Boy ECC82's in it, of course.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Dec 9, 2015
    #15
  16. chelseadave

    chelseadave Active Member

    Location:
    Richmond England
    Hi Steve. I am very interested in the Concert Fidelity CF080LSX2 preamplifier and I have at the moment A Shindo Labs Vonnegut-Romanee Pre. Do you know the fundamental differences between the two. Cheers.
     
    chelseadave, Apr 20, 2017
    #16
  17. chelseadave

    chelseadave Active Member

    Location:
    Richmond England
     
    chelseadave, Apr 24, 2017
    #17
  18. chelseadave

    chelseadave Active Member

    Location:
    Richmond England
    I have just bought the Concert Fidelity CF080LSX2 Line Preamp and have installed Mazda 12AU7 tubes.
    Will now experiment with footers and cables. It sounds superb.
     
    chelseadave, Apr 27, 2017
    #18
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Have fun with it.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Apr 27, 2017
    #19
  20. chelseadave

    chelseadave Active Member

    Location:
    Richmond England
    The Concert Fidelity dealer here in England has phoned me up raving about some new Tubes he installed in his Pre Amp. He had Mazda 12au7's but replaced them with Mallards Ecc186's and said they blew the Mazda's away.
    I have ordered a pair (£180 a pair) to replace my Mullard 12au7's and cannot wait to try them in mine.
     
    chelseadave, Dec 8, 2017
    #20
  21. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    While much of tube rolling has to do with matching specific components and the specific taste of the listener, I have generally found that the Holland Bugle Boy 12AU7 and 12AX7 tubes seem to be as universal as possible--I haven't seen a situation where it was not at least a nice sounding choice.
     
    Larry I, Dec 8, 2017
    #21
  22. Russ Adam Bodner

    Russ Adam Bodner Member

    Location:
    Davidson, NC
    I’ve been running Bugle Boys in my LSX2.

    I recently purchased the new Concert Fidelity ZL200FX monobloc amplifiers and the XHP7 headphone amplifier.

    I am loving them!
     
    Russ Adam Bodner, Sep 28, 2018
    #22
  23. Russ Adam Bodner

    Russ Adam Bodner Member

    Location:
    Davidson, NC
    Steve,
    Wondered your opinion on the CF ZL200FX AMPS
     
    Russ Adam Bodner, Sep 28, 2018
    #23
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