They also mention E80CC gives a

I'd like to point out several "odd" things. This post mentions how with E80CC in place, they had to turn down the volume "4-5" notches. This definitely does NOT happen with my E80CCs. Of course I use them in the voltage gain stage AND output buffer of my CD player and these guys use it in gainstage of a DIY preamp, and I have no idea what voltage, current setting of this DIY preamp is, and it may just totally be incompatible with E80CC (which is definitely possible since E80CC IS a totally different tube than 12AU7. It has just worked very well for myself and some others here instead of 12AU7). I have not tested them in a preamplifier, and others I know have used them in driver or input stage of amplifiers, etc with great success.
They also mention E80CC gives a "odd" soundstage with "much larger than life scale." This may actually be happening because the DIY preamp is incompatible with E80CC, I'm not sure. In my view, the E80CC gives you (in reviewer lingo) "expansive, lifelike, open soundstage." Nothing is Odd about its soundstage and it just fills the room and immerses the listener with lifelike sound, at least in my setup.
AS far as E80CC being "very very hifi sounding," I have to disagree. The Tungsram E80CC is a resolution-champ, much more so than any other 12AU7 I've heard and also even the Amperex E80CC. Believe me when I say I do NOT enjoy "hifi" sound, which is why I'm not living with certain solid-state electronics. Tungsram E80CC, in my setup, makes instruments and voices sound as clear and lucid just as they are in live performance. It is NOT a "hyped-up" sound that artificially enhances. It is more of a case of sound having much more "definition" and "lifelike detail."
The Valvo E80CC, which they liked better than Tungsram, I believe may have been made by the Holland Philips factory, in which case it would be the same/similar tube as my Amperex E80CC. I have posted the difference between the Tungsram and Amperex E80CC here before, and while they both have strengths, I don't see how one can conclude one is "a lot better." If these previous assumptions are true, for such conclusion to be drawn, the listener must have a VERY STRONG PERSONAL preference for tubes that are very mellow, "tubey," and relaxed. I like that, too, which is why most of my gear is tubed, but I also like that relaxation with high-resolution, the kind of sound that both state-of-the-art tube AND solid-state gear can produce that does not sound tube or solid-state in the traditional sense.
It may sound as though I'm "attacking" the previous post, but I'm not. I have read in the past the articles on Hong Kong Tube Audio Club with much interest and admire these guys for their persistence and effort. Most of all, I'm envious of all the very rare and expensive tubes these guys seem able to find all over the place!! After all, my difference in opinion on these tubes may purely be the result of their preamp's incompatibility with E80CC types. Something is amiss here and something doesn't sound/feel right, definitely NOT consonant with my own experience and some other's here at AA.