The Best Tube Amp Under $500 isn't actually a tube amp!?

The Best Tube Amp Under $500 isn't actually a tube amp... well it is, but it's not.. but it is. Let me explain.

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#Tube #Under #$500

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[manueltrevinochavez]

Two weeks ago I didn't know anything about HiFi audio. I then discovered your channel and now have a 3000 dollar system

[Thoughtflux]

Correct me if I'm wrong:
Both the bass & treble knobs in any preamp must be set to a minimum of 12 o' clock. Reducing it equals cutting bass/treble! The volume in a preamp should never be turned all the way up - as in this his case it will introduce distortion (owing to the bad opamp) and also overpowering the amplifier - resulting in low fidelity. Keep the volume at 10, or max 11 when using the stock opamp chip.
I have 2, believe it or not, Burson V6 vivid on this $42 Fx-audio Tube-03 (had to cut the case to fit in the discreet opamps) and GE5654 JAN tubes on it. The sound is insanely good! My hi-fi rig sounds totally new and alive now.

[pietrotou]

I set my identical unit at bass: 12 (middle), highs: 11, volume: 11 for flattest response and matched volume, and enjoy only tube effect. With the settings in the video, only mids survive... in any case the overall idea of the video is superb, thanks for making it!

[InfinityPioneer]

If the output on that tube pre exceeds 2v you should absolutely not be using it with the 789. The 789 is not a power amp, it’s not designed to take a preamp signal. It’s designed to take a line level signal no more than 2v over rca. Often preamps send more than 2v, many are 4v-6v or higher. This could damage the 789

[d.l.]

Using the FX AUDIO Tube preamp as a buffer preamp such as you are demonstrating should be set as follows. First of you should have set the Bass, Treble and Volume controls at the 12 o'clock position. The the volume control can be used to match the output of the original source such as a Stereo Receiver, AVR or what ever you else you are using as a source. I am currently using a Denon AVR 2807 Preamp outputs to the FX Audio inputs. The FX outputs are going to an active 3 way stereo crossover. The outputs from the crossover are going to the inputs of my 2 each ATI AT2505 5 channel 250 watt 8 ohm amplifiers which are powering my 3 way loudspeakers. It sounds GREAT! The tubes I am using are the Matched Pair "GE Jan 5654W" purchased by Riverstone Audio. I highly recommend Riverstone Audio Vacuum Tubes.

[JonDeth]

What's interesting is as an engineer I've become accustomed to getting the exact sound of valves with low even order harmonic distortion out of transistors, but rarely ever do I see it involved in a commercial product. As you mention, solid-state just sounds better in terms of detail, clarity and really hearing the expression of emotions in music, but there's an amount of tube texture that can add to that quality in a desirable way.

It's not difficult in the least to get transistors to produce a dead-on accurate valve sound, but it's also not of any specific valve so as you articulate this texture into the overall coloring encasing the environment of sound pouring out of the equipment, it's somewhat of a novelty layered into it all. I have a Sansui AU-7500, and when you hear the highs and mids out of those it's the best of both worlds. They have that zing and zapp fuzziness that reminds me of a triangle wave, but also enough of the solid-state traits to command a lot of money from the Hi-Fi community that seeks these dinosaur units out.

In the end, finding a consumer base seems to be why we don't see a brand show up with dazzling and amazing solid-state designs that blend the best of both worlds together and sell it for an obscenely low price.
*More than anything, it seems only a small portion of Hi-Fi enthusiastic people care enough to ladle out the money for an elaborate home stereo today.*
Even if I produced what has the highly distinct sound of valves using transistors which I can and have, actually marketing it to success would require something like endorsements relative to what has happened with Beatz Headphones, and those are overpriced pieces of crap! lol
At some point you're stuck selling a reputation as opposed to a unique, high performance and ultra low priced product.

[matthewhilty]

Creative solution to the "How do I get that tubey sound but not sacrifice on output power" thing. Good explanation and the flexibility of going back and forth from tube to no tube seems fun. I would love to see this tube preamp paired up with a budget class D amp for speakers also.

[snuffpappy]

Im pretty sure this unit also sells under the SUCA name. It is hands down the best audio enhancing "gadget" I've used in 40 years. If you have an ear for timbre, dynamics, space, resolution, soundstage etc ... this thing will more than deliver. Just buy it ! (And use it on your main "living room" stereo system. It will breath new life into familiar recordings)

[cpaint]

Of course you will not like what you hear based on the setting you mentioned. You have totally cut out the bass and treble by turning the control nob all the way to the left, basically you are only hearing a limited range of the midrange. The neutral position should be set at 12 o'clock position for both the bass and treble control nob.

[kevinexe]

Guys the neutral setting for the tone control knob is actually at 12 oclock not all the way to the left.

[marka]

I did a similar setup you mentioned here. Modius to 789 and through the Suca audio version of tube preamp with GE tubes rolled. Sound is slightly different. Tube is not night/day. Very subtle difference.

[gusgamble]

I use this setup and linked this video in a review on Drop! One thing I have learned from personal experience is to set the eq knobs to the middle, not down as they are EQ knobs and if they are down they sound flat and odd. I also started setting the volume to around half to ensure there is no possible issue regarding peaking (you don't want to feed ss amps with too much power). This setup lets me use sundaras for zoom calls without dying at each static pop, listen to amazing and accurate music, and overall have a much more diverse experience. But seriously: SET ALL THE KNOBS TO THEIR MIDDLE POSITION

[dakshyadav]

How about this set up?

Laptop => toping e30 dac => fx audio tube preamp( one u talking) => emotiva bassx 300 => polk audio t50 tower speakers

Or i should go for tube preamp with more number of tubes ???

[sicebae]

Will you do a comparison for Dac/Amp combo under $500? Like the JDS Lab Element 2 and Monoprice THX 788 or any other combo like that?

[SuLu_XD]

Can I get RCA splitters to run RCA-XLR into my 789? For example, I have a Modi dac which only has one set of RCA outputs I believe, so I'm wondering if I can duplicate the signal via splitter.

[PikaSquish]

Would it be worth picking this up for an unbalanced stack? I have the magni modi stack and want to have the option for tubes, should I just buy an 100$ tube amp?

[Erigorn]

I already do this with a Loki!

SMSL SU8 Bal -> THX AAA 789
SMSL SU8 SE -> Schiit Loki -> THX AAA 789

Lots of fun :) Would recommend!

[sameh]

DAC/AMP noob here cuz i only used combos so far. But could i add something like that onto my Fiio K9 AKM? And if yes, how do i exactly connect everything right and which Mode do i have to use on my K9 then?

[Snidel]

Hey @Josua Valour, why the THX789 are needed?

I have a Topping DX7, and they can lift a sennheiser HD6xx with no problem, the amp section seems enough (yeah solid state)... maybe what can be done is to buy 1 AIYIMA Audio 6J1 instead of a TH789 and then output from them to a single headphones using a balanced cable (each RCA of the AIYIMA Audio 6J1 would feed 1 ear)

Do you think that might work?

[veedub]

Is the tubes actually in the signal path? Of the unit