Yeah, the guy makes you spend tonne of money because you realize how much you have been missing on sound quality. That's a twisted way to torture people. :P
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.
I literally bought the 50 buck one and it is quite obvious that if you listen to the thing with bass and treble all the way down, you are indeed reducing vs. having it at normal levels. For the volume, I didn't perceive any distortion turning it to full volume. Regardless I'm keeping it at 11.
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!
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
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.
I dont think that is correct , at 12o clock , you have boosted volume , because 0dB point is at 9 o clock , not 12 . And those Bass and treble controls are boosts , so 0dB boost is exactly at 0 , or at 7 o clock again not at 12. Im sure your system is good , actually you surprised me with active crossovers , good work , means you at least know the basics . But to become a pro , as i am , you will have to use measuring devices , no trust your ear , because its known , ear is like eye , it gets used to stuff and you just cant trust it . People can see 2 different colors from same color if they are placed at different places against different colors . People walk on the street and don't hear traffic until its too late , Or in other words , people need reference points to know anything . So , get a reference microphone , help your self because your ear and eye are useless , as are mine . Professionals know this , Golden ear boys are noobs who think they hear everything , then they get hit by a truck because their brain filtered constant traffic noise , and they just didnt hear it coming , their golden ears failed Best adice i can give you , DO NOT TRUST YOUR SELF
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.
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.
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)
yeah , i agree , but watch out for you words , "resolution " of course not , this lowers resolution , as do all do tubes i dont care if its 1 000 000$ system , technically impossible to have resolution like a transistor does . "Dynamics " again i if you hear more dynamics with tubes , then you dont know what dynamics is , Tubes Compress sound , making it less dynamic , and it is exactly this compressing that a lot of people like . What they call warmth , is Distortion , and what they call Dynamics is actually compression . And what they call Resolution , is richness in sound , its a combination of these two . The only thing remaining is 3D sound that Tubes have , this is again distortion but a strange kind that has Stereo component to it , so you hear it like everywhere , sounds like that , some call this Holographic sound , and it is real . I hear it as well . But all of this is Distortion , none of is resolution and dynamics . Want that , come to digital world . So again , i agree, it is good sound , its a good device , but dont praise it with Dynamics and Resolution just because you like it , i like it too , but i know it has nothing to do with Dynamics and resolution . Those things are in transistors and digital amps , as we say clinical sound , tubes no ...they are imprecise , soft , and distorting , coloring and slow , and they compress sound .
I got that NFJ (hybrid) tube amp about 2 years ago after some random guy on youtube saying it was pretty good, also it was just about $30 and I wanted to be able to adjust the tone a bit and this had treble and bass, so why not. I got it and connected it to my focusrite and some decent monitor speakers, turned it on and... I was blown away. Everything sounded way better, it was spacious, the mids and the bass were much more pronounced without losing clarity in some songs it was like going from listening to a sterile flat recording to almost a live recording, I was amazed. So I tried and find some more about this amazing product expecting rave reviews and most I encountered was hate about this little amp; "It's not a real tube amp", "It just distorts the sound and doesn't make it better", "It's a scam". Look, I'm not some "audiophile" or technician, I don't know what that little amp does, but whatever it's doing, I like it.
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.
I'm buying this in combo with sennheiser headphones to try out a hifi rig for the first time. BUT, I have a BOSS katana mini guitar amp (a class d amp with a small speaker) and I might try the rear out into the katana line in, and see how it turns out.
I have a Topping D70/A90 (A90 as per your recommendation) right now, saving up for a "big one" amplifier, but this was a pretty cool idea for that pair! Deserves a
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
DWS this is controllable by volume, however there’s no way to know where a safe voltage cutoff would be, even if we knew the max voltage. Volume knobs are not linear in most cases.
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.
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 ???
So I bought the THX AAA 789 recently, and have used it for a few weeks. Prior to this, I used a Metrum Acoustics Aurix. I'm not sure what to make of the 789 quite honestly. I bought it because of the hype I read on Head-Fi and ASR. I use it on the low gain setting. My initial impressions are that it's detailed without being bright, which is good, but the soundstage is narrower than the Aurix and the depth just isn't there either. The chain is: Server > Auralic Aries Mini > SPDIF Coax > Metrum Acoustics Musette DAC > RCA > Drop 789 > AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon Thoughts?
Ordered a tube preamp (the one with tone controls) a couple days ago... Should get here Tuesday! Awesome idea -- simple and so obvious, yet super easy to miss. Running Vintage DT 880S.
We need more vids like this Josh. Whereas, some of us that are still learning some things, can see different fun experimenting hookups. I posted asking DMS to do more videos of this sort. I know that I really appreciate it, as I'm planting two feet solidity into this hobby, in recent years; would love to see more creative setups, like this. I know Zeos does some things like this from time to time. But be great to see more. Feels like in the hobby, namely, the community; with some, it becomes a little bit taboo. Obviously, certain Dacs and Amps, pair well (JDS Labs, Schitt, Geshelli, and etc and have an ideal partner, and I get it; hence making, "stacks" ); and the same, as you mentioned, it's not always good for all headphones (to be on a tube; nor, maybe to experiment to much with). Having said so; I'd still like to see more of these creative hookups (namely, not just the usual common pairings, but different Dac and Amp pairings, and or preamps), demoed. Thanks! I enjoyed this..👊🏼🤙🏼🤘🏼👍🏼👌🏼💯🎧🔥🔥🔥
Great video, Josh!! I loved the top-down view and I think doing sort of "cheat" videos like this and the Loki video would make a great series, like Audio Hacks.
We need more stuff like this. I want to listen to music the way i feel. One moment i want the live experience with fat bass, an hour later i want it clean, again an hour later i need to EQ it so it blends more in the background. Enjoying audio is having the power to hear how you want it to be. Optimized for the situation.
Great general review.. but the tone controls of the fx tube pre should be set to zero at the 12 o clock position ...as they are are a plus / minus eq system... and 12 o clock is the frequency 0 level. To balance the output of the FX tube pre and your power amp the volume/gain level ideally should be set between 10 and 12 o clock (11 is the best as I believe is almost line level output level (beyond that the signal is boosted which can add some level of distortion) like most volume controls turned to the max. Although you can use the volume knob as your main volume control and adjust to the volumes you want to hear Also stock tube are ok, but not that great.. but luckily there are many good inexpensive tubes... such as GE and russian voshod 6j1p that are cheap as chip and sonically far far better. Finally for those wanting the best sound from the FX buy a 12v linear power supply which cleans the supply reduce interference and adds even more sonic improvements to this great little unit . Then add or subtract to suit your needs
I believe this setup doesn't work the way is explained in the video. I'll explain why: After watching this video I got myself such a setup. I got: - DAC: Topping D30 Pro - Amp: Topping A30 Pro - Pre-amp: Suca Tube-T1 (as suggested in the description) I have used it for about a week now and have tried to hear a difference a lot, but couldn't hear a difference. I set it up so that I could just flip the input from RCA to XLR and back, matched the volume, to have instant switching. I literally don't hear ANY difference, let alone preferring one over the other. I posted on a forum to get some advise, and people there advised me to upgrade the tubes to JAN 5654w, which I did. Again, no audible difference at all. I did some research, and I think I found out why I don't hear a difference: because there is none. This setup doesn't use the tubes to pre-amplify the sound. It only uses the tubes as a buffer to lower the output impendence. Since there is no gain stage (neither for voltage or current) that uses the tubes, they never have the ability to alter the sound or make it "tuby". In order to have a tube pre-amp color the sound, you will need a pre-amp with a gain stage for the tube, followed by a buffer to lower the output impendence so that it can work with the amp later in the chain. I'm open to hearing why I am wrong here, but it seems to me that there is no way this setup will create a tube sound. I thought I'd share my experience for people considering the same thing. To Joshua, in case you read this: Whether I am right or wrong here, no hard feelings. Thanks a lot for making awesome video's and doing your best in advising people. I've found your video's very helpful and fun, so keep up the good work! I was going to buy a nice stack anyway, so the tube adventure cost me only 40 dollars.
I had a Ragnarok with a Conrad-Jonhson preamp running hybrid duty for awhile. You can't get the full tube experience using a SS output stage but it gives you a SS/hybrid... well hybrid.
Hi Joshua, you’re the best audio reviewer on RUclips, Period. I love your work. I’m looking forward to buy the Bowers and Wilkins PX7s cz of their specs and design. I’m requesting you to take em for a spin and review and suggest if the sound quality is as good as B&W stands for? Thanks much 🙏
Just when I think RUclips is all depressing crap. I find a community of audio reviewers and enthusiasts and the world doest seem so daunting. Thank you for posting this fabulous video. Kind of a how to and mini review in one.👍👍
I just ordered the SMSL SU-8 and SP200 from Drop. They’ll be shipping on April 21st (so basically they’ll never ship) but for $425 as opposed to $540... I couldn’t pass it up.
Hey again. I can't get enough of this idea/ video. I keep watching over. Will this work with an actual tube amp instead of a preamp. I mean, they have hybrids. Would the small amount of power from a tube amp going into a solid state amp cause damage or would I be required to run through the tube amp in a "pass through" as a sort of preamp?? Also.. please. What is the song and artist at the start of this video?
I have this set up more or less, mostly less. The tubes adds a nice warmth to the sound signature. The head phone amp, I never understood why !!! There are plenty power amps in range of 39-50 dollars usually with 4 inputs and 4 outputs. If you hook up the tube amp to the source one end and connect its output to a 40 dollar power amp you get awesome quality for under 100 dollars. Add on a decent dac, maybe khadas tone board.. and you have a decent 150/ 200 dollars. It basically 60-80 percent of quality I am guessing at 10-25 percent cost, and that may represent value.
Hey, what’s with all the background music for the first 3 minutes? And, I agree with prior posts that the power supply on the preamp doesn’t have enough jam to drive the gain stage. You should not need to crank it to 11. Otherwise, an interesting take on getting some selectable tube warmth into your system.
Honestly, not that great in general. When I tried to use it on my headphones, I heard a noticeable background noise which ruins the whole experience. It is fine with speakers though.
@@dillacorn_linux Well, I would agree with you actually. The unit I ordered does not provide a true Vacuum Tubes sound. I am sorry, but it is a waste of money. So how does the xDuoo MT-602 perform?
@@QusayM91 getting it Saturday. I deleted my previous comment I thought because it didn't sound right but I guess you had seen it.. the AIYIMA T2 I received is a DSP tube preamp.. I think this video Josh made is saying this can add distortion to the THX 789 but I don't think the warmth or other character gets translated in the connection without DSP adjustments. It just makes the THX 789 sound worse basically and that's it. I could already do this with EQ or PEQ. no character change from what I can tell through the signal path.. it could have also been that the stock tubes on the AIYIMA T2 are sterile/clean sounding.. maybe the reason the only difference I heard was it sounded slightly worse. I'm going with MT-602 because it's Class A Hybrid design primarily... It will prob give me more of what I'm looking for since I primarily use planar headphones in my collection + a HD 600. Won't use the RCA outs to 789 just straight into the amp.. I think this video is just a miss... in theory it sounds like it would work but it's not a good introduction to tubes IMO
@@dillacorn_linux I got your point. Interesting... However, I must say that I had Xudoo At-26 and I tried to use it as a pre-amp connected to a vintage transistor power amplifier. I didn't notice differences in the sound and it was indeed very similar to the sound of Vacuum Tubes. Nonetheless, the gain on the Xudoo was very high (16 dB) and any headphones I tried to connect (even Planar) ended up being massively overpowered! To the point I could only use speakers. I thought that I would solve the gain issues with the pre-amp that Josh introduced in his video but I got that annoying background noise... Anyway, I have an new OTL tubes amplifier, hand built, that does the job extremely well even with Planar (such as Hifiman He560). Apparently, not all Chinese companies are alike and only few of them produce high quality stuff such as Topping and Xudoo. By the way, which headphones do you have in your collection?
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?
This makes sence..I think. I'm trying to replicate this. Sort of. Using components I already have. These are: Same; FX tube-03 THX AAA789 Different; Shanling EM5 (as source) RME ADI2 FS (a different DAC) Nitch magni Piety (extra amp to try) What do I need to do different?
If anyone's wondering what tubes were used they look like Riverstone audio 6j1 tubes. I have had experience with multiple sets of tubes from them (although not these ones), I've only got positive things to say compared to stock tubes
Cheap tube preamps just add a ton of distortion and alter the tone of the sound. It’s literally the opposite of high fidelity. It’s essentially en effects box.
New to the audio side of things but would this work with my schiit magnius and modius? I know the video is older but hopefully I can get some help love the videos thanks for helping me to get started in the audio realm
@@tenveri It adds a little tubiness to the proceedings. I like to listen with it for a bit and then without. Also some headphones sound better than others through tubes. Sen 6XX excellent. I wouldn't say it degrades the sound - just adds a little warmth...
Funnily enough, I bought Suca few months ago without seeing this video. I added it to my vingtage Technics, which on its own is has a very "analytical" sound, that can make certain speakers sound harsh (It made my Klipsh speakers almost unbearable to listen due to uber-bright upper range). So I decided to experiment and add Suca as a pre-amp, and it made a world of difference - Suca "shaved" the overly bright upper range to much more pleasant levels. I may add it does depend a lot on what speakers/headphones you use - some headphones (like HD 650 in my example) are less sensitive, some are more sensitive to tube pre-amping (like 4xx, also in my example). So your mileage on what you can get from tubes may vary.
Ah yes , Klipsh owner , someone who buys audio devices based on the looks and marketing ended up with harsh system , i can imagine the horrors you are going trough . Here is an advice to you , buy a good speaker system so that you learn what is what , its not expensive , 300-400$ , take Fluid Audio FX8 , a coaxial active system . You know why active is better , because the EQ filter between the tweeter and bass has a sharp cut off , so that Tweeter doesn't mix with bass and play same note , because tweeter being smaller is faster then bass , and you get phasing issues , that smudges the note .You dont want that . And of course it has separated Amps for all drivers , again its better if each driver has its own amp .Minimizes crosstalk And you take Flat system , no coloring , you can add it later , you can boost bass , whatever , add tubes , play with it . But have a good starting point , a solid base to build on and learn shit
@@dedskin1 Ah, the omnipresent Internet backseat driver, recommending me a $200 speaker that doesnt go below 35hz over my $1200 speaker. Ok. I guess I will just toss my Focals, my Paradigms, and those RF-10 Klipshers that you used to paint what person I am. While at it, I guess I need to toss my Nakamichi, Onkyo and HK and Technics amps that I use to "learn shit" as you so aptly mentioned at the end of your barely readable drivel, just so I can get a Pyle or some other re-branded "system" that you think is the latest and greatest. Go drive your Subaru somewhere else, this is for more sophisticated people.
Hey, awesome video ^^ I thought to myself why other people do not consider this option if they already have a clean setup. I was wondering If the same can be achieved with SMSL SP 200 and Topping D10? Considering Topping D10 has S/PDIF, XLR and coaxial out?
That little tube preamp is interesting, online you can find dozens of companies selling them. The weird thing is there are two very different internal architectures commonly used. I was torn between the one in this video and one sold under a different name. This one has a black circuit board and some really ugly soldering. The one I bought looks nearly identical on the outside only with a purple circuit board made by Phillips. I can’t speak for the one in this video but the similar one I bought is incredible! And the tone controls are a life saver. Some mixes, and headphones are wildly bass or treble heavy. Being able to adjust the tone so easily is great.
Peter Sung they might sound the same for all I know? All I can say is you can find tube preamps that have the exact same housing at the same price with completely different internals.
I have the Aiyama version of that tube preamp. I am using with my home theater/stereo as a preamp for the aux input. Works great with my LG G7 as a dac.
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?
I have used this same model.... I have used 12 of these same model pre-amps daisy chained....works best using the cheap Chinese tubes that they ship with. I have used the GE tubes...sounds worse, with noticeable noise floor. They work best using four of these daisy chained. I use a switch box so I can use with or without tubes in my rig. These are awesome. I had 8 extra, so I will use four of them in my bedroom stereo. I have four left over for spares. It is cheaper buying a new unit complete with tubes, than to buy spare tubes. I am thinking of buying 4 more. I already have 8 spare GE tubes if I ever want to use them as well. The cheaper chinese tubes in these units sound better than my GE JP tubes which I bought new....old stock made in the 1980's. They are military grade tubes too...go figure!
Joshua, Hi. I have the 789/SU8v2 combo and use the HD660S and Modhouse Argon Mk3's..................... would either of those headphones benefit from this relatively cheap addition? thanks mate, LOVE your work!
Thanks for the video !, I have bought the FOSI AUDIO TUBE P1 PREAMP ,it is looking identical to the FX AUDIO, In my setup I connected the Topping E30 DAC output to the RCA input of the FOSI TUBE PREAMP and the FOSI Output to my ADCOM GFA 555MK Power amplifier and the sound is incredible, my music source Via my LENOVO M900 TINY PC is FOOBAR2000 and Spotify ,RUclips. For the price it is very good tube pre amp ,by the way I bought spare RIVERSTONE GE 5654 TUBES ,for now I just still test the 6K4 ones. Is this Tube preamp sound better then my ADCOM GFP565 SOLID STATE PREAMP well its hard to say , It is just sound different !!!
I have the Fosi Audio with have 2 tube buffers, and it has a nobsound NS-10T as a total analog preamp. The Fosi has 2 Sparkos SS3206's. DT 990T loves it, my Moondrop Arias did not? so I got a Moondrop Dawn 4.4 for the iems and my phone...
Hi Joshua. I currently have a zen dac with rca out and an xduoo mt602 tube amp with rca in and out and a 3.5mm in. Planning to get a topping a30 for this setup. Unfortunately I dont have balanced connections atm(do i really need that). Will this work with my current if lets say i connect my zen dac 3.5mm out to my xduoo 3.5mm in and my xduoo rca out to the topping a30 rca in. Then my zen dac rca out to the topping a30 xlr input using an adapter or rca to xlr cable? Sorry for the long text just want to make sure before i purchase :).
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?
Question to you, then: Currently have a pair of DT 1990s and Meze 99 Noirs, and my DAC/AMP are the D30/A30 from Topping. My endgame is the 789 as far as solid state amps, and I'd love a tube amp because I love the way the Meze sounds through tube, but I'm not entirely sure if I'd need to upgrade my DAC any time soon (and I might probably pick up like an RCA splitter or something to add a tube down the line) That would mean that I'd spend around 800 bucks anyways on a new system (in parts). Saying that, should I opt for a solution with the same DAC/RCA splitter/THX 789/tube amp or different DAC/ tube pre-amp/789. That is if the entire thing is going to end up being around 800 bucks anyways.
Is it possible to do SMSL SU9 as the dac, Topping A90 as the amp, then xDuoo TA26 as the preamp? Same RCA, balanced XLR, not sure if TA26 is an overkill, but it seems like a nice foundation for tube rolling
Hi Josh, this is exactly what I have. I wonder I'm using a balanced cable to my HD800s. Can the THX RCA input output to 4pins XLR? Or I have to use 1/4 or 3.5mm jack?
Really cool video, Joshua! I was thinking of doing a similar build with a Topping E50 DAC and a Schiit Magnius. I especially like the idea of a tube pre-amp with bass and treble adjustments to do a little analog tuning. What do you think?
@@Robban.D.Jonsson. I'm not sure if the modius can send audio on its single end and balanced output at the same time or not. I'd check that first. Otherwise, yes you can build a similar setup with that Schiit stack
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.
So many basic mistakes and misunderstandings about what the equipment is in this video. Even though they may call it one, the Tube-03 is not a preamp. It's strictly a tube buffer stage, which passes the signal through a partially powered tube to add some "tube color." It has no gain, which is why the volume is the same whether the signal is bypassed, or sent through the Tube-03. Tubes need high voltage to deliver actual gain, so an actual tube preamp is connected directly to wall power, not through a little wall wart power supply. Also, the two knobs are not "bass boost" and "treble boost," they are tone controls. The flat setting is when they are both set midway with the knob pointed upwards. That's why the panel has both + and - markings on either side of the knobs. When both knobs are set to the minimum position, you will have a very limited hump shaped frequency response that is steeply rolled off at both high and low frequencies. This is not "tube sound," it's just wildly inaccurate wrong sound.
I’m not hearing any difference smsl dac> suca tube> 789. I Hooked it up with balanced cables from dac>amp and tube to amp with rca as described. Am I missing something?
As I understand it the THX 789 has a RCA and balance switcher in the front to switch between the filtered tube preamp that's being passed by RCA. And like you said you have the dac hooked up direct to the 789 via balanced. If you're not hearing a difference switching between signals maybe the tube isn't coloring the sound much at all i'd figure.. maybe try different tubes?
A tube preamp will give you a tube flavour. But for tube sound, you need a full tube amplifier. I was considering buying the Ifi Itube2 for my Rupert Neve. I just bought the Cayin HA 1a mk1 secondhand for 525euro. It's full tube. It has pre out and speaker out (only 1 or 2 watt). It's very powerfull for headphones. It's soundstage is very wide and warm sounding. It sounds great with lot of my headphones koss ksc75 Fostex T50rp mk3 Sennheiser HD 558 (very very wide but sound is also very soft/dull) Denon ah D7200 Ultrasone pro 900i One more triple over ear KZ ZS10 KZ AS10 The noise floor is very high for headphones below 40 ohm. So I use Ifi IEMatch.
Musical Paradise or Sweet Peach? I dont like China right now , But you can get those two for cheap and swap out the caps and run a alps attenuator , and Russian tubes and be in A class up to 15w. For about 450 . Instagram@mazzgorilla
Hey Everyone and Joshua this seems a great Idea but I already have a Dark Voice Tube Amp with Upgraded Tubes as well as a New THXAAA789 on its way,Can I do the same as your showing with my Dark voice and run it into the THXAAA789 when it arrives?
So wait what in the world is the diffrence between tube amps and tube DACs? You'd think you'd only ever want tube DACs since thats whats actually making the audio right? Or is it a more their meant to work together thing
Great video. I did have a question on two products that you did recently audition one being the Hi-Fi man Sundara planar headphone. To be used along with Schiit lyr 3 with 6wpc @ 32 ohm. I know this is a tube amp, but I believe it's only for the input stage.
@@Firenmage433 No they are not. The 6922 and 6CG7 are great for the price. 6922 if you like it thicc and lush with holographic staging qualities or the 6CG7 for a more neutral and a bit more detailed sound. Both are much better and offer more details than the stock tube and don't break the bank costing around 20 bucks. Anything else needs an adapter and defeats the purpose of buying a 180$ amp, Brandon.
@@mariodrv I can understand you enjoying it if you have a modi multibit. Unfortunately that dac is a bit very resolving at all, but the EH tube might maybe it sound less syrupy. I have a CTH and I settled on a different tube with a delta sigma dac. Will never use the EH tube again for sure
@@Firenmage433 I got a Modi 3 with that amp too. Am recomending the EH tubes for beginners, since they don't cost much and are an improvement over stock.
@@mariodrv I didn't realize they were an improvement over stock. For beginners you could do worse, but Once you listen to a good tube, I should just say you're favorite tube, you will never use it again. Appreciate you giving advice to new audiophiles. Every system is different and every amp is different
I have Fidelio X2, he 400 I both older version, K712 pro, harmonicdyne zeus, magnius amp, mayflower arc amp/dac, soon modius dac. Can I do same that your doing with tubes? what is good tube Device to put with magnius modius stack, or can you?
I have Ifi one Signature + Topping L30 chain. How connect this if dont have xlr in these at all? If i connect through ifi and the l30 to the end of chain. I need an option to use with tube amp and without. Is FX-Audio Tube03 MKII how much similar? It has headphone out and I can connect to topping pre-amp out.
Those tubes at your hybrid tube headphone amp are just for cosmetics. The DC adaptor is 12V hardly enough to heat up those tubes. The cheapest proper tube amp is the DarkVoice 336SE which supplies 60W to those tubes. The only hybrid that starts to use its tube is schiit vali 2 which supplies 60V to its tube.
Don't you have to strain a tube amp in order to get it to change the sound more? So, wouldn't having the thx 789 amplifying the signal from the tube amp kind of defeat the purpose of having it? Maybe someone would want to get headphones loud but only want a little bit of "tubiness," but other than that, I can't really think of any other reason to not just run the two amps independently from each other.
bro i got a question, i have a solid state microphone, a sony c100 mic, i want to add color to it by using tubes, i have a tube preamp but i want to add more tube sound, will it be a problem if i connect this to a tube amp like the ones u talk about? and how would i go about it? is there any amps with no distortion?
You can tube roll with these cheap amps too. I have a $50 Fosi tube amp, with better tubes and with my Fiio DAP used as a DAC, it sounds awesome. BUT, it's HORRIBLE for Planars. It sounds so bad for some reason with Planars.
Two weeks ago I didn't know anything about HiFi audio. I then discovered your channel and now have a 3000 dollar system
Manuel Trevino Chavez Your welcome?!
Yeah, the guy makes you spend tonne of money because you realize how much you have been missing on sound quality.
That's a twisted way to torture people. :P
Yup - same'ish...My wife and kids keep asking why I need so many headphones!
Talking about the devils advocat, eh?^^
@@chaihleeb220 honestly glad I went with the 1990 over the 990. That bass response is so much better. The 990 also feels more airy which I dont like
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.
Thanks for pointing that, i also noticed it was weird to roll of the bass and treble.
I literally bought the 50 buck one and it is quite obvious that if you listen to the thing with bass and treble all the way down, you are indeed reducing vs. having it at normal levels. For the volume, I didn't perceive any distortion turning it to full volume. Regardless I'm keeping it at 11.
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!
Can you confirm that by buying this unit I get “tube sound”?
No , 12 o clock is not the flat point , those bass and highs are BOOSTS , not EQ points . So for FLAT set it at 0 . 0dB Volume is at 9 oClock .
@@dedskin1 It depends on the preamp, there are some models that use 12 o clock as the flat point so you can decrease or increase bass and treble
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
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.
I dont think that is correct , at 12o clock , you have boosted volume , because 0dB point is at 9 o clock , not 12 . And those Bass and treble controls are boosts , so 0dB boost is exactly at 0 , or at 7 o clock again not at 12.
Im sure your system is good , actually you surprised me with active crossovers , good work , means you at least know the basics .
But to become a pro , as i am , you will have to use measuring devices , no trust your ear , because its known , ear is like eye , it gets used to stuff and you just cant trust it . People can see 2 different colors from same color if they are placed at different places against different colors . People walk on the street and don't hear traffic until its too late , Or in other words , people need reference points to know anything .
So , get a reference microphone , help your self because your ear and eye are useless , as are mine . Professionals know this , Golden ear boys are noobs who think they hear everything , then they get hit by a truck because their brain filtered constant traffic noise , and they just didnt hear it coming , their golden ears failed
Best adice i can give you , DO NOT TRUST YOUR SELF
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.
Guys the neutral setting for the tone control knob is actually at 12 oclock not all the way to the left.
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.
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)
yeah , i agree , but watch out for you words , "resolution " of course not , this lowers resolution , as do all do tubes i dont care if its 1 000 000$ system , technically impossible to have resolution like a transistor does . "Dynamics " again i if you hear more dynamics with tubes , then you dont know what dynamics is , Tubes Compress sound , making it less dynamic , and it is exactly this compressing that a lot of people like . What they call warmth , is Distortion , and what they call Dynamics is actually compression .
And what they call Resolution , is richness in sound , its a combination of these two .
The only thing remaining is 3D sound that Tubes have , this is again distortion but a strange kind that has Stereo component to it , so you hear it like everywhere , sounds like that , some call this Holographic sound , and it is real . I hear it as well .
But all of this is Distortion , none of is resolution and dynamics . Want that , come to digital world .
So again , i agree, it is good sound , its a good device , but dont praise it with Dynamics and Resolution just because you like it , i like it too , but i know it has nothing to do with Dynamics and resolution . Those things are in transistors and digital amps , as we say clinical sound , tubes no ...they are imprecise , soft , and distorting , coloring and slow , and they compress sound .
I got that NFJ (hybrid) tube amp about 2 years ago after some random guy on youtube saying it was pretty good, also it was just about $30 and I wanted to be able to adjust the tone a bit and this had treble and bass, so why not. I got it and connected it to my focusrite and some decent monitor speakers, turned it on and... I was blown away. Everything sounded way better, it was spacious, the mids and the bass were much more pronounced without losing clarity in some songs it was like going from listening to a sterile flat recording to almost a live recording, I was amazed. So I tried and find some more about this amazing product expecting rave reviews and most I encountered was hate about this little amp; "It's not a real tube amp", "It just distorts the sound and doesn't make it better", "It's a scam". Look, I'm not some "audiophile" or technician, I don't know what that little amp does, but whatever it's doing, I like it.
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.
I'm buying this in combo with sennheiser headphones to try out a hifi rig for the first time.
BUT, I have a BOSS katana mini guitar amp (a class d amp with a small speaker) and I might try the rear out into the katana line in, and see how it turns out.
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!
Wonder how this tube amp compares to the loki?
I have a Topping D70/A90 (A90 as per your recommendation) right now, saving up for a "big one" amplifier, but this was a pretty cool idea for that pair! Deserves a
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
This was what I was thinking
What does Josh have to say bout this I’m curious I was thinking the same.
DWS this is controllable by volume, however there’s no way to know where a safe voltage cutoff would be, even if we knew the max voltage. Volume knobs are not linear in most cases.
I just got this in the mail....so should I do it or not?!
product states 2Vrms RCA output
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.
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 ???
So I bought the THX AAA 789 recently, and have used it for a few weeks. Prior to this, I used a Metrum Acoustics Aurix. I'm not sure what to make of the 789 quite honestly. I bought it because of the hype I read on Head-Fi and ASR. I use it on the low gain setting. My initial impressions are that it's detailed without being bright, which is good, but the soundstage is narrower than the Aurix and the depth just isn't there either. The chain is:
Server > Auralic Aries Mini > SPDIF Coax > Metrum Acoustics Musette DAC > RCA > Drop 789 > AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon
Thoughts?
Ordered a tube preamp (the one with tone controls) a couple days ago... Should get here Tuesday! Awesome idea -- simple and so obvious, yet super easy to miss. Running Vintage DT 880S.
Thanks Josh! Lovin' the new sound! Perfect compliment to the 789.
Tone controls are a must!
We need more vids like this Josh. Whereas, some of us that are still learning some things, can see different fun experimenting hookups. I posted asking DMS to do more videos of this sort. I know that I really appreciate it, as I'm planting two feet solidity into this hobby, in recent years; would love to see more creative setups, like this. I know Zeos does some things like this from time to time. But be great to see more. Feels like in the hobby, namely, the community; with some, it becomes a little bit taboo. Obviously, certain Dacs and Amps, pair well (JDS Labs, Schitt, Geshelli, and etc and have an ideal partner, and I get it; hence making, "stacks" ); and the same, as you mentioned, it's not always good for all headphones (to be on a tube; nor, maybe to experiment to much with). Having said so; I'd still like to see more of these creative hookups (namely, not just the usual common pairings, but different Dac and Amp pairings, and or preamps), demoed. Thanks! I enjoyed this..👊🏼🤙🏼🤘🏼👍🏼👌🏼💯🎧🔥🔥🔥
Great video, Josh!! I loved the top-down view and I think doing sort of "cheat" videos like this and the Loki video would make a great series, like Audio Hacks.
We need more stuff like this. I want to listen to music the way i feel. One moment i want the live experience with fat bass, an hour later i want it clean, again an hour later i need to EQ it so it blends more in the background. Enjoying audio is having the power to hear how you want it to be. Optimized for the situation.
Great general review.. but the tone controls of the fx tube pre should be set to zero at the 12 o clock position ...as they are are a plus / minus eq system... and 12 o clock is the frequency 0 level.
To balance the output of the FX tube pre and your power amp the volume/gain level ideally should be set between 10 and 12 o clock (11 is the best as I believe is almost line level output level (beyond that the signal is boosted which can add some level of distortion) like most volume controls turned to the max.
Although you can use the volume knob as your main volume control and adjust to the volumes you want to hear
Also stock tube are ok, but not that great.. but luckily there are many good inexpensive tubes... such as GE and russian voshod 6j1p that are cheap as chip and sonically far far better.
Finally for those wanting the best sound from the FX buy a 12v linear power supply which cleans the supply reduce interference and adds even more sonic improvements to this great little unit . Then add or subtract to suit your needs
Thank you so much
I believe this setup doesn't work the way is explained in the video. I'll explain why:
After watching this video I got myself such a setup. I got:
- DAC: Topping D30 Pro
- Amp: Topping A30 Pro
- Pre-amp: Suca Tube-T1 (as suggested in the description)
I have used it for about a week now and have tried to hear a difference a lot, but couldn't hear a difference. I set it up so that I could just flip the input from RCA to XLR and back, matched the volume, to have instant switching. I literally don't hear ANY difference, let alone preferring one over the other. I posted on a forum to get some advise, and people there advised me to upgrade the tubes to JAN 5654w, which I did. Again, no audible difference at all. I did some research, and I think I found out why I don't hear a difference: because there is none.
This setup doesn't use the tubes to pre-amplify the sound. It only uses the tubes as a buffer to lower the output impendence. Since there is no gain stage (neither for voltage or current) that uses the tubes, they never have the ability to alter the sound or make it "tuby". In order to have a tube pre-amp color the sound, you will need a pre-amp with a gain stage for the tube, followed by a buffer to lower the output impendence so that it can work with the amp later in the chain.
I'm open to hearing why I am wrong here, but it seems to me that there is no way this setup will create a tube sound. I thought I'd share my experience for people considering the same thing.
To Joshua, in case you read this: Whether I am right or wrong here, no hard feelings. Thanks a lot for making awesome video's and doing your best in advising people. I've found your video's very helpful and fun, so keep up the good work! I was going to buy a nice stack anyway, so the tube adventure cost me only 40 dollars.
I had a Ragnarok with a Conrad-Jonhson preamp running hybrid duty for awhile. You can't get the full tube experience using a SS output stage but it gives you a SS/hybrid... well hybrid.
Thanks a lot Josh. You just saved me 300$ on the Darkvoice. I already have the 789. I'll try this pre amp and hold it for now on the Darkvoice.
Hi Joshua, you’re the best audio reviewer on RUclips, Period. I love your work. I’m looking forward to buy the Bowers and Wilkins PX7s cz of their specs and design. I’m requesting you to take em for a spin and review and suggest if the sound quality is as good as B&W stands for? Thanks much 🙏
Just when I think RUclips is all depressing crap. I find a community of audio reviewers and enthusiasts and the world doest seem so daunting. Thank you for posting this fabulous video. Kind of a how to and mini review in one.👍👍
I just ordered the SMSL SU-8 and SP200 from Drop. They’ll be shipping on April 21st (so basically they’ll never ship) but for $425 as opposed to $540... I couldn’t pass it up.
got the same setup, SU-8 will arrive April 1. And my Beyerdynamics DT 1990 within this week :)
The zero point on the tone controls for the tube-03 are at 12 o'clock Josh xx
Hey again. I can't get enough of this idea/ video. I keep watching over. Will this work with an actual tube amp instead of a preamp. I mean, they have hybrids. Would the small amount of power from a tube amp going into a solid state amp cause damage or would I be required to run through the tube amp in a "pass through" as a sort of preamp?? Also.. please. What is the song and artist at the start of this video?
I have this set up more or less, mostly less. The tubes adds a nice warmth to the sound signature. The head phone amp, I never understood why !!! There are plenty power amps in range of 39-50 dollars usually with 4 inputs and 4 outputs. If you hook up the tube amp to the source one end and connect its output to a 40 dollar power amp you get awesome quality for under 100 dollars. Add on a decent dac, maybe khadas tone board.. and you have a decent 150/ 200 dollars. It basically 60-80 percent of quality I am guessing at 10-25 percent cost, and that may represent value.
Hey, what’s with all the background music for the first 3 minutes? And, I agree with prior posts that the power supply on the preamp doesn’t have enough jam to drive the gain stage. You should not need to crank it to 11. Otherwise, an interesting take on getting some selectable tube warmth into your system.
Upon your recommendation, I have just ordered this tubes preamplifier. Will let you know how the whole system sounds.
How is it?
Honestly, not that great in general. When I tried to use it on my headphones, I heard a noticeable background noise which ruins the whole experience. It is fine with speakers though.
@@dillacorn_linux Well, I would agree with you actually. The unit I ordered does not provide a true Vacuum Tubes sound. I am sorry, but it is a waste of money. So how does the xDuoo MT-602 perform?
@@QusayM91 getting it Saturday. I deleted my previous comment I thought because it didn't sound right but I guess you had seen it.. the AIYIMA T2 I received is a DSP tube preamp.. I think this video Josh made is saying this can add distortion to the THX 789 but I don't think the warmth or other character gets translated in the connection without DSP adjustments. It just makes the THX 789 sound worse basically and that's it. I could already do this with EQ or PEQ. no character change from what I can tell through the signal path.. it could have also been that the stock tubes on the AIYIMA T2 are sterile/clean sounding.. maybe the reason the only difference I heard was it sounded slightly worse. I'm going with MT-602 because it's Class A Hybrid design primarily... It will prob give me more of what I'm looking for since I primarily use planar headphones in my collection + a HD 600. Won't use the RCA outs to 789 just straight into the amp.. I think this video is just a miss... in theory it sounds like it would work but it's not a good introduction to tubes IMO
@@dillacorn_linux I got your point. Interesting...
However, I must say that I had Xudoo At-26 and I tried to use it as a pre-amp connected to a vintage transistor power amplifier. I didn't notice differences in the sound and it was indeed very similar to the sound of Vacuum Tubes. Nonetheless, the gain on the Xudoo was very high (16 dB) and any headphones I tried to connect (even Planar) ended up being massively overpowered! To the point I could only use speakers. I thought that I would solve the gain issues with the pre-amp that Josh introduced in his video but I got that annoying background noise... Anyway, I have an new OTL tubes amplifier, hand built, that does the job extremely well even with Planar (such as Hifiman He560). Apparently, not all Chinese companies are alike and only few of them produce high quality stuff such as Topping and Xudoo.
By the way, which headphones do you have in your collection?
Will you do a comparison for Dac/Amp combo under $500? Like the JDS Lab Element 2 and Monoprice THX 788 or any other combo like that?
Topping D30, JDS Atom
Tyvm for the vid. This was very helpful and filled in a few more gaps that weren't quite clear.
Would it be worth picking this up for an unbalanced stack? I have the magni modi stack and want to have the option for tubes, should I just buy an 100$ tube amp?
Great video Josh! The new perspective from the top sure looked cool. Keep it up!
This makes sence..I think. I'm trying to replicate this. Sort of. Using components I already have.
These are:
Same;
FX tube-03
THX AAA789
Different;
Shanling EM5 (as source)
RME ADI2 FS (a different DAC)
Nitch magni Piety (extra amp to try)
What do I need to do different?
I'm actually running this amp in my system. Beautiful sound!
I use FX Audio Tube 01 to control Crown XLS 1002, very clean, very strong, very happy.
It’s not distortion so much as it’s compression and slight EQ warming with a bit of distortion on the very extreme edge.
If anyone's wondering what tubes were used they look like Riverstone audio 6j1 tubes. I have had experience with multiple sets of tubes from them (although not these ones), I've only got positive things to say compared to stock tubes
Cheap tube preamps just add a ton of distortion and alter the tone of the sound. It’s literally the opposite of high fidelity. It’s essentially en effects box.
New to the audio side of things but would this work with my schiit magnius and modius? I know the video is older but hopefully I can get some help love the videos thanks for helping me to get started in the audio realm
Tried one of these FX Audio Tube-03 in front of my SMSL SP200 and it is good (with a tube swap). 30 quid well spent. Thanks for suggesting it.
really? 30quid pre-amp into the SP200? it seems like it could only decrease the performance
@@tenveri It adds a little tubiness to the proceedings. I like to listen with it for a bit and then without. Also some headphones sound better than others through tubes. Sen 6XX excellent. I wouldn't say it degrades the sound - just adds a little warmth...
Bongo Fury which tubes did you buy and where from?
@@SahinurUK US GE 5654W on Ebay...
@@bongofury3176 tubiness 🤣🤣🤣 thats hilarious, but i know what you mean
Funnily enough, I bought Suca few months ago without seeing this video. I added it to my vingtage Technics, which on its own is has a very "analytical" sound, that can make certain speakers sound harsh (It made my Klipsh speakers almost unbearable to listen due to uber-bright upper range). So I decided to experiment and add Suca as a pre-amp, and it made a world of difference - Suca "shaved" the overly bright upper range to much more pleasant levels. I may add it does depend a lot on what speakers/headphones you use - some headphones (like HD 650 in my example) are less sensitive, some are more sensitive to tube pre-amping (like 4xx, also in my example). So your mileage on what you can get from tubes may vary.
Ah yes , Klipsh owner , someone who buys audio devices based on the looks and marketing ended up with harsh system , i can imagine the horrors you are going trough .
Here is an advice to you , buy a good speaker system so that you learn what is what , its not expensive , 300-400$ , take Fluid Audio FX8 , a coaxial active system .
You know why active is better , because the EQ filter between the tweeter and bass has a sharp cut off , so that Tweeter doesn't mix with bass and play same note , because tweeter being smaller is faster then bass , and you get phasing issues , that smudges the note .You dont want that .
And of course it has separated Amps for all drivers , again its better if each driver has its own amp .Minimizes crosstalk
And you take Flat system , no coloring , you can add it later , you can boost bass , whatever , add tubes , play with it .
But have a good starting point , a solid base to build on and learn shit
@@dedskin1 Ah, the omnipresent Internet backseat driver, recommending me a $200 speaker that doesnt go below 35hz over my $1200 speaker. Ok. I guess I will just toss my Focals, my Paradigms, and those RF-10 Klipshers that you used to paint what person I am. While at it, I guess I need to toss my Nakamichi, Onkyo and HK and Technics amps that I use to "learn shit" as you so aptly mentioned at the end of your barely readable drivel, just so I can get a Pyle or some other re-branded "system" that you think is the latest and greatest. Go drive your Subaru somewhere else, this is for more sophisticated people.
Gave it a shot. One of the tubes was shot and only put out about 5% volume. Might give it another shot.
Hey, awesome video ^^ I thought to myself why other people do not consider this option if they already have a clean setup. I was wondering If the same can be achieved with SMSL SP 200 and Topping D10? Considering Topping D10 has S/PDIF, XLR and coaxial out?
That little tube preamp is interesting, online you can find dozens of companies selling them. The weird thing is there are two very different internal architectures commonly used. I was torn between the one in this video and one sold under a different name. This one has a black circuit board and some really ugly soldering. The one I bought looks nearly identical on the outside only with a purple circuit board made by Phillips. I can’t speak for the one in this video but the similar one I bought is incredible! And the tone controls are a life saver. Some mixes, and headphones are wildly bass or treble heavy. Being able to adjust the tone so easily is great.
I don't understand what the relation is between internal soldering and how a tube amp sounds? Those 2 have nothing to do with each other.
Peter Sung they might sound the same for all I know? All I can say is you can find tube preamps that have the exact same housing at the same price with completely different internals.
@@ADesertVoice build quality dude...
I have the Aiyama version of that tube preamp. I am using with my home theater/stereo as a preamp for the aux input. Works great with my LG G7 as a dac.
What is the version of aiyama?
The Hafler Ha-75 rocks with planars and has a tube input built in. Sure its more expensive but way less of a bandaid.
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?
I have used this same model.... I have used 12 of these same model pre-amps daisy chained....works best using the cheap Chinese tubes that they ship with. I have used the GE tubes...sounds worse, with noticeable noise floor. They work best using four of these daisy chained. I use a switch box so I can use with or without tubes in my rig. These are awesome. I had 8 extra, so I will use four of them in my bedroom stereo. I have four left over for spares. It is cheaper buying a new unit complete with tubes, than to buy spare tubes. I am thinking of buying 4 more. I already have 8 spare GE tubes if I ever want to use them as well. The cheaper chinese tubes in these units sound better than my GE JP tubes which I bought new....old stock made in the 1980's. They are military grade tubes too...go figure!
Joshua, Hi. I have the 789/SU8v2 combo and use the HD660S and Modhouse Argon Mk3's..................... would either of those headphones benefit from this relatively cheap addition?
thanks mate, LOVE your work!
Thanks for the video !, I have bought the FOSI AUDIO TUBE P1 PREAMP ,it is looking identical to the FX AUDIO, In my setup I connected the Topping E30 DAC output to the RCA input of the FOSI TUBE PREAMP and the FOSI Output to my ADCOM GFA 555MK Power amplifier and the sound is incredible, my music source Via my LENOVO M900 TINY PC is FOOBAR2000 and Spotify ,RUclips. For the price it is very good tube pre amp ,by the way I bought spare RIVERSTONE GE 5654 TUBES ,for now I just still test the 6K4 ones. Is this Tube preamp sound better then my ADCOM GFP565 SOLID STATE PREAMP well its hard to say , It is just sound different !!!
I have the Fosi Audio with have 2 tube buffers, and it has a nobsound NS-10T as a total analog preamp. The Fosi has 2 Sparkos SS3206's. DT 990T loves it, my Moondrop Arias did not? so I got a Moondrop Dawn 4.4 for the iems and my phone...
One question? If I connect this preamp to my solid state amp, which device control s the volume?
Will this work with the Modius/Magnius combo?
Hi Joshua. I currently have a zen dac with rca out and an xduoo mt602 tube amp with rca in and out and a 3.5mm in. Planning to get a topping a30 for this setup. Unfortunately I dont have balanced connections atm(do i really need that). Will this work with my current if lets say i connect my zen dac 3.5mm out to my xduoo 3.5mm in and my xduoo rca out to the topping a30 rca in. Then my zen dac rca out to the topping a30 xlr input using an adapter or rca to xlr cable? Sorry for the long text just want to make sure before i purchase :).
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?
Question to you, then:
Currently have a pair of DT 1990s and Meze 99 Noirs, and my DAC/AMP are the D30/A30 from Topping.
My endgame is the 789 as far as solid state amps, and I'd love a tube amp because I love the way the Meze sounds through tube, but I'm not entirely sure if I'd need to upgrade my DAC any time soon (and I might probably pick up like an RCA splitter or something to add a tube down the line)
That would mean that I'd spend around 800 bucks anyways on a new system (in parts). Saying that, should I opt for a solution with the same DAC/RCA splitter/THX 789/tube amp or different DAC/ tube pre-amp/789.
That is if the entire thing is going to end up being around 800 bucks anyways.
Is it possible to do SMSL SU9 as the dac, Topping A90 as the amp, then xDuoo TA26 as the preamp? Same RCA, balanced XLR, not sure if TA26 is an overkill, but it seems like a nice foundation for tube rolling
Hi Josh, this is exactly what I have. I wonder I'm using a balanced cable to my HD800s. Can the THX RCA input output to 4pins XLR? Or I have to use 1/4 or 3.5mm jack?
Is the tubes actually in the signal path? Of the unit
How long do the tubes wil hold with the budget tube amps under 70 euro.
I have a vali 2+ on the way to complement my Atom Dac and kenwood Hifi
Really cool video, Joshua! I was thinking of doing a similar build with a Topping E50 DAC and a Schiit Magnius. I especially like the idea of a tube pre-amp with bass and treble adjustments to do a little analog tuning. What do you think?
Hi, me having essentially zero knowledge when it comes to this, would this work with a magnius modius stack?
@@Robban.D.Jonsson. I'm not sure if the modius can send audio on its single end and balanced output at the same time or not. I'd check that first. Otherwise, yes you can build a similar setup with that Schiit stack
@@DrpzOfBlUd787 cheers man
Makes so much sense and very relatable to any electric guitar player where amp and preamp are discrete
Excellent job Josh. This suits my needs to perfection.
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.
I have that pre amp with GE JAN tubes, , turn the bass up and treble down a bit and the Elex are about perfect
So many basic mistakes and misunderstandings about what the equipment is in this video.
Even though they may call it one, the Tube-03 is not a preamp. It's strictly a tube buffer stage, which passes the signal through a partially powered tube to add some "tube color." It has no gain, which is why the volume is the same whether the signal is bypassed, or sent through the Tube-03. Tubes need high voltage to deliver actual gain, so an actual tube preamp is connected directly to wall power, not through a little wall wart power supply. Also, the two knobs are not "bass boost" and "treble boost," they are tone controls. The flat setting is when they are both set midway with the knob pointed upwards. That's why the panel has both + and - markings on either side of the knobs. When both knobs are set to the minimum position, you will have a very limited hump shaped frequency response that is steeply rolled off at both high and low frequencies. This is not "tube sound," it's just wildly inaccurate wrong sound.
I’m not hearing any difference smsl dac> suca tube> 789. I Hooked it up with balanced cables from dac>amp and tube to amp with rca as described. Am I missing something?
How can the amp receive both signals?
As I understand it the THX 789 has a RCA and balance switcher in the front to switch between the filtered tube preamp that's being passed by RCA. And like you said you have the dac hooked up direct to the 789 via balanced.
If you're not hearing a difference switching between signals maybe the tube isn't coloring the sound much at all i'd figure.. maybe try different tubes?
Is there any cheaper alternative to this digital amp, with less power output?
A tube preamp will give you a tube flavour. But for tube sound, you need a full tube amplifier. I was considering buying the Ifi Itube2 for my Rupert Neve.
I just bought the Cayin HA 1a mk1 secondhand for 525euro. It's full tube. It has pre out and speaker out (only 1 or 2 watt). It's very powerfull for headphones. It's soundstage is very wide and warm sounding.
It sounds great with lot of my headphones
koss ksc75
Fostex T50rp mk3
Sennheiser HD 558 (very very wide but sound is also very soft/dull)
Denon ah D7200
Ultrasone pro 900i
One more triple over ear
KZ ZS10
KZ AS10
The noise floor is very high for headphones below 40 ohm. So I use Ifi IEMatch.
Musical Paradise or Sweet Peach?
I dont like China right now ,
But you can get those two for cheap and swap out the caps and run a alps attenuator , and Russian tubes and be in A class up to 15w.
For about 450 .
Instagram@mazzgorilla
@@dednside5229
Sweet Peach is also Chinese.
Both look good
Im new to the audiophile thing. Will this work with the Topping A90/D90 stack?
Would this work with a Modius and Magnius ?
Do you recommend Nobsound Little Bear P2 for DT990 Pro,or some other budget tube amp?
Josh, what about the bottlehead crack? It looks better and I hear it is one of the best tube amps for the hd 600 series. I’d love to see a review.
Love my Crack+HD800 combo. The quest is over. Bittersweet. :)
Hey Everyone and Joshua this seems a great Idea but I already have a Dark Voice Tube Amp with Upgraded Tubes as well as a New THXAAA789 on its way,Can I do the same as your showing with my Dark voice and run it into the THXAAA789 when it arrives?
The fx audio has very little tube sound. I have 2 of these with GE tubes.
Are you saying that the stock tubes do not make a big difference? But conversely, the GE tubes are recommended, instead.
So wait what in the world is the diffrence between tube amps and tube DACs?
You'd think you'd only ever want tube DACs since thats whats actually making the audio right? Or is it a more their meant to work together thing
Would it be okay to hook up the tube PreAmp to my IEMagni? Hoping to get that tube sound for my HD6XX at a budget.
Great video. I did have a question on two products that you did recently audition one being the Hi-Fi man Sundara planar headphone. To be used along with Schiit lyr 3 with 6wpc @ 32 ohm. I know this is a tube amp, but I believe it's only for the input stage.
By the way, I really enjoy your clips. They are very well done.
He'll yeah, I got one 3 months ago. I'm running it into my surround receiver and the atom.
Ehm... can I do a tube pre-amp into my Topping L30?
Thank you for the ideas!!! Presentation A+
Or get a Schiit Vali 2 with a Modi Multibit and a couple of Electro Harmonics tubes.
EH tubes are pretty crap, you could do better for not much more
@@Firenmage433
No they are not.
The 6922 and 6CG7 are great for the price. 6922 if you like it thicc and lush with holographic staging qualities or the 6CG7 for a more neutral and a bit more detailed sound.
Both are much better and offer more details than the stock tube and don't break the bank costing around 20 bucks.
Anything else needs an adapter and defeats the purpose of buying a 180$ amp, Brandon.
@@mariodrv I can understand you enjoying it if you have a modi multibit. Unfortunately that dac is a bit very resolving at all, but the EH tube might maybe it sound less syrupy. I have a CTH and I settled on a different tube with a delta sigma dac. Will never use the EH tube again for sure
@@Firenmage433
I got a Modi 3 with that amp too.
Am recomending the EH tubes for beginners, since they don't cost much and are an improvement over stock.
@@mariodrv I didn't realize they were an improvement over stock. For beginners you could do worse, but Once you listen to a good tube, I should just say you're favorite tube, you will never use it again. Appreciate you giving advice to new audiophiles. Every system is different and every amp is different
I have Fidelio X2, he 400 I both older version, K712 pro, harmonicdyne zeus, magnius amp, mayflower arc amp/dac, soon modius dac. Can I do same that your doing with tubes? what is good tube Device to put with magnius modius stack, or can you?
could i use this with my schiit stack? i’m interested in trying tubes
I have Ifi one Signature + Topping L30 chain. How connect this if dont have xlr in these at all? If i connect through ifi and the l30 to the end of chain. I need an option to use with tube amp and without. Is FX-Audio Tube03 MKII how much similar? It has headphone out and I can connect to topping pre-amp out.
Can i do this with the Ifi ZEN DAC/CAN?
Those tubes at your hybrid tube headphone amp are just for cosmetics. The DC adaptor is 12V hardly enough to heat up those tubes. The cheapest proper tube amp is the DarkVoice 336SE which supplies 60W to those tubes. The only hybrid that starts to use its tube is schiit vali 2 which supplies 60V to its tube.
Cth with an LPS gives a good impression of 6922 tubes
the DarkVoice is a proper headphone amp that can drive headphones by itself, this is just a preamp, not the same thing
@@Hans.Dewitt Tube runs on high voltage. 12V is not going to do anything.
@@nobodyanybody3374 maybe there's a DC/DC converter inside the amp, increasing the voltage?
Don't you have to strain a tube amp in order to get it to change the sound more? So, wouldn't having the thx 789 amplifying the signal from the tube amp kind of defeat the purpose of having it? Maybe someone would want to get headphones loud but only want a little bit of "tubiness," but other than that, I can't really think of any other reason to not just run the two amps independently from each other.
exactly what you said, this is a quasi hybrid tube amp, a full tube amp is not the same at all
I have the magnius amp , soon modius dac will show up, what's a good choice of tube something to mix match
bro i got a question, i have a solid state microphone, a sony c100 mic, i want to add color to it by using tubes, i have a tube preamp but i want to add more tube sound, will it be a problem if i connect this to a tube amp like the ones u talk about? and how would i go about it? is there any amps with no distortion?
Could this work on an Intergrated Dac/Amp? Don't see why not unless there is grounding issues.
You can tube roll with these cheap amps too. I have a $50 Fosi tube amp, with better tubes and with my Fiio DAP used as a DAC, it sounds awesome. BUT, it's HORRIBLE for Planars. It sounds so bad for some reason with Planars.
Do you notice a decrease in sound quality switching to the tube input thru rca vs balanced from the solid state ?..
top down shot needs to be a little bit higher. Something looks off about the lighting too but I'm no expert