eBay&etc cheap tube buffers/preamp .. anything good?

pedromreis · 3rd November 2011, 12:40 AM

Hi, newbie here, please bare with me....
I wanted to experience (to a degree) some tube based equipment and a quick look in eBay show dozens of sub 100 Eur preamps/buffers etc.
Is anything worthwhile looking and trying to start getting a feeling of the "tube" sound?

SY · 3rd November 2011, 10:58 AM

There may be, but I haven't seen one yet. We get folks who buy these cheap kits (usually of China origin) posting quite often to see how they can fix them. A combination of poor thermal management, bad layout, counterfeit parts, and attempts to run high voltage tubes at low voltages seems to be common themes.

A good tube buffer won't have any "sound." Most of the cheap buffers, perhaps in order to get a "sound," or perhaps out of sheer incompetence on the part of the (I use the term loosely) designer, have notably high distortion.

Original Burnedfingers · 3rd November 2011, 10:58 AM

In a word no.

Check out the Aikido line stage.

pedromreis · 3rd November 2011, 11:03 AM

Can you point me to it? Not sure if what I found is what you mean

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6BG6GA

In a word no.

Check out the Aikido line stage.

DF96 · 3rd November 2011, 11:31 AM

If a valve amplifier is working correctly then apart from heating up the room you should not "experience" it at all. You just hear the music. (Actually, its the same for a correctly working solid state amp too). Its the ones which are not working properly which you "experience", although some people seem to prefer this.

pedromreis · 3rd November 2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DF96

If a valve amplifier is working correctly then apart from heating up the room you should not "experience" it at all. You just hear the music. (Actually, its the same for a correctly working solid state amp too). Its the ones which are not working properly which you "experience", although some people seem to prefer this.

Good point...

Original Burnedfingers · 3rd November 2011, 04:15 PM

Aikido Line Stage Amplifier Kits & More FBFF Hybrid Regulators

I think you will experience the clarity that glass has over sand.

pedromreis · 3rd November 2011, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6BG6GA

Aikido Line Stage Amplifier Kits & More FBFF Hybrid Regulators

I think you will experience the clarity that glass has over sand.

heheheh
OK, I'll put that on my wish list, thanks.

Shoog · 4th November 2011, 03:49 PM

The point of a tube buffer is to offer a high impedence to the source and a low impedence to the load. This will remove some of the load from the output stage of the source and drive the input of the load better. My experience of the Musical Fidelity X10D was that this improved detail, but didn't introduce a valve sound to the mix.

My experience of well designed valve equipment is that they do not have a valve sound (ie mushy) but have a slightly smoother delivery with no loss of detail. A good valve amp sounds like a good amp.

Hope that helps.

Shoog

pedromreis · 4th November 2011, 03:51 PM

Shoog, thanks for you input!

3rd November 2011, 12:40 AM	#1
pedromreis diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2011	eBay&etc cheap tube buffers/preamp .. anything good? Hi, newbie here, please bare with me.... I wanted to experience (to a degree) some tube based equipment and a quick look in eBay show dozens of sub 100 Eur preamps/buffers etc. Is anything worthwhile looking and trying to start getting a feeling of the "tube" sound?

3rd November 2011, 10:58 AM	#2
SY diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Austin, TX Blog Entries: 1	There may be, but I haven't seen one yet. We get folks who buy these cheap kits (usually of China origin) posting quite often to see how they can fix them. A combination of poor thermal management, bad layout, counterfeit parts, and attempts to run high voltage tubes at low voltages seems to be common themes. A good tube buffer won't have any "sound." Most of the cheap buffers, perhaps in order to get a "sound," or perhaps out of sheer incompetence on the part of the (I use the term loosely) designer, have notably high distortion. __________________ “Listening to records is like ****ing a picture of Brigitte Bardot.” - Sergiu Celibidache

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3rd November 2011, 10:58 AM	#3
Original Burnedfingers diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2002	In a word no. Check out the Aikido line stage.

3rd November 2011, 11:31 AM	#5
DF96 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2007	If a valve amplifier is working correctly then apart from heating up the room you should not "experience" it at all. You just hear the music. (Actually, its the same for a correctly working solid state amp too). Its the ones which are not working properly which you "experience", although some people seem to prefer this.

3rd November 2011, 04:15 PM	#7
Original Burnedfingers diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2002	Aikido Line Stage Amplifier Kits & More FBFF Hybrid Regulators I think you will experience the clarity that glass has over sand.

4th November 2011, 03:49 PM	#9
Shoog diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eire	The point of a tube buffer is to offer a high impedence to the source and a low impedence to the load. This will remove some of the load from the output stage of the source and drive the input of the load better. My experience of the Musical Fidelity X10D was that this improved detail, but didn't introduce a valve sound to the mix. My experience of well designed valve equipment is that they do not have a valve sound (ie mushy) but have a slightly smoother delivery with no loss of detail. A good valve amp sounds like a good amp. Hope that helps. Shoog

4th November 2011, 03:51 PM	#10
pedromreis diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2011	Shoog, thanks for you input!

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