Anyone find a relatively cheap tube preamp that works well with class D?

[m0b1liz3]

Thought this belonged here more than tube section.
I see tons of cheap Chinese tube preamps but have no idea if any of them are actually good. Anyone have experience pairing up a tube pre?

 

[russc]

Why bother? Best place for a heater is in a kettle.
I'm not saying tube circuits cannot perform well but they are expensive and inefficient.
If you need a pre-amp to boost signal level then use solid state.
If you don't then you are adding another stage for what? Pleasant (hopefully) sounding distortion.

 

[Konzentr8]

Most are just gimmicks and like russ said if you are lucky add a bit of fuzzy warmth to the sound.
Having said that a FX Audio Tube - 01 pre worked well with my Smsl SA 50 .
About GBP 60 on Amazon .

 

[maty tinman]

TAL-Tube (VST plugin)

Cheap? with free VST plugin. I live very much: TAL-Tube

Downloads: https://tal-software.com/products/tal-effects

In my old blog: foobar2000 + TAL-Tube (VST plugin): amplificación valvular simulada

-> https://nauscopio.wordpress.com/201...be-vst-plugin-amplificacion-valvular-emulada/

to English -> https://translate.google.es/transla...ficacion-valvular-emulada/&edit-text=&act=url

TAL-Tube is a saturation plugin that have the characteristic of tubes and an additional amplifier mode. It's very suitable for adding higher harmonics and can give more excitement and analog character to digital sounds or drums.

At extreme values it can also be used as a grungy distortion effect.

Amplifier mode.
Soft and hard mode (2 different tube types).
Dry/Wet knob.
Gain reduction display.
4x oversampled processing.
Some presets.
Low CPU

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

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[Konzentr8]

Isn't that more of a DJ /instrument tool though ^ ?

 

[easp]

I think there are a number of people here with the XY preamp kit, like this one:
Buffer 6N3 Tube Preamp Amplifier Kit With 110V 220V Compatible Transformer Sale - Banggood.com

 

[MKB]

IMHO most any tube preamp (with a line stage if you need it) that can handle the input impedance of your class D amp should sound great, if the preamp is originally a good design and built correctly. IME the Class D amps I've used, mainly a few TriPath and currently a TPA3116, sound mighty good with the following preamp: Douk Audio Kondo Audionote M77 Line and Phono Amp HiFi Tube Preamplifier Board | eBay

It's not cheap, especially when you add tubes, but after a few mods (taking the heater rectifier off board and adding a heater regulator) it's one of the best preamps I've heard. And it loves all of the Class D amps I've connected it to, all sounded great.

 

[seantkezm]

I have a little bear p5 which is comparable to the 6n3 mentioned above. It is technically a tube buffer, not a true preamplifier. But it sounds great before an audiobah tpa3116.

Of course all it is doing is adding a little distortion that is "pleasing" but whatever. I have had dozens of people listen to my setup with and without and every single person has preferred it with the p5.

 

[nigelwright7557]

I put together a 12au7 stereo preamp/mixer and I like the warmth and clarity it adds to the sound.
You might have a problem driving a low impedance input class d amplifier.
Some of the irs2092 based amps have a bout 3k input impedance.
Impedance out of a 12au7 is about 6k which might just about drive it.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.