B1 with Korg Triode

Because I like it

I have/had the following preamps, but have not, and will not, do a lengthy AB comparison since YMMV - in your system.

ASL AQ-2004DT
Adcom GFP-555
DCB1
BA3-FE

The NuTube is feeding a vfet amp. I have 0 desire to switch it out for something else at the moment, and will probably spin up some other amplifiers in a spare case instead. Its also worth noting that it has played nearly constantly for the last few days, and at no point has my wife asked me to turn it down, much less off. :scratch2:

Beauty is in the ear of the beholder ;)
 
Have ypu A/B tested it against some other preamps? It would be interesting to hear some prositive and negative criticism, instead of all out praise.

There is one thing I would add: the input selector i have requires quite a bit of pressure to move it - causing a "ping" ( from the tube ) that can be heard through the speakers when it finally moves. So standoffs with some kind of rubber isolation are probably a good idea. Mine is just mounted directly to the chassis with metal standoffs at the moment.
 
Thanks! You are not relieving my frustration in not being able to buy it yet.

Since I am not able to listen to it for a while, I am trying to build an expectation.
This quote concerns me:

"As you might also conclude based on the audio performance measurements, I view the Nutube not so much as an active amplifying device as a signal processing element. Yes, it does provide voltage gain – but if accurate voltage gain is your goal, you are much better served by using other devices, both tube and solid state." - Pete Millett

It is like Pete Millett thinks this is not even close to a tube, more like a tube DSP plugin. Srajan is very polite and refuses to say his super expensive Nagra Jazz tube preamp is much better, other than that the Nagra has a bit more depth, Sorry for the simplification of Srajans great article.

And what about power supply? An SMPS can't be the best solution, but a homemade PSU might produce more noise than a brick.

"Today's limited edition FirstWatt box with its small laptop-style external SMPS was obviously not groomed as definitive cost-no-object statement on this Japanese part. Instead it solders it into a pre-existing very affordable buffered passive preamp with trim pots." - Srajan Ebaen from 6moons

I have only heard the my own B1 in my system, and I think it is good and very neutral, it almost disappears. Gain is not an issue for me, I use horns and require less than 1 watt.
The B1 is probably surpassed by the DCB1 and even more by the Hotrodded DCB1. I was going to build the DCB1, but I would like a warmer sound for the F5 and F6 amps. I was hoping the literally warmer Hotrodded version would warm up the sound. Since I began building the DCB1, Salas, who designed the hotrodded DCB1 has moved on to a big tube preamp with 6V6 tubes, and swears by it. His 6V6 is a complicated and dangerous build for a beginner like me and I will have to wait until I can get a degree in electrical engineering.
How does your DCB1 compare to the B1 triode in more detail?
 
I think B1 Korg is a DIY project for fun and second harmonic distortion yucks that can be built for a couple hundred smackeroonies. That's kind of what I expect, a harmonics injector with reasonable fidelity along the lines of DHT triode gain stage that's enjoyable to play with.

If it challenges any kind of statement product, it is probably a coincidence.

The DIY store kit is pending after the NP Christmas gift feeding frenzy is over.
 
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