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FX Audio TUBE-03 Preamp Buffer
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FX Audio TUBE-03 Preamp Buffer
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303 requests
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38 Sold
Product Description
An inexpensive addition to your hi-fi system, the FX Audio TUBE-03 aims to add a pleasant amount of color and warmth to your music. Compared to a previous model, the TUBE-01, this preamp buffer features new bass and treble dials that allow you to fine-tune the sound to suit your preferences Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downtetablanco
14
Oct 30, 2020
I upgraded the same preamp (same internal components though with a different brand name) with a pair of Burson V5i-D opamps (these fit inside the casing) and a pair of Vokshod 6J1P-EV military tubes and replaced the power supply with an iFiPower linear power supply with excellent results. While "audiophile purists" would frown in this, I like that its tone and bass controls give me the flexibility to compensate for poor recordings and a less-than-ideal listening area.
(Edited)
BattousaiX26
0
Nov 10, 2020
tetablancoCan this be done with the fx audio tube 03? I want to upgrade my op amps too
tetablanco
14
Nov 10, 2020
BattousaiX26I believe they both use the same PCB. Open the case and check if the opamps are socketed in or soldered. If it uses a pair of NE5532 opamps, be sure to get compatible dual DIP-8 opamps such as the MUSES8920, LM49860, LM4562, etc. which are all good opamps. Next level opamps are the discrete Burson V5i-D and the Sparkos SS3602. Don't get the ones that are too tall or too wide.
TonyRizo
179
Jul 31, 2018
I have the Nobsound of this one chained as a preAmp of course to the class A Little Dot Mk2 and it adds that little extra bass I look for in my hd600. Just perfect. No distortion.
TonyRizo
179
Dec 16, 2018
DavestefNo but I have them and the 5xx and the hd579 too. The hd700 I returned, the sound stage was so huge it destroyed the music.
(Edited)
dnogs
38
Jul 31, 2018
To understand the merit of this thing, you have to realize it is NOT an amplifier. It is a buffer. Meaning, all it does is pass a signal through a tube with almost no appreciable amplification. The catch is that it is preying on people thinking that simply having a tube in the chain is what makes the sound better. That's not the point. "Adding warmth" or "adding color" is not the point. The point of a tube - what makes it better for audio than a transistor - is the way a tube distorts when it amplifies a signal. Yes, the even-order distortion produced by overdriven tube circuits is more musically pleasant than the odd harmonics produced by an overdriven (clipping) transistor. (you can google using terms like "tube transistor distortion odd even harmonics" to better understand this)
If you're not amplifying the signal with the tube, there is no point. You're just adding the distortion inherent to the tube to whatever else in your chain you're already using to amplify. So if you're not REPLACING a transistor with a tube for the various steps in your signal chain, you are not gaining sound quality, period. In the case of this thing, you're also adding the distortion of an extra volume knob, and the bass and treble controls.
If you're not amplifying the signal with the tube, there is no point. You're just adding the distortion inherent to the tube to whatever else in your chain you're already using to amplify. So if you're not REPLACING a transistor with a tube for the various steps in your signal chain, you are not gaining sound quality, period. In the case of this thing, you're also adding the distortion of an extra volume knob, and the bass and treble controls.
TreeFrogs
113
Jul 31, 2018
<Insert obligatory comment about how this is available on amazon for only $2 more so this isn't that great of a deal.>
Calaverasgrande
1486
Jul 31, 2018
is this a fully tube preamp or is it some kind of reflected plate type of low voltage tubes, with solid state op amps doing the real work?
Calaverasgrande
1486
Jul 31, 2018
sounds about normal for a -10dB output. Actually -10db would be .775 volts. So that's a db or so hotter.
kasyx
22
Sep 7, 2018
CalaverasgrandeReal deal, though the bass and treble controls are done via ss if I remember correctly.
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