FX Audio 6j1 tube preamp - a $31 wonder

[DaaDaa]

Waiting for your review!

I have all the tubes and I am and have been doing quite a bit of listening using the FX Audio tube01 but my plan was to really listen to these tubes through the P1 and though my Omega speakers and there are two problems as of now:

1- the P1 has not arrived yet
2- I have problems with my sources my DIY built Soekris DAC has been malfunctioning, I sold my Audio-gd R2R11, i returned the Audio-gd R1 that i bought last month and I am kinda struggling for a stable source that sounds good and i can trust. funny thing is that while in the last two years I have had such good luck with amplifiers, DACs just keep coming and going and I remain unsatisfied and frustrated. I am kind of over it and i cant wait to settle down with a DAC and end this vicious cycle of buying, losing funds selling and buying again. But I digress, this is the reason that I havent written about the sound virtues of these tubes yet.

here is a beauty shot of the Liquid Spark amp. the praise it been getting is well deserved the sound is flawless and short of Hifiman HE-6 it drives everything perfectly including the famous Argons. I impulse bought it to listen to for two weeks, write a quick review on SBAF forum and then pass it along but it is staying as i love the way it wounds.

 

[faber12]

@Dadbeh https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-1

 

[DaaDaa]

@Dadbeh https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-1

i just sold the Modi multibit 2 weeks ago. did not make the cut, just not good enough.

 

[faber12]

i just sold the Modi multibit 2 weeks ago. did not make the cut, just not good enough.

Well, darn.

 

[DaaDaa]

Well, darn.

yeah man. I really have a problem choosing a DAC. you would not bleeive the list of the DACs that I have tried. I guess I have to admit that the problem is myself not the DACs.

Denafrips Ares
RME ADI DAC fs version
Audio-GD R1
Audio-gd R2R11
Audio mirror TDA1543 NOS
Starting point systems battery powered TDA 1543 NOS
MSB link III
LHLABS Pulse dual mono femto clock Sabre DAC
SCHIIT Modi 1
SCHIIT MIMBY
Sabaj
Soekris 1321
Soekris 1541
Soekris 1021
Exasound
LHLABS Geekout 100
Questyle 400i

im sure there is at least 10 that i am forgetting. out of these the Sabaj, R2R11 and the RME are the ones that i miss and all the ESS sable DACs need to die die die lol.

 

[faber12]

Wow dude. It does seem like the common denominator here is you...

 

[Poultrygeist]

I think this thread has contracted a case of tube fever.

I remember when I first got into tubes I bought stuff I still haven't found a use for.

 

[DaaDaa]

I think this thread has contracted a case of tube fever.

I remember when I first got into tubes I bought stuff I still haven't found a use for.

personally I, myself, have been going absolutely berserk with these tubes. not only in variety but in number too. i have 2 big boxes full of these tubes now and i am not even planning to use this pre in any permanent system. it is just for curiosity and the need to try every single one.

 

[Pio1980]

personally I, myself, have been going absolutely berserk with these tubes. not only in variety but in number too. i have 2 big boxes full of these tubes now and i am not even planning to use this pre in any permanent system. it is just for curiosity and the need to try every single one.

I'll be curious of any auditioning impressions of individual examples.

 

[faber12]

personally I, myself, have been going absolutely berserk with these tubes. not only in variety but in number too. i have 2 big boxes full of these tubes now and i am not even planning to use this pre in any permanent system. it is just for curiosity and the need to try every single one.

Well, when you are done, feel free to send them all to me and I will go berserk rolling them too.

 

[DaaDaa]

Well, when you are done, feel free to send them all to me and I will go berserk rolling them too.

maybe I will. will depend on my mood at the time and your bedside manners

this arrived shattered from Ukraine. it is sveltana 6ZH1P-EV 1967 vintage. it was literally new in unopened box.

 

[faber12]

Sorry, I can't 'like' a post with a broken tube in it.

 

[Pio1980]

maybe I will. will depend on my mood at the time and your bedside manners

this arrived shattered from Ukraine. it is sveltana 6ZH1P-EV 1967 vintage. it was literally new in unopened box.

Mention it to the vendor.

 

[Pio1980]

In spite of ongoing hearing problems with my right going deaf, I've auditioned the FX last night on a variety of material and today worked on the Pass B-1 to put it back in to parity check my somewhat mixed impressions of the FX, and sorry to say the FX not going to make the cut here for me.
I don't want to be a buzzkill on the thread.

 

[Bicyclist]

In spite of ongoing hearing problems with my right going deaf, I've auditioned the FX last night on a variety of material and today worked on the Pass B-1 to put it back in to parity check my somewhat mixed impressions of the FX, and sorry to say the FX not going to make the cut here for me.
I don't want to be a buzzkill on the thread.

No need to apologize. It is what it is. The reason i like it is that its a great buffer for my passive pre and it fits in my budget. My ears are pretty damn lousy so i probably set a pretty low bar.

 

[Pio1980]

No need to apologize. It is what it is. The reason i like it is that its a great buffer for my passive pre and it fits in my budget. My ears are pretty damn lousy so i probably set a pretty low bar.

I liked having the gain, but the tradeoffs aren't worth it to me. I've been a passive controller user by preference after parity checking other active preamps against it for years, the B-1 replaced it out of curiosity and made the cut, much to my surprise and delight. It is a very transparent musically involving unity gain buffer that seems to do no harm.

 

[Bicyclist]

I liked having the gain, but the tradeoffs aren't worth it to me. I've been a passive controller user by preference after parity checking other active preamps against it for years, the B-1 replaced it out of curiosity and made the cut, much to my surprise and delight. It is a very transparent musically involving unity gain buffer that seems to do no harm.

I was getting tired of fixing old recievers so i picked up a passive pre with phono preamp, tc754 and i had an adcom 535 available. With those 2 and the fx between it smokes my old sony 7045. To top it off i got a sony tuner so i am pretty happy.

 

[Frank Sol]

tomorrow gonna put the FX Audio TUBE-01 between an Adcom SLC-505 (passive pre) and Adcom 535 amp

sometimes the SLC-505 needs a little more vol or better yet the source needs more voltage - BTW , how's the SQ of the FX at 100% Vol being fed by a passive ?

will see how the setup sounds

With about 4 hrs on the FX , stock P/S and stock tubes... I put in a pair of Mullard CV4010 KQDD/K

more gain for sure with the FX in between the Adcom SLC-505 and Adcom 535

need more time before my 'report'

 

[Pio1980]

I have one of those Adcoms, durable and reliable with the usual failure mode being fatigued 4 Amp fuses giving up for no apparent reason. They can be wholesale replaced with the ceramic cased equivalent fuses when that happens.
I had good results with onesuch and a passive pot from a CD player for an elderly gentleman as a get-by for a pair of tired Altec amps on a malfunctioning McIntosh preamp.

 

[Frank Sol]

need more time before my 'report'

early report... the soundstage is larger/bigger and more 3D

gonna unplug the stock P/S before I go to bed -- better safe than sorry

more later