Hello all i have a dilemma. im only like 3 weeks into researching and understanding tubes.
The release of the apos gremlin got me thinking into tubes but didnt want to get it cause i felt like i could get more if i paid more so i landed on the little dot mk3 SE. Felt like this would be the nxt step up has XLR ins/outs.
Then i got to thinking about preamps (which i know nothing about) for my speaker setup, geshelli labs j2 dac to emotiva ta1. (No turntable) Is a pre amp possible to this setup? More or less how would i hook this up. I use my speaker more but that because its hook to the tv but music wise is about the same (low)
If the preamp setup can work wut are some PA tubes to look at the $500-$600.
Im just really trying to find the best direction to move to.
Thanks
hey Sneezer (your handle sounds like a sneeze!), your little dot mk3 SE can work as a pre-amp, so try that first perhaps?
Lol thanks, one of my friends calls me choo for short and being half azn it works. U gota say it like u or someone f**k up.
was lookin around and the boyuurange a50 with 300b tubes sounds like a end game but not really down to pay $800 for a set a tubes any advice on something like that or is it over kill
why not try using the pre-amp function of your current dot to create a baseline so you can figure out what kind of tubey sound you want more of 
I dont have one it was either that or something else
OOOH! I misunderstood, apologies. what we need to know then is where you live (country) and what your budget is. and lastly, what speakers do you have?
re-reading your post, it looks like you have a Geshelli J2 for a DAC and an Emotiva TA1 as your speaker ampâŚis that correct?
Usa. My budget is around $600. I got jbl a130, jamo c91ii, emotiva b1. if i went the headphone route balanced it would be edition xs, argon m3, hd58x
Use your budget to purchase what you think fits the bill and be able to return it. Tubes are a journey like everything in mid-high-end audio. Once you have an amp, or consider a tube buffer too, then the journey begins. Try lots of âlessâ expensive tubes. New old stock (NOS) tubes can be fantastic but know that people with vastly more disposable income will drive the prices to astronomical levels and the sound produced may not groove with your ear/brain. In my experience, modern replicas of now famous NOS tubes are facsimiles of the original. Some are quite good but much of the art has long been lost to time and semiconductors.
Also, itâs good to keep in mind that tubes have a lifetime. Those driver tubes that actually drive the output circuits live the shortest and change the quickest. Input stage tubes can last many thousands of hours. Focus on input tubes for a longer, less costly, happier journey.
I think this article is well written regarding even and odd harmonics. Itâs the even harmonic distortion that makes tubes sound pleasing to us. Understanding this will help you when listening to different options guiding what you prefer or not. However, this canât be fully learned in reading or reviews rather must be experienced. Odd vs Even Harmonic Distortion (What's The Difference?)
I would encourage you to head down the headphone route first. Youâll be able to more clearly hear the distortion tubes inject vs. in a speaker system, usually. Donât judge a tube in the first 30 hours of power on time. They donât need music playing through them to settle, only powered on time. They will change quite a bit in those for 10-100 hours. Some say even more time is neededâŚ
Do keep listening notes for each tube. Itâs easy to mix them up once you have dozens to choose from. Absolutely nothing better than rolling tubes for a particular mood or album.
Hope some words from an old listener has been helpful.
Thank you very much for this.
If im getting this right the output tube is larger to the input that are smaller?
this is something that alot of ppl dont talk about when it come down to it in reviews or YT. I def get that âburn inâ for tubes is a real thing.
I think i gunna go with the little dot mk3 SE, MARZIPAN kinda had a good point if i wanted to i can move the LD over to my speaker setup if i want to.
Thanks yall
They are often physically larger but donât have to be. Itâs more about how hard they are driven. The amount of work to amplify the signal. Input stage tubes have less work to do vs. output stage tubes. Itâs probably not terribly relevant with headphone or even speaker setups but good to be aware that output stage tube will required more frequent replacement vs. input tubes.
Itâs more like settling. Itâs interesting to hear tubes âcome onâ from cold. They fade in to action. Itâs literally the plate heating up causing the electrons to start moving that youâre hearing. It requires some number of hours for this initial electron layer (if you will) to reach a stable pointâŚthen begins the slow, sometimes very slow, degradation. The best way to know if a tube is âdoneâ is to put in a new one of the same to compare.
after taking a few days to think and reassess wut i have and about how u said âUse your budget to purchase what you think fits the billâ, i think with the setupâs i have i should take my headphones as something fun and shouldnt really dive to deep, wut i have is good enough and gets the job done to just enjoy wut i have. i just started using the zen dacv2 and just found out i could use my phone instead of my laptop and that changed the game it totally turned my sound around.
now as for the speakers i should go at somewhat more serious whether im watching tv or listen to music it just happens on the speakers more (no movies). also i think if i get preamp tubes for the speaker setup and have to turn them on then off will seem like a choir. i am leaning into getting another pair of speakers, 3 if u dont count the ones in my bedroom. if u can think of something else i should look into thatd be great to help me get more acknowledgment on stuff
i just want to say thanks and hope this post helps others in the journey