Reddit mentions of FX Audio TUBE-01 6J1 Tube Buffer HiFi Preamplifier (Black)

Cool setup!

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Here are some ideas:

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1. Stand in the middle of the room and clap your hands once. If you hear any sort of echo, that means the room is "hot" and needs some sound dampening. The longer the echo, the more dampening. You can do this in super simple ways, like putting a rug on the floor and adding wall hangings. I'm talking garage sale-level stuff. Don't spend a lot of money on those, all you are trying to do is get rid of some of the reflections. This should help you hear what's coming out of the speakers, rather than what is bouncing around the room.
   
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2. Find a CD that has sine-waves of different frequencies. Or go here: http://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ (plug your computer into the system). Play some notes in the bass (and mid) range and walk around the room. You will notice that your bass (and mid) is quieter in certain places. Those are called "nodes." You kind of want things so that you don't have a lot of these. The reason is so that you can be in different parts of the room and hear about the same thing. Try moving the speakers around and pointing them in different directions to see what that does. Try moving the "stage left" sub to the corner kind of behind the piano, for example. You might even be able to put both subs there. Nodes actually form at all frequencies (that's why cell phone reception can be strong in one part of a room but not in another), but the bass and mid are the ones that are pesky and noticeable.
   
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3. Try running your speakers out of phase. Switch the positive and negative leads on *one end* of *one speaker* only (doesn't matter which). Some people like this effect (I don't). But if there's a lot of reflections in your room, it may be a simple trick. Try it with your subs too. It won't hurt anything. Your subs should have a phase toggle switch, actually.
   
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4. If there's a place in your signal path for analog - try running this: https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-TUBE-01-Preamplifier-Black/dp/B01HEQJGPC - I have one and I like how it makes things sound. To me at least, it does actually make things sound warmer and more fluid.
   
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5. What sounds good to you is what you are aiming for. I used to think that I liked super accurate sound. But I found that it fatigues me after long listening sessions. Now I like sound where I can still place the instruments (sound stage), but it doesn't need to be clinical.
   
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   Source: my original major in undergrad was audio recording engineering. After that I did sound for a couple of nightclubs and churches. I learned super simple things (like speaker placement) make a huge difference.
   
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   Also - when you do any sort of evaluation of your speaker placement and or room changes, listen at the level that you plan to listen to things at. For example, if you plan to listen loud - then test loud (and vice versa). The way we hear things changes with volume. That's why music at low levels sounds like it lacks bass. The bass is still there, but our hearing is tuned to hear frequencies that are closer to the sound of a human voice or baby crying. This is also why certain recordings sound crappy at low volume, but excellent at high volume (a lot of metal is like this). Those recordings were mixed at high volume. At low volume they will sound like they have no bass.
   
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I can't give you a personal review but after looking some this is what I found. I'm looking for the same thing as you so update me if you find anything better.

https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-TUBE-01-Preamplifier-Black/dp/B01HEQJGPC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542653435&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=fx+audio+tube+preamp&dpPl=1&dpID=41uCfoCpP-L&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/Riverstone-Audio-Matched-Fully-Tested-Platinum/dp/B01BFJDTW0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542653456&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=ge+vacuum+tube&psc=1

The APA150 is rated 75wpc @ 4 ohms, not 8. It's 150watts bridged mono to 8 ohms. I have 2 of them.

Bang for your buck? If you can live without a remote, this combo will absolutely light up any set of speakers in the power department.

https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-TUBE-01-Preamplifier-Black/dp/B01HEQJGPC

https://www.amazon.com/Rockville-RPA9-Channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B06XDRZD3D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542429237&sr=8-2&keywords=Rockville+RPA9

I popped the top on the Rockville power amp and disconnected the fans. Unless it's super hot in your listening area, it shouldn't heat up enough to go into protection mode. At least it never did for me. If that's a concern, just get a pair of low dB 80mm fans to replace the ones that come with it.

And it honestly sounded really good. Like I was damn surprised that a $140 power amp could sound that good. I know the wattage ratings are inflated, but even at half what they claim you are looking at 400wpc.

This one looks exactly the same and is only $34

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HEQJGPC?psc=1

Got great reviews too.

Well, like I said... that's a dangerous proposition. You could get a super cheap one that would work.


Like this

oh the amps are the tubes? wait so i could do this too for an amp? https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-TUBE-01-Preamplifier-Black/dp/B01HEQJGPC/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=vinyl+preamp&qid=1554681475&s=gateway&sr=8-8
and then the link i sent you for a pre amp?

It doesn't get much simpler or cheaper than FX Audio's TUBE-01 ($32 on Amazon)

• It is a switchable tube buffer with RCA in- and outputs
  
• Comes fitted with two Chinese 6J1 tubes, which are the same as 6AK5 (US), EF95 (EU) or 6Zh1P (Russia)
  
• Replacements tubes priced from $10 to $38 (Mullard) per pair