tube buffer?

[Slim-Shaddy]

Anyone ever use a tube buffer? What was your experience like? For a little over $100 would I really be getting a true "tube" sound? Here's an epinions review I just read...
http://www1.epinions.com/content_312424107652

[thuffman03]

That is pretty interesting.  Though Bob Carver came up with a really cheep way to make any SS amp sound tubish.  Put a 1.5 ohm 50w resister in your speaker cable. Digikey has them.

Here is a cool thread on the Carver Forum about it.

http://www.carveraudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10867

[Reverend]

I use one between my pre-amp and amp.  It definitely makes a difference.  You could only buy them in Canada because of the agreement Grant Fidelity had with Yaqin not to sell them in the USA.  Grant was slapping a new faceplate on them and selling them for 2.5x more.  I bought mine about a year ago from our neighbors to the north.  Best $100 I ever spent.  I replaced the tubes with GE's and added a better power cord, this made a large improvement.

[OCCD]

Look for a Musical Fidelity X-10D. I have had several over the years and like them very much.

[Slim-Shaddy]

The resistor idea is a good one. I'll probably do that just to play around and then down the road I'll pick up the buffer and see if I notice a difference. i can always sell the buffer if it's not worth it .

[OCCD]

If you decide to get the resistors, Order 10 to get the price break and I will take what you don't want.

[Kingman]

The resistor idea is a good one. I'll probably do that just to play around and then down the road I'll pick up the buffer and see if I notice a difference. i can always sell the buffer if it's not worth it .

Get em both!!! That way you can keep what ya like!!!

[schwarcw]

Look for a Musical Fidelity X-10D. I have had several over the years and like them very much.

Yup!  I had one of those also.  It helped take the edge off some of my CDs.  Nothing beats a good tube pre amp.  That's where you eventually want to go.

[desperado915]

I run a Yaqin tube buffer along with a DAC in line with my CDP. I didn't really like it as much until I upgraded the stock Chinese tubes to some NOS Siemens. Love it now.

[Reverend]

I run a Yaqin tube buffer along with a DAC in line with my CDP. I didn't really like it as much until I upgraded the stock Chinese tubes to some NOS Siemens. Love it now.

Did the same thing.  Upgraded the power cord too.  That also made a big difference.

[NATOE]

"THE POWER CORD" I would like someone to show me on an oscilloscope how a power cord will make something sound better.

114v-130v ac 60hz is just that. a piece of wire will not make the piece of equipment sound any different unless, unless the cord was very under sized to begin with. OHMS LAW that math does not lie.

N.E.P and UNITEL spent millions of dollars to prove this whole wire theory wrong to the "IT WILL SOUND BETTER" people.And these people ars ee's that do this for a living.And that also goes for speaker wire.Multi million dollar live video and audio trucks just use regular old belden 16ga speaker wire and what ever power cord is acceptable for amp draw on the really expensive equipment.

[Reverend]

The Yaqin factory power cord is junk which is a shame since the build quality of the buffer itself is surprisingly beefy.  Very thin, I wouldn't trust it to charge my toothbrush.

"And that also goes for speaker wire.Multi million dollar live video and audio trucks just use regular old belden 16ga speaker wire and what ever power cord is acceptable for amp draw on the really expensive equipment."

I'm closing down RC Cables, Natoe convinced me...lol.

[NATOE]

http://www.aperionaudio.com/AperionU/choose_speaker-wiring.aspx
http://www.hps4000.com/pages/spksamps/speaker_wire.pdf
Just some good reading here,should shed a little light on the subject.

 
And yes the same 16ga wire is used for the rc cables in the same truck.

Maybe I'll call my friend that works for nep and you can tell him that everything will be sound a lot better with BIGGER WIRE and to forget what the ee's have concluded on this subject.NOT. lmao.

[F1nut]

"THE POWER CORD" I would like someone to show me on an oscilloscope how a power cord will make something sound better.

114v-130v ac 60hz is just that. a piece of wire will not make the piece of equipment sound any different unless, unless the cord was very under sized to begin with. OHMS LAW that math does not lie.

N.E.P and UNITEL spent millions of dollars to prove this whole wire theory wrong to the "IT WILL SOUND BETTER" people.And these people ars ee's that do this for a living.And that also goes for speaker wire.Multi million dollar live video and audio trucks just use regular old belden 16ga speaker wire and what ever power cord is acceptable for amp draw on the really expensive equipment.

Have you ever tried high end cables or power cords?

[Falcon]

Ah yes, the great cable debate   Played out on every audio forum, I knew it had to happen here
  I/C Cables DO make a difference in sound. In MY opinion, which is the only one that matters to ME. And so does power cables.

Let the great debate begin...