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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_itqp96z wrote

>does it change the sound maybe, is it placebo probably, do I care NO

I own the Xduoo TA-26 and after a long tube rolling journey (mostly non vintage, some budget nos stuff from the 60s too though) and for budget amps I can safely say: it's more about the ritual than about the sound. Maybe, like just maybe I get like 5% better dynamics and sub-bass, but that's very, very difficult to say.

I tested it against a FiiO K5 pro ESS, both devices using the DAC of the FiiO. Sadly I do not own a source flip switch, that would've made things easier but I really tried to match the volume while comparing.

Tubes seem to go more up and down in some songs, but it's so subtle that I might be imagining things. One thing is for sure: I won't hunt for weird vintage tubes. I would love to try a vintage tube, but heck, there's no way I am paying that amount of money for something that can simply break after a uncertain amount of runtime, that then forces me to go on the same hunt once again, that is if these vintage tubes really make a difference. Sadly there is no audio store or person I know that owns some, I would love to test this, but I don't see myself spending 200ish € just to try some stuff out.

Maybe I will get a Bottlehead Crack one day but customs fees absolutely suck and I have two left hands so I am probably too stupid to build one + I would most likely shock myself to death during the building procedure. Also, buying one off of someone is usually more expensive because people wanna see some money for their efforts (which is understandable).

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Icy_Vegetable1933 t1_itr21zu wrote

Yep, tube rolled on a TA-26 with 6XX. Could honestly not hear a difference between tubes, or between the A90 and TA-26. Just a waste of money IMO. I'm happy that people enjoy tubes and keep them around, but I really wish the difference between solid state and tube wasn't so overexaggerated in audio circles.

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suredont t1_itr2vu5 wrote

Yeah, I think it builds expectations waaaaaay too highly.

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_itr372j wrote

Overexaggeration is the audiophiles biggest strength. I will maybe try a higher end tube amp in some hi-fi store one day, but not without bringing my Xduoo for some A and B testing because I really don't feel like getting baited by snake oil.

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Icy_Vegetable1933 t1_itrhtej wrote

2nd biggest strength - more money than sense! I'm no exception. Trying to get better

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headphonesex2 t1_itt09nn wrote

i agree, went from a50s to ta26 and wasnt as blown away as the communty expectations set me...

dOnt get me wrong i feel like there is longer decay and more reverb, but its so flipping minor you wouldnt be able to tell if u werent looking for it.

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Icy_Vegetable1933 t1_ituy9h6 wrote

>but its so flipping minor you wouldnt be able to tell if u werent looking for it.

Guarantee if you did a blind volume matched A/B you wouldn't be able to tell

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headphonesex2 t1_itv6dx8 wrote

id be hard pressed to deny that...

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Icy_Vegetable1933 t1_itvm82m wrote

I thought I had good ears and could tell a difference when I "upgraded"...

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I had a class A amp and a denafrips ares II, volume matched them and had my wife switch between that stack and a topping A90/D90 while I was turned around. Unfortunately couldn't tell a difference at all.. then threw the TA-26 in the mix. same story.

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Ended up selling everything but the topping gear, can't beat features and power at this point.. I just think we're at a point where the chip DACs and chip amps are just too good.

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Gubernaculum69-420 t1_itspe10 wrote

That sucks. I have the xDuoo TA-30 and the increased richness in sound was immediately apparent when putting an ebay $50 Sylvania 5931 (from 1957) rectifier tube in to replace the stock tube. Replacing the stock preamp tubes with genalex gold lions was more subtle with probably some more brightness, not sure if detail...

I know nothing about the TA-26, but seems silly to judge tube amps based off a single entry level one. The first review of it I found on google was from headphonesty which concluded it doesn't have that much euphonic distortion often associated with tube amps.

I'm not ever going back to solid state on my current headphones. I'm definitely gonna audition one of the multi thousand dollar ones before I ever upgrade the TA-30.

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headphonesex2 t1_itt0ks9 wrote

the ta30 is expensive af, better sound good, although you re paying extra for the bluetooth,the dac, screen and the extra tube, so not sure how much better it is to a ta26 in a good chain.

how is ta26 level entry？ is my point. its supposed to be a better darkvoice amp, and if anything almost if not on par with your ta30 dac-amp. just saying 350 aint cheap

my ta26 is fine, but i wasnt blown away either. havnt tube rolled yet

edit btw ta30 is hybrid amp, so not otl, should sound less tubey if anything. just saying

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_ittwdhg wrote

I agree on the TA-26 being fine, but not more. It's comfortable to use, it looks super cool, it maybe changes sound by a tiny amount, most notably dynamics and sub-bass, but not by much. My 6XX can also sing when hooked up to my FiiO K5 pro.

The TA-26 is definitely entry, I know, it's ridiculous, but some headphone amps cost more than a thousand dollars.

However and thank God we have audio demos on YouTube: between a few tube amps, cheap and expensive, I could mostly not hear any difference and if there was one, then it was so subtle that it makes no sense at all to spend hundreds more for a slightly different sound (different, not better, very important). So that's why I will continue being a sceptic and stay away from chasing minimal improvements. It's really not worth it.

What I'm curious to experience is to hear how my tubes will change once a lot of time has passed. I don't believe in any burn in stuff, but tubes definitely change, some even stopped humming after I let them run for a few hours and I'm pretty sure some infamous vintage tubes are only desperately searched for because some people heard tubes close to the end of their lifespan, adoring how soft they sounded.

But I'm done for now. Enough headfi snake oil reviews, enough overexaggerations on YouTube. I listen to music and not to my headphones.

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headphonesex2 t1_ittwoa3 wrote

deff agree with you brother, so much snake oil running deep in this industry, a hobby for people with more money than brains or ears for that matter. idk

deff listen to music more than chase that 1％ improvment of technicality , its so easy to lose sight of why we are in this hobby in the first place haha

im also done with my purchases, i grabbed an hd800s on the cheap and a ta26, im done too

cheers

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_ittxzl3 wrote

It's definitely super confusing. I crawled out of a different rabbit hole just to fall into this audio trap. But I'm done for now, the next thing would be speakers or a pair of ZMF after I'm done with uni and that is in the distant future.

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PutPineappleOnPizza t1_itttllt wrote

Well, you can basically read all over the internet that the TA-26 is a better Darkvoice and that it has tube sound, according to some people.. I mean it does sound different, but not much different. Like max. 5% as I wrote in one of my previous comments.

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