Why we like tubes, with xDuoo TA-26s

[@user-mq8lj5wi7y]

You certainly have a gift at articulating the differences in the way things sound! I have never heard the sound of tubes articulated so well with such a perfect analogy…..Well done!

[@lukasjanecka9996]

I did not see the figure skating analogy coming but I like it! 20 points to iiWindor for originality 😀

[@downnoutdubin]

Srboljub, my theory on why the distortion slowly settled in.. Heat increases electrical resistance. The resistance probably slowly got higher as the tubes warmed up while you were listening. Thanks for another great review!

[@johncallaghan3097]

Good explanation -- could well be so.

[@iiWiReviews]

That's possible. I just mentioned it so potential buyers could pay attention that a short audition with cold amp might not tell you about the real behavior after it's warmed up.

[@shs747]

To be honest changing the Tubes changes the sound quite a lot for me with the original TA-26. Best tube combo for me sofar is 6n8c military barrel anode for front tube and Zaerix 6080 for the power tube. Using this with Ares II with latest update and it's great. As a preamp you need to be aware that when connecting to power amps you will need some resistors (I use in-line), otherwise you won't be able to push the volume past 9 o'clock. Don't connect it to an integrated unless you can bypass the internal preamp or you lose the tubiness.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

This amp is fantastic. It plays nicely with Beyerdynamic 770 Pro 250 Ohms, Sennheiser x Drop 6XX (300 Ohms), and also in preamp mode gives its tube sound to any other amp. I have it patched through a Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro. It makes Focal Elegias, HIFIMAN Edition XS, as well as IEMS such as Moondrop Kato, RAPTGO HookX and Truthears ZERO RED sound great, imparting some of the tube spaciousness. It may not be able to increase the soundstage width of whatever headphones/IEMs you're listening with (obviously), but it takes full advantage of what's available.

[@TheodoreBreaux]

Your review was both articulate and accurate. I find the TA-26 to be an excellent match with the popular Sennheiser HD-6XX, particularly for acoustical, jazz, and more "organic" styles of music in general. The TA-26 responds favorably to better quality tubes and performs nicely when used as a preamp. I am quite pleased with it.

[@deadline7610]

Thanks for sharing. Are you using the preamp out in your stereo setup ? I'm trying to figure out if they perform there best with 4 ohm -8 ohm speakers and what type of sensitivity ? Thanks

[@TheodoreBreaux]

@@deadline7610 I use the TA-26 both as a headphone amp and a preamp. When used as a preamp in my setup, the DAC output goes to the TA-26 input. The TA-26 preamp out goes to a 31-band stereo EQ, which then goes to the power amp input. The signal level coming from the output of the TA-26 is controlled by the volume knob on the TA-26, so peak level adjustments are easy. The impedance of the speakers shouldn't matter here, as only the power amp "sees" the speaker impedance.

[@edverbeek6292]

Great comparison with the continuous flow of ice skating pairs!! Effortless gliding over perfectly smooth ice. Glossy tones. I immediately understand what you mean. So don’t stop talking about ice! 😊

[@stasiastes]

I just listened to the three songs mentioned by you in this review. I compared how they sound on TA-26 (with an old Soviet 6sn7 tube) and how on a solid state Topping DX5 amp. I used Sivga SV023 headphones, with 300 ohms impedance. The Josh Ritter's and Gillian Welch's songs are beyond comparison. They sound so much more pleasant, deep and natural with the tube amp. And even The Prodigy by Luca Stricagnoli is quite pleasant, softened and more musical. However, with DX5 it is more realistic, harsh, but more natural and three-dimensional, and I prefer that version. In any case, they sound completely different, and it was a very interesting experiment. Thank you.

[@dasninjastix]

I have two ZMFs and some 600 Sennys and I'd love to pair them with a tube amp whose pricing won't land me in divorce proceedings. "Smooth" or "continuous" I usually call "coherent" where the opposite end of that spectrum (for me) would be calling something over-separated or saying it lacked coherency. Too much coherency and I think you get what people call the three-blob effect. Too little coherency and the mix can sound chaotic. I tend to favor a track sounding like a sum of its parts vs. wanting to hear individual parts or stems. Both can be enjoyable imo but for longer listening I want a given song or track to come together. I think I want to get a bit more space and a little bit of echo-y reverb as well. Not sure if the TA-26s can get me there, maybe with certain swaps but tube hunting seem more art than science. Appreciate the review ✌

[@MaxKnoxwille]

Very nice and full review. Thank you so much!

[@jamesschneider3828]

I just ordered a TA66 witch will be my first time experiencing a tube amplifier. Thank you for your description of the sound difference between solid state and tube sound. You are very informative and I appreciate that. I will see in a few days as my TA66 should arrive. I will be able to test the difference between it and my Ifi Zen signature 6XX. This will be fun. Thank you

[@brianliu522]

Hope to hear your experience with TA-66. I am interested in this amp

[@CLaudiusClemensJimmy]

wow i'm newbie to tubes amps, i even don't remember ever try one 😢 but intrigue by many said about them, thank you for your explanation about it ohm & characteristics. God Bless 🙏

[@Crmsnraider]

Try try *thumbsup*

[@matusjurcik6974]

Based on your description of the sound of the ta26s, in this sound character (liquidy smooth and connected). Among all solid state amps I have eve heard the ovidius B1 dongle dac and chord mojo could come closest, but ovidius and mojo is also capable in the transcience cleanliness and speed.

[@QuangNguyen-md8ky]

Having the TA-26 as first OTL tube amp, paring with Senn HD650, Denon AH-D5200 and ATH-W5000, I can say those sound different but all is very good to my ears to the point that I don't need to look for other amps. However, the only problem is its potentionmeter, it's crackling sound when turning the volumn and this problem seems to happen to other units as well. Aside from this, you have great asthetic and sounding amp for a reasonable budget.

[@siamxiii]

Changed bunch of amps before settling on original TA-26. Using it with Sivga SV023 and it gives me my ideal sound.

[@jcisme]

Great to know about this and the K702's.. I have been looking at the TA-66 and have K702's..

[@EvgeniyRC]

Hello. New review with a tube amplifier. It's good that manufacturers are trying to make such devices cheaper. More people will be able to appreciate the sound with vacuum tubes. It is still expensive to combine the best characteristics of solid state and tube amplifiers in one device. But I know that there are very worthy options. I ask you again to tell a large number of music lovers about Trafomatic Audio. Their amplifier head 2 is something unique. Good luck to you and more time and effort for interesting reviews of new products.

[@vaneast411]

there is an openness and relaxed, spacious, tonally colourful, sound... with the correct pairing between high impedance headphones along with OTL amps. They are... as you say.... seductive - not analytical - but really hard to beat from the perspective of listening enjoyment

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

THANKS SRBJ 👍💚💚💚

[@wooddragon576]

wow great review of this amp, and you nailed figure skating too.

[@shs747]

I have been using the original TA-26 for years now and I recently tried a Schiit Saga S - (passive) and an integrated SS preamp. Suffice it to say that your figure scaring analogy is the best explanation for a tube sound I have heard and this is exactly what I hear when I remove it from the chain - choppiness and lack of flow. I do hear much more details in the treble area and air, but it feels like disconnected sounds and not as a whole. The transient response is just too quick. At first I was like - wow the tubes have muddied everything, but after a week spent in passive mode I know that there is a lack of realism and the sound is grainy.

[@markhershberger9477]

You really are one of the best audio reviewers on the web. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasms and insights and wishing you the best.

[@enricolisk1357]

Ice ice, baby! The skating analogy brings a lot of perspective. Lovely comparison. Need to re-watch "Spinning Out"

[@iiWiReviews]

I loved Spinning Out, was said to see it cancelled after first season.

[@toddhupp2645]

btw.based on your review I have ordered a ladder schuman for my prima luna tube amp system.I think the holographic quality of the two will be highly synergistic .

[@soulfulfool]

oh I love tubes, 600 ohm headphones are so good on tubes, they should make more models of 600 ohm headphones

[@markmans1]

I agree with an earlier reviewer about having the gift of articulating the sound differences of TUBE vs Solid state . . . Ha Ha - I must be a " Weird Man " also - and hate most sports and like to watch Ballet Dancers . . . and would rather watch ' the Red Shoes " - 1948 / or " Summer Interlude " - 1951 - - - just ordered a TA-26s off of APOS site to get back into Head-Amps

[@brianliu522]

Thanks for your review. I currently have Xduoo MT-604 (duel mono) hybrid amp for HD800S and HD660S for classical music and jazz. Would this TA-26S give even better sound than the MT-604? Thank you.

[@johncallaghan3097]

Wow -- having brought us Marcin Patrzalek, you now bring us Luca Stricagnoli. It's amazing how he plays guitar plus other instruments at the same time -- see especially his "Whiskey lullaby in Nashviille" on KZbin, where he adds a very interesting slide guitar fixture to his normal guitar and marries the two wonderfully. He also plays two guitars at once, or one guitar and a xylophone, and the lord knows what else. I wondered what you meant by what sounded like "mate" (as in a friend). Then when you explained it, I realised it was "matte", pronounced as in "mat" or "cat". Then why not spell it "mat" I hear you ask? Good question. English is such a funny language when it comes to spelling! But your analogy with ice figure dancing was very elegant. Now all I have to do is listen to a tube amp (which so far I have never done) and see whether it's apposite. Almost makes me want to go out and buy one just to see! ;-)

[@iiWiReviews]

Ha, I read matte so many times but obviously never heard its pronunciation. It was very similar with melee that I saw in books and video games from when I was a kid but only recently learned to pronounce it properly. Thanks for the correction.

[@D1N02]

You could daisy chain with the L-70 in front or behind. Might be interesting. I am playing with a small fx-audio tube-03 preamp myself. Some other tubes and opamps and it sounds great.

[@siamxiii]

Like it even more, than Topping A90 Discrete. It just have more soul. Nevertheless A90D is very decent preamp, which I bought for my speaker setup.

[@blathum9]

So glad you mentioned the AKG 702 I was going to buy this amp???? I might get the MT-602 instead??

[@sloboat55]

Excellent

[@NeilBlanchard]

Quite possibly, something heated up in the amp, that changed the output impedance? I have 3 different model xDuoo headphone amps - the MT-601, MT-602, and MT-604. They all sound quite good - but there are differences. For example, the MT-601 even though it is the lowest power - it can handle lower impedance headphones than the MT-602. I may have missed it - did you compare the single ended output with the balanced? How is the balanced done with the tubes, I wonder?

[@tubefreeeasy]

I have a TA30 and gonna receive a TA22 soon. This TA26 has a RCA in and out. Wondering if I can use this as a tube buffer and how much a difference it can make on the sound if I were to add it.

[@iiWiReviews]

Yes it can be used as a small tube preamp that way.

[@Nuevo_El_Nagual]

If you buying a tube amp you always want tube rolling. The stock tubes are very cheap and sound very close to Solid State. For true tube sound purchasing NOS tubes is a must.

[@PinePizza]

I've tested quite a few tubes, from Tung-Sol to Electro Harmonix to JJ tubes and now I am using some old black base Sylvania. If I am honest with myself: all of them sound pretty much the same. The only tubes that sound a little different are foton 6h8c's, but they sound different in a bad way. I would love affordable NOS tubes. I won't ever spend hundreds for what is basically a lightbulb for audio, which could break of turn microphonic at any time.

[@PinePizza]

I am, to this day, not sure if I can hear a difference between the TA-26 and my FiiO K5 pro. I also wonder if I would profit from a different DAC matched with the TA-26, since I usually use my K5 pro as a DAC only when I plug my 6XX into the TA-26. I rolled plenty of tubes and while most of them performed great, they were also very similiar if not more or less excatly the same.

[@alvaroantonioocampogrey2823]

I’m almost sold :,) Great sincere and detailed review, have you tried it as a preamp? and how it compares to other dedicated preamps like Schiit’s Saga or Freya, is there a big gap?

[@doanhuan151192]

i dont no

[@carminedesanto6746]

I run the Xduoo 604 amp…but on this unit ..balanced out ( 4.4) ..but no balanced XLR balanced input??? Xduoo is always doing something different 🤷🏻‍♂️ Great review 🍕☕️

[@Nuevo_El_Nagual]

TA-26s is Single Ended internally. The 4.4 port is only for convenience.

[@hiraksarma3068]

Any chance you'll review the new TA-66 and compare it to the TA-26S, TA-66 is point to point wiring vs PCB in TA26S, not sure though how much change it will bring to the sound.

[@jamesschneider3828]

I have the ta66 and would like to use it as a preamp into my Cambridge Audio CXA81 integrated amp. What I don’t understand is where on the ta66 do I keep the volume knob. I hooked it up and could control volume somewhat by both devices. Im new to this and just not sure on what to do. I don’t want to damage any equipment. Thank you if you can answer this question. The smoothness is best described as liquid flow of sound. You hear all the notes yet it isn’t harsh.

[@seanb3303]

Great review can you please ask Apos to send you SMSL SU-1?

[@kraig7777]

TIL what iiWi stands for!

[@deadline7610]

Nicely Done. Off topic question :) If one was looking to pair a tube amp with a 2 channel stereo setup with most speakers 4ohms - 8 ohms and a range of sensitivity what should we look for ? Thanks

[@Jamie-666]

If you switched tubes could you make it sound more 'tubey', or is the circuitry always going to produce a clean sound? Maybe a daft question. I have the HD800S.

[@TheodoreBreaux]

It is a fair question. The generic tubes provided are fine for casual use, but the TA-26 does respond favorably to upgraded tubes. In my experience, swapping tubes didn't change the overall character of the amp as determined by the architecture, but did deepen the imaging and richen harmonic content enough to be worthwhile. This is audible with my HD-6XX, and certainly would be with the HD-800S. The TA-26 I would describe as giving a balance of tube character and preservation of detail. It softens digital glare and adds a touch of sweetness to sharp edges. It isn't as "syrupy" or "bloomy" as some other tube designs, but given the resolution and soundstage of the HD-800S, would that be desirable? Perhaps that is the fairer question, the answer being a matter of personal taste.

[@Jamie-666]

@@TheodoreBreaux Thanks for the reply!

[@Jamie-666]

@@TheodoreBreaux Which additional tubes did you end up getting, if I may ask please?

[@Jamie-666]

@@TheodoreBreaux Thank you so very much for that information, Theodore. I think I'll take the plunge and get theTA-26 after all. I know I sound like a cheapskate owning HD800s', but I want to start out with tube amps reasonably cheap, but not *too* cheap.

[@TheodoreBreaux]

@@Jamie-666 That was my path as well. I recommend you get RCA interconnects using either Canare L-436S or Belden 8402 microphone cable to go with this setup. Give everything, amp, tubes, and cables ~100hrs or so of run time before finalizing your opinion.

[@kingzozo19]

I love RCA6SN7GTB and military Tung Sol 6080WA tubes on this amp, but in today market you will end up paying same money for these as you pay for amp itself

[@johnnanavati3350]

What i don’t understand is why there are so few xlr connections to tube amps. I assume its more common that someone has an rca cable

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

hi, have you tried the headamp gilmore lite mk 2 headphone amp? it's transistor class a and ive used it for years as a preamp as well until i recently got a rogue rp 1 tube preamp...what a difference in dynamics and realism...the headamp sounded flat in comparison and the music was less present in the room.

[@dougg1075]

Nice

[@DKH83]

Your description are soooo smoooooooth.

[@TheMaurob1979]

hi.. i m gonna buy the ta-22 but i would like to know if you noticed big differences between the 26 and the 22...thanks

[@iiWiReviews]

Well, TA-22 is a DAC and an amp, this is only a headphone amp. So that's a very big functional difference. Do you have a DAC that you would use with TA-26s?

[@TheMaurob1979]

@@iiWiReviews i forgot to explain that i have now a fiio k5 pro ess and the drop 6xx.. but im pretty sure they can sound better with a better dac amp..i think the da 22 is a perfect choise.. so yes i have the dac but i prefer all in one.. do you think the ta 22 is a big step up to the fiio k5 pro? thanks

[@iiWiReviews]

I haven't heard ESS edition, only the previous AK one. Compared to that one TA-22 is a very decent upgrade.

[@TheMaurob1979]

@@iiWiReviews i think so too.. Thank you so much again

[@chrisbianchi8876]

Is the 4.4 mm output truly balanced? I thought I read that both were single ended

[@iiWiReviews]

I can't find that info anywhere and xDuoo is referring to it as balanced. That said, I don't see any traces of differential design in the amp. Inputs are single ended, and also one triode can do stereo, but we would need two for differential design. Finally, I didn't notice any sound difference between the two outputs. I actually wanted to comment on this in the video but forgot.

[@dragonfire61]

It's a 3.5, not 4.4

[@ekjellgren]

Arya Stealth won't work in other words? 32ohms...

[@iiWiReviews]

Not with this one.

[@D1N02]

Apos doesn't ship to Europe

[@avro66]

You are not alone, I have always liked ice skating especially the pairs,

[@54pjs]

Most people do not know much about tube amps. The truth is most of these cheap tube amps do not posess the proper design to run tube at there proper level. In fact the tube are running cold because of lack of transformer power to push them. they may get warm to the touch but are far from the level they need. I use and have real class A and AB tube amps and the tubes after warm up will burn at the touch. These are hybrid SS/Tube driver circut type. PLUS real Tube amp is much more costly than these wana be's. They can sound OK but never like the Real deal.

[@toxotis70]

Do you have a suggestion for a real but affordable tube headphone amp?

[@shs747]

No offense but the tubes in this one get hot. I have to wait 10 min to switch a tube after using it for 10-20min. I haven't designed a tube Amp, so you may be right, but this one sounds very good at least.

[@dragonfire61]

This is not a hybrid also.