Are they any tube amp or preamp that can passthrough audio while powering off?

[e22big]

Just like the topic suggest, is there such a thing? I am looking for an audio solution that allow me to basically plug in my headphone to an amp or preamp device and use the audio from desktop without turning it on for normal usage, then switcing it up once I want to listen to something seriously. 

 

I am actually looking for an amp to try out for fun but the more I research about it, the more I realised it's a bad idea to use one constantly in a day to day basis (they are so power hungry and prone to wear and tear.) However, constantly switching between my main audio (Xonar STX sound card) and an external amp is a pain which I am sure will just make me stop using the amp altogether at some point, so I am looking for a solution that allow me to switch between my sound card and the amp with a flick of a switch. Is there such a thing? 

[emosun]

36 minutes ago, e22big said:

they are so power hungry and prone to wear and tear.

who said headphone amps are power hungry and have wear and tear?

[emosun]

but yeah they make source switches for headphones

https://www.amazon.com/STEREO-Manual-Speaker-selector-available/dp/B073GWCRP3/ref=sr_1_3?crid=26PSCKAS9F0G4&keywords=3.5mm+switch&qid=1654675355&sprefix=3.5mm+switch%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-3

[Alex Atkin UK]

10 minutes ago, emosun said:

who said headphone amps are power hungry and have wear and tear?

Well if its NOT power hungry (at least compared to a Class D amp), its not a "real" tube amp.

There's a LOT of fake tube amps out there, where the tube is only decorative.

[e22big]

8 minutes ago, emosun said:

but yeah they make source switches for headphones

https://www.amazon.com/STEREO-Manual-Speaker-selector-available/dp/B073GWCRP3/ref=sr_1_3?crid=26PSCKAS9F0G4&keywords=3.5mm+switch&qid=1654675355&sprefix=3.5mm+switch%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-3

I am looking for something like Shiit Val 2, that Shiit (lol) draw like 40 watt constantly, that's almost like a low end CPU running turbo none-stop. I am not comfortable with that at all, potential fire hazard worry actually. With CPU at least it knows to throttling down or go to sleep when not in use.

[emosun]

1 minute ago, e22big said:

I am looking for something like Shiit Val 2, that Shiit (lol) draw like 40 watt constantly, that's almost like a low end CPU running turbo none-stop. I am not comfortable with that at all, potential fire hazard worry actually. With CPU at least it knows to throttling down or go to sleep when not in use.

ok , so did you need an amp or a switch becuase it seems in your opt post you were looking for a switch for what you already own.

[emosun]

7 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Well if its NOT power hungry (at least compared to a Class D amp), its not a "real" tube amp.

There's a LOT of fake tube amps out there, where the tube is only decorative.

ah , why are people using tube amps for digital audio? lol

[e22big]

48 minutes ago, emosun said:

ok , so did you need an amp or a switch becuase it seems in your opt post you were looking for a switch for what you already own.

Switch I guess, more like a way to switch between amp and sound card without pulling headphone plug in and out. Actually I think yours could have been the solution, I am researchig how it works right now

[emosun]

31 minutes ago, e22big said:

Switch I guess, more like a way to switch between amp and sound card without pulling headphone plug in and out. Actually I think yours could have been the solution, I am researchig how it works right now

you just get that and some 3.5mm cables and thats pretty much it

[e22big]

1 hour ago, emosun said:

you just get that and some 3.5mm cables and thats pretty much it

That - or maybe what I really need is just a cable extension

[The Blackhat]

4 hours ago, emosun said:

ah , why are people using tube amps for digital audio? lol

Because tube amps provide characteristics that solid state amps do not.

It’s stuff you’d need to actually use to notice or care about, not stuff on a sheet of paper.

[The Blackhat]

4 hours ago, e22big said:

I am looking for something like Shiit Val 2, that Shiit (lol) draw like 40 watt constantly, that's almost like a low end CPU running turbo none-stop. I am not comfortable with that at all, potential fire hazard worry actually. With CPU at least it knows to throttling down or go to sleep when not in use.

40 watts is the equivalent of a dim tungsten light bulb, are you really worried over that?

Not to mention decent quality materials are not going to be a fire hazard unless you enjoy playing baseball with your tubes while the amp is powered on.

 

[e22big]

1 hour ago, The Blackhat said:

40 watts is the equivalent of a dim tungsten light bulb, are you really worried over that?

Not to mention decent quality materials are not going to be a fire hazard unless you enjoy playing baseball with your tubes while the amp is powered on.

 

 My light bulb didn't sit on a wood desk, with zero ventilation. 

 

Well, actually I probably exaggerated a bit about that, it's a matter of comfort more than anything else. My room is pretty hot and don't have the best ventilation. That and having to replace 4 bulbs every years doesn't seem fun. 

[CTR640]

The most important question is, why do you want a tube amp? Because of the warm sound or is there any specific reason?

If I'm correctly, the bulbs used on tube amps are not the regular ones like the E27 or E14. The bulbs are specifically made for tube amps.

I did want a tube amp too but not the boring looking ones, more like the Auris Audio but I went for the Klipsch Heritage amp and it makes my shrill sounding headphones sound more bearable and enjoyful and since then, I've never ever been looking for something else.

 

Perhaps, @Psittaccan help you or recommend some. He got a tube amp with the bulbs that enhanced the audio quality. And he uses a DT880 600ohm too.

[e22big]

 

2 hours ago, CTR640 said:

The most important question is, why do you want a tube amp? Because of the warm sound or is there any specific reason?

If I'm correctly, the bulbs used on tube amps are not the regular ones like the E27 or E14. The bulbs are specifically made for tube amps.

I did want a tube amp too but not the boring looking ones, more like the Auris Audio but I went for the Klipsch Heritage amp and it makes my shrill sounding headphones sound more bearable and enjoyful and since then, I've never ever been looking for something else.

 

Perhaps, @Psittaccan help you or recommend some. He got a tube amp with the bulbs that enhanced the audio quality. And he uses a DT880 600ohm too.

I just want to try it out and see if I like it or not. My headphone isn't hard to drive and my Xonar STX already have a solid state amp so I actually don't need any, just want to try something new (that isn't too expensive) 

 

My headphone also not that hard to drive, HD660s but I do plan to upgrade to HD800s at some point. 

 

But if you want to know my preference, I was hoping for something could expand the sound stage of my headphone - also don't look too flashy. I like the idea that the amp kinda act as a cool decoration for my deck but I don't like flashy asthetic personally. Simple and boring suite my taste better.

[CTR640]

1 hour ago, e22big said:

 

I just want to try it out and see if I like it or not. My headphone isn't hard to drive and my Xonar STX already have a solid state amp so I actually don't need any, just want to try something new (that isn't too expensive) 

 

My headphone also not that hard to drive, HD660s but I do plan to upgrade to HD800s at some point. 

 

But if you want to know my preference, I was hoping for something could expand the sound stage of my headphone - also don't look too flashy. I like the idea that the amp kinda act as a cool decoration for my deck but I don't like flashy asthetic personally. Simple and boring suite my taste better.

Yeah, I've been there, trying out something new to see if I like or not. There's nothing wrong with that. From what I know is that tube amps have a warmer sound which makes it more enjoyful.

 

Regarding expanding the soundstage, it's the headphone itself that has a narrow soundstage. I had the HD560S and didn't like it one bit. Soundstage is too narrow. Probably typical Sennheiser? To expand the soundstage, you'll have to get a (better) headphone that has that. The HD800S is known to have the most wide soundstage so that's a good start for you but it might lack in bass. Unless going for a tube amp.

[The Blackhat]

1 hour ago, CTR640 said:

Yeah, I've been there, trying out something new to see if I like or not. There's nothing wrong with that. From what I know is that tube amps have a warmer sound which makes it more enjoyful.

 

Regarding expanding the soundstage, it's the headphone itself that has a narrow soundstage. I had the HD560S and didn't like it one bit. Soundstage is too narrow. Probably typical Sennheiser? To expand the soundstage, you'll have to get a (better) headphone that has that. The HD800S is known to have the most wide soundstage so that's a good start for you but it might lack in bass. Unless going for a tube amp.

Certain tubes and amps are known to expand stage on many headphones. Granted these are typically rare tubes from the 1940s that sell for thousands of dollars, but it can apply to cheaper new tubes as well, obviously to a lesser grade.

[rice guru]

1 hour ago, The Blackhat said:

Certain tubes and amps are known to expand stage on many headphones. Granted these are typically rare tubes from the 1940s that sell for thousands of dollars, but it can apply to cheaper new tubes as well, obviously to a lesser grade.

You don't need to spend that much on a tube to expand soundstage. Granted the ones I own which are still like $300 together which do enhance staging is NOS 

[e22big]

7 hours ago, CTR640 said:

Yeah, I've been there, trying out something new to see if I like or not. There's nothing wrong with that. From what I know is that tube amps have a warmer sound which makes it more enjoyful.

 

Regarding expanding the soundstage, it's the headphone itself that has a narrow soundstage. I had the HD560S and didn't like it one bit. Soundstage is too narrow. Probably typical Sennheiser? To expand the soundstage, you'll have to get a (better) headphone that has that. The HD800S is known to have the most wide soundstage so that's a good start for you but it might lack in bass. Unless going for a tube amp.

Not always, I own two Sennheiser cans, HD660s and HD598. THe 598 have some very expansive soundstage (at the cost of distortion, come to think of it I wonder if that's basically what a tube sound like), the 660s has a much more narrow soundstage but still decent, better than the 600 and closer to 650 which I don't really mind. 

 

Just curious if an amp can do anything with that at all.

[e22big]

4 hours ago, rice guru said:

You don't need to spend that much on a tube to expand soundstage. Granted the ones I own which are still like $300 together which do enhance staging is NOS 

Yeah, I have several in mind that many people mentioned expanded soundstage. Other than Val, I also eyed something like Xduoo TA-20 or TA-26/30, maybe even 03s.

 

Seems like the keys to having an expanded sound stage is having multiple tubes but I dunno.

[H713]

13 hours ago, e22big said:

 My light bulb didn't sit on a wood desk, with zero ventilation. 

 

Well, actually I probably exaggerated a bit about that, it's a matter of comfort more than anything else. My room is pretty hot and don't have the best ventilation. That and having to replace 4 bulbs every years doesn't seem fun. 

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

First, the tubes used in audio service are NOT particularly sensitive to ambient temperature, because they aren't cooled by conduction. The vast majority of the heat dissipated in the plate is dissipated through IR radiation. All the air does is cool the glass envelope and (most importantly) the glass-to-metal seals. The difference between a "cool" room and a "really hot" room won't matter in this case. If it did, the tube manufacturer would be asking for forced-air cooling. 

 

Decent tube amps won't be a fire hazard. Yes, the tubes do get hot (generally too hot to touch), but unless you're regularly covering the tube amp with a blanket, you'll be fine. Schiit has sold countless tube amps, and you can bet that if one started a fire you'd hear about it. 

 

All of this is for normal audio tubes. There are people who press 813s, 250TLs, 6C21s and 833s into audio service, and all bets are off there. Between 1.2 and 4.5 kV on the plate, forced air cooling, you name it. That kind of amp is a very real safety hazard, though mostly because they contain a power supply that will throw you across a room if you come in contact with it.

 

I would expect 5,000 hours out of the tubes used in most of Schiit's amps, and possibly a lot more if they're conservative about their operating points. I don't recommend 24/7 operation, but 4 - 8 hours a day is not an unreasonable thing to do.

 

 

With all that said, don't expect an amplifier to do much for soundstage. If there's an obvious difference between two amplifiers, that means that one of those amplifiers is a bad design. A good tube amp will sound very, very similar to a good solid-state amp. 

[e22big]

33 minutes ago, H713 said:

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

First, the tubes used in audio service are NOT particularly sensitive to ambient temperature, because they aren't cooled by conduction. The vast majority of the heat dissipated in the plate is dissipated through IR radiation. All the air does is cool the glass envelope and (most importantly) the glass-to-metal seals. The difference between a "cool" room and a "really hot" room won't matter in this case. If it did, the tube manufacturer would be asking for forced-air cooling. 

 

Decent tube amps won't be a fire hazard. Yes, the tubes do get hot (generally too hot to touch), but unless you're regularly covering the tube amp with a blanket, you'll be fine. Schiit has sold countless tube amps, and you can bet that if one started a fire you'd hear about it. 

 

All of this is for normal audio tubes. There are people who press 813s, 250TLs, 6C21s and 833s into audio service, and all bets are off there. Between 1.2 and 4.5 kV on the plate, forced air cooling, you name it. That kind of amp is a very real safety hazard, though mostly because they contain a power supply that will throw you across a room if you come in contact with it.

 

I would expect 5,000 hours out of the tubes used in most of Schiit's amps, and possibly a lot more if they're conservative about their operating points. I don't recommend 24/7 operation, but 4 - 8 hours a day is not an unreasonable thing to do.

 

 

With all that said, don't expect an amplifier to do much for soundstage. If there's an obvious difference between two amplifiers, that means that one of those amplifiers is a bad design. A good tube amp will sound very, very similar to a good solid-state amp. 

It's still heating right up in my face though, that's the point (and I don't use my computer for 8 hours a day, it's more like 18 hours a day, 5000 hours should last me just barely a year at most.)

 

That and I really hate the idea of of constant 40 watt power draw, that's a stupid amount of juice for just audio (especially when Topping A90 do it for just 7 watt.) But thanks for the info, I'll think about it and maybe just scrap this project altogether, it sound like a stupid idea by the minutes. Maybe spending the money on a new planar or used HD800s would be a better return on investment.  

[H713]

Okay, I have no idea how you manage to use a computer 18 hours a day. A bad week for me is about 12 hours a day for five days, and at the end of that I'm pretty much dead.

 

I think you're overestimating how much heat this is putting out. You won't feel the heat from a 40W light bulb from three feet away. Efficient? No, but you probably won't notice a big difference. A typical box fan is worse. 

[e22big]

23 minutes ago, H713 said:

Okay, I have no idea how you manage to use a computer 18 hours a day. A bad week for me is about 12 hours a day for five days, and at the end of that I'm pretty much dead.

 

I think you're overestimating how much heat this is putting out. You won't feel the heat from a 40W light bulb from three feet away. Efficient? No, but you probably won't notice a big difference. A typical box fan is worse. 

 

Well, I work from home. So it's 8 hours of work + the entire evening of leisure until bed time. I configure my PC to pretty much be my TV, gaming station, and audio tower, it's not that crazy lol. I just don't go out during weekday - pandemic habit.

 

But I assure you I can feel a light bulb from a meter away, leave alone a feet, which is why I get rid of them completely. But I dunno, maybe it's not that bad just to see it out I guess.

[rice guru]

6 hours ago, e22big said:

Yeah, I have several in mind that many people mentioned expanded soundstage. Other than Val, I also eyed something like Xduoo TA-20 or TA-26/30, maybe even 03s.

 

Seems like the keys to having an expanded sound stage is having multiple tubes but I dunno.

Tube rolling is expensive. I fortunately lucked out after asking around what tubes I should get from more tube experienced audiophiles in my audio circle and they nailed the sound I was looking for when I wanted to replace the stock tubes that came with my hybrid amp. Tube degradation while in use is basically Impossible to avoid. The easiest way I can think of easily switching from one amp to another is buying a device like this 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KS2KDWW/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_22ZDCB2DJ2WME7Z7S9AB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1. This way you can just turn off the amp and switch to you soundcard when your done but the difficulty I believe with that is you probably want to plug your soundcard in to your new amp. The alternative is also buying a new dac . The crude method is using several switchers . If you do want to enhance staging I would just use my money instead to buy headphones that have better staging the 600 series just aren't really that great at it and tubes can only do so much.