Need help picking my first tube amp


Hey guys i want to get into tubes, i have heard wayyyyyyy to much and am dying to try a tube amp.  I have a budget of 650 us dollars, not sure if i want a pre amp, or full tube amp.   Im thinking pre amp cause i would really like it to drive headphones and then run it into a amp and then to speakers.

Been reading alot about Chineese tube amps and not sure what to think.  I have my eye on Xduoo TA-26 gets rave reviews has anybody used it ?  anyways looking for any input i can get, thanks.

 

Michael

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Well just bought a emotiva a2m 50 w desktop amp that has a kick butt headphone output on it that's going to be my amplifier now I'm just looking for a two to $300 little tube preamp maybe something off of Amazon something inexpensive to mess around with until I find the right sound.

@holmz So I have Mac C33 & MC402. Running some old JBL 4331’s with L100’s on top. I kind of have a thing for vintage JBL. Anyway, I bought a pair of 4345’s that I would like to bi-amp with the Mac driving the bass and tubes driving the mids and tweeter. Just trying to figure out a way to make that happen without a huge investment in case I don’t want to keep it that way. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have acually heard the Emotiva basx A-100 now renamed and redesigned a little and now called the A2M.  It has 50 watts and the headphone amp you can change the jumpers and go into straight from the amp mode which i heard is good.  I think for 300 dollars its hard to beat.  Now i just need to find something under 300 tube pre amp to connect to it.  I am thinking amazon cause if i dont like the sound or quality its a easy return.

I really wanted the Yamaha WXA-50  which i heard is a kick but and amazing sounding desktop amp, but it has no headphone jack.

I recently was thinking about a cheap tube amp.  Caveat emptor.  Design is a very loose term.  One was wired as such that the tubes lit up but thats it.  Not sure where the sound came from.  As near as I can tell, there are a few good sounding ones Yakim and Cayin for example.  But their prices are high as others.  1000 to 1500 range.  Then lots of choices.  I thought about trying one from Amazon.  Some highly rated ones were basically mix and match parts.warranty service.  What's that.

from the sound of your post it almost seems as though you want to get into tubes for the sake of getting into tubes. Which is not really a good place to start. Better off to try and think what you really need and then see if there is a tubed option that fulfills your requirements. Probably not what you want to hear, but the best advice I can give.