6J2 Tube MM Phono Preamp

I have been a big fan of the Art DJ preamplifiers for years as they really deliver a good, balanced sound for a low price. After recently making some changes to my setup, I wanted to try a tube preamp. I understand that this is actually a hybrid tube/ss amlifier and that the tubes are mainly used to color the sound a bit. To that end, they do a wonderful job of delivering the classic tube sound of crisp highs that don't sound harsh, but instead detailed and not fatiguing to the ears. Compared to the Art DJ, this preamp is a considerable improvement in sound quality. Immediately I noticed a much more open soundstage, and better separation. In many of my records, I now hear even more little details I had never noticed with the Art DJ. Midtones sound rich, bass is tight and full, and highs are delicately detailed - all with excellent separation. This sounds much more like a $300-$400 preamp, yet is the same price as an Art DJ. Negatives: Not much to dislike with this one. I wish it had a full variable volume control with a clipping indicator like on the Art DJ. Instead, it has a four position switch. That being said, it does work fine in my system on the lowest setting and I hear no clipping or distortion. Some reviews dislike the blue LED's that light up the tubes. I actually like them because I can see that the unit is on - more than once I have forgot to turn off the preamp and then noticed the lights on. One final thing to be aware of is the preamp does pickup some buzz from nearby household LED lightbulbs I have on a dimmer. In conclusion, I still gave this 5 stars as it is hard to fault it, especially considering the amazing (!) sound it puts out, and the price you pay for that excellent sound. I did order mine with the upgraded tubes, but even without them it sounds excellent - the difference is subtle but noticeable. I would not consider myself to be an audiophile, but I am a music producer with over 200 recording sessions to my credit - I would like to believe I have a good understanding of what makes for "good" audio, and this is certainly it. Definitely worth trying if you are looking for a good preamp, or looking to upgrade your sound.

Great little unit that I needed when my 1K plus phono stage bit it hard. Figured I'd use this until the repair shop was done with mine. When it arrived - it was - well, meh. I use Krell Electronics and Nordost cabling, and EVERY drop of nuance is replicated. I read you could easily roll the tubes, so I ordered - for whopping 15 dollars - the GE5654 tubes, from the Tube Store in Canada. They arrived the next day (The shipping was as much as the tubes) and this is where things get very interesting. Wowzers. I was NOT expecting this at all. I would confidently say my original phono stage is better, but NOT BY ALMOST 1K WORTH. It's stunning the detail, the soundstage and the dynamics I am hearing. My 'go to' album is HyperSpace by Beck, not least because Pharell produced it with him, so the dynamics are ALL the way from the Marianas Trench to the top of Mt Everest. And this - this little Chinese THING - cuts right through it all with aplomb (with those new tubes mind you). So now when my original comes back I will have the best dilema of all. I am telling you - 40 years of being a audiophile, and this unit has greatly impresssed, and you should give a serious looking at. Highly recommended.

Just to clarify there are 2 things buyers should know... 1. THIS PRE-AMP IS NOT POWERED BY THE TUBES! The pre-amp is actually an internal sound chip. The signal then runs through the tubes before output. 2. THIS IS A CHINESE PRODUCT. You might be able to buy cheaper via. Chinese Wholesale sites if you are willing to wait a month to recieve it.., As my personal experience, i like it. Has a nice warm sound, and the LED lit vacuum tubes look cool

Good sound without paying a lot.

I am using an Audio Technica AT-LP3 turntable with an AT95E elliptical stylus run into a Sony STR-DH190 amplifier, Sony Tower, Bookshelf, and two Sony subwoofers run in stereo. The built-in phono stage in the LP3 is a little weak very clear but requires a little work on the amp side. the STR-DH190 phono stage is about the same. I decided to try the AIYMA Tube T3, just to see if there was any difference in sound. Hooked it all up, put on a copy of American Beauty, dropped the needle and Wow. No hum, no noise, bass was tight and punchy, and the trebles were not as harsh. Nice soft warm sound and still very clear. I find the middle 42db setting gives the best results on my set up. For the price this can't be beat. This is not audiophile level but for casual listeners of vinyl it will produce a noticeable improvement in sound quality. I might try different tubes at a later point in time but for now the ones that come with it are just fine.

This device is simple enough to connect, which is a real plus. You can connect the turntable to it through the MM input and ground on the right, and then output to an AV receiver, active speakers, or even a headphone amplifier using the RCA outputs on the left (although I just connected it to an AV receiver). One cool thing is the fact that I was able to use the AUX in on the front to use my phone or laptop as an input device via an AUX cable lying around in my house. That sort of versatility is nice to have even if it might not be used much. The audio cable is also nice to have as an extra, even if I didn't really end up using it. It might be useful to connect to an amplifier with only a line in, although I can't test it with what I have. As for the sound, it's an excellent entry point for the tube sound, and I want more now. It's a nice, warm sound that synergizes well with my Beyerdynamic DT880s, and I hear that the GE5654 tubes give the preamp a real upgrade to that sound. Overall it's a nice purchase for around $60, and I'm happy I got it.

The tubes seamed very delicate to me. The wiring on the bottom seamed cheap. I have had tube amps before and theses are a bit more delicate. Almost lightbulb type. The Plug in has an annoying blue light on it when plugged in. This throws off a large amount of light and must be unplugged if the room is used for sleeping. The unit works good, and is easy to plug and play. I would buy it again for my office.

You get what you pay for. I read a lot of good reviews on this before purchasing it. I don’t get it. This thing is noisy to the point that it’s irritating. It’s not the warm hum of a true analog circuit you hear, it’s the buzz of cheap transistor circuits with poor source voltage conditioning. It’s getting returned right away. I guess I can say something positive in that it actually works and looks good, but the noise is a killer. Sad😔

Wow what a huge difference in sound This boosts the sound or reduces it. I'm very pleased and would greatly recommend this phone preamp. Nice tubes light up blue Sorry was not on.

Excelente producto! Fácil de conectar y audio adecuado!

Came quick , easy to connect and works great

UPDATE 2023-10-30: J'ai testé les lampes originales (6A2) durant plusieurs heures et franchement je trouve le son fatiguant. Trop d'aigue et le gain est beaucoup trop fort. Je recommande donc fortement de remplacer par de GE JAN 5654W. Une mise à jour du produit serait nécessaire pour offrir une option de gain plus faible. Le gain minimal du préampli à 39dB est beaucoup trop élevé, surtout lors de l'utilisation d'une cartouche/stylus DJ avec puissance de sortie (voltage) plus élevée que la normale. ----------------------------- Je n'ai pas testé le Aiyima T3 avec les lampes fournies, je les ai remplacées immédiatement pas des GE JAN 5654W. J'ai branché le préampli sur table tournante AT-LP120X. Première impression : À comparer avec mon préampli ART DJ pre ii (que j'aime bien), le son est beaucoup plus ''punchy" avec le Aiyima. Que ce soit avec ma cellule AT-XP7 (elliptique) ou AT3600L (conique), j'obtiens un bon équilibre entre les graves et les aigus ce qui procure une écoute agréable. Le son est chaleureux. Jamais trop agressif ou fatiguant. Étonnamment, le gain (volume) est assez élevé même avec le réglage le plus bas. Cela est peut-être dû aux nouvelles lampes que j'ai installées ? Je n'ai aucun problème de statique ou bruit de fond. Une bonne mise à la terre est essentielle ainsi que des câbles de bonne qualité. Seul le câble pour l'entrée auxiliaire de 3.5mm est fourni. Donc vous devez avoir votre propre câble phono + fil de ground pour le branchement avec la table tournante. Le bloc d'alimentation 12V 1.5A fourni semble de bonne qualité et ne génère pas de chaleur. L'appareil lui-même peu devenir légèrement chaud à cause des lampes. Éventuellement je ferai un essai avec les lampes originales et je reviendrai mettre à jour mon appréciation. Pour le bon rapport qualité/prix ainsi que pour le son plaisant et équilibré , ce produit mérite qu'on s'y attarde.

I had a turntable with a built-in preamp. Decided to turn it off and hook up this one, what a difference!!