YAQIN CD£ TUBE BUFFER - Page 3

Skylab, i'm searching a good tube buffer for my office rig and i'm very interested in a CD3 with the Tung-Sol 6F8G's and pin adapter, what do you honestly think about it???

I think it's a cool little device. I still have mine, and I use it with the Meier Concerto, so I don't feel deprived of tubes when I use that SS amp :)

Is the Grant Fidelity rebadge the same thing?

 

http://grantfidelity.com/site/Grant_Fidelity_B283_MKII_tube_processor_buffer

 

Yes it is. Grant Fidelity has a distribution deal to sell their products which Yaquin modifies & re-badges for Grant Fidelity. Quality control is supposed to be better and for the higher price GF provides North American warranty and service. They're a great company to deal with.

 

 

Thanks for the info.  Now I have to resist buying more stuff I probably don't need.

After reading this thread randomly I pulled the trigger on a Yaquin CD3. They are on sale right now on ebay for 166 shipped!

Question to Yaqin owners. Does this buffer act as a pass thru when it is powered off?

EDIT: Yes it does. With the power off it will pass through the signal.
Edited by francisdemarte - 2/17/11 at 4:00pm

This thread's been dead but I'll add my .002 cents anyway.

My Yaqin CD3 arrived from ebay seller 'tubewave' the other day. I have to give them a hearty recommendation. They shipped quickly and provided excellent communication along the way.

The unit is incredibly well built! Solid case, cool mirror chromed transformer cover, solid aluminum tube guards. The only con is the lit Yaqin logo is a bit bright and detracting in my rack, but it's nothing a little black tape won't fix.

I have the unit connected to my dedicated 2 channel system which comprises of:

Seagate Dockstar with linux installed running SqueezeSlave (squeezebox client) > AMB Gamma2 (usb connection) > vintage Marantz 2265B > Swan M1.2 speakers (no longer produced but basically a larger version of the Swan M1)

The sound from the unit with it's stock Chinese tube is very transparent, it gives the midrange just a bit of tubey warmth and fullness.So far I haven't heard any large changes to the treble or the bass, everything is just ever so slightly fuller and "rounder", just a touch warmer and thicker. In truth I was expecting a bit more radical change like the difference between my Lovely Cube SS amp and Hybrid tube Head Direct EF5 amp.

The change was exactly what I was looking for, adding a touch of smoothness and fullness to my rig. Just because I'm a sucker for big manly tubes I've ordered a set of NOS RCA 6f8g and adapters. I'll report back when I receive them!

I took a page from Skylab's book and used 6F8G tubes on adapters. They are cheap RCA's unlike Skylab's pimp Tung Sol's!

Those still look very cool! Nice.

Re-Capped with NOS Sprague Vitamin Q's. Sound stage really opened up and they are not even burnt in. I thought they would be very warm and romantic but they sound very clean and clear.

I'm looking at getting a tube buffer for my STAX 3030 setup (SR303/SRM313) and have landed here! I don't have a lot of interest in investing in tubes (not for some years at least), but wouldn't mind having a main pair to replace the stock Chinese ones and keeping the stock ones as backup. What would you all recommend in my situation? Is the CD3 the model I should go for? What about as my main tubes? I've seen a lot of models thrown around here and I'm not really sure which way to go.

There are a LOT of varieties of 6SN7 to choose from, some costing $40 or so a pair, on up to $400 a pair and even higher.

But the stock tubes SUCK. Spend the $50 or so for a pair of Sylvania 6SN7WGT's, and be happy

Another hint - the FS Forums of this very website are a great place to look for tubes.

I've been living with the CD3 for close to a year now, just thought I update with more thoughts:

 

I like the CD3 quite a bit, gives a little tube coloration when I'm in the mood for it and provides a little bit of gain. 

 

I gives me a little color when I want it in front of my O2 amp (the O2 purity fanatics will probably pounce on me for this statement).

 

 

I'm currently using it with the Black Treasure tubes and feel it a major step up from the stock tubes which were not to my tastes. 

 

To be honest I don't know if the capacitor mods were worth it. If I had to do it over again I just swap tubes first then if I wanted more I would increase the value of the input caps.

 

I have only a few reservations, non of them deal killers:

 

1. It's not a true by pass when powered off. When the unit is switches off it is suppose to pass signal. This signal still has to run thought all the circuitry in the CD3, this eats of a lot of gain and I think may even affect the sound slightly. I was planning on adding a manual by pass switch to avoid this. 

 

2. Extra gain. I'm divided on the fact that the unit adds some gain. Most of the time I love it, there are times I wish it would just have unity gain like a true buffer.

 

3. I wish it had more outputs. I will probably add this in the future. I guess the extra signal gain would be a plus for this mod :) (see I told you I was divided)

 

I got mine for under $200 shipped from China on ebay. I got here in less than a week! You would be hard pressed to build anything for less money.

A better but much more costly DIY alternative would be an glass jar audio's BCF and ACF-2 kits:

 

http://glass-ware.stores.yahoo.net/acpcbocandus.html

http://glass-ware.stores.yahoo.net/bcf9pinpcb.html

   

After the cost of parts, power supply, and case I'd be looking at at least twice what I paid.

I think that a lot of money for something as simple as a tube buffer, I'd rather just build a OTL amp instead.

 

 

Francisdemarte, I've just ordered a Yaqin Cd-3, and being very impressed with your article mod of this unit, I have a couple of questions about this item that  you might be able to  help me with. (1) Is there any difference in sound if  the CD 3 is connected between cd player and preamp or preamp and power amp?  (2) How is your mod done, what parts are needed and location of parts purchase?

 

 

kenny

kwkwsr1000@yahoo.com