Review for Indeed G3 Modded Hybrid Tube Amp
Review for Indeed G3 Modded Hybrid Tube Amp
Modifications Include
[size=medium]I opened holes next to the tube so that bias adjustments, and switching between 6 and 12 series tubes can be done without removing the top acrylic plate. This also provides more heat venting.[/size]
[size=medium]On the bottom of the PCB I added 2 22K resistors parallel to the cathode resistors so that there is more range for adjusting the bias. The stock setup did not allow adjusting the bias voltage above 13 volts for 12 series. The tried and true values for bias voltages are 13V for 6 and 13.5V for 12. Also you can see where I soldered thick, solid wires to the PCB and ran them to the edge of the PCB. [/size]
[size=medium]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=large]Technical specification:[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]In Put Power: DC24V 900mA[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Input Sensitivity:50mV[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Input Impedance: 100KOhm[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Out-Put Impedance:12~600 Ohm[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Output:6V(before peak) measure at 33 Ohm loading[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Dynamic range: 86dB((300 ohm) 90dB(33 ohm)[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Gain:20dB[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Frequency response:5Hz-30KHz +/- 0.25dB (Sub-Bass Off)[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Sub-Bass (ON):100Hz + 8dB / 10KHz + 4dB ( volume knob turn in 9 O'clock position)[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Minimum THD: 0.016%(300 ohm) 0.45%(13 ohm)[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Signal/Noise Ratio >92dB[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]RCA 2CH input X1 / 3.5mm 2CH input socket X 1 / RCA 2CH output X1[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]6.3mm 2CH Output X1[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Shipping Weight: 1kg[/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small]Transformers AC100V ~AC240V\50~60Hz 1.8A [/size][size=medium]DC output 24V2A[/size][/size][/size][/size]
- [size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small][size=x-small][size=10.5pt]It has a ferric filter ring on DC power cord to reduce noise; much high performance than other similar product.[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size]
I'm streaming Bit Perfect out of Win 7 -> Foobar 2000 [WASAPAI] -> 3.5mm Out -> RCA In -> Indeed G3 -> Dt 880 [250ohm]
I'm comparing to Bit Perfect out of my 3.5mm Stereo Out from Win 7-Foobar 2000 [WASAPI] -> 3.5mm Out-> Dt 880 [250 ohm]
The Amp has a "Sub Bass Switch" which increase the bass presence and brightness... by well A LOT. I will do the review with the Switch on and Off.
So again, if your looking for the sound of the G3 you'll want the BOLD text. Check Under Impressions as well for genre pairing. The tube without boost, is great for everything really. The boost is where it gets genre specified!
I'm using a Clean EQ out of Foobar and My Pc. So the amp is the primary color'er of the sound.
Track List Includes all 16bit Loss less Flac
Tsurgui No Mai -Nujabes [Nu Jazz/ Hip Hop] (1)
Hey, Who Really Cares -Linda Perhacs [Acid Folk/ Female Vocals] (2)
Sacrifice Part Three-Hiroki Kikuta [Video Game OST] (3)
Sugame No Uo-Toshio Masuda [Anime OST] (4)
Backwards- Skream [Dub Step] (5)
Outnumbered-London Elektricity [Drum n Bass/Nu Jazz-Male Vocals] (6)
Bags' Grove- The Modern Jazz Quartet [Classical Jazz/Bebop/Male Vocals] (7)
Price Paid $100 Used and already Modified [lucky me!]
Will Be Reviewing [Sound is Color Coated for Those that want to skip right to that]
Build [x/5]
Utility [x/5]
Sound [x/10]
- Highs [x/5]
- Mids [x/5]
- Bass [Lows] [x/5]
Build [3.5/5]
The build isn't bad but it's not great. Quality wise it's well built, but it's not enclosed... it's open. With the circuits exposed to dust and other physical contamination. In addition the amp is also vulnerable to interference from other electrical devices, like Cellular Phones. Granted it's not a HUGE impedance on the sound, but it's a detriment non the less. It's a stationary amp [needs to be plugged in] so non of that is a HUGE deal... still... not good nor bad...Utility [5/5]
It's a stationary amp... so as a stationary amp it's great! It does it's job well. It's very small, looks very nice. The Volume knob is nice and big with a good feel to it [some of this might be build but I call it utility... u get the point the modifications done to it make it INCREDIBLY easy to tube Roll, so stock users may not enjoy the same utility that I do. Not to mention, adjust the bias is simple AND it has RCA ins and Outs, along with a 3.5mm in and a 1/4 Out. All easy to use. the 1/4 is nice as well. Keep in mind also, this hybrid tube can use 6992 AND 12UA7 tubes! There is a jumper switch, that allows me to choose weather I want the 6volt or 12 volt circuits. So 
that's extra awesome! [an it's stock] Another awesome feature of the amp is the Bass Boost Switch! When you need a little extra "fun" in your music it does wonders! So as an amp goes, it's an incredibly useful amp! Sound [7.64/10]
As a side note that really applies to all music out of the amp, the sound stage is slightly above neutral on the amp. The amp adds a little more depth to the bass, not to much but enough to keep the balance and great sound stage of the Dt 880 250ohm
off
Highs [4.5/5]
Extension is great on the amp, a good airy feel to it. Smooth highs. Good detail re-tension, and accuracy.
Mids [4.7/5]
Yes, amp adds some very nice mids! Good lush sound from the tube, un amped (3) has a very tinny and hollow sound, but amped. The Indeed G3 adds lush warmth to the mids! Again, the Indeed G3 REALLY fills out the mids, good lush warm sound. Not to overly forward either. Good Balance
Bass [4/5]
The amp gives the bass a little tighter, dryer feel to it, Detail is good, attack is plenty. Accurate and tight, good impact.
The overall score of 7.64 reflects the amp's sound with and without the bass boost. While the boost is useful it is detrimental is some instances. The score is an average of the 30+ different scores, from the Impressions.
Initial Impressions-Song by Song
(1)off
Highs [3.9/5]Slightly grainy still, good sound though. Clear... well extended. I do enjoy the snares and high hats. Good Clean sound, not at all shrill nor recessed any. But nothing special, carries on the nice slightly bright sound of the Dt 880 250ohm. In addition, the amp has great detail, the slight hiss of the "iconic vinyl recorded player" can still be heard, this I assume is purposefully there. I notice it in a lot of Nujabes's music and, I love how Nujabes adds that in the back ground! His New Age sound still reminds me of listening to my dads Vinyl Stereo when I was little!
Mids [3.8/5]
... very nice... good lush stand. The Mids are not overly forward but have good body and clarity. Mids are still slightly recessed but... the detail is great and the sound is again very rich. This Hip-Hop Jazzy Track sounds nicely balanced as it should, nothing stands out more than it should!
Bass [4.3/5]
Bass is nice, tight sound. Well extended. Not sloppy or loose. Great balance! Kick Drums has nice impact, while Electric Bass Guitar notes sound full and smooth.
On
Highs[2.8/5]For this song, the balance is lost with the "Sub Boost On" The highs are overly bright, still no sibilance or pain. But The overly bright nature of the highs with the boost "on" is rather annoying.
Mids [2.7/5]
The mids are still rich n slightly lush, but they fade to the background more than I'd like to. The Mids are what suffer the most in this Nu Jazz Hip Hop song... while the detail is still pleasant and the quality of the mids is still rich... they fade a little to far into the background for me
Bass [4/5]
... Well I am a bass head, so I totally enjoy the extra kick in the Kick Drum as well as the rich smooth sexy bass line in the background. The detail is still there. So while I do REALLY enjoy the extra bass... it's a little to much for this Genre... but it's still nice <3
(2)
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Highs[4/5]
The highs are nice! A soft guitar in the background has a light airy texture to it! Extends nice, again detail is wonderful. The sound is not, overly bright or harsh. Great Balance, good tone!
Mids [5/5]
... It's like Sex with my ears! The mids are just WONDERFUL seductive! Linda's voice is soft, smooth, lush and warm... again great detail and the... sexual curiosity and lust in her voice and lyrics are wonderfully complimented by the tube! The lush, rich tone of her voice is really wonderful. The Indeed G3 really adds a great deal of mid to her voice and it's her voice that stands every so softly in front of everything else!
Bass [4/5]
A soft bass line is well detailed in the background. Details is good, the bass in this song is... a little recessed... as it should be! It's a very gentle but again... detail is good and the dark rhythmic quality of the Bass 100% there! Sounds good!
On
Highs[2.5/5]
Highs, are still nice... again a little to much energy for me... Linda's voice gets slightly sibilant at times... again the extra brightness... is not needed nor really beneficial here... But the guitar is brought forward a little more... which is nice I guessMids [1.9/5]
... The ear sex is gone... the mids are very recessed in this track with "sub Bass boost" on... it's like... the same but a complete let down... the magic is gone... the lust... not really there any more...
Bass [2.2/5]
Bad... WAY to much bass in her voice... it's.... not muddy but gives her voice a very wholly quality... just sounds pretty terrible. This track is very much dominated by her lush vocals, and the gentle music in the background... and the "sub bass boost" as Indeed calls it... ruins her voice.
(3)
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Highs[3.8/5]
Highs are good, bright great detail. There is a VERY quick pace to this ENTIRE song, and the highs really have great energy to them... there's a slight snare that's has great tone to it through the entire song... it's not to forward but not drowned out. An the High Notes of the Wood wind instruments are good... very pretty! Mids [4/5]
The mids are nice, there's a great tone to them, as well a good sense of lush warmth. There are wood winds and stringed instruments dominating the mids of the track, and the detail of them is wonderful. A nice lushness to them is present. The track is of course, arranged to bring a balanced sound from the entire spectrum, and the amp makes the mids a little to forward for me... but that's not a terribly bad thing!
Bass [3.6/5]
The bass is slightly recessed in this track... something that Hiroki seems to favor in his music. Non the less the bass line is still very tight. The bass adds the fast aggressive rhythm of the song, with sufficient impact. As the song for the End Game Boss, the Indeed G3 maintains the tight slightly aggressive bass the song desires! But still recess that bass enough to keep the entire song balanced.
On
Highs[4.2/5]
Highs are good, bright great detail. There is a VERY quick pace to this ENTIRE song, and the highs really have great energy to them... there's a slight snare that's has great tone to it through the entire song... I've noticed a nice string riff through the entire song with the "boost on" the boost adds a little extra energy to the song, which is appreciated! Mids [4.2/5]
The mids are nice, there's a great tone to them, as well a good sense of lush warmth. There are wood winds and stringed instruments dominating the mids of the track, and the detail of them is wonderful. A nice lushness to them is present. The track is of course, arranged to bring a balanced sound from the entire spectrum, and the amp does take away from that... a little bit... unless of course you've got the boost on! In which case, the mids are slightly recessed, but still with great detail and warmth.
Bass [4.8/5]
So... I'm a bit of a bass head, and I play the bass... that being said I LOVE the extra ENERGY and ATTACK the G3's "sub bass boost" brings to this song! The extra bass has GREAT detail and the low notes are wonderful. The upper mid bass of the FAST paced riff has good impact.
I like it! (4)
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Highs[4/5]
Very beautiful highs, good extension and nice airy feel! Very pleasant, the gentle chimes in the song add a happy bright feel to the song! Very pleasant... satisfying! Mids [4.9/5]
The ENTIRE OST, this song came from... introduce me to the MAGIC of mids! And the Indeed G3 just adds a wonderfully lush, warm, mysticism to the track. There is a lush ambiance in the mids that's incredibly soothing, and the bells are wonderful as well... after Linda's LUST filled invigorating vocals, this track has a equally magically relaxing quality to it! Really beautiful!
Bass [4.5/5]
For this track... the bass is well very VERY recessed... and it really should be. The mids add a dark warm ambiance, and the highs add a nice brightness. While there are some considerably low notes to the track... they peak in from time to time to keep the magic in the track. Very balanced... greatly appreciated!
On
Highs[5/5]
Very beautiful highs, good extension and nice airy feel! Very pleasant, the gentle chimes in the song add a happy bright feel to the song! The highs... get a nice extra brightness to them that's really wonderful! There is a little extra detail with the boost on, so there's more MAGICAL mystical sounds in the highs! Good stuff. Mids [4/5]
And the Indeed G3 just adds a wonderfully lush, warm, mysticism to the track. There is a lush ambiance in the mids that's incredibly soothing, and the bells are wonderful as well... the boost... adds a little extra body to the lower mids in this song especially! Although... the boost does not really take away or add anything to the song really... the extra body and energy it gives... changes the song a little... some of the soothe in the mids, has turned to MAGIC in the highs... so the mids a slightly recessed but still very forward... the extra body is appreciated... similar but some how different and not as balanced or magical with boost on...
Bass [4/5]
The low notes peak in a little more, which adds a nice darkness to the song... contrasted by the brighter highs the song still maintains a lovely sound to it... although the extra bass... takes away from the mystery and ambiance of the song for me.
(5)
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Highs[3.5/5]
Good nor bad... rather balanced... Dub Step is not really... for me I don't like balanced Dub Step... so the un Boosted G3 carries the Byers nice balanced sound! Mids [3/5]
Mids... in DUB STEP... what MADNESS IS THIS, still there is a little more warmth an lushness to the mids! So for Drum n Bass I imagine the G3 will be just the magic needed! [As the G3 is LOVELY with vocals] Still for Instrumental EDM... the extra warm mids are really irrelevant for me! There is, how ever an audio track in the intro... and the women's voice is pretty sexy with the Tubes <3
Bass [3/5]
... ooh! The Dt 880 has a nice deep sub bass with the G3, and a little more detail! Still Skream's tune is CRAVING more bass... so un boosted... the G3 has a very balanced bass! But I'm a bass head... WHO WANTS SOME BASS xD.
On
Highs[4.5/5]
Ahh, YES. Bright snares and high hats. Good detail and great extension! Noticing some high notes that I missed before. Boost is great for Dub Step! Mids [3/5]
Mids... in DUB STEP... what MADNESS IS THIS, the boost doesn't take away from the mids but... it does recess them a little... which for me is a good thing in my Dub Step. But the mids are still, lush and warm! There is an audio track in the intro... and the women's voice is pretty sexy with the Tubes <3
Bass [5/5]
Mmmmmmmmm, deep smooth detailed SUB bass. Good impact, great energy! The Indeed G3 makes the Dt 880 a really great EDM can!
(6)
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Highs[4.5/5]
Ahh, YES. Bright snares and high hats. Good detail and great extension! High notes in the Guitar are also very nice, smooth sound. No sibilance. Love hearing the Bassist and Guitarist change chords! Mids [4/5]
Voices are lush, good warm tone to it. There's a xylophone... that sounds pretty amazing. Good lush sound, full bodied. Strings are present in the intro, they also sound wonderful! Very full, great detail.
Bass [5/5]
These guys like a nice deep Bass Guitar in a this track. Good impact, deep and meaningful. Tight with nice detail.
On
Highs[4.55/5]
Ahh, YES. Bright snares and high hats. Good detail and great extension! High notes in the Guitar are also very nice, smooth sound. No sibilance. Love hearing the Bassist and Guitarist change chords! The snares, have a little more energy. Sounds good. Mids [3.8/5]
Voices are lush, good warm tone to it. There's a xylophone... that sounds pretty amazing. Good lush sound, full bodied. Strings are present in the intro, they also sound wonderful! Very full, great detail. Still, the boost does recess the mids ever so slightly, female voices suffer slightly.
Bass [5/5]
These guys like a nice deep Bass Guitar in a this track. Good impact, deep and meaningful. Tight with nice detail. Male voices, gain nice body with boost on. An of course that sexy bass guitar riff, stays just as tight. But come forward a little more.
(7)
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Highs[4.5/5]
High hats and snares, once again sound great. Good detail and extension. Nice energy and presentation. Some of the higher Piano notes, also have good detail and tone! Mids [4.5/5]
... smooth sexy MALE vocals... wow never though I'd say that. The polyphony is wonderful, the voices have a wonderful lush quality to it! Very rich and fantastic. There seems to be another xylophone and it too has good body and a nice smooth lush presentation!
Bass [3.8/5]
Percy Heath's bass line are wonderful! Very subtle though, good rhythm and nice impact. Sadly though the Double Bass, is not presented as well as the Electric bass. Still though, the track has good balance, focus is on the Mids with the support of the bass.
On
Highs[4.5/5]
High hats and snares, once again sound great. Good detail and extension. Nice energy and presentation. Some of the higher Piano notes, also have good detail and tone! Balanced highs from the amp in this track... there are a few high horn notes in this as well! Once again, the amp has good detail re-tension and extension!
Mids [4/5]
... smooth MALE vocals... wow never though I'd say that. The polyphony is wonderful, the voices have a wonderful lush quality to it! Very rich and fantastic. There seems to be another xylophone and it too has good body and a nice smooth lush presentation! The richness of the tube gives the polyphony a wonderful sound! Polyphony is, in case you didn't know, the use of multiple voices used to sing notes of music, as opposed to one person. In addition these male vocalist make wonderful music [as there are no "spoke words"] Interestingly, the mids are not too drowned out by the bass in this track! The retain much of there lushness even with the extra bass and highs.
Bass [5/5]
Percy Heath's bass line are wonderful! Very tight, great tone. Nice detail and good impact. The tube adds a very nice bottom end sound, while the bass line is submissive to the other elements, it is in no way drowned out by the richness of the mids or the highs! In addition, the amp adds a little lush body to the male voices! Giving them a nice full sound. Very un expected, the bass boost did NOT ruin this jazz piece! But gave it additional detail, and of course I love a good bass line... a little more than I do singing men!
Conclusion
Great little Tube Hybrid, plenty of power and EXCELLENT functionality. This little amp has a wonderful sound and a great price tag. Highly recommended for any one looking to get into Tube amps! Price to Performance 9.5/10!
