Boaleco PX2 tube headphone amplifier

Intro

This is my first time I will review a tube amplifier and I was surprised what PX2 offers, for a budget amplifier which only cost 50$ I didn't expect how good it perform it is a very very clean sounding amplifier defying in the budget segment.




Specifications

Model: PX2

Working voltage: DC12V

Bluetooth chip: QCC3031

Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.0

Bluetooth receiving range: 15-30 meters

Bluetooth connection name: PX2

Bluetooth support formats: SBC, AAC, APTX, APTX-LL, APTX-HD

Op amp: Two NE5532 op amp (with IC socket)

Electronic bile duct: GE5654W

Frequency response range: 20Hz-20KHz(±3dB)

SNR: ≥ 98dB

Distortion degree: ≤ 0.01%

Load impedance: 32-300Ω

Maximum power: 160mW/32Ω

Audio input: RCA, Bluetooth, AUX

Audio output: 6.35mm headphone output

Packing size: 220mm*208mm*68mm

Net weight: 0.7kg


Packaging

PX2 Amplifier
12V 1.5A Adapter
2 Valve/Tube Amp GE5654W
6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter
Warranty Card
Manual Guide





Build and features

The build is robust and compact ensure it will last long enough for usage. Speaking about the design it has the classic look with volume knob.

The PX2 offers 3 modes of connection AUX, RCA and Bluetooth connection.

The bluetooth runs by Qualcomm QCC3031 that supports APTX HD Lossless transmission.

You can also replace with your prefer tube amps to play with the amplifier.





Sound Aspects

Boaleco PX2 sounds neutral and transparent focusing in tightening the bass and giving a sense of space in the mix. The bass is tight and controlled and doesn't crossed onto the mids. The mids is balanced, open and transparent other elements in the mix like vocals and instruments is properly placed. As for the treble, it is controlled and the improvement in the extension is noticeable. Its a very clean sounding amplifier.


Source used :

Realme 9 Pro
Fosi Audio SK02
NF RA15
KZ AS10 Pro

The amplifier spend 40-50 hours of burn in before taking details of this review


Pairing with NF RA15

The RA15's resolution is superb at this point but when paired with PX2 it improves more than you can imagine. The bass is punchier and tighter. The openness of midrange the one that caught my attention it places the vocals and intruments properly in the mix creating a immersive experience.


Pairing with AS10 Pro

This is an All BA iem that produces punchy bass like DD. The bass is cleaner and punchier but somewhat lose some of its texture. The mids is open, detailed and more frontal. The treble is livelier, vibrant and have excellent extension across the mix. The improvement in the separation is noticeable on this pairing.





Conclusion

In general, for a 50$ I'm impressed from a budget amplifier offering this kind of performance. Though my only nitpick is the limited availability of this amplifier and hissing on my gears but still the PX2 has the complete features it can offer from the build that it will last, bluetooth hifi capability and improvement in the overall sound experience. Happy Listening!

Let me begin by saying I have several DAC/Amp in my collection, and the ones I used most at my desk is the Hifiman EF400 and the xDuoo XD05Plus. However, since acquiring the PX2, I find myself running both these DAC/Amp through the PX2 (via RCA and AUX). I find that the PX2 adds a slight “tubey” sound, and it does add a bit of warmth to the output. I would classify the PX2 as having neutral/warm tonality.

As with all tube amps, it takes about 20-30 mins to fully warm up (I usually just start listening to music while it warms up because why waste time waiting) and it does run slightly hot after running for a couple of hours (but nowhere near untouchable levels).



Since I am into flat earbuds lately, I used it most with them. It had no problems feeding my 400 Ohms buds. I could only turn the volume pot ~30-35% with them for a comfortable sound level (bear in mind I usually listen to much safer volumes compared to most others). I have tested the PX2 with several buds in my collection and they all seem to sound slightly warmer. It’s hard to describe but I prefer the sound coming out of the PX2 vs directly from my EF400 and XD05. That being said I tend to prefer running the PX2 with the XD05 as the synergy sounds better. The output sound has more “meat”.

I find that the PX2 suffers slightly from wireless interference. It does not seem to be impacted by WIFI signals, but it had some buzzing sound when I used my gate clicker while I’m seated at my desk. Otherwise, there is little to none noise floor (I did however pick up some faint sound when using it with Penon 10th).

On Bluetooth – Most of us dismiss using Bluetooth due to loss of quality but in my case, I find myself sometimes just using the Bluetooth when I’m too lazy to turn on my PC late at night. I would just connect my phone and run Spotify. It’s convenient and it sounds great too, plus the soft glow at night looks pretty cool. No issues here.

To end this, I would recommend the PX2 if you have $50 to spare and looking to try out a tube amp on a budget (At the point of writing this, Sen Hu Audio seems to be the only place to purchase this at around $50 shipped. I have no complaints at all (perhaps a slight nitpick is that the source selection is placed at the back of the unit, would very much prefer it to be at the front).

BOALECO PX2 review.

I saved the best for last, because out of the three BOALECO audio products that were sent to me by Sen Hu Audio Store at Lazada Ph for reviews, this is by far my favorite. The PX2 is a 50 dollar tube headphone amplifier with replaceable opamps and an AptX HD Bluetooth receiver, which was sent to me together with the BOALECO SE-BAL single-ended and balanced passive preamp and the BOALECO BX1, which is a tube preamp with bass and treble control and an AptX HD Bluetooth receiver.


I would like to thank Sen Hu Audio Store at Lazada Ph for sending the BOALECO PX2 tube heaphone amplifier for a review.

My agreement to review this was a result of a mistake made by Sen Hu Audio Store at the time when I bought a Topping D90 III, which would cost $900 US regularly, at almost half the price during a sale. After I paid for the D90 III, Sen Hu Audio contacted me and said that they made a mistake in pricing and were at a loss, which I agree with and would have been willing to cancel the order, but then Sen Hu Audio told me that they would ship it anyway since I'm a repeat customer and asked me to write a review on the D90 III listing page in Lazada. I waited for the Topping D90 III to arrive, and it arrived in perfectly new and sealed condition. I messaged them that I could do more than just a review on Lazada; I could review on Facebook to somehow repay them for their loss. To cut the story shorter; after they saw my review on Facebook and Head-Fi, they asked me to review this unit along with two other items, so I agreed out of curiosity and compassion. Sen Hu Audio never told me what to say, and I won't get paid to review this. This is an honest review of this product.


The packaging is simple and effective; the unit and the tubes are securely placed and well protected by white, high-density foam. The package contains a power adaptor, a 6.35mm to 3.5mm plug adapter, two vacuum tubes, and the PX2 unit itself.

The PX2 is solidly built, made out of thick alumunum parts, and has a retro vibe in the design, which I like so much as I listen to retro, lo-fi, synthwave, chillwave, and the like. The BOALECO PX2 helps set the mood perfectly.


Operating experience:

It needed at least 24 hours of burn-in to sound optimal and a warm-up for a minute before use to sound great.

The finely detented metal volume knob feels very good and solid to rotate, the power switch feels tactile, the phone plug feels good and secure when plugging, and the included metal 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter feels solid.

You have to be careful where you plug it, because it can pick up noise. I first tried it during a photoshoot and plugged in an outlet with the studio lighting, and I heard the electrical noises coming from those lights. I then transferred it to my music listening area, and it's very quiet. I use IEMs with it, and the noise is very low after it has warmed up. I only hear very faint hisses with my IEMs and even much lower with my headphones. I don't hear any noise when listening at very low volumes.

There is no imbalance in the volume control, even at very low volumes, which is great.

Blutooth:

It has an AptX HD Blutooth reception that sounds very good.

Replaceable OpAmps:

There are two replaceable opamp sockets inside (I took a peek inside) that use NE5532 opamps, and based on what I'm hearing now, which I find to sound fantastic, there is absolutely no need to change the opamps as I think they have an excellent synergy with the tubes and the rest of the circuit.



Sound Quality:

The sound is very transparent and open; the bass is clear and tight; the midrange sounds lush, liquid, detailed, and very musical; and the treble is very transparent, detailed, and smooth. There is a very slight smoothening of the midrange and treble, but not at the expense of treble roll-off. I hear every detail.

The soundstage is huge, open-sounding, with excellent depth and height.

One of the best things that I love about the BOALECO PX2 is that it made my 1000 dollar DAP sound like a 2000 dollar DAP; it made my Fiio M15s sound like the Hiby S8 II; the sound became smooth yet detailed and dynamic; there is more fluidity in the music without obviously rolling off the highs; it's like magic.

I also connected it to other sources, and the results are the same; it sounds marvelous.

I mainly listen to it with my IEMs, but I also tried it with my headphones, and it drives the difficult-to-drive 300 ohm Sennheiser HD6XX very well, although I have to dial the volume at 70 percent to make me satisfied with the loudness. This is understandable, as it is the nature of the 300 ohm impedance of the HD600. And let me add that, not only does it drive the HD6XX to a good volume, it also drives it properly and very well, because I hear very good synergy; the sound is very musical with proper sparkle in the high coming from the Sennheiser HD6XX that I never heard before in all the few sources that I tried it with; it made my HD6XX sound alive, which is why I love the BOALECO PX2 very much.

Compared to Topping G5:

The Topping G5 is a battery-operated DAC amplifier with very good specs. and performance, but the BOALECO PX2 sounds much more transparent, open, and musical; the G5 sounds boring and polite in comparison to the PX2 alone, because on its own, the Topping G5 sounds good and clean.

Compared to the FX-Audio R07 desktop headphone amplifier:

The FX-Audio R07 is a bigger desktop amplifier with much more features and a higher price. In terms of sound quality, the R07 is warmer with punchier bass than the BOALECO PX2, but the PX2 sounds more transparent.

Compared to all the dongle DACs I've heard, with the Fiio M15s as the source, there is no contest, guys, not even close, especially in the grandness of the presentation and the background cleaniness. And when I connected it to the output of my dongle DACs, there was an obvious increase in sound quality.


Pros:

- very transparent sounding
- very open soundstage
- very deep soundstage
- very detailed yet smooth
- It has the magic of tubes in the sound.
- solid build quality
- retro design that evokes good memories
- very balanced volume control
- AptX HD Bluetooth reception that sounds good
- compact
- upgradable opamps
- upgradable tubes
- upgradable power supply

Cons:

- none at the price of 50 dollars
- I wish this was more widely available worldwide, because at the moment, it is only available at Sen Hu Audio Store in Lazada around the Asia-Pacific region.

Conclusion:

I'm so happy with the BOALECO PX2 because it has outstanding sound quality for the price. Perhaps it's the simple circuit design, the board layout, the short signal path, and the quality of parts used in the PX2 that are responsible for this.

I highly recommend BOALECO PX2 to audio enthusiasts who are looking for a great-sounding desktop headphone amplifier on a budget, as you don't have to spend more to get this level of sound quality, and even to audio enthusiasts who already have expensive desktop headphone amplifiers to give this a try if you have the spare 50 dollars to spend, because I'm confident that there is a chance you're going to like the sound of the BOALECO PX2 over some of your more expensive headphone amplifiers.

Once again, thank you, Sen Hu Audio Store.

Happy listening! Cheers!