[TeNewGuy]

was just wondering if anyone has used/owns this. it looks nice, but i am hesitant of its perculiar choice of audio input/output jacks. i'm all for modding, but is a three pin case fan plug any good for data or audio transfer w/o any cross talk?
 
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Special-Tripath-2020-2024-Preamp-12au7-Tube-/250676213046?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2
 
 
thanks in advance!

 

[Uncle Erik]

I wouldn't buy one. It looks set up to use a computer power supply, which are pretty awful. Most audio does not use switching power supplies because they're noisy beasts with lots of RFI thrown off. You could run it from a 12V wallwart, though, but a decent one would probably double the cost. You would probably want to case this and add knobs, jacks, a selector switch, and so on. To put it into decent shape, you'll probably fall into the $100-$200 range to complete it.

That's roughly the same as buying all the parts for a DIY preamp or headphone amp. Don't think you'll be saving much by not assembling the circuit. The most labor in DIY projects is found in casing.

If you're interested in a DIY tube preamp, stop by the DIY Forum. We'll link you to a bunch of designs and help you out.