iFi Audio Micro iTube2 Buffer

[gr8soundz]

Is the window on the side a tube viewing window?

 
No window (like the original iTube). Just a hole over the first "i" in the iFi on top where you can see the tube glow.
 

 

[kaushama]

This is not SPACE GREY however.

 

[gr8soundz]

That was my first thought too.
 
Some pics show space gray and others appear the same silver aluminum finish as the original.
 
Guess we'll know for sure once its released. I'd like to get one for the xbass and extra tube modes but not sure the investment will be enough of an upgrade over the original.
 

 

[loplop]

I think that is the new titanium finish, the photos are just exposed more than the photo at the top of the thread, making it look more silver.

A good clue is the volume knob, which is very shiny on silver and matte on the new titanium finish.

I have a iDSD LE in the new finish and in normal light it's more like the standalone photos at the top of the thread than the photo that compares it to the old silver finish.

 

[iFi audio]

I think that is the new titanium finish, the photos are just exposed more than the photo at the top of the thread, making it look more silver.

A good clue is the volume knob, which is very shiny on silver and matte on the new titanium finish.

I have a iDSD LE in the new finish and in normal light it's more like the standalone photos at the top of the thread than the photo that compares it to the old silver finish.

 
Actually, titanium is the same thing as the one visible on i.e. iCAN Pro. And since there are loads of pictures of this deck, that's the proper reference.

 

[iFi audio]

The (5670) electron valve. It matters. - Part 2/3
 
In many ways the 5670 when introduced was a revolutionary electron valve. Ostensibly an RF device for VHF use, thanks to a usable frequency range to 800MHz it also offered good linearity, low harmonic distortion and low-noise in audio applications. Yet the 5670 electron valves never really went into audio gear much. Why?
First, being a relatively expensive electron valve to make made them less attractive for mass production.
 
Second, they saw wide military equipment use, including fire control computers and communication systems.
 

 
So before the late 80's the US Military & Nato stockpiled most of the production. Production of the 5670 ended in the 1980’s almost completely, so stockpiles were retained until the equipment they supported was removed from inventory in the latter part of the 90’s.
 
Third, and in addition, the 5670 uses a non-standard pinout. If one looks at 12AX7, 12AU7 or 6DJ8/6922, all of these have an identical or very similar pinout. The 5670 pinout is radically different. Electrically and in terms of internal design it is very similar to the 6DJ8/6922 which became very popular in American high end audio gear, but one can't plug it into a 6922 socket.
 

 
Well, physically it's doable, mechanically the 5670 will plug into a 6922 socket, yet the result may be deadly for the Preamplifier/Amplifier as heater and anode pins are mixed up, shorting out the high voltage power supply. Just don’t go there girlfriend.
 
Now let's add the price factor to the mix. Military parts always cost at least 10 more in comparison to identical civilian parts. Which for 5670 model meant that no-one designed audio gear with these electron valves during the golden age of Valve Audio.
 
After the military blew out these stocks from their warehouses when the cold war ended (those cavernous places like the one shown at the end in Indiana Jones "Raiders of the Lost Ark")...
 

 
...still very few people used them, as they couldn't be plugged into existing gear due to the non-standard pin-out. Long story short, NOS 6922 became very popular and their rare cousins worth 100's of Dollars while no-one wanted the 5670.
 

For the last 25 years plus dealers and audiophiles have been depleting very limited 6922 NOS stocks and that's why today it is next to impossible to find decent electron valves of this sort. And what about the unloved but excellent 5670? It sat nice and snug in warehouses like the proverbial Ark of the Covenant waiting for someone to discover it. That would be first of all Eric Barbour of Vacuum Tube Valley Magazine (but his article was also widely ignored) and then us.

 

 
Stay tuned, there's more...

 

[iFi audio]

The (5670) electron valve. It matters. - Part 3/3

 

With new old stock 6922 and equivalent disappearing and getting more and more expensive, what happened to the unloved but excellent 5670?

 

5670 valves became somewhat popular when Shanling made CD-players and electron valve amps years back which used the Chinese 6N3, a Chinese copy of the soviet 6N3P (often incorrectly written as 6H3PI) which was the Soviet version of the 5670. As few people knew about the possibility to swap the 5670 for a 6N3 the good stuff mostly remained in storage.

Needless to say, now the 5670 cat is out of the bag as a workable NOS 6922 substitute, AMR/iFi Audio have bunkered the content of one of these military warehouses for future use. With either the correct socket wiring (which our Pro iCAN sports) or an adapter (like used for our NOS 6922 replacement) they will be hunted to extinction within a few years by all the ‘electron valve hounds’ of audiophilia... Grab 'em while you can.

 

 

So there you have it, GE JAN 5670 NOS is a marvelous piece of glass built to last (100,000 hours’ of lifespan are easily possible if the electron valve is operated conservatively), with marvelous sound quality. The very best among what's currently available for the money. Yes, you can go even higher. But it's not only just an expensive journey to be had; the money is the smallest issue actually.

The main problem is in availability and origin of the various Western Electric & Bendix 6N3 equivalents. Yes, counterfeits are out there, you've been warned.

 

Glass going on record

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Makers of 5670/2C51/ECC40 on record:  (we are not going to do a sonic ranking between the valves in each category - waaay too subjective).

 

Best

·         WE USA (as 396A) (there are D and O getter versions) - probably the best of the lot but good luck in finding original 'good' ones from reputable sellers for £££

·         Bendix USA (as 6385) - very rare and hyper expensive

·         GE 5670 USA - as used in AMR CD 777 SE/DP-777SE & iFi Pro Series/Tube2/iTube 

 

Middle

·         Raytheon USA

·         Tung Sol USA
          Old Soviet 6N3P-EV OTK marked Stock

 

Worst

·         Soviet Russia 6N3P civilian type (marked in Cyrillic so looks like 6H3П)
          China (as 6N3)

 

The 5670/2C51 has similar data and application as the later European ECC88 and variants, so European valve makers concentrated on that type of valve.

 

Some valves marked "England" have been sighted, these appear mostly remarked Russian units.

 

Sylvania also made a 5670 which was also seen remarked as ‘Mullard’ but it isn't a true Mullard as they never made this version of valve, just a rebranding job.

 

To conclude, with the AMR CD/DP-777 SE or iFi iCAN Pro/iTube/iTube2/NOS 6922, we would not spend our hard earned cash on anything but the WE396A or Bendix USA.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Note 1 - some background, the 5670/2C51 from a technological point of view, the "premium version" of the 6922electron valve. Better design, strong plates, lower microphonics etc etc...

So if you have the 6922, you can roll the valves in your non-iFi device and get better sonics but with the 5670/2C51 family using adapters, you are already running with the big guns.

 

Note 2 - the 5670 and 6922 have the same physical pins but are not directly interchangeable as they different fundamental designs.

The AMR CD/DP-777 SE use 6922 Pinout and adapters to convert the 5670 to 6922 pinout, so both 6922 and 5670 with adapter can be used. The iFi iCAN Pro/iTube/iTube2 have the sockets wired only for 5670, you cannot insert a 6922.

 

 

Moving on, one might think that if magnificent 5670electron valves as we use in our product are quite available, then something's off. But that's not the case. As we've said above, this electron valve has ‘flown’ under the radar for many years, 6922 and alike were much more popular. Yet popularity isn't an indication of what's good.

From a purely technical side, GE JAN 5670 NOS valves are the best ones we could find in large batches enough to be commercial.

 

• Excellent consistency of electron valves between batches
• Glass is thicker than usual,
• Controlled warm-up
• Tight specifications on grid current,
• Low noise and microphonics and exceptional longevity

 

And since genuine military grade New Old Stock 5670electron valves are reasonably well available (unlike many desirable electron valves), it'd be a shame not to exploit their potential. Hence we exploit as much as we can, fully aware of what GE JAN 5670 NOS performs and sounds like.

 

 

At iFi Audio we always strive to find the best parts for tasks given. This is not lip service – we ruddy well mean it!

 

We experiment with lots of components from a number of manufacturers, measure, audition and once extensive research is gathered, we cherry-pick. If every component’s related decision would be as simple as it was with GE JAN 5670 NOS, our engineering lives would be much easier and we’d spend a lot more time in the pub!

 

In conclusion, this electron valve has an incredible price-to-performance ratio, it honestly doesn't get much better than this. We've been there, we've done that – we’ve got the t-shirt and the blinking key ring.

 

You're of course free to experiment with our Pro iCAN past warranty period. But it's highly unlikely that you'll find anything better for sane money. Please trust us on this one; our Skin, she does not joke around when it comes to sound quality.

 

 

[iFi audio]

Micro iTube2

Sprinkle the ‘magic of SET’ into any system


Reloaded, next generation

The original iTube became the ‘go to’ tube buffer for any and every home audio system. The iTube2 with trickle-down technology from the flagship ‘Pro’ series has been redesigned with new parts and new circuitry. Only the GE5670 tube remains. 


 
The iTube2 is a tubed output stage; tube preamp; tube buffer and an impedance-matching device. There is nothing like it. 

Put the iTube2 before a solid-state preamp with another iTube2 after it to create the effect of tubing the whole audio chain. 

Or simply use the iTube2 as a very high-quality preamp by itself.


 
The iTube2 sounds, by and far, like a tube amplifier ‘done right with the inimitable magic of tubes‘:
 

• Tube+® circuit for SET/Push-Pull/Classic tube amplifier signature 
• 3D Holographic+® for Loudspeakers matrix system
• XBass+® for Loudspeakers matrix system

 

Features/Technologies
 

1. High-end Direct Tube Buffer/High-End Direct Pre-amplifier 
2. Selectable tube sound signature (SET / Push-Pull / Classic)
3. All-new 3D Holographic+® for Loudspeakers matrix system
4. All-new XBass+® for Loudspeakers matrix system 
5. Pure analogue volume control
6. Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.009% (Tube+ off)
7. 0dB or 9dB selectable gain
8. Reference class parts quality from ELNA Silmic to C0G capacitors 
9. iPower (15V) included, ‘quieter than battery’ power supply

Comment

iFi Audio’s Head of US Sales says, “If you are looking to put back the natural, full-bodied sound of tubes into your digital system, then the iTube2 is the right piece of kit for you.” 

The retail price of the micro iTube2 is US$375 (ex-tax) or Euro450/£375 (incl VAT).


Full product info: http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-itube2


About iFi

iFi Audio, part of AGL, is headquartered in Southport, UK. It owns the hifi brand Abbingdon Music Research (AMR). They respectively design and manufacture portable and desktop ‘ultra-fidelity’ audio products and high-end audio ‘home-based’ components. The combined in-house hardware and software development team enables iFi audio and AMR to bring to market advanced audio products.
 

1. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ifiAudio
2. Twitter: www.twitter.com/ifi_audio
3. Instagram: www.instagram.com/ifiaudio
4. Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ifiaudio

 

[Topspin70]

  Micro iTube2

Sprinkle the ‘magic of SET’ into any system


Reloaded, next generation

The original iTube became the ‘go to’ tube buffer for any and every home audio system. The iTube2 with trickle-down technology from the flagship ‘Pro’ series has been redesigned with new parts and new circuitry. Only the GE5670 tube remains. 


 
The iTube2 is a tubed output stage; tube preamp; tube buffer and an impedance-matching device. There is nothing like it. 

Put the iTube2 before a solid-state preamp with another iTube2 after it to create the effect of tubing the whole audio chain. 

Or simply use the iTube2 as a very high-quality preamp by itself.


 
The iTube2 sounds, by and far, like a tube amplifier ‘done right with the inimitable magic of tubes‘:
 

• Tube+® circuit for SET/Push-Pull/Classic tube amplifier signature 
• 3D Holographic+® for Loudspeakers matrix system
• XBass+® for Loudspeakers matrix system

 

Features/Technologies
 

1. High-end Direct Tube Buffer/High-End Direct Pre-amplifier 
2. Selectable tube sound signature (SET / Push-Pull / Classic)
3. All-new 3D Holographic+® for Loudspeakers matrix system
4. All-new XBass+® for Loudspeakers matrix system 
5. Pure analogue volume control
6. Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.009% (Tube+ off)
7. 0dB or 9dB selectable gain
8. Reference class parts quality from ELNA Silmic to C0G capacitors 
9. iPower (15V) included, ‘quieter than battery’ power supply

Comment

iFi Audio’s Head of US Sales says, “If you are looking to put back the natural, full-bodied sound of tubes into your digital system, then the iTube2 is the right piece of kit for you.” 

The retail price of the micro iTube2 is US$375 (ex-tax) or Euro450/£375 (incl VAT).


Full product info: http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-itube2


About iFi

iFi Audio, part of AGL, is headquartered in Southport, UK. It owns the hifi brand Abbingdon Music Research (AMR). They respectively design and manufacture portable and desktop ‘ultra-fidelity’ audio products and high-end audio ‘home-based’ components. The combined in-house hardware and software development team enables iFi audio and AMR to bring to market advanced audio products.
 

1. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ifiAudio
2. Twitter: www.twitter.com/ifi_audio
3. Instagram: www.instagram.com/ifiaudio
4. Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ifiaudio

Very excited about this. The product page mentioned: "Every iTube2 comes with the very-new iPOWER (15v) which is a remarkable-quiet, advanced DC power supply that features:". So this is a different 15V iPower than what's in the market, or what comes with the iCan SE?

 

[loplop]

When will these be available for sale in the US Market?  I can't find them on Amazon or Adorama (yet).

 

[iFi audio]

  When will these be available for sale in the US Market?  I can't find them on Amazon or Adorama (yet).

 
Try Beach Camera, Audio46, Music Direct or B&H Photo.

 

[iFi audio]

 
Very excited about this. The product page mentioned: "Every iTube2 comes with the very-new iPOWER (15v) which is a remarkable-quiet, advanced DC power supply that features:". So this is a different 15V iPower than what's in the market, or what comes with the iCan SE?

 
Nope, it's the same 15V iPower.

 

[Topspin70]

   
Nope, it's the same 15V iPower.

Awesome. Thanks for clarifying. Can't wait to read the impressions when they come in. Being unfamiliar with the different types of tube sounds, I'm very curious to know how they differ on a single piece of gear. But it's a smart new function for the iTube 2 I must say. Very innovative of ifi as always.

 

[Beolab]

Nope, it's the same 15V iPower.

Will the EU version of the iPower be EU compatible for these countries?

 

[Xamdou]

 
Finally completed my desktop setup today. iRack + iSilencer + iPurifier 2 + iDAC2 + iTube2 + iCAN SE.
 
The push pull setting of iTube2 is pure eargasm....