[Navyblue]

I am looking for a tube/hybrid amp. It will be primarily used as a preamp in my speaker setup, so transparency and detail is top priority here. Driving headphone is a bonus so power output  can take a back seat.
 
I would prefer that the amp provide a sound different from a solid state amp (that I already have).
 
As mentioned it does not have to be uber powerful, "quality" is what I am after. I don't really know how much to spend here to get sufficient "quality", hopefully not too expensive. I don't rule out DIY too if I have to get the kind of quality without getting too expensive, as long as I can good support on the topic. But doing high voltage is something that kind of bothers me (although the hybrid seems not as bad).
 
I have a Little Dot Mk I portable amp, the soldering work is atrocious, it worked but has battery life problem, I sent it for servicing, I don't know if they solved the battery life problem, because it's dead soon after it came back. So needless to say Little Dot stuffs are an automatic no unless you have something to back their quality and workmanship (rather than it just looked pretty outside and worked).
 
I am looking at the Darkvoice line, how are they in terms of "quality"? Specifically the 336SE and 3322.
 
Thanks.

 

[lbj]

If you don't need a preamp with gain (i.e., passive), you can do what I did and build a Mapletree kit.  As transparent as it gets, just inserts some wire and a volume pot in the signal path.  The amp section is lush and not the last word in detail, but it'll only be driving your headphones (and you said you wanted a different sound from your SS amp).

 

[Navyblue]

Please pardon me, when it comes to tube stuffs, I am pretty ignorant.
 
I probably don't need gain.
 
Are you talking about these kits?
 
http://hollowstate.netfirms.com/kits.htm
 
How does the passive mode work?

 

[lbj]

Right, the kit builds up to the same amp that Dr Peppard sells complete:
 
http://hollowstate.netfirms.com/HD.htm
 
 
Basically, all you do is plug your source into the input and your speaker amp to the output.  Internally, the Ear+ HD just routes the signal through the volume control and then back out, bypassing any amplification.  You are essentially using the amp as a box to attenuate your line level signal.  As long as your speaker amp achieves enough volume without a "real" preamp, you're golden.  In its stock condition, the Ear+ HD does not switch between sources, but Dr Peppard can modify his amps to do so.

 

[Navyblue]

So if I turn the amp on, it will go to active mode automatically?
 
Btw, I am not looking for a passive preamp. I guess it will sound pretty much like what I have now, if slightly different.
 
But that is food for thought, I do have all the necessary parts on hand to build a passive preamp (stepped attenuator, RCA jacks, rotary switch, and even an enclosure) But the high output impedance is something that keep me from doing that.

 

[lbj]

As a preamp, the Ear+ HD acts the same whether on or off.  It's passive either way.
 
Quote:

Btw, I am not looking for a passive preamp.

This will pretty much knock the Mapletree amp out of consideration then.