[marekm]

Ready for winter

 

[SolaVirtus]

I'm happy to find this thread! I'm enjoying my TA-26 for about 6 months. I got a couple of different tubes to try, but that's a rabbit hole I'm not too keen to get completely lost in.

I previously had a little dot 2, but never really thought it sounded as good as I wanted outside of with HD 650s. When it died, a TA-26 found it's way here. I quite like it with the Sennheisers, and also the 300ohm ZMFs I have. I'm curious to try them as a preamp in my modest 2-ch/home theater.

Cheers!

 

[bagwell359]

I was impressed. My HD-600's sound better on these than my Rag 1, and by memory the Bryston BHA-1 also. Against the stock BHC, the BHC is tubier. Against my way overbuilt BHCs, I like mine better, but not by a lot, and considering I bought a failed kit used and then spent $400+ on upgraded parts, and all that labor - got to go with the TA-26. Now having looked at the innards of the TA-26, I'd spend a few bucks on better caps, and maybe NOS tube rolling on the cheap. As is, its better than I recall the Darkvoice - but there was no direct comparison.

Stupid money, snag one, leave it alone, use ones existing Senn 6* (but the 650 wouldn't be to my taste) or 8*, and a DAC of distinction (not in a PC, or a module - pref multi-bit or ladder, and you are talking one very cheap very excellent way to get great sound.

A fried of many years is going headphones - he just got an Asgard 3, Sundara 2020, and a Bifrost 2/64. I'll see if I can talk him into the TA-26 and 600 to cover all his musical needs.

 

[califmike33]

Anybody try this as a preamp into a solid state wondering how it works?

 

[SolaVirtus]

I tried it for a while as a preamp to a Jotunheim 2 so that I could better drive planars instead of straight off the TA-26. It worked, but not impressively well. I ended up just preferring the planars off the Jot2 and my higher impedence dynamics straight off the TA-26.

 

[califmike33]

I want to run it off the t26 into an integrated amp and get the tube sound to come out of my speakers not headphones but if you're saying it doesn't work that good then I'm not going to do it.

 

[califmike33]

So how tubey does this thing sound ? is this considered a hybrid ?

 

[alexeyi]

So how tubey does this thing sound ? is this considered a hybrid ?

You might be in the wrong thread, as TA-26 is fully analogue.
If you want an xduoo hybrid take a look into TA-20.

 

[califmike33]

I want TA 26, its not a hybrid from what i understand ?

 

[marekm]

Looking forward to a test of HD660S2 with xDuoo TA-26

If raving, I my consider "upgrading" from HD 650 to S2

 

[califmike33]

Looking for tube reccomendations for this amp?

 

[jonathan c]

Looking for tube reccomendations for this amp?

For Xduoo TA-26: rear tube, Raytheon 6080WC; front tube, Sylvania 6SN7GT.

 

[califmike33]

thanks for that. Im like looking around forums and trying to find good tube combo, i know everybodys taste is different but i need a starting point. I have seen someone else say the Raytheon also.

 

[califmike33]

https://www.bing.com/aclk?ld=e8SHcs...=2a0c2498108814e8aeff476568a27d80&ntb=1&ntb=1


Correct tube ?

 

[InsanelyConfused]

Looking for tube reccomendations for this amp?

I have rolled quite a few tubes and can confidently say that this thing takes almost anything well, so it barely matters. But anyway, my top preamptube picks would be:
Sylvania 6SN7GTB (I have a chrome top, yellow font one) > Tung-Sol = JJ 6SN7 > EH 6SN7 Gold > RCA 6SN7 = Foton 6H8C. Honestly, all of these tubes differ like 5-10% max from each other. The difference is so small that you could probably not always tell them apart in a blind test. I have yet to find a tube that blows me away in terms of differences perceived.

For power tubes I honestly couldn't tell any difference, tried a RCA 6080, now using a Jan Sylvania 6080WC because it was available (my stock tube was microphonic, but just as good)

Have fun rolling!