How to Upgrade The FX Audio Tube-03 | OP Amp & Tube Mods
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มี.ค. 2021
- It's obvious when we purchase a product that is extremely inexpensive, it's not always going to come with the best of components. So when my buddy from Ran By Monkeys, sent me an email letting me know there is a myriad of ways to upgrade and mod out the TUBE 03 by FX Audio, I was all about it! In this video, I will show you how to swap out OP Amps as well as seat some fresh tubes.
Here are the different types of 7 pin tubes/valves that will work with the Tube-03:
6J1
6AK5
6AJ5
5654
403B
6096
M8100
You can purchase the tubes from eBay or sites like Tube Depot.
The OP Amps are available on www.digikey.com
I tried two of them both available on Digikey the OPA2134PA and the TL082CP
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#audioarkitekts #hifi #audio #fxaudio #diyaudio #diyhifi #mods - บันเทิง
I'm late to the party but I had my FX Audio tube 03 for years and this is the first time I upgraded the opamp. I used the OPA2134 and it did wonders! I think I'm getting addicted to this opamp rolling. Just ordered the muses02. Can't wait to try it out. Cheers mate! Thank you for the walkthrough. Keep up the good work! 👊
You should have got the Muses 01 as it is Jfet like the 2134. Muses 02 is bipolar.
The supplied 5532's are superior to the 2134 anyway.
this device is not bad for the cheap prize, but actually is a surprice that we can upgrade it so easy!
I did this upgrade and it did wonders! Thank you so much!
No problem glad it worked out
If you have the controls set exactly the same for the two units, chances are extremely high that the gain differs, especially with different tubes, differences you observed can be simply explained by a different response of your ears and brains to the sound pressure differences. The louder units, even slightly louder, will often sound better!
In order to do a proper A/B test, you should run a simple sine wave (e.g. 400Hz or 1kHz) through the buffer and measure the output voltage. Set the same output voltage with the volume control for both units, and then you perform your listening test. It is important to check the voltage under load of next stage in the chain.
With the standard chinese tubes that came with my Tube-03, I had to set the volume control to about 12:00 to get unity gain (i.e. input voltage=output voltage), while with JAN 5654W tubes, unity gain was reached by setting the volume control to about 10:30. BTW, a matched pair of tubes is nice to have. The chinese tubes that came with the unit apparently weren't matched, and the gain factor of the channels was slightly different, causing the balance to shift to one channel. No such problem with the matched 5654w tubes.
FWIW, i did unity gain tests with the tube-03, comparing the unbuffered sound with the buffered sound, and no matter how hard I tried, or how laid back I tried, I heard absolutely ZERO difference. These devices are at best cheap ways to get your confirmation biased satisfied.
Great video as usual!
Man, I just made the upgrade with OPA2134PA op-amps and JAN5654w tubes, and now sounds amazing! sounds like another best device, with a very clear, very detailed sound. Thank you so much for this video!
Hi sorry for the stupid question, bu the 2 circuts u changed are they marked. just so i dont put them in wrong place? Per
Fosi do a similar pre-amp and in their new model of the same amp they actually went to the US Made 5654w as default. They do make a difference having the better tubes. JAN by the way = Joint Army Navy - Just means the are military spec tubes of the 5654w type, which are equivalent to 6AK5 tubes, a 7pin mini Pentode. So if you want to experiment more, look for some NOS 6AK5's or even some good second hand 6AK5's from the real tube era and you may get even better performance.
Thanks for sharing the upgrade how’s the soundstage improved?
The Op-Amp (Operational Amplifier (not O P amp) ) are the main workhorse in these low price amplifiers. The tubes are generally just buffers to add the characteristics of a tube to what is essentially a solid state amp.
That was one of my legacy videos lol. The funny thing is I am actually writing out an outline for my next video which is about op amps. I'm a bit more refined on the subject these days. I'll release it in the next couple days. You should check it out. In the meantime, any OP amps you enjoy? Or some that I should try?
Just tried this. Absolute improvement. Thanks for this!
Nice! Glad it worked out
@@mykandrew any chance you can link the tubes you purchased? i'm using ge5654w's now but would like to try something different.
Nice!
I'm also using OPA2134 and GE JAN 5654.
Another upgrade can be on the power supply. 3 amp linear PS.
How can you upgrade the power supply & what benefits will it give?
I have a lot of experience with customers installing ICs backwards on field upgrades . If you are going swap the op amps make sure you understand the dot or notch marking defines the correct orientation. It is not going to work if you put them in backwards.
Yeah I mentioned that in the video however I should have stressed it a bit further!
Just purchased the FX Audio Tube-03 on sale for RM115 (~$27), will get the Riverstone Audio GE JAN 5654W as first upgrade, next challenge for the OP amp, good review thank you!
Edit: just changed both slots with OPA2134PA, wow all I can say it really improves the sound alot, like it's fuller than before, punchier bass without sacrificing treble, definitely worth the upgrade thank you again!
Did it affect the Soundstage and micro details? Did you swap both the chips?
Hey man I am from Malaysia too any amp DAC to recommend? For my hd58x
@@Thoughtflux Yes I did swap both chips and I have to say it is a quality of life improvement, one of best bang of the buck you can get
@@calvinyip364 depends on your budget, are you looking for branded or aftermarket ones? with or without tubes?
Since it's a Massdrop I would get the Drop O2 + SDAC DAC/Amp, if you have the budget go for Topping DX3 Pro+ or EPOS-Sennheiser GSX-1000
I am using the FX Audio Tube-03 with the vintage Aiwa SX-N999 speakers so our use case scenario might be different, good luck finding your gem ;)
@@mohammadasyrafmdyusoof9362 I looking for a cheap DAC amp below rm250
Thanks for the video, I bought the Fosi tube P1 preamp , It looks identical except the tubes which is 6K4.
Thank you for sharing, very informative.
No problem 😉
You can also take the opamps out completely and run it as just a pure tube circuit ...but you will need to have alternative way to adjust the volume ...say from your source, dac, laptop or power amp etc. It's such a great versatile and affordable little tube pre.
Didn't know this, but a tube buffer is all I wanted. Thank you!
Nice info sir, thanks
I left 6 J4 tubes for 5654 and .....Absolutly fantastic sound on my preamp aiyima
I wasn't a fan of the 6J4's either. Didn't have any life to them.
Fantastic little audio toy this FX ...
It really is fun
Great video. I bought today this preamp and the MX-Audio DAC SQ-5, and now I will buy the op amps and the tubes to make the upgrade as soon as it arrives. Do you have any upgrade ideas for DAC SQ-5?
Gracias, te veo desde Los Angeles, Chile.
Muchas gracias por ver mi video!
Great video for rookies like me, Looking forward to more mod videos may be the sudoku mt 602 or 604? Thanks
Awesome video Mike!
Hi ! First of all, thank you for the awesome review and job done !
Can you tell me if you use it with the fx audio power amplifier 502S pro ? If you use both tube 03 with new op amp and stock 502S, does the op amp in the 502S pro "impact the final sound" ? Do you need to change all the op amp (tube 03 and 502s) ? Other question :-P do you think you can drive KEF LS50 with it ? Did you try ? Thank you for your answer ! :)
I have purchased 3 of these. I gave one to a friend and the volume pot on mine has crashed . The third I killed by using to large of a power supply. I already have two sets of upgraded tubes I just made by two new units and two op amps I was actually running them one per side using the RCA out right for right side of course and then the other unit left into my balance system and that was really good
I purchased one of these recently and love the sound it produces. But I did discover a problem with it. After several hours of continuous music playing the switching TSR and the tiny little coil get really hot. The problem is there is no airflow through the tiny box. A couple of small 3/8 in holes drilled through the rear panel next to the DC power socket allow enough air to circulate around the switching power supply components to cool them and then out beside the tubes. That's all it too! I've got mine plugged into a tiny Fosi T20 amp. The two together sound really great!
Very good advice 👌
Gracias. Lo haré.
I have to get one now! I didn’t know they were that easy to mod!
I opted to get the "bare assembled PCB" version of this device and the GE tubes.
I plan to get it into a proper pre-amp enclosure. Install a quad input module w/ remote control potentiometer, and linear power supply. The board & tubes ran about $40, the other components will cost a little under $100.
Wow! Were you able to do it? Have you posted about it anywhere with pictures?
I'm confused between this unit & the xduoo MT603.. Which i think is only a buffer tube preamp..
hello, I would like to know if the upgrade you make also modifies the Bluetooth sound? Finally, do the tubes hold up well or do they burn frequently? Thanks and congratulations for the channel.
Sweet❤️❤️
I also tried the upgrade of OP amp and tube , it is a wonder. someone please suggest the best OPAMP upgrade for the FXAUDIO TUBE03
Hi...many thanks for sharing this video. Is there a way that I can use this as a headphone amp. Thanks again.
I put burr brown 2134pa op amps bought from ebay for 6e shipped, fake or not, bass control improved a lot, on default bass when dialed up is muddy, but bb fixes this to a degree this also made the sound more clear. Have not swapped tubes yet. OP amp mod totally worth it.
How much do these opamps cost and does it affect the details in any way?
@@Thoughtflux it made the sound slightly clearer , and i like i said 6e shipped. This is worth if you can get op amps under 10e , more than that is too much. Same goes with the tubes, no more than 15e to those.
Excellent video! Thank you. To me, the 5654 tubes and the OP2134 op amps are a great upgrade and combination. I experienced more stereo separation and detail with tighter and slightly deeper bass. I really think the original op amps were probably very poor quality. If I install the WIMA capacitors how do I determine the correct polarity on them? Are they bipolar?
i have just brought one and im interested in upgrading it
Grab some new OP amps and let's get started!
thanks for sharing how to upgrade it , i have a question i appreciate if you answer , can we connect this preamp to an integrated amplifier which has internal preamp? Denon pma-800ne ?
👍🏻👍🏻
Hi, first very helpfull video. I have problem how to find zero position on bass and treble after upgrade 😬. Do any one use 16V power supply,or some better 12 V?
You never mentioned which was the best sounding op amps and tubes. I just want to buy everything once then upgrade.... should I go with the ge tubes? And which would be the best op amps right off the bat from your test.
the MUSES 02 OP AMP IS THE BEST. he says it in other video by him.
did you ever get those muses 02 op-amps from Digi-Key?
do the new tubes need to be a matched pair for this device? or will 2 of the same suffice if they are the same make/model?
Anytime you change out tubes , they should be matched if you don't have a manual bias control. Some tube amps have auto biasing but it depends on your amp.
Please help mine not working when put 6j1p-ev soviet tube on it, any idea to make it work?, it someone said must change the wiring, but i don't know witch one to change. I not an electronic guy.
hola que tal me gustaria poder preguntarte si hay alguna posibilidad de modificar el DAC TOPPING D10S, gracias un saludo cordial
Left opa and right tl
I tried upgrading the 6k4 tubes with Raytheon 6202s, didn’t work for some reason even though the tubes are glowing.
im confused- my FX-Audio tube 03 mkii it says has dac function in the product description. are people buying the fx-audio dac b/c its better than the tube 03 mkii dac?
I have tested with TI OPA2134 PA, Can we user SPARKOS SS3602 Dual Discrete Op Amp in this pre amp.
How can l connect the old arkay fl10 tube integrade and l bought a fx o3 buffer its possible to cnnect to the buffer? Iapreciated if you can help thanks
what if i changed the op amps in this pre amp and changed the op amp of an another amplifier, will the change made on the pre amp be audible, then?
Can you Tell me how to connect fx03 to a nad 3155 integraded amplifier . Iappreciated
Hi, will there be any problem if I mix a different opamp on the board? For example one using OPA2134PA and another using the tl082cp?
No problem mixing opamps as they have two separate functions (1) for the two tone controls (2) just for the volume.
Having tried a few different opamps ...which I like the muses I then mixed and finally tried without any opamps connected at all .... Which I preferred as it still works as a pure tube only circuit (which was a big bonus surprise!)...which with upgraded tubes sounds the best ...but of course you loose the tone and volume control functions - so will need to have another source or way to adjust the volume. Say on your dac, laptop, streamer, source or power amp or receiver etc.
But It's a great little tube amp...and some people also change and upgrade caps and resistors and PSUs to for even more improvements ..Audiokarma.org has a dedicated thread for the 01 & 03 models ...which is a long read but very useful.
@humanitech I’ll do this on mine asap. Would you say that the op amps affect or change the sound of the tubes? Also, what tubes would you recommend?
You dont mention breaking in the tubes. It can change the sound dramatically. Is this a valid experiment is both sets of tubes arent broken in or the old ones are and the new ones arent? Thanks for the vid!
Have you used it without the op amps and just with the tubes?
Ive watched your vids every day lately because im tying to order the Muses 02 operational amplifier. trying to pull trigger, but have to txt you firsy- have some questions that i know are hard to answer in this format. i understand you cant reply to everything.
Can this upgrade be done to the Fosi Audio Box X2 ?
I would assume so it seems alot of these products come from the same build house and have the same internals. I would double check with the manufacturer though.
what is best tube for you?
Any way to bypass the tone controls?
Pull out the op amp on the right side. The left op amp is for gain control, the right is for tone. The amp will work without both op amps.
Hi, just miss the tube valve code u use on your upgrade or, if u used them all, wich one gave you the richest soud!!!
Thanks for your vídeos . Can you Help me ? Do you know How can i use a headphone in these device ? Can i use a adapter from rca Jack (males) to p2 (3.5 mm famle Jack ) or a circuit is nedded ? Thanks a Lot :)
Its not a headphone amp. They have other models that are.
@@mykandrew thanks
which op amp ? Do you have the part number or integrated number?
I tried two of them both available on Digikey the OPA2134PA and the TL082CP
@@mykandrew , OPA2134PA and the TL082CP, which one seems good
There are far more expensive opamps to use like MUSES 02 or Burson V6, ppl use it for the treble though. Too bad it doesn't have MID also in there.
Hi all, somebody had tried a similar budget DAC to pair with this? I'm thinking in FX Audio DAC-X6 MKII, DAC-SQ5 even DAC-SQ3
When ordering to digikey TLO82CP is it already sold by pair sir or per piece price?
I'm from Philippines 😊
Have a nice day sir!
I’m fairly sure it’s per piece
which is the best OP amp now to use in this TUBE pre amp
MUSES02 is the king
What's the difference between OPA2134PA and TL082CP chips? (except that the latter is 6x cheaper?)
082's are crapola.
How do I join the discord.
I just got this preamp, but unfortunately, it's making my HiFi sound worse. I'm hearing a slight broken sound in the music, and even when the Tube03 is turned off and my player and amplifier still online, I can still hear music leaking to the speakers at low volume with a broken sound.
I'm not sure if this is a problem with the preamp itself, it make feel like not worth continue to test again, i already give up with this pre-amp
That sounds like an issue with the tubes or the preamp itself, I would exchange it.
@@mykandrew I've tried many common brands of cheap amplifiers as everyone recommended, but I'm not satisfied with the sound quality. Some of the amplifiers have false power ratings, and the frequency control is often erratic, resulting in distorted sound from my speakers. Additionally, all using similar or exactly the same op-amp from the open market
, those are no clear, noticeable, or straightforward soundstage with these amplifiers.
I'm thinking of giving up on cheap amplifiers altogether and moving to the Hi-end Hifi equipment
Hi Mike. Your comments indicate that the sound character was changed by swapping the IC Op Amps. What difference do the tube changes make?
Friends keep nagging me to try out 'tube sound.' I lived through a long time in my misspent youth, stuck with vacuum tube power output stages, and I would rather never go back to those adventures -- especially with the current costs of power output tubes. But preamp stages have always seemed a decent place for tubes -- if you ignore or conquer problems with hiss, hum, and microphonics. At least, preamp tubes LAST a lot longer.
I understand the harmonic character available with tubes. I'm not sure I'll fall in love, but I'd be willing to try it and see if my ears smile.
Every tube I’ve tried has had a drastically different sound signature. It almost has the imperfect vibe and analog warmth of vinyl without the snap crackle pop lol I didn’t think I’d enjoy playing around with it but I’m having a blast seeing what each one does.
@@mykandrew Having designed tube circuits, back when they were all we had, I suspect but cannot verify this: that the tubes on these little, cheap preamps are run at very low plate voltages. There's just 12 volts in, and I don't see where there's any circuitry to make it (if it's AC in) more than about 24-28 volts DC, max. This means the tubes are not running in their design state. It doesn't mean they won't work. It just means you can expect them to be very sensitive to variations in the tube, itself, and be low gain. Typical quality tube preamp circuits operate at plate voltages of more than 100 volts. And it also explains why they need chip op amps to do the voltage gain chores. And most circuit designers know that cheap IC op amps vary all over the place. Often, they are mass made and the good, middle of the road ones are sold for more, and the dogs and cats go cheap. Like many resistors and capacitors.
-Just one man's view, to be taken as opinion not absolute fact.
@@jimshaw899 hey you seem to know more than I do about this subject so yeah agreed lol
@@mykandrew Sometimes, life teaches you things you wish you didn't know. Not trying to be the smartest guy in the room; that never works out. I just thought I'd offer some experience on tubes and such. There's so much 'witch doctor wisdom' floating around about tube gear, vinyl, and CD's, there's not a lot of room left for serious facts. I found your piece to be interesting and not witch doctorish -- an occasional treat. Just thought I'd add something to it.
Any efforts in the direction of value-oriented playback equipment stands a chance of being worthwhile, if it's wise and true. We have to be reminded, now and again, that inexpensive equipment has warts, but so does that $60,000 speaker (smaller warts). They're not at all the same; they both just have some flaws which the new owner will discover soon enough. The happy audiophile is the guy who spends his wish list equipment budget on recordings. And smiles listening to them.
Carry on; I'll watch from the back row. :)
@@jimshaw899 that was a great addition and added value to the point of the video. Thank you. I try and keep it as real as possible to give my audience an authentic and digestible experience without making things sound too technical. However there is a large group that likes the technical and having your response I believe quenches the thirst of those wanting a bit more information. I appreciate your input 100%!
i already have the w version of the tube already (ge jan ****w) cant remember.
what is the name of the song in the background?
Lme7920 opamp is more clear and higher level.
This is a frustrating video - which of the two OP amps tried to you prefer???!! and why?
o.p. amps lol
Was going to sub but no follow-up video. Shame.
Tubes here are merely for show
Why doesn't it work without them then?
which op amp ? Do you have the part number or integrated number?
I tried two of them both available on Digikey the OPA2134PA and the TL082CP
@@mykandrew which one is better?