Based on a quick search here* It doesn't look like
@amirm has "tested" the (in)famous little
FX Audio 6j1 preamplifier gizmo ("The $31 wonder" as some have dubbed it). I have a perverse fascination with weird, cheap Asian-sourced vacuum tube equipment like this little preamp -- but even I draw the line at
wasting spending investing 31 US Smackers on one to try! I also wonder why these things use pentodes instead of triodes for amplification -- but, hey, that's just me.
(EDIT: Ooops, I had a picture of the wrong gizmo initially -- this is
das Ding an sich)
View attachment 58965
View attachment 58963
I
imagine that this is no more, or no less, than a little purpose-built distortion box to
add tube warmth and color to harsh, sterile digital (as some folks are wont to say) a la the plethora of cheap "tube buffers" that were popular a decade or so ago. Of course, a well-designed buffer should be about as neutral an electronic gizmo as can be devised, even if it uses a vacuum tube as its active element!
I'd be interested to see if my preconceived bias is accurate (I really do try to keep an open mind -- at least about some things!). I'd also be curious to see if tube rolling (as they say) might yield measurable differences in performance -- although I do believe all y'all have evaluated
that particular tube hifi hobbyist trait previously with other components (??).
At any rate, thought it would be worth mentioning.
Thanks.
Carry on.
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*
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?search/1961828/&q=FX+Audio+6j1&o=relevance