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Review on 🎧 Magnify Sound Performance with MUZISHARE X3T Tube Headphone Amplifier: Balanced XLR 6.5mm Class A Single-Ended EL84 Valve Integrated Amplifier by Deborah Nystrom

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Surprisingly good as a headphone amp

I ordered this amp last November. It was a "ship from China" situation, so it took a while to arrive. Part of the delay was that Muzishare made some ongoing changes to this model. They have noted the changes in the listing but to ensure it is clear the changes from what is pictured include: 1. The front panel headphone jack is now a 4 pin balanced XLR connector. They moved the 1/4 inch headphone jack to the back. I think because there wasn't room for it in the front considering the other internal components. I've only used balanced headphones so it took me months to notice the 1/4" jack. around the back. I'm trying this out now and it works great. It's fairly easy to get to the right side to get to him, but not ideal when he's in the back. 2. You have changed the preamp tubes used. Now they are 12AX7. They are very common and easy to find. However if you are ordering tubes to try this make sure you get 12AX7 for the preamp tubes. EL84 amplifier tubes. Rectifier lamps 5AP4. There are two tubes of each type.3. The negative feedback on/off switch has been replaced with a switch to toggle between speaker output and headphone output. I've read that turning on a tube amp with no speakers connected is very bad. I assume with this switch it's safe to run it without speakers as long as it's switched to headphone mode. Although this is just a guess. I keep a couple of small full-range desktop speakers plugged into it when I don't want to use headphones, just in case. Added bluetooth input. I have a Raspberry Pi DAC and streamer hooked up, so I haven't used Bluetooth and probably never will. But hey, an extra feature. I've also included photos of what you should theoretically receive. The current photos in the listing are the old version. This amp looks very well built. Very heavy, with large transformers and internal wiring. If you search on google you can find the inside. Internally it is how much more expensive tube amps are built. How does it sound in that sense? Out of the box with standard bulbs, the sound is fairly neutral. The noise level is quite low. You may hear a slight hum in mid-range headphones like the Focal Clear when no music is playing. I haven't tried it with high-sensitivity headphones. Slight background noise doesn't increase with volume, and you'll never hear it while listening to music. Totally in line with what I've heard from other tube devices. This amp puts a lot of power into a balanced headphone output. There is a high/low gain switch, but I never had to toggle it high. Even when using the Hifiman HE6SE v2 headphones, which are said to require more power than almost anything else. Even with the Hifiman at low gain, it only takes about 50% volume to get nice and loud. I would listen louder for more than a few minutes. You can connect ANY balanced headphones to it. I'm trying the 1/4" output right now. It will still easily get my HE6SE v2 as loud as I want. I wouldn't go over 55% at low gain or 40% at high gain for longer listening. I have them all Replaced tubes with some from Upscale Audio to experiment with. It felt a bit warmer but the effect was soft in the end and really hard to compare after changing the tubes and letting the amp warm up again. I have these new tubes left out because they are theoretically better :) and i like how the thing sounds with them anyway they are currently in stock with prime shipping for fast delivery no long delivery time please wait at this price this x3t even comes with headphones on great sounding compact tube amp, at 5 watts per channel it won't drive insensitive speakers loud but if you have sensitive speakers it should be excellent, even for those.

Pros
  • Home Theater
Cons
  • Expensive