Review on 🎶 Nobsound Little Bear T11: High-Fidelity Vacuum Tube Phono Turntable Preamplifier for LP Vinyl Records by Anthony Mcgarry

I previously bought a Yaqin MS-23B as a phono stage. While I liked the sound I got from it, it had a very strong hum that other owners assured me was part of a design flaw. The MS-23B also uses transistor-based amplifier circuitry, as opposed to T11 tube amplification. The result is a different sound. I sent it back and chose LBT11. The sound isn't bad, but cheap China tubes sound pretty "thin". Lacking the luscious quality you often find in the finest tubes. I plan to replace them as soon as funds allow. There was indeed a hum coming from the T11, but I did some research and found that the person MUST use the metal tube protection cap for the leftmost tube and connect the small ground wire from it to the ground plug on the front of the unit. . That completely eliminates the hum for me. So be prepared to invest around $100 worth of new driver tubes in this unit if you want a special sound. But the design is on point and there is no lack of fit and workmanship. I would recommend anyone who wants to hear classical analogue music as it was recorded and meant to be heard to take one of these devices with them on the trip! Update: 6 months on the road and I'm even more impressed with this machine than I was originally! I learned how to modify my gear and after replacing the 0.47uF capacitors in this preamp with NOS Russian KY40Y-9 capacitors, Little Bear T11 really sings! I also placed the V1 ground wire inside the case to keep it looking nice and tidy. I found out that it is not necessary to select 12AX7 / 6N2 lamps. This allows you to endlessly combine different tubes to get the sound you want. Currently I'm using Gold Lion in V1, Clear Top RCA in V2 and a Mullard 12AT7 reissue in V3 to lower the gain. Overall, this preamp sounds GREAT, especially with the mod/tube combo I went with. Again, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a classic tube sound for their vinyl setup.