Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Warming up your DP with a tube/valve preamp

All the DPs I've heard sound cold, hard and thin to me.

And, a lot of studio monitors and amplification gear sound a bit sterile which doesn't help.

I thought about warming the sound up with a tube/valve preamp between the DP and your amp. I'm running my DP through a pretty warm amp (although it's not tube) and mine sounds better than most I hear because of this.

Anyone try using a tube preamp or tube amp to get a warmer, softer, fuller sound?

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I have plans in the works. But I really do not think a unity gain preamp adds much to the sound tubes or not. A tube amp needs to add considerable gain if it is going to change the sound. The trouble is that you also need some quite large and efficient speakers if you are going to go with tubes. So an all tube audio system is physically large and expensive.

I did do some experiments using old Hammond organ equipment and a digital piano.

I'm collecting parts and so far lack a pair of suitable output transformers

It's a microphone preamp. Digital pianos output line level signals. You'd have to pad the line level way down so as not to overdrive the preamp and then the preamp will take the level back up to line level again.

Why not invest less money in an classic tube powered stereo power amp? Like an ST70. If you need more power buy two ST70s


It you just want to try putting a tube in the signal path buy this. It's way cheap
ART Preamp
Presonus Tube Pre

I have something like these that I build on a wooded breadboard with a single 12AX7 tube It's a two stage pre made with about $20 of parts. It's the same circuit as in the top end $$$ pre and the $30 unit. If I keep the gain down it is totally transparent and sounds like a length of wire. But if I crank it up I have a distortion box that I can use with a guitar.

My use is strictly for home use and I don't think you need much power at all for home use.

I agree ChrisA with what you said in your last post - why not just use a tube power amp.

Better yet, some low end tube audiophile preamp/amp combination.

I have a friend who has piles of this kind of gear, I'll ask him about prices, I bet it's not much.

Dave - I looked at your gearslutz thread but your interest is live and the gear you're talking about is way high end for my budget.

If you find any tube based power amps of any kind working or not for "not much" let me know.

Tube preamps can be built cheap but stereo power amps require three large and expensive transformers that sell at the parts stores for close to $100 each. They are five to 12 ponds each with a lot of iron and coper inside and they are still hand built. The tubes are relatively cheap but I don't see the cost of large transformers going down.

Looking on Craigslist you can see nice ones - integrated preamps/amps - for around $400, used.

I seriously think this is the way to go if you agree with the adjectives I used in the OP.

I love tube amps.

But anyway, having lunch with my friend tomorrow, will ask him more.

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