YAQIN CD2 6J1 For CD / VCD / DVD Sound Upgrade Tube Buffer Processor

Kevin: "My name is Kevin and I am an audiophile".Readers: "Hi Kevin"First off, let us discuss audiophiles. They are perceived as people who are way too picky with their sound and have way too much money to blow on their audio equipment.There is some legitimacy to that, but audio is a hobby for people like myself. It's fun and makes us happy, so why not?I believe there are 2 main types of audiophiles out there. Those looking for the flattest and most accurate reproduction possible and those who are searching for a specific sound signature from their equipment. So yes, we're picky.The first group will typically be the folks who pay a little more. With all the variables involved with playback reproduction, achieving flat frequency response across the board is extremely difficult and I have an admiration for those who pursue it. Aside from having different goals, I definitely don't have the resources to get that sort of high end equipment.I am in the group that has a particular taste, and I've been lucky enough to build a system that meets my taste on a relatively low budget.This Yaqin was the final stop in my conquestSo this device is a tube buffer. It is not a headphone amplifier. It is a little box with glowing vacuum tubes. It has a left/right RCA input to connect to your source device such as a CD player, computer, DVD player etc. and a left/right RCA output to connect to your amplifier or receiver. While it does give a little boost the signal that you put in to it, it does not have any sort of volume control, tone control, balance control or any of the other controls that are found on integrated/separate preamplifiers. The only control you have over the output of this buffer is the pair of EF95 family vacuum tubes that you choose to use. It comes stock with a pair of matched chinese 6J1's. So don't worry, you can use it out of the box.My Yaqin arrived very well packaged. It was double-boxed and had 2 layers of bubble wrap. The tubes come in a ziplock bad, which is not exactly ideal for little glass bulbs. But they were in mint condition with no sign of any damage so...whatever. The buffer itself feels solid and has some heft to it for its size. I like it. It feels like a well constructed device.Now I do not use the provided 6J1 tubes. I didn't even try them. So I can't speak for their sound quality. All I can say is that I have experience with 6J1's and they're a little too bright for me. Not calling them bad or good. Just not what I like. I will say that I think they will breathe some life into the sound of the digital sources that most people will be using though.For my purposes, I rolled in some Voshkod 6zh1p-ev's and I am extremely pleased with the result. The Yaqin successfully warms up the sound and turns music listening into a much more involving experience. Tube amplifiers are known to have a higher noise floor (which is another term for background noise) than solid state amps and I don't know if it's the Yaqin or the Voshkods, but this thing is silent- better than the input source. The background is black as night and it really allows the most subtle nuances in my music to be heard and the overall presentation to sound really clean.Is this an audiophile grade buffer? I will respond with, "what does that even mean?"I consider myself an audiophile that has very particular taste with my sound, and this Yaqin was an affordable option that allowed me to hear that sound through my speakers. So sure, I'll call it audiophile grade and it receives the Kevin stamp of approval.

Wear gloves when installing tubes. 3 rooms.[1 dedicated] 80's Denon ,90's Harman K,Rotel.New century Denon HT,Cambridge Audio.Spkrs.Paradigm,Mirage,Def Tec,B&W.All topshelf MID-FI.I rotate my stuff more than my wife buys shoes. I listen to all styles. 50,s to present.Arthur Lyman,Brubeck.Eagles,Ottmar,Mahogny Rush,Yes,Floyd,Emmylou. Hiaat,Kate Bush. [Got the picture] Everything is smoother.Like a silk veil. This is true on poorly transferred cd's from the old days.Before you drop $200 on snake oil, try this. [I listen60/40 cd's to lp's] This is a huge,subtle up-grade. 65 years old and still rockin'.

Turned my Grandad's old ONKYO into a perfect sounding HI/FI system. I really did not want to part with my ONKYO TX-3000 for sentimental reasons. Was not very happy with the phono stage that I had set up and really wanted to get the convenience of Apple TV an Airport express interface with an amazing sounding system. This unit has done the trick. I was a little skeptical because my last dabble with Yaqin ended with a return after a frustrating exchange with someone in China that did not possess the abitly to read english and ultimately had to work through Ebay to resolve the issue. You will probably want to swap the tubes out but other than that this unit is well worth the price point.

This is a very interesting device. First, off, it is very well-built. Heavy duty, good heft to it. Second, it does seem to "warm up" the sound coming from my Bifrost DAC (Onkyo SACD and IPad into that) into my Van Alstyne Preamp. It is subtle, but the warmth is there. I was fully prepared to send it back if I did not like it but it really does appear to round out things a bit. I purchased two NOS Mullard tubes off of Ebay so I don't know what the tubes that came with it sound like. Would buy again.

Well to be honest I thought it was a waist of money but when the tubes warmed up remarkable difference. I have my cd player hooked up through the optical output to my dac and tube buffer into dac and out to ten band equalizer. Very pleased.

Extremely happy with this product. Its wonderful. Customer service is top notch! Extremely helpful under any circumstance from shipping to advice. Thank you!

This unit is a must for solid state electronics that tend to be on the bright or harsh side units that have a bite to them. If you put this after the DVD or CD player going into your Receiver Integrated Amplifier or Preamp the sound will be noticeable right off. Run the RCA wires from your DVD or CD player into the Yaqin and from the Yaqin to the Preamp Integrated Amplifier or Receiver CD or DVD input that's it.

Love the unit.makes CD sound great.