XiangSheng 728A. What gives?

@ airplanedriv - this has been a cool thread. Thanks so much for sharing/detailing your experiences! Sounds like you've got a great piece on your hands - and most importantly, you're enjoying the heck out of it :D
 
@ airplanedriv - this has been a cool thread. Thanks so much for sharing/detailing your experiences! Sounds like you've got a great piece on your hands - and most importantly, you're enjoying the heck out of it :D

Thanks!!

I really am enjoying "listening time" each day.....:D

I tried to provide some of the info I wished I could have found when considering the purchase of one of these....hope it was helpful.
 
Update time.......

I have added the Yaqin SD-CD2 Tube buffer.....

Although it is marketed as a tube buffer to be placed between CD player and pre-amp, I am using it between tuner and pre......result is better sound from tuner than I had from CD source before beginning this adventure into tubes, with relatively inexpensive Chinese-made audio equipment.

With the XiangSheng 728A's Raytheon Black-plate 12AU7's and Philips JAN 12AT7's in place and broken in, the CD player is producing absolutely fabulous sound, and I just don't see a need for the tube buffer....or perhaps I should say that the SD-CD2 has given so much improvement to the tuner, and the CD player already sounds so good, that I prioritized improvement to the tuner first........

As these Yaqin tube buffers cost only $149 delivered (and another $40 to $50 for tube sets), maybe I will order yet another, just to see if this brings additional refinement and width of soundstage to the CD player, as it has done for the tuner......just hard to imagine it sounding better than it already does. (!)lol

Although I am sure many have had differing experiences with these imports, I can attest that the sound quality I now enjoy is by far superior in every way to what I had before.

All up cost with the new pre-amp, phono stage, tube buffer and additional tubes has been just under $600.

This has been $$ very well spent, with more than commensurate improvement in sound quality for the $$ spent.

Oh yeah, they look cool as well :smoke:

Tubes in all units are now broken in, and are make and models as listed in previous posting, with the addition of the new tube buffer I am using for the tuner.

Although sound showed noted improvement with the original Chinese-made tubes, the Sylvania black-plate 6AK5's with which I have replaced them have added another incremental step of improvement and smoothness over the originals.

As I stated in my original posting in this thread, Pandora's box of tubes has been opened, and there is no turning back now.

The verdict on the XaingSheng pre and the 2 Yaqin tube units is that I am more than pleased with these quite reasonably priced Chinese made items with which I have had my introduction to this next level in my personal audio odyssey, and give a positive recommendation for each one to those wishing to gain some of the positive sound characteristics of tubes, without breaking the bank, or losing the power and clarity characteristic of SS.
:D
 

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The 728A is a great pre for the price. I have it for about 5 months I've recently did some modification replaced all of the audio path capacitors to Audyn caps and the output wires. Now it sounds even better I absolutely love this pre.
 
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I have always wanted to try a tube preamp. I think I will try one of these. They are now making them without tone controls. I wonder if ANYONE has figured out what "high" and "low" preamp outputs mean.
 
Chinese amps have a huge market in China for their emerging middle-class
(numbers are larger than the population of the US, they sell more cars there, etc)
so the numbers are staggering.

XS is a great brand. I have two (DAC and headphone amp). the DAC has 5 inputs
(RCA1, RCA2, digital coax, toslink, and USB), headphones, and both SS and tube outputs
(I use one for the headphone amp, and the other into the Hafler 101. this acts as
Digital central: CD1, CD2, SACD, computer. $100 then and now (used).

there are lots of threads for modding these just not under XS - under the re-branded.

for the DAC01 high/low is the SS/tube outputs.
 
for the DAC01 high/low is the SS/tube outputs.

Could you expand on that? I'd like to use this pre for sending to an MCS 3125 amp, and an M&K subwoofer simultaneously. Is that possible by using both high and low outputs? Which should be used for the amp and which for the sub?
 
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yes, I use the tube output for the preamp following, and the SS for headphone amp
(I prefer this to using the built-in amp) and from there I can plug in headphones or
switch to electrostatics. the volume is then set from the headphone amp
rather than by running to the XS.
 
So if this pre has 2 rectifier tubes, 2 12at7's, and 2 12au7's, what's the tube behind the window? Is it just for display and can it be removed? I wonder how much of a pain it would be to stop the LED's in the window from lighting up. I personally am not a fan of the use of LED's to "accentuate" tube glow.
 
yes, I use the tube output for the preamp following, and the SS for headphone amp
(I prefer this to using the built-in amp) and from there I can plug in headphones or
switch to electrostatics. the volume is then set from the headphone amp
rather than by running to the XS.

I'm sorry Bob, I'm still not sure what you mean. I tried googling around for the difference between the high and low labelled outputs and am coming up short. Does it designate high and low voltage?
 
ignore the label. its signal output, two of them. you decide which to use by hooking up
one-at-a-time to your top priority/most-important device input, listen and decide
whether High OR low sounds better then use the other low/high for the other.

if it still bothers you, use non-sticking masking tape and hide the labels.
 
It is a pretty easy job to short out an LED under a tube that the Chinese makers love so much. I got a Bravo Audio V2 headphone amp that had one of those obnoxious under-tube LEDs. Simply soldering a very thin lead across the two LED pads shuts it off and if you ever want the LED back, just snip the shorting lead. I used a lead that I cut off a 1/4-watt resistor. It also had a very bright red LED to indicate power on. I replaced that with a much tamer green LED. As a general rule of thumb, I hate those incredibly bright blue LED's.
 
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BTW the XS headphone has a circular window showing a tube - its a dummy - not in the circuit.

thanks for reminding me about LEDs, and how they are like wood panels, good or bad to look
at and does nothing for the sound.
 
It is a pretty easy job to short out an LED under a tube that the Chinese makers love so much. I got a Bravo Audio V2 headphone amp that had one of those obnoxious under-tube LEDs. Simply soldering a very thin lead across the two LED pads shuts it off and if you ever want the LED back, just snip the shorting lead. I used a lead that I cut off a 1/4-watt resistor. It also had a very bright red LED to indicate power on. I replaced that with a much tamer green LED. As a general rule of thumb, I hate those incredibly bright blue LED's.

Thanks for the info!
 
BTW the XS headphone has a circular window showing a tube - its a dummy - not in the circuit.

thanks for reminding me about LEDs, and how they are like wood panels, good or bad to look
at and does nothing for the sound.
So the same goes for the 728a? The tube in the window is ornamental? Wish they didn't do that!
 
don't know about the 728, perhaps find a schematic and picture of the insides to verify.

in any case, if it's a dummy, then you get an extra tube, maybe even a dup.

but this was the headphone amp, if the 728 looks into the pcb then
probably not.
 
I just got one to feed my Prima Luna. Sounds pretty darn nice to me for sure. I too wish they didn't add the ornamental 'tube' in the window but I guess it's a poor man's substitute for an 'open' tube preamp. I like the solenoid-like input switch and the smooth acting tone and volume controls. I noticed some Wima PIO's in there plus a one rectifier per channel. It's a nice sized unit with some heft due to the transformers under the hood. I'd say for the price and what you get, this is a steal for a pure tube preamp. I still use a Schiit Loki in between them for a little extra sound shaping capabilities when required.

I'm quite smitten with this new setup.
 
I just got one to feed my Prima Luna. Sounds pretty darn nice to me for sure. I too wish they didn't add the ornamental 'tube' in the window but I guess it's a poor man's substitute for an 'open' tube preamp. I like the solenoid-like input switch and the smooth acting tone and volume controls. I noticed some Wima PIO's in there plus a one rectifier per channel. It's a nice sized unit with some heft due to the transformers under the hood. I'd say for the price and what you get, this is a steal for a pure tube preamp. I still use a Schiit Loki in between them for a little extra sound shaping capabilities when required.

I'm quite smitten with this new setup.

pictures?
 
I might try to snap a few shots of the new layout this weekend. I've still got to move my ground distribution block but after much grousing and experimentation, I think this setup will stand the tests of time.
 
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