Nutube headphone amplifier/NEX HR

Name: Nutube headphone amplifier/NEX HR
SKU: 16105
Price: 90.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.92 (3 reviews)

(3 Reviews)

New Nutube headphone amplifier with High resolution USB-DAC!

Designed by microwavemont in Japan

Product Retired

This product is no longer available for sale.

The seller may be offering an improved version or it may be hanging out on the beach, enjoying the retired life.

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2019-02-01T10:26:25.099Z-DyODeJQU0AIByG8.jpg-large..jpeg

On Dec. 15, 2025, my tindie store "micowavemont" trying restarting! Stay tuned!

New Nutube headphone amplifier with High resolution USB-DAC!

This item is retired and transferred to New version Type-E $152 or ultimate version. Both are supporting high-resolution audio (24bit/96kHz) so please consider these new version! What is it? I have m…

What is it?

I have made several Nutube headphone amplifiers, and this is the successor and the latest Nutube headphone amplifier with High-resolution (24 bit/96 kHz) USB DAC.

What makes it special?

High resolution DAC (TI/BB PCM5102A) with USB-I2S receiver (SA9023). This nice combination provides maximum 24 bit resolution with 96 kHz sampling rate.
Full USB bus power. Just connecting the USB cable (mini USB) is enough to drive everything. Careful PCB layout design with several DC line filter, no annoying noise related with USB line.
Wonderful Nutube sound. It looks like VFD but really double triode, provides mellow and marvelous vacuum tube sound.
MUSES8920 , the high-end audio op-amp also works as the impedance converter.
No need to install driver for Windows/OSX. Just connect cable and set the sampling rate/bit resolution to 96 kHz/24bit is enough to enjoy High-resolution sound!
Full drilled metal enclosure is included in this kit. This is basically released as "kit". All SMD parts are pre-soldered and fully tested. All you need to start is soldering several resistors and capacitors and audio jack.

iPhone operation is NOT supported with this amplifier due to power draw increase. Only PC/Mac operation is supported.

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (5.00)

Documentation: (4.67)

Shipping: (5.00)

Communication: (5.00)

Park | March 14, 2019

A very satisfying new generation NUTUBE DAC/AMP.

When I received the product, I was very impressed with the origami of the Korean flag.

The sensitivity of NUTUBE is good, so white noise is mixed to some extent, but it can be ignored enough.

The sound is very warm, powerful and soft. Build quality is also very good.

The seller 's response was also very friendly and impressed.

In short, this product is the best product to experience NUTUBE inexpensively.

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

I am so happy to read your satisfaction for Nutube high resolution USB-DAC amplifier! I hope you are enjoying wonderful Nutube life! Thank you!!

Matthew | March 6, 2019

An excellent and warm little amp

This is the second NuTube-based headphone amp I've put together, and it's another nice one. Assembly was quick and simple with no surprises. The sound is warm and characteristic of single-ended tube amps, which is exactly what you're after if you buy something like this! USB power and a tiny portable size makes this a great one to bring between home and work.

Two very small criticisms, easily overcome at home:
- There's no documentation of the function of the two trim pots, and as shipped the amp produces some fairly startling noises. My recommendation is before powering up, to turn them fully counter-clockwise (no sound), then slowly turn them up until you start to get artifacts, and back off. Tuning them within that range seems to have some small effect on tonality, but mostly volume.
- The case is a pretty tight fit, and microphonics from the NuTube can be noticeable, for example, when I drop a pen on my desk. The addition of some rubber feet essentially eliminated them except for the sharpest tapping on the desk.

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

Thank you for very detailed review for the product. As is pointed out, I need to make some more detail instruction for kit assembly. Initially I intended to release this item as "full assembled" version and I did not catch up to the situation to sell it as "full kit". I will try to make more detailed instruction sheet later. As for "body-phonic effect of Nutube", it is a characteristic of Nutube (because it is a vacuum tube, where "raw" electron is flying in free space.) But also I will try to fix (total reduction is impossble, but I will try to improve) this issue. I am very happy to see you are enjoying wonderful Nutube! Thank you!!!

Matthew | March 5, 2019

Very nice sounding amplifier and DAC

I wouldn't describe myself as an audiophile but I do appreciate good sound and this amp sounds nice.
The different components are divided out sensibly within plastic bags and it's all packaged securely. The Union Jack origami was a nice touch :)
Putting it together is simple and it comes with the same PCB diagram and part list print out as you can see in the listing.
Microwavemont was helpful and quick to answer my questions.

Excellent product!

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

Thank you for reviewing! I hope you are enjoying wonderful Nutube life!! Thank you!

microwavemont

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

89 Reviews | 1,037 Orders

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Nutube headphone amplifier/NEX HR

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New Nutube headphone amplifier with High resolution USB-DAC!

What is it?

What makes it special?

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

A very satisfying new generation NUTUBE DAC/AMP.

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

An excellent and warm little amp

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

Very nice sounding amplifier and DAC

Response from microwavemont | March 14, 2019

microwavemont

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