Conclusion:
The headphone amplifier market is in an interesting place at the moment, and it’s honestly never been a better time to be a personal audio fan. Amplification is, to a large degree, a ‘solved’ science, with many manufacturers offering affordable solid-state products with completely inaudible distortion, ample power, ruler-flat frequency response and near-zero output impedance. Which is great and all, but it’s almost a little…well…boring?. The current zeitgeist makes it all the more curious and refreshing to see a ‘zagger’ of a product like the Hagerman Audio Tuba – a product that’s unabashedly an all-analogue affair, with its twin EL84 tubes signalling a glowing beacon that tube audio is definitely here to stay for the conceivable future. The Tuba rewards the listener with a rich, luxurious tone but will still go happily go toe-to-toe with all but the most high-end of amplifiers in terms of resolution and musical insight.
The real feather in the cap of the Tuba is its versatility, and this is what makes it a genuine value proposition at its $649 asking price. Rather than providing a niche role for certain types of headphones, the Tuba can genuinely pair with all but hard-to-drive othos (from my experience and from the look of its specs – I didn’t have a pair of Hifiman HE6’s handy to put it to the test!), and likely for most future headphones you’ll be likely to encounter. Adding to the Tuba’s versatility proposition is the ability to roll tubes, making it possible to impart the sonic nuances of different varieties of the EL84 tube family into proceedings. I didn’t have any other EL84’s handy to test with the Tuba (which would have no doubt opened-up Pandora’s box when it came to the inevitable length of this review!), but the Tuba would no doubt prove to be a tube roller’s delight.
So, if you’re the kind of person that likes to enjoy your music served with a little more finesse, charm, and tradition, the Tuba is well worth a place on your consideration set – Jim Hagerman has created a superb tube amplifier for the price.
I’ll also guarantee you’ll enjoy having to answer the question “…what is that thing?” whenever you have visitors drop by.
Hermanni Savolainen
Great review! What are those earpads and head band on your grados. Looks good and super comfy.
Matty
Thanks Hermanni! The headband is from turbulentlabs.com/ and the pads are from beautifulaudio.biz
Hugo
Hey Matty,
Great review and music selection. I kept thinking “wow another great song, so rare to see”. Then saw your bio and it made sense.
I’m awaiting some a12t’s from 64 Audio (13ohms) and had been looking for a sub $1000 tube amp to match. The tuba may be it. Any thoughts on matchability?
Oh also, it seems some text got cut off. End of page 3. “(perhaps its line-level”….
Cheers
Matty
Cheers Hugo, it’s all about music enjoyment at the end of the day! Reputation-aside, I don’t know too much about the impedance curve of the A12t’s, I suspect that a 5 ohm output impedance *might* affect the response. I’d suggest contacting the manufacturer.
Mark
How would this pair with the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home and HD660S?
Thanks!
Matty Graham
I’m sure it’d be a fine match for either – I’d suggest that the 250-ohm Beyer would use the “HI” output, and the 150-ohm Sennheiser would be best matched with the “LO” output to ensure correct frequency response, but it would be interersting to see how the HD660s responds to the higher-impedance output.
Mark
Thank you!
Jim
Thanks for the thoughtful review! I own a Hagerman Audio Labs Castanet (Jim Hagerman’s
first headphone amp) and it’s a great piece of HiFi gear. The Tuba is based on the Castanet ‘s circuit topology but uses different tubes. It’s another excellent product offering outstanding value for the money. And then there’s the 10 year transferable warranty.
Amazing value!