TUBE Mini Specifications
- ESS SABRE Audiophile DAC up to 24-bit/384kHz PCM, and up to DSD256 (11.2MHz)
- Raytheon JAN 6418
- USB bus-powered, No driver required, plug and play with Windows 10 & 11 and all versions of macOS. Compatible with Apple, Android, Mac and Windows computers with USB or USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 input
- Maximum power output: 1W @ 8 Ohms
- Frequency response (amp): 20 Hz – 46 kHz (-3dB), signal to noise ratio: 100dB
- Anodized aluminum chassis
- Available colors: black, silver, blue, and red
- Dimensions (W, H, D): 107mm x 35mm x 7mm, Weight: 49g
- Designed and assembled in New York, USA
- Three-year limited warranty [learn more]
Sound – General
I haven’t reviewed a tube driven portable amp or DAC/AMP in quite a while but the 2 units the TUBE Mini does remind me of are the ALO Audio CDM (DA/AMP) and the Continental V5 amp. Yup, old stuff.
The TUBE Mini at all times sounds powerful and energetic, but it never sounds forced or aggressive. It’s quite easy on the ears and not very difficult to listen to, even for longer periods without interruption. The TUBE Mini is more neutrally tuned and it has just enough soft tube goodness. The warmth and smoothness are present in the delivery but not overly so, and for some this might sound very much like a slightly warmer sounding solid state design. However, if you have a lot experience with tube amps (portable and desktop) you can and will clearly hear the difference.
The TUBE MINI DAC part is precise and it has excellent separation. That said it isn’t the most refined, layered or extended. It’s a more concentrated, bold, centered type of sound. The sound stage width and depth is good but not spectacular, and layering and depth have the biggest margin for improvement. All-in-all you get a balanced sound, with for me excellent upper mids and vocal tuning.
The TUBE Mini’s strongest parts for me are its power, the full bodied presentation (but not overly thick), its easygoingness, soft top end and high musical level.
I would at all times recommend using the balanced output the get possible performance. That said, I do quite like the Single Ended output with my Beyerdynamic headphones. As the TUBE Mini is marketed as a DAC/AMP that can drive full-sized headphones, we will focus on that in this part on sound.
Sound – Synergy
The TUBE Mini was developed to work well for harder to drive full-sized headphones such as the Diana’s and Hifiman Susvara just to name a few. The idea is that you can take your favorite full-sized headphone with you when you are traveling or working and still get almost the same sound quality as with your desktop gear DAC and Amp at home.
As such we in this chapter will focus on these harder to drive headphones. That said, I have used the TUBE Mini with a series of regular to drive headphones such as the popular Hifiman and Meze Audio headphones, but it really had no issue driving those at all. The TUBE Mini is not a device to use IEMs with. For that it is too powerful and not sensitive enough, and that most likely will result in either picking up noise or your IEMs being way to loud sounding.
To start of with a bang, I hooked up the notorious Hifiman Susvara. It is one of my personal favourite headphones, when combined with a technically strong reference amp like the Headonia, Envy or PDA-1b. I was surprised to hear the Susvara sound as good as it did, and especially the overall weight, body and bass presence were remarkable. The PRaT and technical level was quite good and the delivery the tuby smooth. Nom the Susvara can and will sound better when powered by a desktop rig, but as an on the go back-up solution, it’s more than just fine.
If you have been reading my latest reviews you already know I like the Diana and TUBE Mini combo, as I was using that when traveling in the US. The Diana TC is the hardest to drive Diana, but the TUBE Mini absolutely nails it. Full body, high technical level, great dynamics and smooth musical tubeness. Even though the TC will sound even better on a high-end desktop setup, the TUBE Mini comes pretty close to delivering you the full TC experience. The MR – which one our Product of the year award just a few weeks ago – also shines with the TUBE Mini. In fact, the combo sounds even better and the MR sounds full, with impactful, punchy bass and a very high dose of dynamics. The delivery is smooth, musical and engaging. If you haven’t had a change to listen to the MR yet, you’re missing out on a great headphone. Top marks for the Diana and Woo combo.
When switching to the Hifiman HE-500 – another famous headphone for its drivability – the TUBE Mini impresses again. The HE-500 has a good amount of body and bass impact and with the airy and well executed separation, the HE-500 and Woo combo is a pleasure to listen to. Like with the Susvara, it is clear the HE-500 will sound better on a full desktop rig, but the quality level here is impressive. When switching to more recent planar magnetic headphones like the DCA Expanse and Stealth, you immediately get that excellent synergy again. Both the DCA’s sound full, engaging, fast and musical.
When switching to something more annoying like the Sennheiser HD 800 S, the story is more complicated. The Senn sounds good, but it’s quite far away of how it can sound when combined to a top level OTL tube amp such as the Feliks Euforia EVO. Missing here especially are the body and weight, and you get a fast, precise but lighter sounding HD800S with little bass presence and impact. Even though you can hear the TUBE Mini’s tube flavour here, this isn’t the best combo for the Sennheiser for me. Another high impedance headphone I wanted to try with the Woo was the Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO. After hearing the Senn and Woo combo I wasn’t very optimistic, but the TUBE Mini proved me wrong. The Beyer sounds full, has excellent bass, a smooth top end and lovely dynamic and musical presentation with a smooth twist. It really is an excellent combo, a nice surprise. I even liked it so much I continued listening to that setup for the rest of the day.
Conclusion
The Woo Audio TUBE Mini is the perfect DAC/AMP if you want to listen to your full-sized headphones when your regular desktop DACs and amplifiers aren’t available. The TUBE Mini has enough power to drive almost all of your favorite headphones, and it does it in a musical way with a tube twist.
Don’t expect the TUBE Mini to make your high-end headphone just sound as good as on your home system, but the quality you get from this tiny $499 DAC/AMP is quite impressive. For a dongle type DAC/AMP, the TUBE Mini isn’t cheap but it does what it claims to do and it’s probably the closest you will get to your home system. What’s not to like?
Pro:
- Build quality
- Tube flavor in a portable device
- Power
- Musicality
Cons:
- Sensitive
- Workflow
- Price
Page 2: Specifications, Sound General, Sound Synergy, Conclusion, Summary
