Eleven XI Audio Formula P1000 Preamplifier

I have been using active monitor speakers since 2000. I chose them at the time because the 6-inch woofer was just right for use in my study. After more than ten years of use, the sound of these speakers has become more mature and refined.

I have been constantly tweaking the system configuration. I have used many preamplifiers over the years, and even designed one myself. A tube preamplifier completed in 2008 used tube rectification, 5687 for voltage regulation, and ECC81+ECC82 for amplification and output. The effective output amplitude reached 94.5V (peak-to-peak). The sound quality was delicate, smooth, and shiny like porcelain.

Another preamplifier that I am most satisfied with was completed this year. It features a fully transistorized circuit, is fully balanced, fully discrete, DC amplified, and Class A. While achieving dazzling technical specifications, it also delivered excellent musicality. Feeling proud, I cloned one and gave it to a good friend in Jinan. A few days later, he called to say that he had put away the imported branded tube preamplifier he was previously using.

The sound evaluation is that it is very full, vocals have body, instruments have timbre, and there are rich overtones from low to high frequencies. It has richness and dynamics, and is almost suitable for all music genres.

Because modern digital audio sources have relatively high output levels, the gain setting is lower than traditional preamplifiers, accommodating both speaker and headphone systems.