Little Bear T11 preamp

cdm418

hi guys,
Im looking into a budget Tube Preamp, and came across the Nobsound Little Bear T11. This is a cheap china knock off, but I have read some good reviews after rolling the tubes. i primarily use my stereo to listen to vinyl, but i also have a bluetooth reciever connected to my current setup so i can stream Mp3's as well. My question is, is there any way to add an aux input on this little bear T11, or any pre amp that doesn't have an aux input for that matter. Is there some kind of adapter or switch that i could have my turntable connected to the phono input, but switch to Aux when listening to streaming music. heres a link to the amazon product page...

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Little-Turntable-Preamplifier-Pre-Amplifier/dp/B06XCM9NKV/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=little+bear+T11&qid=1580755172&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNFZTU0RNOFREMks3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODAwMDYwU1o0VkE3NzY2NjJTJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MTM5MjYxT0VJOFU4RVVDOFNVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Any help is appreciated!

treitz3

EDIT - See below

Tom

cdm418

Thanks! To clarify, this would go between my Little bear T11 preamp, and my Power amp? So turntable into T11, T11 and Aux into this switcher, then switcher connected to power amp?

mhardy6647

No practical way to add a line-level input (pass-through) to your small ursine phono preamp, however one could use a switch to connect it and another source to a single line-level input.

Such switch boxes are readily available and aren't (i.e., don't need to be) expensive.
The one @treitz3 already posted will work fine but is overkill for your needs.
Here's a 3-input, audio-only option, e.g., https://www.newark.com/mcm/50-6170/three-input-source-switch-box/dp/39C0727?st=audio switch box



DIY is also possible, but is probably more trouble than it is worth.

cdm418 wrote: »

Thanks! To clarify, this would go between my Little bear T11 preamp, and my Power amp? So turntable into T11, T11 and Aux into this switcher, then switcher connected to power amp?

EDIT: oops, see below.

treitz3

@cdm418 - Lord, I am confusing myself this afternoon.

Tom

mhardy6647

@treitz3 is correct (EDIT: but so, I think, was what the OP wrote). Bottom line: The OP should add a source selector switch upstream of his/her/their amplifier. The turntable's output (not shown in the little schematic below), of course, feeds the Little Bear thingy.

treitz3

@cdm418 - My apologies. The link I sent you earlier will NOT work the way I described because of the voltage difference between the outputs of source gear and a TT. A PHONO signal is typically 0.005 Volt and a line signal is typically 0.3 Volt. So, if you were to use a switch, the volume coming from any source gear other than the TT will most likely be deafening.

You need another pre-amplifier (not a phono pre) to use as a "Switch". Sorry for the confusion.

Tom

cdm418

Awesome! thanks for the diagram! I could use either switchbox, correct? I like the looks of that Newark one better

treitz3

Keep in mind, with no volume control for the other source gear? It's gonna be full blast and could damage your speakers. You need to attenuate the signal somehow. Some devices do offer a variable line level output. It would work in that case but if they do not? They will always be full blast.

Tom

cdm418

thanks for taking the time to explain! very helpful

mhardy6647

treitz3 wrote: »

Keep in mind, with no volume control for the other source gear? It's gonna be full blast and could damage your speakers. You need to attenuate the signal somehow. Some devices do offer a variable line level output. It would work in that case but if they do not? They will always be full blast.

Tom

oh, that's a rather good point! :
@cdm418, what are you feeding with your Little Bear? If it doesn't have a volume control, unless there's one on the Little Bear and one on the other source you want to use, you'll need to either add a "normal" active preamp ("linestage") or a passive attenuator. Such gizmos do exist, sometimes even with a source selector built in.

They're called "passive preamps" which is sort of an oxymoron... but sort of not an oxymoron, too... since it's ahead of the power amp. "Passive" means it has no active electronic circuitry. But I digress... I do that.

IF that's what the OP needs, here's one:
https://www.schiit.com/products/sys


Two inputs and a volume control; no active electronics. 49 smackers, "assembled" (or "manufactured") in the US.

treitz3 wrote: »

@cdm418 - My apologies. The link I sent you earlier will NOT work the way I described because of the voltage difference between the outputs of source gear and a TT. A PHONO signal is typically 0.005 Volt and a line signal is typically 0.3 Volt. So, if you were to use a switch, the volume coming from any source gear other than the TT will most likely be deafening.

You need another pre-amplifier (not a phono pre) to use as a "Switch". Sorry for the confusion.

Tom

@treitz, the Little Bear thingy is a phono preamp, so he's got the gain/EQ thing already for a turntable. The Little Bear has an EQ'd, line level output. I assume (???) it has not output level control.

cdm418

At the risk of further complicating things... would this make more sense. Instead of a little bear tube preamp for my phono stage, I could buy a Nobsound 12AX7 preamp without a phono stage. (link below). I currently have on hand and ART DJ pre II that I'm not using. I could plug the ART DJ as my phono stage into the Nobsound preamp, as well as the Bluetooth receiver into the nobsound preamp. This way both sources (turntable and Bluetooth) would benefit from the tube preamp. diagram below.

Nobsound preamp:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F3FDX7C/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=ADPE7GPX91ORE&psc=1

mhardy6647

It should work (i.e., it should do what you intend it to do).
Whether it's a good idea... well, that's kind of up to you.

To wit:
* Why do you want to buy a cheap Chinese knockoff linestage now instead of a cheap Chinese knockoff phono preamp? What value-add do you expect (note that the Schiit Sys costs about the same as the ART phono preamp cost new)?
* The ART phono preamp isn't bad, but it's pretty much bottom of the bucket.

There's often a difference between low price and high value, you know. Or, to put it slightly differently, one tends to get what one pays for.

That said, it's your money, and your hifi, and your audio reproduction expectations.

cdm418

I totally understand you get what you pay for. I really like the warmth, and airy space that a tube amp offers, but in general they are extremely expensive. The cheap china knockoff's get decent reviews if you upgrade the tubes. my thoughts on getting the cheap linestage instead of the cheap phono, is that both sources would benefit from the tube stage, instead of just my turntable if I got the tube phono preamp.

treitz3

cdm418 wrote: »

At the risk of further complicating things... would this make more sense.

Yes. The components you listed and have in the diagram would work fine. You could also just look for a pre that has a phono stage built into it. KISS would be the reason why.

Tom

cdm418

Thanks tom! a tube pre that has a phono stage built in would be ideal, but then were back to my first problem of not having an Aux input. Appreciate the help.

mhardy6647

cdm418 wrote: »

Thanks tom! a tube pre that has a phono stage built in would be ideal, but then were back to my first problem of not having an Aux input. Appreciate the help.

A preamp/linestage that has a built-in phono preamp would almost certainly have other line-level inputs (i.e., AUX inputs) for your other source(s).

tonyp063

Given the budget & the requirements, I'd suggest you look for a used Schiit Saga
Equivalent to the current Saga +
And being as the T11 is a bit hot (~50dB) a little attenuation may not hurt.
Also, 6SN7s are fascinating.

I've got one. You may be pleasantly surprised

cdm418

Hi Tony. Thanks for the input. To clarify, you have a Schiit saga, or a T11?

tonyp063

Both actually.
A prior generation Saga & a T10 (modified as per that huge Vinyl Engine thread)