[avahifi]

We lifted the following from the Manley Labs facebook page. No its not their product!!!

Beware! Fake Tubes! If you are going to display the guts of the headphone amplifier in a glass chassis, do you think you could do a better job of hiding the fact that your tubes are soldered to the board, onto pads that lead to no circuit traces and with an orange LED providing that rich, warm glow? This brand is Enigma, indeed.

[Peter J]

But it does have tubes, so they can bang that drum 

Reminds me of a couple of electric items I've given as gags by just attaching a cord. Notably a scrub brush and a hoe.

The older crowd here will remember the days of CB radios being the hot ticket. Cool was defined by a big whip antenna on your vehicle. One could buy said whip that was not an antenna at all, but simply looked like one. Attach to vehicle and instant coolness...no radio needed!

It's sad though, that people will be taken in by the hyperbole.

[fado]

My father loved his fake mobile phone.

[Don_S]

Lifetime warranty on the tubes. 

[Rusty Jefferson]

Perhaps there are traces on the top surface of the board we can't see?  They don't appear to be hiding the LED bulb or socket installation on their website. They are clearly shown in pictures.

https://www.joyaudiokits.com/a1-ja-limited-edition

[Brett Buck]

We lifted the following from the Manley Labs facebook page. No its not their product!!!

Beware! Fake Tubes! If you are going to display the guts of the headphone amplifier in a glass chassis, do you think you could do a better job of hiding the fact that your tubes are soldered to the board, onto pads that lead to no circuit traces and with an orange LED providing that rich, warm glow? This brand is Enigma, indeed.

   Transistor radio manufacturers used to put transistors hooked up as diodes, and transistors not connected to anything, in the radio so they could claim high transistor count. There's really nothing to do with more than 8 transistors in a pocket AM radio, the best pocket transistor radio ever made has 8. But it was common to see 14-transistor claimed, and then find that 5 of them were only connected on one terminal (or not at all) and one used as a diode. Similar thing with old console tube radios, tubes used for trivial functions or not at all, just to be able to claim a high tube count.

    Brett

[Scroof Neachy]

No chance of tube rolling then? Count me out!

[Stu Pitt]

But it does have tubes, so they can bang that drum 

Reminds me of a couple of electric items I've given as gags by just attaching a cord. Notably a scrub brush and a hoe.

The older crowd here will remember the days of CB radios being the hot ticket. Cool was defined by a big whip antenna on your vehicle. One could buy said whip that was not an antenna at all, but simply looked like one. Attach to vehicle and instant coolness...no radio needed!

It's sad though, that people will be taken in by the hyperbole.

I guess I’m a few years younger... I remember people putting fake cellphone antennas on the rear window of their cars to make it look like they had a car phone. Instant coolness.

[dB Cooper]

Before cell phones were everywhere, there wer these things called 'beepers' (that cost about what a budget smartphone costs now!). Because they were so expensive, they sold fake ones that you could set to go off halfway through your boring-ass meeting so you could run out and take the fake call down at the pay phones (remember those?)in the lobby.

[SET Man]

Perhaps there are traces on the top surface of the board we can't see?  They don't appear to be hiding the LED bulb or socket installation on their website. They are clearly shown in pictures.

https://www.joyaudiokits.com/a1-ja-limited-edition

Hey!

   That's what I thought too.

    So, did this person who posted this on Manley Lab's Facebook actually have the unit and look inside it and trace the board?

   It doesn't make any sense for them to go through the trouble faking it, especially for $1560... ouch! I have a small hybird 9622 front and MOSFET out I think headphone amp I got off eBay for about $80 and yes the tube is in the signal path.

  Anyway, those tube pins are too big to be for 12AU7 9 pins tubes. They look more like sleeves. I think they are individual tube sockets that you solder on the PCB, I guess to save money and space. Although I've never seen this before but it could be.

Buddy

[pehare]

LED lit tubes would keep me from buying an amp - never mind this creation.  Like the newer Mac 275's and some versions of the Cary SLI-80 which are good amps.

[Rusty Jefferson]

LED lit tubes would keep me from buying an amp - never mind this creation.  Like the newer Mac 275's and some versions of the Cary SLI-80 which are good amps.

Please, don't be ridiculous. Apples and oranges. This discussion is about a little headphone amplifier.

I get the LEDs shining through the bottom of the tubes to make it look cool.  I have preamp tubes that you can barely tell are lit unless you're in a completely dark room.  That added nothing to the cost. Buying 2 tubes and sockets and installing them adds cost. If it sounds great as a solid state unit, word would get out. I'd be surprised if they weren't actually in the circuit. 

I see in some pictures other small amps designed by the same folks that use blue LEDs.  No pretense there. In at least one picture it appears the filament may be lit softly. (Insert who knows shrug emoji.)

[sebrof]

Hey!

    So, did this person who posted this on Manley Lab's Facebook actually have the unit and look inside it and trace the board?

I believe it was Eve Anna herself