How do I make my Mini 7 sound faster?

Dear Dr. Jon Wong,

I have the Mini 7 which I brought from Hong Kong. I find the sound towards the mellow side, is it possible to make the pre-amp sound faster and with more punch?

Dave

Hello Dave!

I suppose you are refering to the Audio Space Mini 7 pre-amplifier. If your Mini 7 is the earlier version, you should be having Jan tubes for the 12AX, and Amperex type for the 12AU7. Later Mini 7 are tweaked for more musical and beautiful presentation.

In my article on ‘Searching for the Ultimate Pre-Amplifier’, I have analysed the different combination of the tube types (not brand) for the Marantz 7 design. Personally, the 12AU7 is the most unfavourable type for me.

One easy solution, is to replace the 12AU7 by a good 12AT7. There should be no re-adjustment required, and is very safe if you perform the valve change sometime after the machine is turned off.

You should find the Mini 7 with more muscular punch. Perhaps at the expense of some musicality, but still excellent as a musical sounding pre-amp.

Finally, you can stick a Singapore 5 cent coin behind the Mini 7, close to the power supply side. You will find this helps as well.

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