TDS Passive Audiophile Buffer

[Lawrence001]

Anyone heard of (or even heard) this piece of kit? Before anyone goes slagging it off, be gentle, I've just bought it! Looking at reviews online, it seemed worth a punt. Will report back in due course.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 263248991433


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[Audio Al]

Was it thrown off a cliff ?

[Barry]

Was it thrown off a cliff ?

I'm sure the chipped paintwork could be easily touched up. :)

[montesquieu]

Was it thrown off a cliff ?

Indeed it has the 'look' of something purchased from that particular vendor.

I must admit I tried a few of these sound improver gizmos over the years, I guess they were needed back in the 80s when CD technology was in its infancy and not a few of them sounded like the aural equivalent of having paint stripper thrown on your eardrums. (Thankfully things are a bit better now. ) Some like the Whest DAP10 were active, others like the Marantz DLT-1 were transformer based. From the description this one has inductors in it. So might be buggering around with the phase.

Always worth a bash but I think you might find it won't necessarily be a keeper. What problem is it you are looking to solve?

I have had some good experiences in some setups with buffers (valve or solid state) that attend to mismatched impedances but I don't really count those as sound improvement devices, more a technical fix to a specific and measurable problem. (Though some are sold as such and even have controls that vary the effect!).

[struth]

If its any good you could always rebox it

[RothwellAudio]

"Passive" and "buffer" are pretty much incompatible. It's true that you can raise the input impedance and lower the output impedance using a passive circuit but only if you're prepared for a huge reduction in signal amplitude. It would be interesting to know what's inside.

Off at a slight tangent, when looking at your link I noticed this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rothwell-Indus-passive-preamp/232508371950?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.M BE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D46150%26meid%3D2410a1bb79c846a 4a2c2c97826ef19c2%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D 12%26sd%3D263248991433&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

An absolute bargain!

[normmc]

Hi. Run two of these as I have two transports and DACs. I find I would rather have them in my system than not. Where over £350 when new some years ago.

[Lawrence001]

Was it thrown off a cliff ?Lol certainly looked like it. As it happens it turned up in good nick with one small chip on the corner and a bypass switch at the front. No idea what happened but I'm not complaining!

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[Lawrence001]

Indeed it has the 'look' of something purchased from that particular vendor.

I must admit I tried a few of these sound improver gizmos over the years, I guess they were needed back in the 80s when CD technology was in its infancy and not a few of them sounded like the aural equivalent of having paint stripper thrown on your eardrums. (Thankfully things are a bit better now. ) Some like the Whest DAP10 were active, others like the Marantz DLT-1 were transformer based. From the description this one has inductors in it. So might be buggering around with the phase.

Always worth a bash but I think you might find it won't necessarily be a keeper. What problem is it you are looking to solve?

I have had some good experiences in some setups with buffers (valve or solid state) that attend to mismatched impedances but I don't really count those as sound improvement devices, more a technical fix to a specific and measurable problem. (Though some are sold as such and even have controls that vary the effect!).Not really a problem to solve, I was intrigued when I saw the listing and did some research which led me to put in an offer. But it might go well between my class d amp and passive pre.

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[Lawrence001]

Hi. Run two of these as I have two transports and DACs. I find I would rather have them in my system than not. Where over £350 when new some years ago.Now that is interesting, do you recall what difference you found they made before you went with them permanently?

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[Lawrence001]

I can see (or hear) why you keep them in!

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