If you are looking for the best tube amplifier for home theater, then you will come across the Rockville BluTube 70w tube amplifier. Rockville Tube amplifier has decent sensitivity and THD. The frequency response shows it can go as low as 25Hz. You can connect multiple devices to it and play any one of them choosing the correct input.
The amplifier sounds bigger than it is. It is best for audiophiles who love tube amplifiers and their type of audio. The sound has a warm and natural tone. The bass is adequate and while you can’t add any sub to the Original BluTube 70W amp, you can do so with the other versions. The Rockville BluTube review focuses on both its positive and negative aspects.
Connecting any passive bookshelf speakers, TVs or turntable are quite easy and takes only few minutes. The user manual is detailed and helpful. Along with these, you can also insert your headphone to it. The USB gives additional option to charge any USB device. Overall, the audio quality is outstanding, the quality is very good and the cost is legit.
Table: Rockville BluTube amplifier Original and its versions:
The BluTube WD is another amplifier similar to the Rockville BluTube Original amplifier. There are two other models, the Rockville BluTube SG and Rockville BluTube LED. The specs of these models are same as the Rockville WD amplifier.
Rockville BluTube review:
Without further ado, lets dive into the Rockville BluTube 70w tube amplifier review.
Specifications:
The Rockville BluTube amplifier specifications are detailed, and the website mentions everything clearly.
- Power: 25 watts x 2 RMS @ 8 ohm
- 35 watts x 2 RMS @ 4 ohm
- Frequency Response (±3dB): 25Hz-20kHz
- Input Impedance: 47kO
- Input Sensitivity: 300mV
- Output Impendence: 4-8ohm
- Total Harmonic Distortion: =0.02%
- SNR: =86dB
- Bluetooth: 2.1+EDR
- Unit dimension: 6″x10.2″x5.1″
Design and controls:
The Rockville receiver review will reveal its true characteristics, helping you to decide whether you will like it or not. The build quality is very good. The Rockville original BluTube amplifier has several knobs on the front panel: rewind/forward or play/pause, bass, treble, and volume knob. There is an input switch which lets you choose among AUX, BT/USB and Optical Coaxial. Comparing the Rockville BluTube amplifier, which most of the design and controls remain same, there are slight differences. Like, with eh Rockville BluTube LED amplifier, the knob and tubes will glow with blue light.
Setting up the amplifier doesn’t include much hassle and it also doesn’t take up a lot of space. The four tubes on the top of the amp are protected so that you don’t get burnt from the heat generated. There are two smaller tubes known as 6-in-1 triodes and are used as preamp, while the other two are beam powered tetrode tubes.
How does it perform?
This amplifier or receiver is ideal to use in home theater applications or even in professional music systems. Tube amplifiers are well-known for their warm sounding nature. It has a subtle and natural tone, and many users like.
It has a preamp and a power amp in it. You can connect bookshelf speakers to it to get clean, pure, and loud audio. the top of the amplifier/receiver has four vacuum tubes or tube amplifiers.
Connect 8-inch speakers to the amplifiers and it will run smoothly. These are known to produce warm and detailed audio. The sound will not show any clipping at high volume levels. With the inclusion of solid-state amplifier, the sound has excellent dynamics and precision. You can connect this power amplifier with passive speakers.
Whether you connect Bluetooth speaker, PA speakers or ceiling speakers, the audio is pleasing with decent bass and excellent clarity. Now, although technically there should be zero clipping but in real life even if you face any rare ‘clipping’ scenarios, it will not sound so bad. The reason is tube amps have a pleasing tone even when the sound clips.
You can connect it to your TV or use headphone to listen to music, the amplifier will deliver balanced and detailed audio irrespective of the type of input you are using.
How versatile is the Rockville BluTube Tube amplifier?
Rockville Tube amplifier has wide range of connections: CD RCA input, DVD RCA input, 3.5mm headphone out, USB port to connect USB device or use it for charging. The USB port supports WAV/MP3/WMA/APE/FLAC formats. You can connect TV, Laptop, computer, gaming console, CD/DVD/BluRay, CD, smart phone, MP3 or record player.
Based on the type of connection, you might need 3.5mm to RCA cable. In case you want to connect a turntable, make sure it has built in phono preamp or you have an additional phono preamp to go with. This is because the unit doesn’t have phono preamp built-in in it. While connecting speakers to the unit, make sure the total impedance is not less than 4 ohms.
The connectivity options and ranges increase with the other models. The Rockville BluTube SG, WD and LED has additional ports like HDMI which you can use to connect TV, gaming console or CD/DVD/BluRay player. there is Aux in to connect TV, PC, or other players. You can include an additional subwoofer into the Sub out port. You can go wireless with Bluetooth with all these units.
Rockville BluTube: Pros
- Can get quite loud
- Efficient
- Versatile
- Warm and natural sounding
- Hard-clip feature
Rockville BluTube: Cons
- Not a hybrid amp
Best Alternatives:
Let’s have a look at some of the best Rockville BluTube amplifier alternatives.
Rockville RPA60BT
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In case you want a home theater receiver, you can also have a look at a non-tube amplifier such as the Rockville RPA60BT. it can act as amplifier or mixer. It supports tuner, Bluetooth, USB and many more. You can connect 3 additional amplifiers with it. The receiver comes with a remote control and has several setting options.
Nobsound 6P1
This tube amplifier uses Class A type amp delivering outstanding audio quality. It has antimagnetic cover to deliver protection against interference. It has excellent tonal balance that drives the best out of speakers connected to it. Given that you connect a good pair of speakers, the amp helps to bring out the broad soundstage. Based on its cost, the amp performs way better.
Muzishare X7 KT88 x4
This Muzishare is an expensive amplifier packed with several features. It has MM phono stage so you can connect your turntable directly. The remote control simply allows you to adjust volume or mute it. The sound quality is full of energy, and shines with clarity in music and vocals. Overall, the performance is worth the cost.
INFI Audio Tube Amplifier HiFi Stereo Receiver
the design and controls are quite similar to the Rockville amp. It has wide range of ports: optical, coax, Aux, sub out, etc. with bypass function, you can turn off the tone control. With 25W of power, the amp can get quite loud. It is one of the best tube amplifiers under $200.
Parting words
There are different types of amplifiers available. Comparing tube amp vs solid state amp, the tube amp can get louder. They are also very responsive. Solid state amps are quite reliable. The cost vs performance of the Rockville 70W receiver is amazing and satisfying. The design is good, and it is quite sturdy.
Certain design flaws like the continuous blinking of LED light while in pairing mode can be an annoying issue because you can’t turn it off either. Among the other Rockville versions, while the audio quality is outstanding in all of them, you might want to choose one with more number of options. HDMI is always preferrable to connect TV, so the SG or WD will work well.
Bluetooth option makes you go wireless eliminated the number of wires spreading throughout the room. This receiver worked well with both indoor and outdoor speakers. However, you can always look for alternatives. Nobsound is quite popular for making tube amplifiers. There are wide range of options so you can choose one as per your budget and taste.
FAQ
This FAQ is here to solve some of your problems that may arise while walking in the pavement of BluTube Review. Let’s find out more!
How to use Bluetooth option to pair devices to the Rockville Tube amplifier unit?
- Check the front panel for an input selector switch, switch it to BT
- Turn on Bluetooth on your device
- Search for the Rockville model
- If asked for pairing code, insert 0000
- The setup is complete, the LED on the front will now become stable
What should I do if I hear humming noise?
The manual recommends letting the tubes warm up by playing it for a few minutes.
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