Nutube is the word of the day at NAMM - Vox and Korg Nutube pedals

[joecool85]

Vox has launched a new series of pedals based around the Korg Nutube.  They feature fancy waveform displays on their topside and Nutube electronics on their insides.  At the same time, Korg has released a DIY Nutube OD kit that is...solderless.  Not sure how I feel about that as it is basically an IKEA effects pedal kit now.  Knowing Korg, the quality will be there no doubt, I'm just not sure the customers will.

https://www.gearnews.com/namm-2020-vox-launches-valvenergy-series-with-four-nutube-loaded-pedals/

https://www.gearnews.com/namm-2020-korg-nutekt-od-s-build-your-own-drive-without-soldering/

[Jazz P Bass]

Ibanez also uses a NuTube in the new Tube Screamer.

[tonyharker]

As far as I can see these Nu-tubes are just a gimmick. You dont get a lot of gain from them so they are not going to have much effect to the signal.  Snake oil

[joecool85]

As far as I can see these Nu-tubes are just a gimmick. You dont get a lot of gain from them so they are not going to have much effect to the signal.  Snake oil

I disagree. While I haven't played with one myself, I've listened to a bunch of clips of the Vox MV50 series, the AC in particular. It sounds fantastic! How much is the nutube and how much is the rest of the circuit if anyone's guess right now though.

[flester]

I had been wondering about those. It is sort of suggested that they have all the goodness of tubes without the drawbacks. I wonder...

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[Loudthud]

The NuTube can definitely add some even harmonic sweetness that tubes are known for. There are other ways to do the same that don't cost $50 bucks USD. (One cost estimate I heard.)  Although the gain is low, so is the B+ limit. So headroom refereed to the input is about the same.

Can anyone verify the price ?

[joecool85]

The NuTube can definitely add some even harmonic sweetness that tubes are known for. There are other ways to do the same that don't cost $50 bucks USD. (One cost estimate I heard.)  Although the gain is low, so is the B+ limit. So headroom refereed to the input is about the same.

Can anyone verify the price ?

$49.99 here: https://diyaudiostore.com/products/korg-nutube

[g1]

It is sort of suggested that they have all the goodness of tubes without the drawbacks.

Drawbacks like sockets maybe?   
A major part of 'the tube experience' is guys can obsess over that last 1% of their tone by rolling tubes (instead of actully playing their instrument  ).
Without sockets, you have essentially a permanent, non-degrading device.  I think the novelty of what is basically being used as a diode that you can see flashing as it works (tubescreamer) may be short lived.  Or I could be wrong and it may end up pretty much a $50 mojo chip.  Maybe the early runs are climbing in value already. 

[willpirkle]

Two years ago, one of my students did his senior project with a NuTube (which was practically brand new at the time, and he was able to get free parts from Korg somehow). The project was a guitar preamp, and he had nothing but problems with it; noise levels were awful, and it took a lot of shielding and HF compensation to keep the thing from squealing/hissing. Now, the student did not lay out a proper PCB (against my protests, but he ultimately ran out of time) and tried using prototype-boards (solder-type) but man, he had a ton of noise problems with that thing. Perhaps Korg has some (actual) reference designs now that address the noise issues. I got the impression that it was a sort of gimmick device.

[joecool85]

Time will tell I suppose.  I think that the real direction will inevitably be DSP type emulation of tube circuits.  Fender has their Tone Master series that are basically DSP amps stuck in one emulation mode.  People seem to like them and they are cheaper and lighter than the tube variants of the amps.  I'm honestly waiting for a Tone Master version of the Fender Blues Jr - that would be perfect for me!

Nutube, I feel, is going to be a good middle place to get people moved from tubes to SS.  That said, I have to say that all the Nutube stuff I've heard has sounded pretty great.  It may be too difficult to deal with as a DIY type thing though, leaving it only to manufacturers.

[blackcorvo]

As far as I can see these Nu-tubes are just a gimmick. You dont get a lot of gain from them so they are not going to have much effect to the signal.  Snake oil

I disagree. While I haven't played with one myself, I've listened to a bunch of clips of the Vox MV50 series, the AC in particular. It sounds fantastic! How much is the nutube and how much is the rest of the circuit if anyone's guess right now though.

This demo from 2017 shows the sound of the NuTube itself. It's indeed very tube-y:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXUYgi6GB3I

[g1]

I would have to disagree that that is the sound of the nutube itself.
His circuit can not drive a speaker.  And at times you can hear him dial in some tremolo (particularly near 2m22s).
So I'm guessing he's using the circuit like a pedal at the input to a guitar amp.  It's possible all it's doing is some clean boost to overdrive the amp input.

[Loudthud]

Nelson Pass designed a preamp with the NuTube and released it via the diyAudio store. A number of people have reported microphonic issues sometimes cured with foam between the NuTube and the PCB. Seems to be a hit or miss kind of thing.

Keep in mind that there is no second source and Korg could discontinue making them at any time. Wait 'till you can't tell the real ones from the fakes from ... you know where they come from.