Thanks for the kind comment. I do sometimes feel my perspective is possibly unwelcome as it seems to go against the general tendency to think if you “spend more, everything will sound better”…or “you don’t know what you’re missing”.
I do know what I’m missing but I do my best not to let it interfere with enjoying what I have.
In my experience there seems to be so much more that needs to be taken into account for the enjoyment of music than hearing it through the “latest and greatest” (and often the most expensive) gear.
I admit that It does feel smetimes after posting that I should have just 
So thanks again 
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Like @prfallon69 said, all perspectives should be appreciated, one can be completely content in what they have, while others can find joy in the pursuit of smaller and smaller improvements.
We all have value to add, it’s when one is silent, that they don’t provide value to the whole.
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It’s not unwelcome.
I wanted to know what others with high-end equipment were hearing, so visited a local audiophile store and gave 'em a listen. My take away was that, while I can indeed hear slight differences, I truly don’t care above the $1,000 headphone price point. Fatigue and mood are much more important beyond that. Some products are expensive due to the use of flagship construction materials and style. Also, after I started producing music myself I recognized the causes of the differences and how easy it is to manipulate sound and nuances.
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Definitely agree. On a rough day, sometines even the best won’t cut it. On a better day, good can sound great and bring a great deal of listening pleasure.
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Hi @Hellenback, it’s always good to hear from you. I live in the UK so aren’t able to attend meets like some of the guys who live quite near each other. As well as the big Audio shows that seem to come aroud quite often. It’s something that’s out of my hands though so I don’t worry about it. A few of the more regular posters do chat a lot about their higher end Amps and Dac’s and I always follow their discussions with great interest. I don’t begrudge them having the gear at all because it’s what I would do if I were able to afford it. I mean I sometimes wish I could get more involved on the hardware side of things but I have to be happy with what I already have. I own some quite expensive gear as it is. I just can’t afford as much as I would like.
One of my biggest regrets is that I can’t get as involved as much as I would like in the technical discussions because I have no scientific background at all. I also don’t have any experience with the electronic side of things either as quite a few seem to have. However I always try to give my thoughts where and when I can. I am a passionate amateur really and can’t compete with a lot of posters but i have never been made to feel anything but welcome here. It’s a really inclusive forum and the only one around that I feel I wont be belittled for my lack of knowledge. I think that the guys at Headphone.com and Ian aka @Torq should be proud of what’s been created here.
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H@prfallon69
Agree with you on this as well. It is certainly remains more civil and friendly than another well-known forum becomes at times 
I suppose my reticence comes down to a sense that beyond a certain point, I don’t feel I have much to offer as I don’t buy much gear and you can only talk so much about what you have so many times.
I’ll definitely stick around and keep up with certain threads. If only to see how much the technology develops to allow for some “trickle down” to those of us not able/willing to spend the big bucks. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. 
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The biggest improvements that i found with this amp is:
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Using a better power, ie. ifi ipower 12v
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Better tubes. As i been collecting 1940’s and 1950’s JW WE396a tubes I tried them, I tried Bendix 2C51, Tung-Sol 2c51, LM Ericsson 2c51L goldpin, and other rare and not so rare tubes. I agree to use common sense on how expensive of a tube to use. The 3 that are under $50 for the pair and I highly recommended are:
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1950’s GE 3 mica 5670 D Getters. Not the 1970-80’s 2 mica with round getter
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Reflektor 6N3P-DR 3 mica tubes with gold grid
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CBS/Hytron double getter post support versions
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Can you rank/review these tubes? I do have the 5670’s and WE396a’s and they are just about equal in sound. Sad so many have stated these WE 396a’s are so treasured that they should be preserved for high end gear. Makes me thing about getting high end gear, hee hee. aiyiyi
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we396a’s actually differs based on the type you have. the best in terms of WE’s are
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JW 2C51 WE’s and they were only made in late 40’s to mid 50’s.
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Non JW WE 396a/2C51 D getters from late 40’s to mid 50’s
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Non JW WE 396a D getters (4 digit date code) from 56’s to 60s
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WE 396a O getters from late 60s to 70s
Between the 3 I listed:
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I rank the Reflektor 6N3P-DR 3 Mica tubes as first for this amp as its a very engaging tube and not overly sterile/analytical like the 1970-80s GE5670 O getter
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The CBS/Hytron double getter post support versions (mainly from 50s) are 2nd as in general they sound somewhere in between of JW 2C51 and 1950s GE 3 Mica JG5670
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The 1950s GE 3 Mica JG5670/5 Star versions are a close 3rd in that they are very linear, airy treble and good bass. The only knock on these are the mids for me
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Is the improvement from using the ifi ipower due to a noticeably lower noise floor, a higher current and consistent voltage, and/or both? I am using the iPower supplies for my various DACs, but haven’t considered using it as a power source for an amplifier. Curious what your thoughts are on this specific point.
I replaced the stock supply with a jameco switching 5 amp because I trust the brand as a whole for at least a reliable and consistent power supply source. But I’m a tinkerer and always questing for improvements if there are any to be (reasonably) had. If you have any more thoughts or experience with using the ifi 12v instead, would love to get any additional info.
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As I would need to quantify/measure any changes to noise floor or flux in voltage to answer your question, therefore I can’t. And to have an audible noise floor in the first place would make this a crappy amp. That said, what I did notice audibly is a clearer presence in the notes, tightening of lower frequencies, ie. less bass distortion, and made tube swapping more noticeable.
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Thanks for the objective response, makes sense to me. I’m sure I’ll think of a way to justify another ifi iPower for the collection ha.
Thanks guys. Great info for when I break down and buy this (apparently) surprising little tube amp.
It’s not much of a gamble to take for a second bedroom set-up. And the fact that it’s optimized for balanced out is almost too good to believe.
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I ordered my P20 7+ wks ago, still waiting for it to arrive. Did anyone else here wait this long?
I contacted the seller, but not sure what they can tell me…
(thanks)
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I had same day amazon delivery. Even if I ordered on Ali Express, it wouldn’t have taken that long.
No. I ordered immediately after Zeos Pantera’s and @antdroid’s original tips. After Zeos posted his review on Youtube they started selling out.
What’s confusing is on March 9th, 2 days after my order, Amazon emailed me that the P20 had been shipped “Arriving: Friday, March 1 - Friday, March 22.” That 3+ week arrival seemed lengthy, but I had other stuff going on and didn’t care.
Now I’m starting to care. Even bought a matched pair of GE 5670 3 mica square getter tubes to prepare for the P20’s arrival.
We’ll see what story the seller comes up with…
The red one shows availability on Amazon right now and black one backordered but should be available soon
My P20 took a while and it was quite an experience.
I ordered from AliExpress, from a seller that offered to ship either from Germany or China at the same price. I obviously opted for Germany as it was quicker and no risk of customs.
A couple of days later I got an email (all emails from AE sellers start with “Hello Friend” or “Dear Friend” 
) saying that they were sorry but the stock in Germany had run out. They said not to worry, they had stock on its way to Germany and would arrive in 3 days, then it would be shipped to me immediately.
A few days later, another “Hello Friend” informed me that there had been an issue with the shipping to Germany and that it was delayed. But not to worry, they had shipped more urgently to Germany and it would be there in 7 days, when the would urgently ship it to me.
Another “Hello Friend” told me a few days after this that they had issues at customs but not to worry, they would fix them soon and send me my product in a few days.
A couple of days later, the amp showed up in an Amazon prime box?!?!
(I think in total it was 3 weeks).
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Thanks to @pukkita and @bluesaint, my curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed a matched pair of GE 5670 3 mica tubes and some socket savers for the P20.
The 5670s move the Loxjie P20’s overall presentation toward my cleanest solid state amp, the Massdrop THX AAA 789. While there’s still a substantial resolution gap between the two, the P20 handles itself very well.
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P20 with factory tubes: a bit of high-end ring and hiss; tube slam; noticeable mid-bass tube bloom.
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P20 with GE 5670 3 mica tubes: cleaner and well-mannered with more detail and less bloom; still has elevated tube slam – but I literally fooled myself into thinking I was using the 789 a couple times.
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THX AAA 789: With back-to-back comparisons, everything goes into sharp focus and more mid to low end details appear. The 789 lets one perceive every single audio wart. The 789 also goes deeper with more precision than the P20.
For many users there’s likely no reason to go beyond the P20 (under $150 with new tubes and socket savers).
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