Little Bear B-4X _(Z Reviews)_ $100 Balanced Tube Amp 

i just gotta say Z.. u got me into this headphone world and u got me into the tube game. and now I own audio technica Ad's, Sennheiser's including 650's, tube amps, dacs, now this tube amp. you got me into this. you did this to me. and I thank you. keep doing you my man.

That cable came with my B4 and the wire says "sennheiser 99.99% silver pure" fun fact

B4 X gone give to ya

Bought this and run it balanced to focal elec with FiiO q5. Amazing sound stage and imaging. So far best combo I’ve found.

Bought the first Little Bear. Recommended it to one of my friends, who bought one as well. After a couple months of usage, both devices stopped charging and eventually stopped working. I guess there's a reason why they're cheap.

I have had this amp for over a month now and can say that while the opamp change to Burson V5i was interesting the biggest upgrade is to just make a better ground connection, copper tape and some solder did the trick and the difference was night and day.

The only way this item could be a rational choice would be to have it have a circuit that enables it to be run from the power brick as a little desktop amp ...without ruining the battery. Otherwise...I think keeping all the devices I have charged up (without forgetting them on charge) is already a pain in the ass...

Still the best purchase ever. Still available. Still works. Got a set of 5i and a set of discreet opamps for s&g's. Holy bat frak. Yes yes

I have been using this amp for almost 3 years now (with a one year break) with the Burson V5i's installed, and the screws have started to unscrew themselves and the volume knob creates static for a while after turning on and adjusting the volume. Still sounds good

I bought this little bear b4-x for $77 yesterday on aliexpress. It will arrive in like 2 years but it was a good price.

I've had this about a month now. Sounds great. On unpacking it I noticed the battery rattled. To fix it I put a 3mm sticky pad inside above the battery. No more rattling. Also the charger didn't work. The seller sent a new one straight away. No complaints now. Great amp for the price.

I like how Zeos and Metal571 go back an forth on the same products. Zeos is like "just buy these" and I was convinced to do so. Checking reviews I´ve found Metal571 and he goes into like analytical on it also convinced we to give it a try.

I was recently trying to google the difference in the Little Bears the other day. Thanks for making it easy!!

Loved the Loxjie tube amp, looking forward to some portable cheap tube fun.

But can you integrate this into your system finally? Or does it turn off when you plug it into the charger?

I bought one to use with my TIN HiFi P1's. It's my first time hearing tube sound and my god... I dont think I'll ever be the same again

Bought this. The balanced was out of phase and boxy sounding. The 3.5mm was OK but not really $99 OK. Overall very ehh/mehh

..... I seriously just got my Loxjie P20 in the mail yesterday. Scared to watch this now because everytime I watch a Z video I buy something else. Found his channel MAYBE a month ago and already have THX AAA 789, Sennheiser HD 6xx, Loxjie P20, and Periapt cables and I can't afford more :'(

What’s the meaning of a balanced output without a balanced input? Only more power?

Hey zelos I find both little bear devices better than any of my " high end" devices I find them convenient and really very good for listening to odd artifacts In music that has been recorded I can't complain about the noise floor but I haven't tried the little bears with my Beyer dynamic dt880 600 ohm but what the he'll here goes ....

Z thank you so much, this Amp is fucking awesome arrived yesterday and it made me emotional at at the quality of sound. Reviewers rock the hard work done thanks mr. Have ordered upgrade Burson V5i op Amps as it is so astonishing. Yahoo

does it still shut off when charging? edit: yes it does

So true about the CALs! Unfortunately the security guard at my work stole mine and my wife is complaining about the size of my headphone collection. I will miss these headphones forever. They called me on a Friday to tell me they had them. When I got there Monday morning, there was no record of them at all. They sound that good. I got them for $30! $30 for some of the most enjoyable headphones ever. Now I’m just trying to figure out how to sneak this little tube amp in the house. Wish they sold these at True Value Hardware or some other place that looks like you may find some cool piece of vintage gear NOS just sitting on the shelf lonesome and looking for a good home.

I ordered the DUEL V5i as it's balanced you need both, I must say the sound is so bloody amazing I have no words, brilliant.

I actually prefer tube gear that is as close to as clean and neutral as solid state because it still has something over solid state, it seems the other effects of a tube can still be there without coloring the sound. I have the schiit saga preamp and with the right tube you can have warm mid bass and rolled highs or with a different tube you can have highs with amazing sparkle and bass really close to as tight as solid state. Switching between passive and a clean tube like the Sylvania 6sn7 gtb, the signature is really close but the tube sounds much better to me, there is an improvement to the soundstage and just seems a little more realistic. It is subtle but I do prefer it myself. I think it's important to also say that the improvements I am hearing with that Sylvania tube is not present in all the tubes I have, I have around 20 6sn7 tubes, some of them actually can have a more compressed soundstage then the passive mode. I'm absolutely positive there are solid state preamps out there that would put the saga and my favorite tube to shame but from what gear I've owned I have always preferred tube preamps or hybrid integrated amps over purely solid state but I haven't really liked tube amps that use tubes for the output stage but again I'm sure for enough money there are great ones out there I just haven't heard any decent ones. It's also just fun and actually useful to be able to fine tune the sound of your system once you get a decent collection of tubes going.

Do you have to unplug this every time you want to use this like the non-upgrade version???

Yup there is plastic on the screen and yes it is hard to peel off, I have the B4-X. Currently waiting for two burson opamps.

His name was Oppenheimer. Loved the review

So how does the single ended sound compare to the b4? If you’re not planning on using the b4x balanced, is it still an upgrade?

This little bear plus the fiio q1 mark 2 for the ultimate balanced (and portable) starter kit!

I have B4 and I think to swap opamp to Burson V5i Dual and maybe cons to NICHICON.

Can this upgraded model be used while charging? That was one of the main drawbacks of the original.

Great price for the tube sound, I am enjoying my Sennheiser 58X much more than using a solid state amp

Has anyone tried changed the tubes in the little bear?i heard that changing the opamps (to the burson v5i i believe) makes a huge difference but i didn't found any info about the tubes

Zeos, I am fairly new to the audiophile world and was wondering if I could get a few of your opinions. I feel in love with the KEF Ls50 bookshelf speakers when I first heard them (I would be using them nearfield.) I was curious if you'd have any cheaper recommendations for speakers and a few suggestions as to amps to power them. Secondly, I was wondering how my audio setup would work. What would plug into my computer? What we be plugged into the amp? How do I know I need a DAC? Can I run speakers and headphones off the same amp? And lastly, would my microphone choice have anything to do with this setup? I know this is a handful of questions but any response would be appreciated.

EDIT BELOW KEEP READING>>> This purchase makes $450ish I have spent based on your reviews (Overnight Sensations at home, 4XX and this for the road).... My bank wants me to unsubscribe. Money very well spent so far though. Thanks Zeos EDIT- Oh god, please tell me I got a lemon or something. It just arrived and I raced to the mailbox to get it ASAP. Plugged it in and it destroys the sound quality. I know its supposed to mess up the sound in a unique way and all but this ruins everything Ive played through it. Everything. I tried longer cables to get it away from other devices. I tried playing it outside away from wifi and bluetooth. No change. The headphones sound 10X better plugged directly into my phone than into this. Theres a lot of static and garbled hissing noise with this. Do I need $5,000 dollar kosher, vegan, organic cables to get decent sound or what?? This will be headed straight back ASAP if I cant find a fix soon. I was hoping for a nice sound, just a little change, maybe a bit more power and I got the audio equivalent of a turd.

Can I plug my phone into this? And can I plug this in to my record player? Also do less anyone know if I need speakers that are powered or does this power them?

Dude, please get a gimbal stabilizer for your cam, it getting the viewer dizziness when you move your head around :S

So these don´t have the issues that plagued nutubes?

Absolutely putting this on the disposable income list.

Hey z have you gotten the Verum 1's yet to try on this? If they are any good I may consider getting one. The in-testing Verum 0.5 may be a great budget combo.

so I got mine a bit ago I am having a hard time using ANY headphones or earbuds with this there is just so much static noise anyone else have this issue?

One problem i have with this tube is that the sound is not centered at first, i have to push the volume knod upwards and then it will be centered

tubes are like seasoning ... they add some extra flavor to the sound

why is balanced always louder? the b4x, the thx aaa 789, the aune x7s. is that why it sounds better?

Once you go balanced and tubes you don’t go back!! What kind of input are you using there? To use a balanced output it requires 4 channels in, are you using that kind of input signal?

Did you hear about how Zeos died? Bear attack.

What was the song he was listening to at the start of the video? It sounded so familiar, I just can't put my finger on it...

My jumper wire that came with the little bear was starting to tear when I got it :(

wow, tuuuubes on the GO. Where is the bet way to get them if ure in Europa? Would love to try them with an accurate HP like Beyer 1990 Pro.

Got one. It's cool. My Blue MO-FI likes it. mucho smiles.😃

What do you say for mobile use? Does it get a lot of interferance from an cellphone?

could drive hd800 by balanced output?

Hey zeos, is there any desktop tube amps near $100 that competes with these?

Wrong amazon link sir

Thank you sir

speaking of dark voice Z, what tubes do you run on it?

Z can you please get an LG V40 to test headphones and tubes. It has a hifi quad dac and can drive 600ohms. I currently use HD 6xx's. I swear if I had another phone id send you mine to test.

Hey guys, which semi-open headphones would you recommend for under 200?

the upgraded version is gone again... just the normal B4 version is left now

That's a nice cable I really really really really really really nice cable

To me, it sounds more like a slow decay than reverb

How does this....compare to the Oreolus BA300S?

Xudoo XP-2 Pro or Little bear b4-X ???

Wish the b4 came with 2 cables. 1 longer to keep the b4 away from interference.

Does anyone know what headphone cable he uses? I can never make out what he says when he mentions it.

Unbalanced input with balanced output? Why? Only for the marketing and calling it balanced

Yea a new episode

do you get stereo sound with the akg 241 on the this amp

Those speaker stands...?

Wait Wtf I had these balanced version in my amazon now I go to purchase and only the old version is there? Even in your link! what happened?!

...and is this guy really reviewing audio gear with a GoPro strapped to his head in PJs? Yes, new viewer, he is. Now sit down and be entertained and enlightened. USA! USA !! USA!!!

hey guys I need some very appreciated help. I ordered the shure srh840 what amp would you guys recommend under $100

Thanks to the recommendation of z buy this amp. But I don't know which cable to buy to use the balanced connector. Could someone recommend me any?

14:31 so Soundstage is just Echo well , i'm shure some software players ( WMP , Winamp , BS Player , Foobar ... ) can do that if you want it

Not to be that guy but my father always pronounced it as "ray the on" for that tube manufacturer, also kick sss for picking up the little bear! :D

Will tubes sound good on the 58x ?

Can you listen while this is plugged in?

where is the link for the cables?

Where can I find the ursine cables

Does it work with active speakers?

After purchase my balanced output did not work. I fixed a solder bridge inside the unit when I realized the negative leads of the balanced output are tied together at the balanced connector. For a true balanced design this seems like fakery. Can anyone tell me if a truely balanced design should ever tie the negative leads of the balanced output together?

I basically find the little bears very good for critical listening ... just saying

make a video upgrading the opamps to bursons

I'm so astonished to see you review these, I literally have one of these in my amazon cart and am contemplating purchasing one of these. this over the B5 which should I get?

Will they power a t50rp nicely?

I'll buy it at a higgggh price STRANGAA

A hall is just a shaft sideways.

Before what Zeos?

Can you pair this with an lcdx

Could you do b5 review

Balanced output.. but only an unbalanced se input.. yeah that makes total sense >.> *rolls eyes*

Marshall Monitor review?

cal review???

Can you review the Sony SS-CS5 speakers?

The little Bear b5 is only 50$ now

Does the the tube amp effect the ba driver iem sound ?

What do you mean by "overrecorded"? Too much going on?

There’s also a cal live 2 headphone that is supposed to be an improved version of the live 1

Hi Z