Jolida Fx10

I agree. I have one driving a pair of JohnBlue JB3 single-driver speakers in an office nearfield setup and the combination is really exceptional, especially considering the cost and size of the gear.

I'm curious, I bought mine used and it came with Electro-Harmonix tubes. Are those the stock tubes?

I'm using it without the glass enclosure because I like the way it looks better that way. It's just a hair over 8" wide, just a little under 8" deep, including the speaker terminals, and 5" high without the feet that also serve as fasteners for the glass enclosure.

I'm really enjoying the FX10 and the only thing that has bugged me was that the blue LEDs under all the tubes seemed incredibly bright, overwhelming the real glow of the tubes with an unnatural electric blue color and really lighting up the room.

I pulled all the tubes and put two coats of deep red fingernail polish on the tip of each LED in the recessed center of the tube socket. Worked perfectly. It cut down the brightness by about 2/3 so that it matches the orange tube glow much better and changed the color to a soft bluish-purple that looks very much like the glow you get with some tubes.

If you try it, make sure the first coat is completely dry before applying the second or it will turn into a sticky mess, a lesson I learned with doing the same thing to a Peachtree Decco.

Thanks, Pizzatheorem. Mine came with Electro Harmonix tubes all around.

I've picked up some alternative tubes that I've been really happy with. I traded some nice El-34's from another amp for a selection of vintage RCA and Tung-Sol 12ax7's and some re-issue Tung-Sol's, all of which sound better to me than the stock Electro Harmonix tubes.

I'm running some Russian 6P14P-EV's in place of the EL-84's and those have been a nice surprise. I also picked up a quad of old Brimar El-84's that sound wonderful but I'm saving those for 'special' times, which means I'll probably never get around to using them.

I'm still extremely happy with the FX10. With a MacBook Pro feeding a Nuforce uDAC and on to the FX10, then to the JohnBlue JB3's it's a very satisfying office system.

I don't have anything to add about the amp itself beyond what I wrote earlier. I use it every day and really enjoy it, have had zero problems. The 6P14P-EV tubes and re-issue TungSol 12AX7's have become the default setup, very quiet and good sounding.

I did replace the Nuforce uDAC between the FX10 and the iMac with an Aune Mini DAC SE and that was a tremendous improvement for not much more money than the uDAC.

Sorry, I can't advise you about a match with your KEF speakers. When I bought the FX10 I did try it in my living room both with a pair of Soliloquy SAT5 monitors and my Devore 8 floorstanders, neither of which is particularly sensitive. The FX10 sounded great with either pair in an 11 x 17 room but I didn't try to drive the speakers very hard.

Definitely audition them with your speakers. Whether it works for you may also depend on the size of the room. Ten watts isn't a lot but my FX10 has more than enough power in an 11x11' office with a pair of fairly inefficient single-driver speakers. I continue to be amazed at how satisfying the sound is and I've had no problems with the FX10 listening to it several hours a day.

If you're new to tubes the FX10 is a good introduction. The auto-bias feature means you don't have to deal with that for awhile. Some tube amps that aren't auto-bias make it easy to set the bias manually but some are a pain in the ass to deal with.

Another advantage is that upgrades to the EL84 and 12ax7 tubes are relatively inexpensive and the amp does respond well to an upgrade from the stock EH tubes.

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I agree with Mikirob that you can have a great time with swapping tubes in the FX10 and that it's possible to make an improvement in the sound of the stock tubes.

If you're not comfortable with navigating the world of NOS tubes by yourself there are some excellent dealers like Jim McShane and others who can give great advice and provide you with tubes that are tested and matched.

Another alternative is to go for some of the best new production tubes like the Gold Lion EL84s and 12ax7s. Buying them from a reputable dealer is recommended there, as well.