I just got my B-283 (edit: the thread title says 282, it's actually 283... doh) tube buffer delivered yesterday. I spent a few hours listening to it on my 2 channel rig. There's several ways you can use it, but the way I was most interested in trying it out was between my CDP and McIntosh integrated to remove some of that digital crispness that my CA CDP has.
I have to say that that unit does what it's advertised to do, which is to inject a nice silky tube warmth into the signal chain. It also had a few other effects - most noticeably is that it widened the soundstage by quite a bit. Unfortunately one of the other effects it had I didn't like very much - it seemed to throw a slight veil over the music, smoothing it out to the point where it sounded a bit muffled.
I tried a few songs with it inline, and then the same song with it out of the signal chain. I ended up preferring the sound of my CA CDP/McIntosh combo without it. It just seemed to sound more natural, defined and sharp (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right)? I guess there's also an advantage to having fewer gadgets in the signal chain as well.
Another interesting thing about the unit is that when it's off, it isn't really bypassed, and it seems to lower the gain coming from the amp. When it's switched on it seems to increase in gain (and volume) dramatically. I think this is a design thing to make people think that the buffer is improving the sound (most people akin loudness to quality).
Anyway, it's a very well built unit, looks nice sitting on the rack and is fun to play with, but I'm leaving it out of my 2 channel system. I may try it on my HT system ,which I sometimes use for listening to music from a PC based source. It may sound cool between my DAC and receiver.
Interesting David. Using it between your cdp and amp would kind of give you two chained output stages....which might explain the veiling. What is in the unit for a tube compliment ?
Tubes, as a platform have no 'sound'. People who deal with tubes regularly will propose that tubes are just 'better' or whatever, but that is a call going to the video review.
Tube amps each have a platform to built upon, most from ages ago. Current materials and devices have improved the breed, to be sure, but in different ways.
It is how the designer/builder has used the most recent advances in materials and componantry that makes the difference, to make the amp an individual item. Tube rolling is the option, of course, but the stock items in proper amps are by designer choice.
Haven't done it yet Nuck. Don't have enough IC's to pull it off. I'm pretty interested in trying this out though.
One thing of interest is that on the Grant Fidelity site, there's a statement that says "Who the B-283 ISN'T for..." ... "people with 10k systems". lol, mine's approaching that. Maybe I'm being an idiot for putting a 200 dollar toy into at Mac system.