Get the weekly hi-fi digest — new gear, best reads, and deals.

iBasso PB6 Macaw is a flagship portable headphone amplifier delivering vacuum-tube sound quality comparable to desktop systems in a compact, travel-friendly form factor.
The amplifier uses four military-grade JAN6418 vacuum tubes in a fully balanced four-channel architecture for rich, organic tube-driven audio reproduction.
PB6 Macaw offers dual operation modes: tube mode for musical warmth and Class AB transistor mode using four BUF634A op-amps for precision sound.
What makes the PB6 Macaw technically intriguing is not the mere presence of subminiature tubes, but how iBasso has framed them within a genuinely portable signal path. JAN-series pencil tubes are notoriously sensitive to microphonics and supply instability, so their use here implies careful mechanical damping and regulated high-voltage rails. In practice, this kind of implementation tends to trade the overt bloom of desktop triodes for a tighter, more controlled harmonic envelope—closer to a well-sorted hybrid preamp than a nostalgic tube toy. The fully differential layout further suggests an emphasis on common-mode noise rejection, which is critical when running high-gain circuitry inches away from batteries, DC-DC converters, and mobile sources.
The inclusion of a bandwidth selector hints at a deeper design philosophy than simple tone shaping. Restricting bandwidth in tube stages can meaningfully alter transient behavior, reducing high-frequency noise and emphasizing even-order harmonic decay, while a wide-open setting prioritizes slew rate and macro-dynamics. That iBasso allows this choice at the amplification stage—not via DSP—positions the PB6 as a device for users who think in terms of circuit behavior rather than presets. Likewise, the discrete volume control architecture is notable because it avoids the channel imbalance and image drift that often plague portable amps at late-night listening levels.
From a system-integration perspective, the Macaw appears designed to sit comfortably between serious digital players and full-size headphones without becoming the bottleneck. Balanced inputs and outputs imply low crosstalk and stable drive into complex loads, while the option of external power points toward a dual personality: truly mobile when needed, yet electrically closer to a transportable rig when parked on a desk. Different sources frame the PB6 either as a statement piece or a niche experiment, but technically it reads as a deliberate attempt to translate desktop tube logic into a constrained, modern form factor—without resorting to gimmicks or digital shortcuts.
New gear, best reads, and deals — every Friday.

* Audio Research I/55 is a compact tube integrated amplifier derived from I/70, succeeding I/50, targeting high-end listeners seeking classic tube sound with m…

* JBL L100 Classic 80 commemorates JBL’s 80th anniversary, based on the L100 Classic Mk2, with full six-sided oak real-wood veneer cabinetry.

* Xiaomi Japan launched the REDMI Buds 8 Pro on February 24, priced around ¥9,980, with an early-bird discount of ¥8,980 until March 9.

HiFi.De
* ToxFreeLife tested 81 headphone models from brands including Sony, Apple, JBL, Bose, Samsung, and Temu across European retail and online marketplaces.