The Rhumba has always featured a convenient tube access door to let you change tubes easily. The Rhumba 1.4 eliminates the detachable thumbscrews on the tube door, so it’s even easier now — there’s nothing to get away from you.
Other improvements:
- circuit developments in the power supply and gain stage that provide a more 3-dimensional listening experience, with improved imaging
- these changes also provide improvements to liveliness, warmth and immediacy
- a new “mono/stereo” switch on the front panel, a feature taken from our flagship Rhythm preamp, which can be helpful to those who listen to mono records or CDs
- improved stock tubes – we now use the Mullard reissues, which are unbelievably good for their real-world prices
Other features carried over from the Rhythm 1.4 include fully balanced XLR input and output, no use of negative feedback, pure Class A design, a luxurious remote volume control, mute switch, balance control, REC OUT jacks, Home Theater Bypass jacks, toroidal transformer and IEC inlet to allow you to experiment with various power cords.
The Rhumba 1.4 has 9dB of gain (we can adjust this to suit your specific system).
Like the Rhythm, the Rhumba is designed by veteran circuit designer Bob Backert, and assembled in the U.S. under the close supervision of his son, Chief Operations Officer Gary Backert.
How is the Rhumba 1.4 improved over the previous 1.3 model?
New circuit designs in the power supply regulator and gain stage increase clarity and openness. The input selector switch has been upgraded using the dual-wafer selector from the Rhythm which improves separation. Finally, one more fully balanced XLR input (2 total) and output (2 total) has been added for even greater connectivity.