The Rhumba Extreme 1.4 is our best value in a linestage tube preamplifier. Fully balanced connections, with sonics very near to our flagship Rhythm, for $8,500.
And it’s the only tube preamp to win EnjoyTheMusic’s Blue Note Award for 2024.
“It has brought me closer than ever before to experiencing the presence of live performances in my own home, revealing inner detail and evoking more emotional response to the music….” – EnjoyTheMusic.com (July 2024)
“This is one of those components that you put in your system and immediately notice an improvement.” …. “The Beatles were playing the tambourine in my living room. I could have got out of my chair, walked over between the left speaker and center image and grabbed it – it was right frigging there!” – PartTimeAudiophile.com
“The dynamics were immediately noticeably improved. The [_____] is no slouch when it comes to being punchy, but the Rhumba Extreme really made it sound a little flat. … The ability of the Rhumba Extreme to have finesse in the micro-dynamics, while having a very powerful and vigorous sound, was the most noticeable (and a little bit shocking) attribute out of the box.” – EnjoyTheMusic.com
The new 1.4 version of the Rhumba Extreme looks just like the 1.3, pictured above.
Changes in the 1.4 vs. the 1.3 model:
- The 1.4 has improved circuits in the power supply and gain stage
- Better stock tubes: now using American-made tubes from the early 1960s (still 12au7’s or equivalents)
- Higher-quality capacitors used in the regulator and filament sections of the power supply
- An all-brass bottom panel that provides more holographic and natural sound quality (and is heavier)
- Now with 2 fully balanced XLR inputs and 2 fully balanced XLR outputs (still has 3 RCA inputs and 2 RCA output pairs)
- new “Gaia” feet from IsoAcoustics, the feet found on our flagship Rhythm preamp
- an entirely new circuit board, with a design that improves grounding and channel separation
The Rhumba Extreme™ tube preamp gives you a way to get a Rhythm (our flagship linestage preamp) at a lower cost. How? We put almost every bit of the Rhythm preamp inside the less-expensive Rhumba chassis. This is the Rhumba Extreme.
On the outside, it’s identical to our more affordable Rhumba, except for 5 things:
- We put a blue LED on the volume knob, similar to the Rhythm, so you always know where the volume is during late night sessions.
- The cut-outs on the left and right side of the front plate have a mirrored stainless steel background.
- Feet: the Rhumba Extreme features the same IsoAcoustics “Gaia” feet found on our flagship Rhythm preamp.
- The word “Extreme” appears next to the serial number on the rear panel.
- The bottom panel of the chassis is made from solid brass. We found that solid brass as a support for the circuit board gave the Extreme a slightly more holographic and natural presentation.
On the inside, the Extreme is much closer to a Rhythm than it is to a Rhumba. That’s the whole point of the Rhumba Extreme: to make it much more affordable for music lovers to hear what our flagship Rhythm preamp sounds like.
Rhumba Extreme vs. Rhumba, Inside
What are the goodies inside, that make the Rhumba Extreme so extreme, compared to the “regular” Rhumba?
- A fully dual-mono power supply – including dual-mono regulators – so the Rhumba Extreme has two full GreenForce power supplies, one for the left channel, and one for the right channel. Each power supply gets its own discrete regulator.
- Our famous auto-bias circuit for the tubes, which keeps your tubes happy with the perfect bias level at all times. This will make your tubes last longer, and it will prevent tubes that have unusual bias requirements from sounding bad due to being deprived of the bias they want.
- High quality Jantzen Silver polypropylene capacitors for the power supply. Our ability to use such high quality capacitors to run the power supply is owed to the design of Bob Backert’s patented GreenForce power supply.
- Improved capacitors in the regulator, where we now utilize V-Caps “ODAM” polypropylene capacitors.
Rhumba Extreme vs. Rhythm, Inside
Is the Rhumba Extreme EXACTLY like a Rhythm on the inside? Not quite:
- The Rhythm has copper foil and PTFE capacitors running the power supply, while the Rhumba Extreme uses high quality Jantzen Silver polypropylene capacitors for this duty.
- The Rhythm has V-Cap ODAM capacitors for the output caps, while the Rhumba Extreme uses premium polypropylene capacitors from Jantzen for output duty.
Tubes
We supply all of our linestage preamps with NOS tubes that are either 12au7 or equivalents of the 12au7 tube. We measure each tube and listen critically to each preamplifier before sale to ensure the best possible sound quality. Although not all NOS tubes are truly new old stock, the tubes we provide measure at least as well as the new Russian tubes that we previously used and are extremely reliable.
Fully Balanced XLR Input and Output – and More
The Rhumba Extreme 1.4 has two fully balanced XLR inputs and two fully balanced XLR outputs.
Also three RCA inputs, and two RCA outputs.
Finally, it has a Home Theater Input (which does not require the preamp to be turned on while you enjoy movies) and a pair of RCA “REC OUT” jacks that provide full unattenuated volume output so you can hook the Rhumba Extreme up to a CD recorder or a headphone amplifier (or a tape deck).
Exterior Color
The Rhumba Extreme can be purchased with either a silver or a black faceplate at no additional charge.
The Rhumba Extreme can also be ordered with a stunning blue or red body, for an additional $300.
Goodies
Like all of our products, the Rhumba Extreme:
- comes with a sturdy all-metal remote which controls volume and provides mute function
- is designed and built by Bob and Gary Backert in Pennsylvania, with the entire aluminum chassis machined in Pennsylvania
- includes our famous “tube cover” that gives you instant access to the two 12au7 tubes
- uses our patented GreenForce power supply
- uses our proprietary gain stage for huge, beautiful sound that gushes with resolution
- is a completely Class A design using no feedback, neither global, nor local
- features a beautiful hi-tech exterior with no screws, no fasteners and no ventilation holes visible anywhere
- has an incredibly low output impedance of less than 80 ohms, so it will mate perfectly with any power amp
- has all the other goodies we incorporate into every Backert Labs preamp.
Try One
You put a lot into your stereo system, and you deserve to have us working on it for you. Decades of amplification and electronic design expertise, and decades of live musical performance experience. That is Backert Labs.
Call one of our dealers, or give us a call directly at (302) 723-7549. It’s time to hear what your stereo can really do.
Further perspectives on the new Extreme 1.4:
- The 1.4 has 2 fully balanced XLR inputs and 2 fully balanced XLR outputs (in addition to RCA input/outputs)
- The 1.4 bottom panel is now solid brass, unpainted, shown below.
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