The Monaural Collection Tube
If you’re looking for a way to hear music at home, you might consider a tube amp. Depending on your preference, these amplifiers can deliver a wide range of tonalities and musical dynamics. They can be warm and natural or edgy and bright. Regardless of your taste, it’s important to understand how tube amplifiers work to get the best sound from them.

The ear trumpet, or conversation tube, is one of the oldest hearing aids. Its invention was around the same time as phonographs, but it was more practical than the later devices. It allows the user to speak directly into it, which is then directed through the tube to an ear piece, allowing the user to hear what is being said without needing to be in the same room as the speaker.

This device took over for previous methods of enhancing sound, which were often ineffective. The first patented version was invented in 1819 by Johann A. Duncker, who produced a short tube that attached to a longer tube that varied in length from 5 to 10 feet. The earpiece was made of ivory or gutta-percha and could be attached to the end of the tube.

Eventually, doctors began to use binaural stethoscopes, which allowed them to listen to the sounds of the heart and lungs. But the monoaural version was still used for a long time, and it was common to see them at medical schools and hospitals.

It’s not hard to see why the device became so popular, with its ease of use and ability to enhance speech. It can also help patients understand their own health, as the user can hear what is being said without needing to speak up or strain to be heard.

Among all the monoaural tubes we have tested, the Wyetech Tenor P1 is by far the most impressive. Its bass lines are powerful and rich, and it does a great job of capturing the organic qualities that many people associate with tube amplification.