Dear all, this is my first serious post detailing my experience in hifi, As i see few posts on tube amps particularly affordable ones i thought of sharing my views on this basic tube amp. All the experts can smile & excuse my ramblings, i am also trying to get there ... somewhere ...
Well this is a very basic hybrid amp, with a tube preamp and SS based power amplifier section. Its rated at 2.5 wpc, costs around 100USD incl shipping (china hifi site). I paid customs duty @ 1700/- and total cost was around 7000/-. Finish is quite pleasing with red & black finish and surprisingly well built feeling. It has two inputs - 1 for RCA & 1 for 3.5mm.
The amp comes with standard 6N3 tube which is not good in my opinion. I bought three more tubes, GE 5670, a couple of Russian tubes. These upgrades do not cost much as the GE comes at 500 per tube and others 300 each. of course there are other tube upgrade options which cost more than the amp itself. Even for my inexperienced ears the sound signature is discernably different with each tube & this aspect alone makes the journey into tubes worthwhile. You can buy good tubes and roll them as per your mood. This will satisfy your cravings to improve sound or try different combinations without much damage to your pocket.
I will keep my impressions simple, this really sounds splendid for vocal based music and as some reviewer said particularly female singers sound even better, do not know why! the midrange is really good and the bass though sweet is bit weak. the shrillness in the treble is greatly reduced with the GE tube but still persists and shows up in certain tracks. I normally use my Cowon O2 with FLAC songs on it and better sources should do even well.
This can be an excellent & cheaper optionfor those who seek warmth from their MP3 songs, mp3s surely sound far far better on this then all my other amps. Certain CD tracks sound so good that the amp justifies its price just playing them, they sound fantastic, during quieter evenings i feel that the voice is just floating and you can almost touch. That said the sound stage is bit weak than the topping / marantz avr and frequency response is also limited when compared to these amps. The SS amps sound fuller and have faster response i think.
All said and done this little amp sounds really good for the money and is a good stepping stone into the tube world. I do not say that its a steal but surely is a bargain and can be a very good answer for mp3 based collection. It looks good while running, the tube glow is mesmerizing at night, I keep it on during nights using it as a night bulb.
Thats it for now friends, hope you find this brief useful for those uninitiated guys like me,
Cheers.
Well this is a very basic hybrid amp, with a tube preamp and SS based power amplifier section. Its rated at 2.5 wpc, costs around 100USD incl shipping (china hifi site). I paid customs duty @ 1700/- and total cost was around 7000/-. Finish is quite pleasing with red & black finish and surprisingly well built feeling. It has two inputs - 1 for RCA & 1 for 3.5mm.
The amp comes with standard 6N3 tube which is not good in my opinion. I bought three more tubes, GE 5670, a couple of Russian tubes. These upgrades do not cost much as the GE comes at 500 per tube and others 300 each. of course there are other tube upgrade options which cost more than the amp itself. Even for my inexperienced ears the sound signature is discernably different with each tube & this aspect alone makes the journey into tubes worthwhile. You can buy good tubes and roll them as per your mood. This will satisfy your cravings to improve sound or try different combinations without much damage to your pocket.
I will keep my impressions simple, this really sounds splendid for vocal based music and as some reviewer said particularly female singers sound even better, do not know why! the midrange is really good and the bass though sweet is bit weak. the shrillness in the treble is greatly reduced with the GE tube but still persists and shows up in certain tracks. I normally use my Cowon O2 with FLAC songs on it and better sources should do even well.
This can be an excellent & cheaper optionfor those who seek warmth from their MP3 songs, mp3s surely sound far far better on this then all my other amps. Certain CD tracks sound so good that the amp justifies its price just playing them, they sound fantastic, during quieter evenings i feel that the voice is just floating and you can almost touch. That said the sound stage is bit weak than the topping / marantz avr and frequency response is also limited when compared to these amps. The SS amps sound fuller and have faster response i think.
All said and done this little amp sounds really good for the money and is a good stepping stone into the tube world. I do not say that its a steal but surely is a bargain and can be a very good answer for mp3 based collection. It looks good while running, the tube glow is mesmerizing at night, I keep it on during nights using it as a night bulb.
Thats it for now friends, hope you find this brief useful for those uninitiated guys like me,
Cheers.
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