In general, I agree with you that the build quality is not that great. What you get is an 85% executed design, where the design is basically good, key parts are of good quality and wiring is actually not bad either. The 15% is in the fit, finish, cleaning up the soldering and areas that make the product look sloppy and potentially affect quality. That said, I think one gets one what pays for with these amps -- a low cost way to get into pretty nice sounding tube amps.
The look is not something I consider when evaluation something like this. I guess any criticisms are subjective, and dependent of the level one is comparing it to.
But yeah, at the price point it's value for money, be very hard pressed to purchase the transformers alone for the cost of the amp.
But yeah, at the price point it's value for money, be very hard pressed to purchase the transformers alone for the cost of the amp.
I think the MC10L is the best sounding and most reliable tube amp from China at a budget. You have to pay a lot more to improve either of those qualities.
In short - a good amp to start with (nice circuit too IMO) and gives you a nice set of transformers and tubes to start.
These days I look upon all Chinese tube amps as DIY kits though, as I have to change the circuit topologies and tubes
In short - a good amp to start with (nice circuit too IMO) and gives you a nice set of transformers and tubes to start.
These days I look upon all Chinese tube amps as DIY kits though, as I have to change the circuit topologies and tubes
Hello.
I am an importer of tube amplifiers Tonewin. Tonewin is the OEM factory that produces amplifiers for other brands. Also for Yaqin. With these amplifiers I have a lot of experience. Mostly good. As the budget I propose the purchase MC-5881 (2 x 23W, tubes 6N1P/6N23P and 5881/6L6/6P3S. If you need more power buy MS-20L (2x40W, EL34 and 6J1/6AK5). In all models, I recommend changing interstage caps: Jantzen Audio Superior Z-caps or Russian PIO K40. MS-20L sounds better than the MC-10L.
I am an importer of tube amplifiers Tonewin. Tonewin is the OEM factory that produces amplifiers for other brands. Also for Yaqin. With these amplifiers I have a lot of experience. Mostly good. As the budget I propose the purchase MC-5881 (2 x 23W, tubes 6N1P/6N23P and 5881/6L6/6P3S. If you need more power buy MS-20L (2x40W, EL34 and 6J1/6AK5). In all models, I recommend changing interstage caps: Jantzen Audio Superior Z-caps or Russian PIO K40. MS-20L sounds better than the MC-10L.
I have had a MC-100b for about 2 years and I still really like it. It has good bass, good overall balance, just a little bit of warmth, and lots of power. I can see why some people would be concerned about quality issues, mine had 2 stripped out screw holes, and the right side bezel doesn't match the left side. That seems to be the extent of the issues, as I have no reliabily issues with mine. I will say that is seems to be more sensitve to what brand tubes you use than most amps I have used. I will also say that I hooked mine to a pair of Heresy 2s and I didn't particularly like the combo. But it did sound good with several other pairs of speakers I tried including some Polks, Dyanaco A-35, and some Von Schweikert vr-2s. Not sure what kind of amp K-horns like, I have never had a chance to listen to a pair. Just my 2 cents.
I have a Yaqin MS300C. Connected to a Linn DSI. At 1/3 of the price the 300B Amp is outperforming the Linn. Power is limited though. Today I have visited the Opera Consonance Office in Beijing. Auditioned the M15 speaker. Was quite impressive, not highest 3D effect nor "resolution". Endless being there however. I want one! Anybody here has good designs for 95+dB loudspeakers? Looking forward to hearing from you!
Are there any "budget" efficient speakers or DIY designs. I always see these great buys for china tube amps but always ask myself where or how would I build speakers to match.
I mean if I'm going to spend $5k on Klipsch Lascala I might as well just spend another $2K on a 300B build. I can't seem to find anything on this site about building Lascala/Cornwall type speakers or smaller versions. There is the full range forum but those speakers really aren't that efficient.
I think people get too hung up on efficiency of speakers. If your speakers sound great but don't get loud enough, scoot them closer to your chair. If you don't like the sound of them, that is much harder to fix. I bought a pair of Klispch Heresy II's based on people's reviews and I wound up really not liking them that much. Oddly, I thought they sounded the best with my 125 watt solid state Pioneer with a whole lot of feedback. I own an S5 K12, 2 Magnevox console amps (single ended 6bq5s and a push-pull 6v6) Tubelab SE that can be used with 300b 2A3 or 45 triodes. I have bought or borrowed about a dozen pairs of speakers in the last few years, and my favorates for these tiny amps are a pair on Von Sweikert VR2's and a pair of Dynaco A35s. Niether of these are every efficent, but I think they sound great. I have found that most of the time I need about 4 watts to achieve the listening volume I want (the 45s and 6bq5s can't quite cut it.) That is me though, some people like a lot more volume. And if I want to have a party or somthing I hook up one of my bigger amps. The bottom line is it does not matter how efficient speakers are, if you don't like the way they sound. I would reccomend listining to as many as you can.
That said, there are some high sensitivity speakers out there that are reasonably priced. I have no idea what you mean by budget, other than less than a Lascala. My favorate high sensitivity speaker I have heard has been the Sonist, I think they start at around $1800. I would really like to hear a pair of Zu speakers, I think they can be had for around $1000 for thier base model. Dang near everything Klipsh makes is at least in the high 90's. A pair of Heresy 1 or 2 can be found for somthing like $300 to $500. I didn't like them that much, but my friend really did, he pushed a much more expensive pair out of the way to listen to them, and it's been 2 years and they never left his house. There are a lot of newer tower speakers they make too that are in the high 90s. Newegg likes to put them on sale, I have not had a chance to hear any on a tube amp though. Lastly, nearly every large speaker Cerwin Vega ever made was at least 95db/watt. Some of these really don't sound good at all, but my friend has a pair of VS-120s that I think sound pretty nice on a single ended tube amp.
So anyway that is my 2 cents, take it or leave it. Speakers and amps that look like a great match on paper may not sound great in your living room.
That said, there are some high sensitivity speakers out there that are reasonably priced. I have no idea what you mean by budget, other than less than a Lascala. My favorate high sensitivity speaker I have heard has been the Sonist, I think they start at around $1800. I would really like to hear a pair of Zu speakers, I think they can be had for around $1000 for thier base model. Dang near everything Klipsh makes is at least in the high 90's. A pair of Heresy 1 or 2 can be found for somthing like $300 to $500. I didn't like them that much, but my friend really did, he pushed a much more expensive pair out of the way to listen to them, and it's been 2 years and they never left his house. There are a lot of newer tower speakers they make too that are in the high 90s. Newegg likes to put them on sale, I have not had a chance to hear any on a tube amp though. Lastly, nearly every large speaker Cerwin Vega ever made was at least 95db/watt. Some of these really don't sound good at all, but my friend has a pair of VS-120s that I think sound pretty nice on a single ended tube amp.
So anyway that is my 2 cents, take it or leave it. Speakers and amps that look like a great match on paper may not sound great in your living room.
Nice for some :-D
As an element of a finished product, ok I see what you mean.
As a design decision / tradeoff .... I couldn't agree less. Sensitivity = super important.
Yea, I imagine I will get a lot of people disagree with me. I am clearly going against the grain here. I feel I should say it depends a lot on what you listen to, how big your room is, and how loud you want your music to be. 4 watts on 87-90 decibel speakers is loud enough for me most of the time. I'm sure that is not true for a lot of people. I will further conceed that extra headroom is never a bad thing, and operating amplifiers at or beyond thier limits can damage your equipment.
I recently purchased another MC10 (a T this time) at a good price, complete with very low mileage EH Tubes throughout. Part of the deal was the MS22-B phono amp but I was very disappointed with its performance. It really really is bad in being lacking of life and vitality, almost like its output was passing through a set of low pass filters. My home made SS versions just ripped it apart so I decided to rebuild it. I used the now defunct WAD (World Audio Design) circuit with some tweaks and wow! What a difference! OK so the WAD design may not be the worlds best but it now puts the SS to shame and for the first time in years I find myself preferring Vinyl to CD's. I never thought that would ever happen but this rebuild is nothing short of startling. At first I replaced the transistor buffer with a Mosfet to simulate the high impedance normally provided by a third buffer tube. Although this arrangement sounded so much better, going the whole hog with an extra 12AX7 tube really made this amplifier complete. The whole story is documented here for those who have the MS22-B and feel they are missing out with it too.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lez/Yaqin MS-22B/Putting 'Life' into the Yaqin MS-22B.pdf
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lez/Yaqin MS-22B/Putting 'Life' into the Yaqin MS-22B.pdf
Does anyone else is owning the Yaqin MS-2a3?
I am interested in Yaqin MS-2a3, Bewitch No.2a3 and Melody 2a3. and I have personally heard the meldoy gear, which sounded fantastic(bass was deep and controlled, the highs were clean, the vocal clear and soft) with my Sacansonic MB2.5, as Melody(3times higher than the Yaqin and Bewitch) is expensive I would like to try the Yaqin or Bewitch.
If anyone has owned or heard, please give their opinion on this 2a3 integrates.
Hey guys, a gradual lack of bass in my system. Could this be the valves aging ?
The four power tubes I replaced last year with new Gold Dragons, but have not touched the 6N1 pre and buffer ones in five or so years.
Any ideas pls as I don't have any valves I can swop and test with.
Amp: Yaqin MC-10L
Thanks
The four power tubes I replaced last year with new Gold Dragons, but have not touched the 6N1 pre and buffer ones in five or so years.
Any ideas pls as I don't have any valves I can swop and test with.
Amp: Yaqin MC-10L
Thanks
Changing once a year gets expensive... The four power tubes cost me £140 last year.
To replace the four front 6N1 valves will be another £40 +p/p:
http://www.hotroxuk.com/review/product/list/id/87/
But will they be the cure ? :/
To replace the four front 6N1 valves will be another £40 +p/p:
http://www.hotroxuk.com/review/product/list/id/87/
But will they be the cure ? :/
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I had a GemTune GS-02 . Was looking for something to replace my receiver I use for tunes out in my shop (Fisher RS 1015 I've had since a kid) Fine for the shop . I was looking at tube amps since I have all Mesa and Fender Tube guitar amps and I prefer over solid state. I hooked up the Gemtune to a set of Bose 301's that were given to me ...again, perfect for out in the shop. I didn't expect a lot but the GS-02 sounded great . I could go on about just "how" it sounded great but simply, it was just really good . I'm in a 25'x25' shop and it was plenty power. I've NEVER liked Chinese tubes in my guitar amps but the stock china tubes were really good. I now have a Yaqin MS-30L and it's also very good. I threw in some Mesa EL34's and JAN 5654W's although the stock were fine . The thing is built like a tank. I don't see anything on it that looks cheap. The remote is machined aluminum and must weigh a pound . I was deciding between the mc-100b and ms-30L . I have a guitar amp with EL34's , only reason I chose one over the other .
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