since im building a pair of fullrangers soon, ive been looking at tube amplifiers. Now i dont know about you, but when i think tube amplifier, my wallet starts screaming. but i was looking on ebay and there are all these tube amps from hong kong going at REDICULOUSLY low prices, below are some examples...
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Class-A-VACUUM-T...9731465158QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/kt88-TUBE-stereo...9729625338QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Totally-differen...9731466185QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
how can they sell this stuff so CHEAP? the machined parts, chassis, and tubes must cost close to that much! i did notice that they nail you on shipping, but still, something MUST be amiss.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Class-A-VACUUM-T...9731465158QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/kt88-TUBE-stereo...9729625338QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Totally-differen...9731466185QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
how can they sell this stuff so CHEAP? the machined parts, chassis, and tubes must cost close to that much! i did notice that they nail you on shipping, but still, something MUST be amiss.
They are made in Shenzhen, China, I'm sure.
From one very credible review I read once, they aren't bad at all. Caps and such might need being upgraded. But the thing, according to the reviewer, is that the built is there making upgrade/modification worthwhile.
Edit: Just googled this: "Located at the southern coastal area of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen is a Special Economic Zone and important industrial base in China, with an area of 2,021 square kilometers and a population of 0.8 million."
From one very credible review I read once, they aren't bad at all. Caps and such might need being upgraded. But the thing, according to the reviewer, is that the built is there making upgrade/modification worthwhile.
Edit: Just googled this: "Located at the southern coastal area of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen is a Special Economic Zone and important industrial base in China, with an area of 2,021 square kilometers and a population of 0.8 million."
Yeah, sure, 37 Watts per channel claimed out of a pair of EL34 per channel, running in "pure class A" ... either this dude thinks his customers are stupid, or he himself doesn´t know better - neither being a good sign
Theoretical maximum class A push pull efficiency: 50%. Max Pd of a pair of EL34: 50 Watt. ==> Theoretical max Po / ch: 25 Watt. In real life, you will have a hard time squeezing 20 class A Watts out in pentode mode.
AISI, this is not a serious offer.
Tom
Re: Re: why so CHEAP!?
I don't have to go further than my own amp, which get me about 25-30Wpc in class A/B pp from two pair EL34s.
And it might get even worse should you replace the caps with some high-quality ones. Chance is that better caps are bigger and will make it even more cramped.
In my opinion, the best bet for an "entry-level" tube amp is to go vintage or used and stay away from "status" brand names. I'm not knocking DIY. But DIY isn't an option for everybody and it will most likely not be cheaper.
Tubes4e4 said:
Yeah, sure, 37 Watts per channel claimed out of a pair of EL34 per channel, running in "pure class A" ... either this dude thinks his customers are stupid, or he himself doesn´t know better - neither being a good sign
Theoretical maximum class A push pull efficiency: 50%. Max Pd of a pair of EL34: 50 Watt. ==> Theoretical max Po / ch: 25 Watt. In real life, you will have a hard time squeezing 20 class A Watts out in pentode mode.
AISI, this is not a serious offer.
Tom
I don't have to go further than my own amp, which get me about 25-30Wpc in class A/B pp from two pair EL34s.
Originally posted by Andrewbee
Take a look at the KT88 amp.
Notice what appears to be a filter cap mounted in the middle of the four tubes. I guess they could not find a hotter place to put it
Andrew
And it might get even worse should you replace the caps with some high-quality ones. Chance is that better caps are bigger and will make it even more cramped.
In my opinion, the best bet for an "entry-level" tube amp is to go vintage or used and stay away from "status" brand names. I'm not knocking DIY. But DIY isn't an option for everybody and it will most likely not be cheaper.
I boght this one form same buyer few months ago:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Class-A-VACUUM-T...9731465158QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Amp is good, it plays like charm, output transormer could be better, but overall it is not bad at all. After 100 - 200 hours of listening, it become awesome.
I pulled out blue LEDs below ecc83-s, i put better stands, replaced pot, i have plans to put power on delay and beter input selector, maybe with remote, will see, and try to recap amp.
I tested it with small Athena AS-B1.2 speakers, energy's RC-10 and small Dynaudio-s in local hifi store and compare it with Accuphase amp and Unison S6 tube amp and my amp was not so good as S6, not even close to Accuphase, simply it is diferent world, but it plays UFB good with good speakers. Do not buy it unless you not willing to "work" on it.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Class-A-VACUUM-T...9731465158QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Amp is good, it plays like charm, output transormer could be better, but overall it is not bad at all. After 100 - 200 hours of listening, it become awesome.
I pulled out blue LEDs below ecc83-s, i put better stands, replaced pot, i have plans to put power on delay and beter input selector, maybe with remote, will see, and try to recap amp.
I tested it with small Athena AS-B1.2 speakers, energy's RC-10 and small Dynaudio-s in local hifi store and compare it with Accuphase amp and Unison S6 tube amp and my amp was not so good as S6, not even close to Accuphase, simply it is diferent world, but it plays UFB good with good speakers. Do not buy it unless you not willing to "work" on it.
hong kong konnection
I too was floored by what I just found on this site. With Magneplanars, I need all the brute force I can muster. Like someone said: the machined parts alone are worth it. Worst case scenario the thing could be upgraded over time as needed. A person would have the building blocks on which to launch improvement. What do you all think? I am ready to make plunge! --Tom
I too was floored by what I just found on this site. With Magneplanars, I need all the brute force I can muster. Like someone said: the machined parts alone are worth it. Worst case scenario the thing could be upgraded over time as needed. A person would have the building blocks on which to launch improvement. What do you all think? I am ready to make plunge! --Tom
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