blakey72 Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 I'm looking at buying a tube amp next week and have been looking for ages now but can't seem to find what I want. I've read through countless threads here and looked at heaps of online stores but am still unsure. I want a reasonable sounding amp that has a headphone socket so I can listen to both speakers and phones. My budget is around $600. Total budget is $1300 but I still have to buy speakers and phones. I've looked at Yaqins, Ming Da's, Audioromy, Dared. So many models I'm really confused. I was considering the Yaqin MS-34D. Any better suggestions for my budget? Thanks Blake.
lebowski Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 Hi Blake, these are quite good for the price - http://www.coemaudio.com.au/Amplifiers/Integrated-Amplifiers/122/ I had one for a while and thought it was good bang for buck
Bunyip Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 Hi Blake. I recently entered the valve world as well and I'd 2nd lebowski's pick here. All my research and reports from other forum members give Ming da and this amp the thumbs up at this price point. FYI, I was just about to buy a Ming da when a very good second hand cayin came up. Also, coem is a trusted seller and very good to deal with. Many on the forum here will attest to that. Good luck and let us know how you go.
S2 13BT Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 And you get a thirty day trial don't ya? What is there to lose? And let us know what you decide on and how you like it.
av4me Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 I just bought a Yaquin 6j1 tube buffer.....will let u know what the build quality is like when it arrives, but reviews are good.......am planning to replace tubes with mullard m8100......after a bit of research seems like the go......for me was a cheap way to experiment with tubes without outlaying too much.....will see how it goes warming up the cd player's sound.......time will tell, but at 80 bucks plus postage thought it was worth a shot. cheers
Evobassman Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 I don't think you'll be sorry moving to the tube world. Friends will come over and be mesmerised by the little glowing 'light globes' - and then they'll be blown away by the sound when you hit play! For that kind of budget, have you also considered second hand stuff? If you have the time to do your research and know what you're looking at it can be very rewarding! I managed to put my whole system together from pre-loved high quality stuff for the price that my friend paid for just his speakers!
blakey72 Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes the Ming Da is definately on the list, thanks Lebowski. Bunyip and Evobassman I have looked at second hand here on SNA, on Ebay and at Hifi trader at Box Hill, Melbourne but nothing has come up. av4me let us know how you go for sure. Should be interesting. I'm going to be leaving the purchase of speakers for a while now and just sticking to headphones. Why?? Oh god, here goes.. I'm moving to the dark side ><. My other half has quite an old collec5tion gathering dust so I'll be investing in a Rega P1 and a CA 540P. My audio world is about to be turned on it's head. Wish me luck. And any more ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks again. Blake.
timbo42 Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 hi mate have u thought about something like this?http://www.gizmag.com/joyvirtue-tm-6-review/14736/ just a thought sound an image have then for 599.00 sounds like a bargain to me, for entry level. cheers.
Evobassman Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 blakey72 said: Oh god, here goes.. I'm moving to the dark side ><. My other half has quite an old collec5tion gathering dust so I'll be investing in a Rega P1 and a CA 540P. My audio world is about to be turned on it's head. Wish me luck. Hey, that sounds like me! I inherited a bunch of vinyl from my Wife's Grandparents. Some silly stuff (Herb Alpert galore!), but there's also some gems in there - Quite a few original pressings of original cast recordings of musicals. My friend who is a professional singer/actor (toured with Cats, etc) almost squealed with delight when she saw the bits and pieces that I had. I'm now adding some rock and jazz to flesh out the collection. What are you planning to use to drive the headphones? I can only see RCA output from the 540... blakey72 said: I have looked at second hand here on SNA, on Ebay and at Hifi trader at Box Hill, Melbourne but nothing has come up. Get yourself going with the stuff you already have planned, then keep an eye out at all those places. A bargain will come up for sure! I'm sure you'll enjoy the adventure, just as I am. Cheers, Evan
kye Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 I have a dared and can vouch for the quality of the one I got big transformers and well put together - not too sure if you'll get anything in their range for $600 though!
lukedohc Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 sorry to hijack but would the ming da run a pair of whafedales diamonds 9.1???
lebowski Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) lukedohc said: sorry to hijack but would the ming da run a pair of whafedales diamonds 9.1??? at 86dB and 6 ohm the Ming Da MC34-B should be fine with your speakers but may not drive them to Party sound levels. EDIT - when my MC34-B was on the bench it was tested at 35 watts in stock form so the 22 watt rating stated by Ming Da is conservative. With EH 6CA7 output valves it will be closer to 50 watts p/ch. Edited July 5, 2010 by Lebowski more info
Guest Muon Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) I just watched yesterday as a restored LEAK 70 EL34 amp went for $212 in ebay, I couldn't believe it went for so little...and that I missed putting a bid in That's an example of occasional bargains that can be picked up second hand. Edited July 5, 2010 by datafone
georgehifi Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) Just a little info on buying tube amps from Asia via Ebay, I have had a few for repair. The reason was that they were rated for 220v, in Australia we can have up to 250v With power supplies that are regulated like CDP, Preamps, Dac, Tuners and other low power devices this is OK as most of those have their power supplies regulated down to a particular voltage. But with amps they do not have regulated power supplies and here lies the problem, the power supply capacitors are usually fed with voltage very close to their maximum rating, IE a 75 volt powersupply cap will be run around 60-70 volts in these amps, with a 220v Asian amp this is OK but when the mains becomes 240-250v this cap voltage will go well over it's max rating of 75v. The caps may handle this for a while even up to a year or so then they start to leak their fluid all over the place and corrode everything it touches or worse they can explode. This is not the only problem the tubes heater voltage can also go over the manufacturers ideal voltage. So the moto is if the Asian manufacturer is not going to say is 100% guaranteed for 240v then do not go near them. For those who have already purchased an amp and are wondering, get a tech to measure the power supply caps and tube heater voltage to see if they are within the safe rated working voltage. Cheers George Edited July 5, 2010 by georgehifi
blakey72 Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 Heard my first tube amp today. The Dared MP-5 at the local (and only) hifi store. Amazed at how much power it had for only 13 watts/channel. I loved the bottomend and mid response, however I felt there was a little missing up high. Not as much detail and my CA in the high end frequencies. Is this normal for tube amps or is it only that unit?? I auditioned with Mission MV-4's (terrible), Mission M62i (quite good), Mission M32i (loved them), B&W 685(plain and boring) and Polk TSi100(quite detailed but small soundstage). I still don't plan on getting speakers but if a bargain comes up I might grab it and get the TT later. I've found the Mission M32i'sfor $395. Is that a good price?I still want to audition some more such as the Usher s520's. As for amps I'm considering the Dared MP-5 and the Yaqin MS34-D: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Yaqin-MS-34D-Vacuum-Tube-Integrated-Amplifier-EL34B-Amp-/180528186715?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Electronics_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item2a0851855b What do you think? Any other suggestions? Cheers Blake.
georgehifi Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Yaqin was one of the brands I had to repair, re post 15, and Dared rings a bell also, do your homework first. Cheers George
blakey72 Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 Yeah I've done weeks of homework. It's the funds that are limiting. If not I'd be getting one of Earles amps for sure.
georgehifi Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Here is a classic example, 220v on the amp and 230v on the switch, even if it were 230v, if at my place which is constant at 250v-255v this could be in trouble. Cheers George
blakey72 Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) So I'd be safer buying a step down transformer? Is that how you get around it George? If transformers are expensive I might be better off buying local by the time you add on postage too ($100+). So here's the million $ question. Is there anywhere in Australia that you can buy ok tube amps in my price range??? Edited July 5, 2010 by blakey72 additional question.
Jliang70 Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 I think you will find M32i is probably the most efficient speaker of all the ones you auditoned. 13 watts is just does not have enough power for speakers like B&W 685 (actually 685 is a difficult load for low output valve amp). If you really want something to really delivered the goods with 13 watts look for speakers with better efficiency something better than 93db and I think Usher 520 may also struggle with 13 watts Dare. To run any of the above speakers I think you will need to look for a more powerful valve amp.
lebowski Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 georgehifi said: Here is a classic example, 220v on the amp and 230v on the switch, even if it were 230v, if at my place which is constant at 250v-255v this could be in trouble.Cheers George where are you located with that constant voltage? I ran my locally delivered Ming Da for 12 months without any issues, it was inspected by a local Amp builder and it checked out fine. I think if you plan to run a 230v Amp 24 hours a day and live in an area with constant 250v then you might expect a shorter life expectancy but for most this would not be an issue.
blakey72 Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 Yes jliang, I agree. I just haven't been able to find any with that kind of efficiency as yet. Any suggestions? How would this amp go? http://www.coemaudio.com.au/Amplifiers/Integrated-Amplifiers/122/
Jliang70 Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) blakey72 said: Yeah I've done weeks of homework. It's the funds that are limiting. If not I'd be getting one of Earles amps for sure. Save your money and go for the entry level Troubadour or even better the more powerful Topaz. That is what I will do if I am in the market for entry level valve amps. By the way I already have a few of them one Melody 300B ( soon there will be pair of melody mono block) and one pair of Mingda. I think the amp you posted above will be better suited for a wider selection of speakers because of its higher power output. Edited July 5, 2010 by Jliang70
georgehifi Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 (edited) blakey72 said: So I'd be safer buying a step down transformer? Is that how you get around it George? If transformers are expensive I might be better off buying local by the time you add on postage too ($100+).So here's the million $ question. Is there anywhere in Australia that you can buy ok tube amps in my price range??? If you buy these Asian amps localy you should get it in writing that it is for dedicated 240v operation with a 100% guarantee. I would not chance getting one on Ebay direct from Asia. A step down transformer that you can buy will only be from 240v to 110v, not for what's needed here, the only way one could do it is with a variac transformer that can adjust with a dial on the top our 240v from 0v right through to 250v. But for a valve/tube amp it would have to be a big one, rated at over 600 VA, and it would cost for a good one, more than the amp your buying. Cheers George Edited July 5, 2010 by georgehifi
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