"Trevor Wilson" wrote

"Fleetie" wrote in message
...
Hi.

As subject.

I bid twice tonight on Ebay UK for different valve amps.
I left it near the last minute.

I was totally outbid bith times. Prices are outta sight
recently on there, it seems.

Anyone have a cheap, but _modern_ (manufacturing date)
one. I've done the QUAD II thing, and now I wanna try
a shiny new modern one - even if it will be an old
design in a shiny new case.

I will be interested in a power amp (or pair of monoblocs),
or a full integrated amp.

Only interested in fully working ones, with plenty of
valve life left, and in very good cosmetic condition.


I realise it's a long shot, but I thought I'd try.

**Why would you bother buying any piece of audio equipment, without first
listening to it? You don't mention what speakers you have, so I fail to see
how anyone can provide meaningful advice, since tube amps have restricted
impedance operating ranges. Why would you just not go an buy a nice Rotel?
They make some nice products well within your price range. They'll be more
reliable, work with a wider range of speakers and provide far better sound
quality than any cheap tube amp.

If I don't like it, I can flog it on.

Also, you may gain some insight into the reasoning by reading
some of my earlier posts.

Also, I flogged my QUAD II set in about 1993, and now it's 11
years later, and I totally have the "valve itch" again.

Also, one of the cheapest ways of getting hold of a ready-built
valve amp seems to be Ebay. With Ebay, you don't usually
get a chance to listen before buying.

Plus I don't have like mega-high-end speakers so there's currently
little point getting a super-mega-golden-sample-TdP valve amp, to
play through Mission 752Fs.

So I'm willing to take the risk. As I say, if I don't like it,
I'll flog it on.

As for why I don't "go buy a nice Rotel": Cos I already have a
Cyrus II.


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk

"Fleetie" wrote in message
news:O36wc.1157$Oc1.196@newsfe4-gui...
"Trevor Wilson" wrote

"Fleetie" wrote in message
...
Hi.

As subject.

I bid twice tonight on Ebay UK for different valve amps.
I left it near the last minute.

I was totally outbid bith times. Prices are outta sight
recently on there, it seems.

Anyone have a cheap, but _modern_ (manufacturing date)
one. I've done the QUAD II thing, and now I wanna try
a shiny new modern one - even if it will be an old
design in a shiny new case.

I will be interested in a power amp (or pair of monoblocs),
or a full integrated amp.

Only interested in fully working ones, with plenty of
valve life left, and in very good cosmetic condition.


I realise it's a long shot, but I thought I'd try.

**Why would you bother buying any piece of audio equipment, without
first
listening to it? You don't mention what speakers you have, so I fail to
see
how anyone can provide meaningful advice, since tube amps have
restricted
impedance operating ranges. Why would you just not go an buy a nice
Rotel?
They make some nice products well within your price range. They'll be
more
reliable, work with a wider range of speakers and provide far better
sound
quality than any cheap tube amp.

If I don't like it, I can flog it on.

**Yes, you could, but that does not answer my question/s. Seems like a great
deal of hassle to go through, for a possible gain of zero. Or worse.


Also, you may gain some insight into the reasoning by reading
some of my earlier posts.

**I might. I would gain more insight if you could answer my simple
questions.


Also, I flogged my QUAD II set in about 1993, and now it's 11
years later, and I totally have the "valve itch" again.

**And here is where I have MAJOR problems. Here is why I have major problems
with your approach. REALLY good valve amps and really good SS amps sound
very, very similar, provided the load impedance is reasonable (to the valve
amp). So similar, in fact, that I have been caught out, several times, in
blind trials. Reasonably priced SS amps sound VERY close to quite expensive
SS amps. Really cheap tube amps sound VERY different to both cheap and
expensive SS amps and really good tube amps.

What does this tell you?

It tells me that cheap tube amps distort the audio signal. Distortion is the
antithesis of 'high fidelity'.

I believe that by restricting yourself to valve amps only, is silly.


Also, one of the cheapest ways of getting hold of a ready-built
valve amp seems to be Ebay. With Ebay, you don't usually
get a chance to listen before buying.

**Bingo! Caveat Emptor.


Plus I don't have like mega-high-end speakers so there's currently
little point getting a super-mega-golden-sample-TdP valve amp, to
play through Mission 752Fs.

So I'm willing to take the risk. As I say, if I don't like it,
I'll flog it on.

As for why I don't "go buy a nice Rotel": Cos I already have a
Cyrus II.

**I did say "Rotel". I did not say "Mission Cyrus II".


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

"Trevor Wilson" wrote
[stuff]

Oh. I stand corrected.

Well.

My YaQin MC-10K came today.

So did I.

I've just got it connected up to the CD player and it's "settling in"
now.

It's MUCH bigger than the Ebay pic led me to believe. Lovely finish
and general layout.

Total of 11 valves including 2 like "bargraph" ones which I _ASSUME_
are there to show me the bias on the o/p valves or something. When the
two bars "meet in the middle" I assume it's coming out of class A, but
that is a total guess. Quiescently (music silent), the bars at top and
bottom are still "half length", i.e. not short or zero length. It must be
some kind of bias indicator to show when it's leaving class A. Nice to have,
actually.

Anyway the amp is ****ing gorgeous to LOOK at.

I got stung for 27.64 of customs charge on delivery, which brought the total
cost to 250 (Ebay final price) + 80 "shipping" (hmmm..) + 27.64 = 357.64.

Don't care what anyone says, it's a HELL of a lot of amp for 350 quid.
Claims 50W into 6 ohms, so about 40W into 8 ohms I guess.


I'll comment on the sound versus the Cyrus II later.


Martin - very happy!
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk

"Fleetie" wrote in message
news:ek0Ac.369$Sl1.137@newsfe2-win...
Well.

My YaQin MC-10K came today.

So did I.

I've just got it connected up to the CD player and it's "settling in"
now.

It's MUCH bigger than the Ebay pic led me to believe. Lovely finish
and general layout.

Total of 11 valves including 2 like "bargraph" ones which I _ASSUME_
are there to show me the bias on the o/p valves or something. When the
two bars "meet in the middle" I assume it's coming out of class A, but
that is a total guess. Quiescently (music silent), the bars at top and
bottom are still "half length", i.e. not short or zero length. It must be
some kind of bias indicator to show when it's leaving class A. Nice to
have,
actually.

Anyway the amp is ****ing gorgeous to LOOK at.

I got stung for 27.64 of customs charge on delivery, which brought the
total
cost to 250 (Ebay final price) + 80 "shipping" (hmmm..) + 27.64 = 357.64.

Don't care what anyone says, it's a HELL of a lot of amp for 350 quid.
Claims 50W into 6 ohms, so about 40W into 8 ohms I guess.


OK Martin, it falls to me to say 'Well Done'!! :-)

You went after a valve amp with an impossibly small budget and got one!
Enjoy!

Now, a Reality Check (*someone's* got to do it):

The amp is (presumably) hand-made and cost nowt - I most sincerely hope it
doesn't play you up, but it'd be a bit of a miracle if it didn't at some
stage and, quite possibly, the only valve amp on the planet that didn't
develop a bit of character! ;-)

So what if it does? You're trained in electronics and can wield a soldering
iron - so, not a problem!

Read this (all of it).....

http://www.stereo411.com/forum/viewt...1293&view=next

..... and see some geezer got a reet dodgy sample. He fixed it and now he's
got a 'refinished' (see much earlier in the thread) amp for a fraction of
the price of a 'posh' one and he's very pleased with it! Cheaper even than a
kit amp - actually *half* the price of a kit amp....!!

(Don't miss this link:

http://www.ec21.com/co/g/gzzry/index.html

...... very wankworthy pic of your amp and useful contacts, should you need
them.)


Keep an eye on yer plates for a while and tip it over and have a look at the
innards for signs of stress (burning) after a couple of days. (Check the
voltages, why don'tcha?) And for gawd's sake don't rush out and buy silly
expensive NOS glass for it until you've developed a mutual understanding
with it!! :-)

Let us know how it shakes down - there's been a lot said here (I gave up
reading it all a couple of days ago), much of based on guesswork and hearsay
and I would like a straightford account of one these, er, Ch*** amps from
someone with first-hand experience. (And no axe to grind!)


I'll comment on the sound versus the Cyrus II later.


Hmm, I think I already know what you're going to say.....

"Keith G" wrote
OK Martin, it falls to me to say 'Well Done'!! :-)

You went after a valve amp with an impossibly small budget and got one!
Enjoy!

Now, a Reality Check (*someone's* got to do it):

The amp is (presumably) hand-made and cost nowt - I most sincerely hope it
doesn't play you up, but it'd be a bit of a miracle if it didn't at some
stage and, quite possibly, the only valve amp on the planet that didn't
develop a bit of character! ;-)

So what if it does? You're trained in electronics and can wield a soldering
iron - so, not a problem!

Read this (all of it).....

http://www.stereo411.com/forum/viewt...1293&view=next

.... and see some geezer got a reet dodgy sample. He fixed it and now he's
got a 'refinished' (see much earlier in the thread) amp for a fraction of
the price of a 'posh' one and he's very pleased with it! Cheaper even than a
kit amp - actually *half* the price of a kit amp....!!

(Don't miss this link:

http://www.ec21.com/co/g/gzzry/index.html

..... very wankworthy pic of your amp and useful contacts, should you need
them.)

Yeah, I found that company yesterday evening.

Here's another pic of this amp in my home, with a CD atop it for scale.

(As I said, I'd assumed it was quite a bit smaller than it really is!)

http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk/images/yaqin_ss.jpg

It's a bit hard to photograph well and still get the glow and the hardest
thing is to capture the little "bargraph" valves well. They're the ones at
the front, extreme left and right, glowing green.

It warms the place up a bit though, and right now, in summer, that's not
such a good thing!

Anyone else here have this amp?



Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk

Incidentally, I dunno what most of the valves ARE!

I'd like some spare ones!

The o/p valves do not look like any KT88s I've ever seen pics of.
They're actually a much nice shape IMO. Normal KT88s are too
short and stubby, IMO. I like these, but dunno if they're KT88s;
does anyone here know whether they could be? Or if not, then some
equivalent valve in a nicer envelope?

Also I dunno what the medium-size values just in front of the
o/p valves are.

I guess they're driving the o/p valves.

The instruction book is ****ing useless and there's nothing in
there; certainly not a list of valve numbers used.
What little there is is in Chinese.


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk