* The budget to which it is built, means that it cannot show what a good valve
amp can really do - which is not such a good thing.

Of course valve amps can be built which are universes better than this, but we
may be jumping the gun here - it has decent valves and even a choke (unusual)
so it looks as if the designer put a modicum of thought into it. It may not
sound too different from something like a Leak Stereo 20 - probably clearer but
with less warmth and depth. I imagine the OPTs are a good deal smaller, but
that should give clear midrange if they are well designed. I'd like to hear
one. I don't think price is so much of an issue these days - the Chinese
clearly can design well, viz. the new raft of valves they're producing like the
845B, and it looks as if they can both design well and price cheap. They are
also tayloring their products more to the USA boutique market - 6SN7 preamps
where previously it would have been ECC83s or the like. I think this amp uses
5670 in the input which is a Chinese 6N3 - not a great valve, but easy to sub a
nice NOS 5670, which isn't shabby. The GE 5670 is reputedle pretty good, and
currently dirt cheap. WE396A is reputedly nice, Raytheon Black plate 2C51,
early 1950s, incredibly smooth, and some 1960s JAN 5670s not bad


=== Andy Evans ===
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