Re: Need help deciding on tube amp

by wingman Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:10 pm

arremie.....

Do update us after you have auditioned the Amps....

cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by arremie Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:21 pm

Just got myself MS12B. Never thought the seller would accept my offer. So for now I will put on hold first on buying tube amp. Will compare MS12B with CD2. If better I will keep it and later look for tube power amp.

by wingman Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:26 pm

Arremie.....

Good that you got your hands on a MS12B and can do an AB comparison.

Do let us no the difference.

Cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by khlim_77 Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:01 pm

thank's arremie
i did call Edwind and his was in Sabah now, but is that 300B tube amp able to drive on my B&W DM-602 speaker ?

by arremie Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:46 pm

khlim, 300B is only 8 watt per channel so it is more suitable for high sensitivity speaker. What is your speaker ohm and sensitivity? I'm not familiar with expensive speakers such as B&W Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_razz

by khlim_77 Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:51 am

HI arremie
i am newbie here so i also not very sure about the spec of the speaker, but if i am not mistake it is 8ohm with 100watt,

by zeebee Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:19 am

arremie wrote:khlim, 300B is only 8 watt per channel so it is more suitable for high sensitivity speaker. What is your speaker ohm and sensitivity? I'm not familiar with expensive speakers such as B&W

I chanced upon an AUDIO SPACE AS-300B Mark II 8 watter yesterday driving a monitor audio, can't recall model but I believe at 88db/1w as we were talking about it (as my resident speaker is about 90 or 92). It was able to drive to very high volume despite noise from traffic and ongoing construction nearby. The bass is bit soft/loose on occassions but of course the sweet top is something worth savouring.

Anyway been following this thread as I'm looking for a KT88 or 300B amp too Very Happy

Need to get my own gear in (speaker/cables/ cdp) to actually do proper audit whether worthwhile buying as it may trigger another binge buying/upgradin Embarassed

Cheers,

zb

by cmboy Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:05 pm

Getting a 300B amp may not be much of a problem but the high cost of new 300B tubes may be of concern later on. Better think carefully and weigh the consequences.

by arremie Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:43 pm

300B is about Rm350 (not sure per pair or only a unit) and it can last 5-6 years despite what the manufacturer actually tell you. I heard this from Libertie so if he's right then the cost over usage actually very acceptable.

Anyway, just came back from Tong Lee in Lowyat Plaza. They don't have Dared there and actually never had. So I was served with Yarland instead. I must tell that my ears were melting. Simply said the music is so beautiful. I listen to both EL34 PP and SE but I must say I like the PP better. It is more melodic but the SE gives out better details.

by azri Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:51 pm

bro armie, why not yaqin mc-100b? mcm menarik. pull of those hideous grill & you get quite a good looking tube amp.. yup.. i know.. where to have an audition right? tell me if you found one hehe

by Wan Azami Hamzah Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:49 pm

Bro Azri,

There's a Jadis Orchestra for sale here on wts. I'm using an imo magical Jadis DEFY 30 kinda big brother to the Orchestra for years and sooo satisfied and never feel like upgrading to anything. Heard the Orchestra in Singapore once and it's terrific to my ears.

Cheers.

by noodle88 Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:51 pm

Cmboy,
300b got longer life span than kt88. Like my case, I bought a pair of kr300b @ rm2k+ it can last me 10 years, where else 4 pcs of my kt88/6550 only last me for less than a year if I played with it 6 hours...
If u have high sensitive speaker, than go for SET 300b amp. My advise is, always go for kr 300b WE copy, they cost more but they sound much better.
For 300b amp u need speaker sensitive not less than 94db, below 94db just forget it....

Cheers,

by skooi3 Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:22 pm

khlim_77 wrote:thank's arremie
i did call Edwind and his was in Sabah now, but is that 300B tube amp able to drive on my B&W DM-602 speaker ?

i try 300b tube amp with b&w dm-602 speaker already. for my experience 100% cannot match it.

by arremie Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:27 pm

azri wrote:bro armie, why not yaqin mc-100b? mcm menarik. pull of those hideous grill & you get quite a good looking tube amp.. yup.. i know.. where to have an audition right? tell me if you found one hehe

yeah it's a good amp but i don't like the manual bias thingy. For now I prefer auto bias. Just wanna keep things simple until I have enuf knowledge Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_smile

by royroy Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:01 am

dm 602 is need power ss amp to drive..
dun think tube amp can drive b&w speaker

by arremie Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:07 pm

Anybody knows why there's a "trrrrrrrrrrrrr..." sounding sound from tweeter? This happen when I hook up my new tube amp and switch it on. It's not obvious and I can't hear it from where I sit (about 8 feet away) but when I go near the speaker when no music is playing I can hear it. It's not volume relative though. Is it grounding problem? Or do I have bad tubes.

by wingman Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:21 am

Could be a loop somewhere along the line or its your interconnects ? As I had a wacky interconnect, humming when silent. Base on my limited experience it could be either or the other !

Where did you place your Tube amp in your setup or the connectivity ?

cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:45 am

Well I disconnect everything only leaving the tube amp connected to speakers but still the sound is there after a few second I switch it on. So I guess it's coming from the amp. New tubes will arrive in a few days. Let see what happen after I replace the stock tubes. Hopefully that is the case. If not I will take it back to the shop.

by wingman Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:25 pm

Suggest you take it back to the shop rather then spending unnecessarily.

cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:34 pm

Well the culprit most likely be the tubes especially when it's not well protected during shipment. It's ok can always sell back the tubes later if it doesn't work out or look for another amp using same tubes Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_smile

by finger Wed Mar 31, 2010 4:35 pm

remy,

As guessed it's most likely your tube amp which is giving the krrrrrrr sound.
nirvana is just a bridge ahead, hopefully your new tubes will pay the tolls for you.

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 4:39 pm

Haha yeah well said Mr. Finger. I'm crossing my fingers now.

by azri Wed Mar 31, 2010 7:04 pm

fuh tube amp sudah mari, pls share What a Face

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 7:38 pm

Yeah can't resist so bought one from Audio Synth Amcorp. The sound still "keras" need to put in at least 50 hrs into it but already can slightly hear the tube sound signature after 15 hrs. MS12-B should be here by Friday. Then later will compare between MS-12B and the buffer. The loser will goes into sales thread Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by azri Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:28 pm

you bought a tube buffer? i thought u buy an int tube amp hehe

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:42 pm

Tube buffer is the 1st one I bought. That's how I got hooked up with tube sound. Then I ordered MS12-B preamp but before it can be here, I go and bought myself another tube integrated amp. Now I hooked up the buffer and integrated amp together. Later I'm gonna replace that buffer with MS-12B and compare which one is better. The integrated amp will stay for sure Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_smile

by wingman Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:25 pm

Arremie....

Which model of intergrated did you buy from Audio Synth ? THe unit that was advertised.

What's your take after the hours put into the AMPS and what Tubes are the installed with ?

cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by car o scope Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:49 pm

arremie wrote:Tube buffer is the 1st one I bought. That's how I got hooked up with tube sound. Then I ordered MS12-B preamp but before it can be here, I go and bought myself another tube integrated amp. Now I hooked up the buffer and integrated amp together. Later I'm gonna replace that buffer with MS-12B and compare which one is better. The integrated amp will stay for sure

Wow.. You very kuat shopping lately..
Anyway, it is good to reward and pamper yourself with some new toys.
You are multiplying your upgrade speed too. Very high fever. Razz

by arremie Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:03 pm

wingman, not that one. I did listen to the advertised one (without an
iPod dock) and didn't like it that much. Given the price, it should
sounded way better. Maybe the speakers not correctly matched. The 2
friends I brought with me also thought the same.

Anyway what I get from there was something bloody cheap for an
integrated tube amp which I can't resist just for the sake of trying it
out. The power tube is 4 x EL84 and preamp section comes with 2 x 6N1.
This 12 watters sounded harsh at first but now up to 20 hrs of running,
the color of tube signature started to comes out. For the price I have
no complaint and strongly believe it will be better with more hours and
better tubes. Plus my floorstander is only 3 days old haha. That one
also need time to ease up.

car, even myself didn't see this coming Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_razz

by royroy Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:38 am

arremie wrote:wingman, not that one. I did listen to the advertised one (without an
iPod dock) and didn't like it that much. Given the price, it should
sounded way better. Maybe the speakers not correctly matched. The 2
friends I brought with me also thought the same.

Anyway what I get from there was something bloody cheap for an
integrated tube amp which I can't resist just for the sake of trying it
out. The power tube is 4 x EL84 and preamp section comes with 2 x 6N1.
This 12 watters sounded harsh at first but now up to 20 hrs of running,
the color of tube signature started to comes out. For the price I have
no complaint and strongly believe it will be better with more hours and
better tubes. Plus my floorstander is only 3 days old haha. That one
also need time to ease up.

i think u got the same tube amp wit me...ms audio...from simon...haha....i buy is near half year a go....u match wit floor stander?? match ka? yes this amp is ok la..EL84...12w...i am happy wit it so far...value for money haha..
car, even myself didn't see this coming

by royroy Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:39 am

i think u got the same tube amp wit me...ms audio...from
simon...haha....i buy is near half year a go....u match wit floor
stander?? match ka? yes this amp is ok la..EL84...12w...i am happy wit
it so far...value for money haha..

by wingman Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:21 am

arremie.....

As long as the gear suits your taste buds should suffice? Hope the new AMP is not heavy for your occasional movement.... Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_lol

.

Especially Tube AMP needs the required "Burn in" period.

cheers Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by azri Thu Apr 01, 2010 8:56 am

bro, you move to fast hehe. anyway its your money.. cheers

by arremie Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:21 am

royroy, yup that's the one. It's so cheap I simply can't resist. Plus I'm very curious on how EL84 sounded so I just take one thinking if I don't like it then it's not gonna hurt me much. It's still nowhere near the sound quality I heard from Yarland at Tong Lee. So despite having this one for fun, I'm still searching for another "proper" tube amp haha. Anyway, are you still using stock tubes?

Why can't match with floorstander? It's 97db/1W/1m should be more than enough for this 12 watters. In fact 5 clicks of volume is too loud already for normal listening. Not to mention it's a horn based speaker which is always recommended to pair with tube output.

by arremie Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:20 pm

Got my MS-12B today. 1st impression....it's big! It's like 3 times bigger (or longer) than CD2 tube buffer. The built quality is excellent. Very beautiful looking up close. Picture will not justify just how well built this preamp is. It looks way more expensive than it actually is. Volume control is the smooth type and not the stepping type.

Now the sound part...what can I say....very very beautiful sounding from the 1st time I switch it on. I can't help smiling song after song. It's sounded sweet and so peaceful. High note vocal flow gracefully. Bass is a bit soft but it's only been running for an hour. Let's see how it goes after more hours put into it.

by azri Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:53 pm

hahaha.. you got the smile that i had & still do when i first hook up my ms-12B, its just a matter of time for me to roll the tube, perhaps amperex or mullard 12au7, just like suggested by those from vinyl forum.

im glad you like it & when you did AB test with cd2 buffer thats even better. i can only do AB test with my 6BL8, which sounded really good for movies, speech but no really in music & its totally different with ms-12b!! enjoy!!

this ms12b pretty much stops my desire to hunt for hi end dac hehe What a Face

by royroy Sun Apr 04, 2010 2:29 am

arremie wrote:royroy, yup that's the one. It's so cheap I simply can't resist. Plus I'm very curious on how EL84 sounded so I just take one thinking if I don't like it then it's not gonna hurt me much. It's still nowhere near the sound quality I heard from Yarland at Tong Lee. So despite having this one for fun, I'm still searching for another "proper" tube amp haha. Anyway, are you still using stock tubes?

Why can't match with floorstander? It's 97db/1W/1m should be more than enough for this 12 watters. In fact 5 clicks of volume is too loud already for normal listening. Not to mention it's a horn based speaker which is always recommended to pair with tube output.

ya i am still use the stock tube..plan to change soon..waitting for budget...
oo u match wit 97 db floor stander...that y u can drive it..haha...
i htink u use a normal below 90db floorstander...haha....
well befroe i buy this tube...u test the yarland before.. i hear this sound better that yarland leh....match that simon recomand spk...i can get some bass n nice mid compare wit the yarland wot the f.o.c speaker from t.lee...
i can get the sound i wan n inportan is still in my budget not over 3k...
but i am gatal...will upgread it soon...after i listen this 1 day till i boring on it...can pm me ur contact? maybe come to visit u audi ur amp wit ur floorstander.... thx..

by arremie Sun Apr 04, 2010 7:44 pm

royroy, I just replace the stock EL84 tube with JJ Tesla El84 and Sovtek 6N1P replace the stock 6N1. Can't really hear any difference with Sovtek but the difference is very obvious once I put JJ in. Too bad I found that I like the stock EL84 better. JJ EL84 really bring out the high which is too much for my speaker that is already on the bright side. If you are using "lazy" type of speaker then JJ EL84 will be excellent.

I PM'ed u my contact Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_smile

by royroy Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:03 pm

jj?? how much u buy the jj tube? n sovtex 6n1p how much n where u get it?
i pm u my no. u sms me k...

by arremie Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:59 pm

Got them from www.tubedepot.com

Only 4 days shipping via Fedex.

by finger Tue Apr 06, 2010 4:37 pm

I wonder when the MS12B can make it to my place for a demo eh ... :p .. CD2 does not work for me. I hope it did, so that I wouldn't need to fork out extras .

by noodle88 Tue Apr 06, 2010 4:40 pm

Arremie n royroy,
6n1 tube r very different from 6n1p tube, they r not direct replacement .

For 6n1 u may need to try shu kwang 6n1 from china, they r realy good...

by arremie Tue Apr 06, 2010 4:45 pm

noodle88, are you sure? Here it said 6N1P is the same as China 6N1.

http://thetubestore.com/svetlana6n1p.html

shu kwang = shuguang?

by noodle88 Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:34 pm

Arremie,

My 300b also using 6n1 as driver tube, the designer told me 6n1 r different from 6n1p, they sound different. U may put 6n1p into your amp, do no harm but does it sound better? According to Chinese interpretation , 6n1 is 6 volt version of 12at7.

Yes, it's shuguang. Ask for the j grade 6n1..

by arremie Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:14 pm

I see. As long as no harm done then I guess it's alright. Got me scared there for a while. Don't want to burn down my new amp.

Sound is very subjective. It could be sounding good to you but not to me and vice versa. I do like China tube better for my EL84. Anyway, thanks for the info. I saw some J grade 6N1 on ebay. Gonna try those. Is there any special marking for J grade?

by royroy Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:01 am

i will try it soon...wat the price for 6n1 china? where to gey at boleh land??

by arremie Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:56 am

I'm getting mine from ebay (hongkee seller) for about RM30 per pair. Donno where to get locally.

by royroy Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:47 pm

rm 30 per pair.can have a try....can i tumpang oder wit u??

by arremie Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:55 am

Already ordered 2 pairs. You can have one pair. Will buzz you once they arrived Need help deciding on tube amp - Page 2 Icon_biggrin

by royroy Wed Apr 14, 2010 4:45 pm

remy u get my sms?

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