Audio Blog: Yaqin--The Hunt for an Amplifier
thetawave2
Posts: 268
Earlier today, I posted a thread in the Electronics forum about a listening session I did with my friend toward the end of the summer. Now that I've gotten caught up on that, I'm starting to write about my new amplifier, a Yaqin MC-100B. This entry details my research in the past few months and the motivations behind my purchase.
Here's the link to my blog if you want to check out my other entries. They cover various subjects, from waking up with music to a DIY cable project to a CD review.
http://paugustinos.blogspot.com/
I hope you enjoy!
For several months now, I?ve been on the quest for a new amplifier. The Onkyo home theater receiver my uncle had given me after his own upgrade had served me well, but it was time for me to move on to a serious 2-channel amplifier. My search began with solid state and wound up squarely focused on tubes. There was just something alluring about tube amplifiers, something I couldn?t quite put my finger on, that drew me in. The possibility of customizing my amplifier?s sound by tube rolling was a very attractive one. I figured the famous ?tube sound? would mean great synergy in my system, for reasons detailed in my previous blog post. I had just followed Mike?s lead and bought a Playstation of my own, and with the Onkyo pushing my Tannoys there would be a bit of an edge to the top end and a bit of a weakness in the bass.
In a way, it was good that I?d be going to Scotland for a semester abroad. It was a surefire way to keep me from making an impulse buy. Still, I dreaded going without any respectable stereo whatsoever for four months. It didn?t help that toward the end of the semester I caught my Sennheiser headphones? cord on a railing on the way to class and separated the wire from the plug. In the meantime, I read everything I could from professional reviews to forum threads looking for the right amplifier for me.
Just going by the big names, it seemed like tubes might be a little above my budget. But, as I began to look for information predominantly in forums, Chinese amplifiers began to look like an attractive option. At first I was wary of buying a cheap, Chinese product. But, the more I read, the more positive opinions I came across about brands like Jolida and Dared. Again and again I heard that these amplifiers offered excellent value. Soon my prejudices were dispelled. Several Club Polk users offered helpful guidance, and I?m sure they will again be an indispensable resource when I begin tube rolling.
So, I researched budget Chinese tube amplifiers, with a focus on power ratings. With my only moderately efficient Tannoy D100s, I knew my options would be limited to fairly powerful amplifiers. No SETs for me! Fortunately, I found Yaqin. This brand caught my eye for several reasons. First was their MS-20L integrated amplifier, which had good power ratings and seemed like quite a bargain. The more I read about Yaqin, the more good things I heard. Although some users had dependability issues, many more simply loved their amplifiers. The first issue was addressed when I found, on a recommendation by a fellow forum user, the eBay seller tabnaac. His store, Canadian HiFi online, offered several amplifiers, cables, and other tube components, and individually tested and biased each amplifier before shipping it out. His reputation for dependability and service was a major selling point and was a huge factor in my decision. On the few occasions I asked him questions, he responded promptly and gave me all the information I needed. With a couple months left in my semester abroad, I decided to splurge for the slightly more powerful KT88-based MC-100B, and definitely to buy from Canadian HiFi Online. I read more and more about this specific model and again was not disappointed. People had some great things to say, especially about the amplifier?s value. Some users pointed out that the parts cost almost as much as the amplifier, and one even asserted a DIYer would be hard-pressed to find the transformers alone for less than the price of the amplifier.
With the end of the semester only a couple weeks away, I finally pulled the trigger. Again, tabnaac did not let me down. He even shipped my amplifier out the same day. It arrived on the early side of his delivery estimate range, and all I could do was grit my teeth, do my best to survive final exams, and hurry home.
Here's the link to my blog if you want to check out my other entries. They cover various subjects, from waking up with music to a DIY cable project to a CD review.
http://paugustinos.blogspot.com/
I hope you enjoy!
For several months now, I?ve been on the quest for a new amplifier. The Onkyo home theater receiver my uncle had given me after his own upgrade had served me well, but it was time for me to move on to a serious 2-channel amplifier. My search began with solid state and wound up squarely focused on tubes. There was just something alluring about tube amplifiers, something I couldn?t quite put my finger on, that drew me in. The possibility of customizing my amplifier?s sound by tube rolling was a very attractive one. I figured the famous ?tube sound? would mean great synergy in my system, for reasons detailed in my previous blog post. I had just followed Mike?s lead and bought a Playstation of my own, and with the Onkyo pushing my Tannoys there would be a bit of an edge to the top end and a bit of a weakness in the bass.
In a way, it was good that I?d be going to Scotland for a semester abroad. It was a surefire way to keep me from making an impulse buy. Still, I dreaded going without any respectable stereo whatsoever for four months. It didn?t help that toward the end of the semester I caught my Sennheiser headphones? cord on a railing on the way to class and separated the wire from the plug. In the meantime, I read everything I could from professional reviews to forum threads looking for the right amplifier for me.
Just going by the big names, it seemed like tubes might be a little above my budget. But, as I began to look for information predominantly in forums, Chinese amplifiers began to look like an attractive option. At first I was wary of buying a cheap, Chinese product. But, the more I read, the more positive opinions I came across about brands like Jolida and Dared. Again and again I heard that these amplifiers offered excellent value. Soon my prejudices were dispelled. Several Club Polk users offered helpful guidance, and I?m sure they will again be an indispensable resource when I begin tube rolling.
So, I researched budget Chinese tube amplifiers, with a focus on power ratings. With my only moderately efficient Tannoy D100s, I knew my options would be limited to fairly powerful amplifiers. No SETs for me! Fortunately, I found Yaqin. This brand caught my eye for several reasons. First was their MS-20L integrated amplifier, which had good power ratings and seemed like quite a bargain. The more I read about Yaqin, the more good things I heard. Although some users had dependability issues, many more simply loved their amplifiers. The first issue was addressed when I found, on a recommendation by a fellow forum user, the eBay seller tabnaac. His store, Canadian HiFi online, offered several amplifiers, cables, and other tube components, and individually tested and biased each amplifier before shipping it out. His reputation for dependability and service was a major selling point and was a huge factor in my decision. On the few occasions I asked him questions, he responded promptly and gave me all the information I needed. With a couple months left in my semester abroad, I decided to splurge for the slightly more powerful KT88-based MC-100B, and definitely to buy from Canadian HiFi Online. I read more and more about this specific model and again was not disappointed. People had some great things to say, especially about the amplifier?s value. Some users pointed out that the parts cost almost as much as the amplifier, and one even asserted a DIYer would be hard-pressed to find the transformers alone for less than the price of the amplifier.
With the end of the semester only a couple weeks away, I finally pulled the trigger. Again, tabnaac did not let me down. He even shipped my amplifier out the same day. It arrived on the early side of his delivery estimate range, and all I could do was grit my teeth, do my best to survive final exams, and hurry home.
My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
Post edited by thetawave2 on
Comments
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nice write-up....I have the Yaqin CD3 Tube Buffer,which is the best single buy that I've made.Terrific build quality,superb sound.Also check out Grant Fidelity products for Yaqin and Yulong......US based service and warranty,better prices,too,than the canadian seller,imo......peter
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Can't wait to hear your thoughts about it. I wanted to buy the MC-100B but it doesn't come with a remote control so I went with the MS-20L. Great bang for the buck amp.SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
Nice review...I have Yagin CD1 tube buffer & I really enjoy what it adds to my system. I've done a bit of tube rolling & the top two that I liked were the Amperex Buble Boy & EAT ECC-88. The EAT was the winner. Yagin makes makes some pretty nice gear at a very nice price point. Congrats & enjoy!!!!!"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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michaeljhsda2 wrote: »Can't wait to hear your thoughts about it. I wanted to buy the MC-100B but it doesn't come with a remote control so I went with the MS-20L. Great bang for the buck amp.
My thoughts on the amplifier itself and my comments after my first two listening sessions should be up on the blog in the next couple days. The MS-20L looked like a great buy to me too, but the MC-100B's lack of remote really wasn't much of a concern for me. With the kind of listening I plan to do with this amp, I'll set the volume level, pop in a CD and enjoy it all the way through!
And, as the manual suggested I keep the volume nice and low during the burn-in period, I haven't been getting up to crank it up. My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers -
pearsall001 wrote: »I've done a bit of tube rolling & the top two that I liked were the Amperex Buble Boy & EAT ECC-88. The EAT was the winner.
Thanks very much for the tube suggestion. I'll keep them in mind!My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
