Window shopping Yaqin tube amps

Simplyrandom

I am hoping I can get an education on tube amps here. I am looking at the offerings by Silk audio which are currently the Mc-100b and the Mc-13s. I have read threads where some of the members here have the Mc-100b and appear to be happy with them. I have to admit though that the 100b is at the top end of my price range and to be honest thats a stretch with my budget for audio at the moment. I know that it has more output than the 13s and it is a dual mono design. I also know that it gives the option of bypassing the internal pre which I assume is a bonus given that both units are integrated. The thing I like about the 13s is at that price point I still have money for a phono pre amp which neither of them have equipped. I guess I am wondering if the dual mono configuration is necessary and worth the extra cash. I was also wondering if I have a tube amp is a tube phono pre over kill. Would I not benefit from the tubes in the amp and I could use a different phono pre approach. I do not have a lot of cash to work with in my audio budget and I am really trying to maximize every penny I spend. This activity can drain a bank account in a heart beat and I have to discipline myself to not fall in to that rabbit hole. I know there are other options in the Yaqin line but I do not want to be shipping from China or Hong Kong nor Canada for that matter. I was also curious if the different tubes had a sonic aspect of the choices between the KT-88 based vs the EL-84. From what I have read the 84s shine more in the mids and the 88s have more high and low definition. I do understand that tube rolling would be a subject for plenty of other threads. Oh I forgot to add my speakers are my 10a's and currently the only ones on my wish list are a pair of peerless 7's.

michaeljhsda2

Does Silk Audio have any more MC-30L's in stock? If not, ask him to put you on the waiting list, well worth the wait. It's an EL34 based amp. Has a remote control. Very good amp.
Check out the Yaqin MS-20L from tabnaac on ebay. Even though he ships from Canada, he tests each amp before shipping and he does warranty work as well as stock all the parts. Shipping is only about 40 bucks and it's delivered in about 3 to 4 days via Fedex. I own both the 20L and the 30L. Great bang for the buck amps that are built like tanks.

voltz

their is a Silk Audio MC-30ls in stock, as soon as he sells 1 he put another up for sell. I have the MC-100b which uses KT-88 tubes and really do like it, now I have read elsewhere that other prefer the MC-13ls because they like the sound of the EL34 tubes better and I know it would drive your Monitor 10's just fine. so I thought about getting the MC13ls over the MC-100b.

but I like what your saying about saving money for a phono pre amp! that makes good sense. the seller told me he owns some monitor 10's also and that he had 1 customer buy both tube amps it is to bad we can't talk to that person and see which they prefer LOL!

cnh

The prices on those YaQins are REALLY dropping! So it makes replacing tubes more attractive. The KT88s I've heard do have more low end authority, but some say the EL84s are "sweeter"?

You need to get your ears on them to decide for yourself.

Happy hunting!

cnh

Simplyrandom

voltz wrote: »

their is a Silk Audio MC-30ls in stock, as soon as he sells 1 he put another up for sell. I have the MC-100b which uses KT-88 tubes and really do like it, now I have read elsewhere that other prefer the MC-13ls because they like the sound of the EL34 tubes better and I know it would drive your Monitor 10's just fine. so I thought about getting the MC13ls over the MC-100b.

but I like what your saying about saving money for a phono pre amp! that makes good sense. the seller told me he owns some monitor 10's also and that he had 1 customer buy both tube amps it is to bad we can't talk to that person and see which they prefer LOL!

I looked on their bay site and did not see a MC-30 listed. I would really like that remote ! I also truly wish I could audition the amps but the world is not perfect so the best I can hope for is others opinions.

voltz

I agree with cnh here about if there was a way to listen to them 1st, better then reading opinions but sometimes that is all we have to go on. I just went to the Primaluna site cause I remember them talking about the difference between their 4's & 5's

on the Primaluna site they talked about the difference between there Proloque 5 and 4 is that the 5 uses KT88's and has better bass authority over the EL-34 tubes that is in the Proloque 4's.

voltz

my bad its the Silk Audio MC13S

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silk-Audio-MC13S-EL34-Tube-Integrated-Amp-from-same-factory-as-Yaqin-/321456349859?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item4ad84aa2a3


The MC30l was a yaqin and it looks a lot different. but they both use the el34's

Simplyrandom

I like the price point of the MC-13 as I could afford a tube phono pre from them and still be in the same ballpark as with the 100B. I also see they have an option for a tube upgrade to Blue Glass 6CA7 to improve the bottom end and preserve the sweet midrange people like about the EL-84's. I am more of a classic rock and blues kind of guy so I wonder if I would be better off with the EL-84s.

dhart86

I had the same Yaqin amp, sold it to a fellow polkie. I had some 6ca7 tubes in it and it was a great sounding amp. You know a piece of gear is good when you dont stop thinking about it after you sold it. This amp should work well with the 10's, mine drove SDA 1C's and the combo was very good

factorz

I'm a Yaqin MS-30L owner as well and it's a unit that punches much higher then it's price point. I run mine with a pair of Vapor Cirrus Blacks and it's the tops. I rolled some vintage RCA EL34 Mullards and have been really happy with it.

Also the Silk seller is really great and provided me some really great customer service when I had some issues with the first 30L I recieved.

michaeljhsda2

IMO, I would go with the EL34 based tube amp as there is no remote control with the MC-13. Ray, who owns Silk Audio and is based out of the Chicagoland area, is a great seller who stands behind what he sells. I highly recommend buying from him. The stock Shuguang power tubes are an excellent tube. I had an option of getting the blue glass but from what I've read, people are having problems with them.

Simplyrandom

Thanks for the input fellas. I have contacted the seller of the Silk products about availability of the MC-30L and hopefully he will have some good news for me. I guess the only draw back I see is wow thats a lot of tubes.

polkfarmboy

Started my journey into two channel with a yaqin mc10l integrated. I then threw genalex and took the performance up a good notch, you cant go wrong for the money with these products. Notice my monoprice speaker wire on the floor...... happy days!!

polkfarmboy

Here is another lovely pic, you gota love the look of these things. Anyone that walked into my room would be like " whats that?" as many folks I know dont even know what a tube amp is.

polkfarmboy

After tubes I started researching like crazy on how to build my own and the result was unsuccessful

Mikey081057

I have the MC 100B. I have used it with my LSi 9's, LSIM 703's and most recently my SDA SRS 2.3's. It drives them all with ease in triode mode and presents a very well balanced and deep soundstage.

I prefer the KT-88 sound over the EL 34's YMMV.

Happy Hunting!

michaeljhsda2

It is a lot of tubes and boy do they sound great. I recommend holding off swapping out the stock tubes. Get a baseline of how it sounds for a month or so and then replace all 8 of the smaller preamp tubes with Mullard EF95's (last time I checked they cost about 80 bucks w/shipping) if you're so inclined. Not a night and day difference in sound IMO. It bears repeating that the Shuguang EL-34B is an excellent tube. Had some Svetlana Winged C's (the real ones) in there and was not overly impressed. Went back to the Shuguangs.

erniejade

That sellers town isnt far from me at all. Cheap prices on thoes amps!!

trans am

Hi everyone, Im sorry to the thread starter for my questions. It is on topic of Silk.

on my main rig I have a pair of Monitor Audio RX2 silver speakers
Adcom GFP-750
ADCOM GFA-555 II
Modded Jolida JD9II
Techincs SL 1200 MK2 with modded rca signal cables and bullet plugs with ortofon blue 2M cartridge and Sumiko HS-12 Universal Headshell.

In my garage studio, I have an old marantz sr-4002 and some Dali Ikon Mik2 speakers and a NAD T-585.

In my wife's studio, her rig consists of a Adcom gfp-565 preamp and an AudioSource Amp 3.
Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 Genie turntable/ ortofon red 2m and the speakers are LSA1 Statement's.

in the bedroom we have a HD projector and its all wired to a Marantz SR-5005. 5.1 speakers setup is 4x polk VM10's front l/R surronds and rear surrounds with a Totem Acoustic Mite-T Center and a velodyne DEQ-8r sub. (the polk vm's play nice with the totem center)

the bedroom and kitchen are separated by a wall so I decided to drill 2 holes through the wall to reach the kitchen and wired 2 bookshelf boston acoustic M25 speakers so we can listen to music in the kitchen through ZONE 2 on the marantz sr-5005.

Here is the fun part. She has an old ****ty sony turntable and wants to hook it up to the sr-5005 in the bedroom but it doesnt have phono stage.

I'm looking into getting a decent phono preamp for it. Eventually she will get rid of the sony table and get a rega or project carbon or something of that price point. it doesnt have to be fancy but I believe in buying something quality that will sound nice and last and if you ever have hard times you can resell it.

I love my USA (maryland) jolida jd9 II so im trying to get a similar build quality and amazing sound.

it doesnt matter if its a tube or solid state phono pre. I just want to keep it under $300

this is what I found looking around in that price range of $300

TUBE BOX II SE (this will most likely sell for $350-$400)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Ject-Tube-Box-SE-II-MM-MC-Tube-Phono-Preamplifier-MINT-/161374788765?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1653

silk audio MS-23B (very interersting especially since its in USA and tested and the person was really nice and recommended getting tubes on craigslist) plus I like that I can mod it
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silk-Audio-MS-23B-Tube-Phono-Stage-from-same-factory-as-Yaqin-/221495454375?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item3392286aa7

with these TUNG-SOL REISSUE 12AX7 TUBES
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390874219093

mod pack
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yaqin-MS-22b-MS-23b-Phono-preamp-three-tube-modification-kit-/191092541383?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item2c7e00c7c7




or?? Salience LP2.0MKII (wtf?) looks pretty sick
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251596601611?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649


or this?
VISTA AUDIO phono-1 mkII (found a thread and they are in USA) might be best Solid state phono pre in this range???
http://vista-audio.com/products/phono-1mkII/index.htm

here is an audio karma thread I was looking at
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=520057


what do you members think? I havent heard any of these. We listen to a lot of Iron Maiden (up to somewhere in time) and steely dan!!! But yeah we are mostly into metal.

polkfarmboy

My money would be on the tube box.

trans am

yeah, that was my 1st choice but I doubt it will go for $300
I am trying to snipe it and it ends in 4hrs at 269.00! how high should i bid before the rest of the stuff I mentioned become better?

lets say i dont win the tube box?? 'cause I probably wont. should I do the SILK MS-23B with the tung sols and mods? or just screw it and do the solid states? Or just get a cheap cambridge 640P or 551p for like $150?

i am most intereseted in that VISTA AUDIO phono-1 mkII f0r $300 or try to get that Salience for $200?? + 75 to ship to USA

the vista audio sounds like it might be really rad. its 300 and the guy is in NY also so he said it would be just $300. but the silk audio MS-23B with the tung sols and the mod might be on par with my jolida? that would cost 273.03 with the tubes and mod pack and shipping. I think I paid around $600 for the jolida and then the mod was like 100 and tubes $50 so thats like a $750 amp.

HMMMM?

but you are right. its going to be a lot easier to resell a tube box 2 se than this independent chinese brand gear. how much should I bid on the tube box? $350

polkfarmboy

Well dont bid at all and then put your bid in and in the last 3 seconds hit the submit, put in $400 and you may get it cheaper. If the bidding goes over that then wait for another auction, you have waited this long.

Simplyrandom

trans am wrote: »

Hi everyone, Im sorry to the thread starter for my questions. It is on topic of Silk.

on my main rig I have a pair of Monitor Audio RX2 silver speakers
Adcom GFP-750
ADCOM GFA-555 II
Modded Jolida JD9II
Techincs SL 1200 MK2 with modded rca signal cables and bullet plugs with ortofon blue 2M cartridge and Sumiko HS-12 Universal Headshell.

In my garage studio, I have an old marantz sr-4002 and some Dali Ikon Mik2 speakers and a NAD T-585.

In my wife's studio, her rig consists of a Adcom gfp-565 preamp and an AudioSource Amp 3.
Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 Genie turntable/ ortofon red 2m and the speakers are LSA1 Statement's.

in the bedroom we have a HD projector and its all wired to a Marantz SR-5005. 5.1 speakers setup is 4x polk VM10's front l/R surronds and rear surrounds with a Totem Acoustic Mite-T Center and a velodyne DEQ-8r sub. (the polk vm's play nice with the totem center)

the bedroom and kitchen are separated by a wall so I decided to drill 2 holes through the wall to reach the kitchen and wired 2 bookshelf boston acoustic M25 speakers so we can listen to music in the kitchen through ZONE 2 on the marantz sr-5005.

Here is the fun part. She has an old ****ty sony turntable and wants to hook it up to the sr-5005 in the bedroom but it doesnt have phono stage.

I'm looking into getting a decent phono preamp for it. Eventually she will get rid of the sony table and get a rega or project carbon or something of that price point. it doesnt have to be fancy but I believe in buying something quality that will sound nice and last and if you ever have hard times you can resell it.

I love my USA (maryland) jolida jd9 II so im trying to get a similar build quality and amazing sound.

it doesnt matter if its a tube or solid state phono pre. I just want to keep it under $300

this is what I found looking around in that price range of $300

TUBE BOX II SE (this will most likely sell for $350-$400)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Ject-Tube-Box-SE-II-MM-MC-Tube-Phono-Preamplifier-MINT-/161374788765?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1653

silk audio MS-23B (very interersting especially since its in USA and tested and the person was really nice and recommended getting tubes on craigslist) plus I like that I can mod it
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silk-Audio-MS-23B-Tube-Phono-Stage-from-same-factory-as-Yaqin-/221495454375?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item3392286aa7

with these TUNG-SOL REISSUE 12AX7 TUBES
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390874219093

mod pack
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yaqin-MS-22b-MS-23b-Phono-preamp-three-tube-modification-kit-/191092541383?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item2c7e00c7c7




or?? Salience LP2.0MKII (wtf?) looks pretty sick
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251596601611?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649


or this?
VISTA AUDIO phono-1 mkII (found a thread and they are in USA) might be best Solid state phono pre in this range???
http://vista-audio.com/products/phono-1mkII/index.htm

here is an audio karma thread I was looking at
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=520057


what do you members think? I havent heard any of these. We listen to a lot of Iron Maiden (up to somewhere in time) and steely dan!!! But yeah we are mostly into metal.

Hijack away I really do not mind. I actually liked the input on other options and the tube selection and modifications available for the 23b. I had looked at some of the options and to be honest its just overwhelming the amount of choices there are. I really have to be careful as I am a hobby addict and succumb to GAS really easily. I am going to stick with my original choices of the 13s and 23b. I am using a vintage ss receiver that needs some tlc so anything will be an improvement over what I have. I currently have a limited budget and if I do not like them I see no problem turning them. I can not recall seeing either of them used on the bay and for people in my position that want a decent sound on a limited budget they are a great bang per buck item.

voltz

SR

I was curious if have you narrowed it down to what tube amp you might get? and please feel free to fire away questions as you think of them. I know me & Ken are both very green tube owners, so you won't be alone I didn't hesitate to PM a bunch of people with questions when I when I thought it was to silly to post LOL

Just Remember.. they run hot and I don't think I'd run one 24/7 (thinking maybe some cool down time)
always keep speaker cables plugged into it, I keep the volume dial down to zero when I turn it off or on. always let it run for 5 minutes before turning it up...and let it cool for 5 before you turn it back on. just some basic things.

and they are pretty heavy, and theses Yaqin & Silk clones take a multimeter to set bias normally...mine does at least... but just think it over 1st before buying and I know its always a tough call on which to get and enjoy the search thats part of the fun too.

and I'm still loving using a tube for now, maybe with time I'll want my simple SS set up again.

mikey1987

what speakers are you guys running with your tube amps?

voltz

I'm running my tube amp with my Monitor 10's and love how they play together with a Marantz SACD & Pro-ject TT as sources, and I have hooked them to my monitor 4's & RTiA7's also and they sounded great thru the tube integrated amp also.

but my 10's are gone thru a big time burn in plan, can't wait till their burn in and I can really see how the 2 play together.

Simplyrandom

I am currently pretty much set on getting the MC-13s from Silk and the MS-23b phono as I can get both for roughly the same cost as the 100b. I had looked at the 30L and the 100b but I feel like there is not enough difference to justify the additional cost. I may be right or I may be wrong but that is just my current position. I am losing approximately 10 to 15 watts of output, a remote and possibly a little loss in bass response. I also lose the option of using triode mode which I assume is actually a simulated sort of operation. I plan on using this with my vintage Polk 10a's which are currently all original though I plan on refreshing the crossovers and probably installing H-nuts along with preventive measures of securing the magnets. I also have a pair of Dynaco A25s as well. They are the speakers that sent me down memory lane and getting back in to audio equipment. I really like the sound I get out my current ss receiver however it has some issues. I get a crackling sort of sound out of one channel occasionally and the tuner has an issue with the quartz locking function. I can not justify the cost of fixing these and would rather apply that money to something better. I do however love the fact that it gives me full bodied sound at even the lowest volumes. I never have to touch the loudness button to compensate lost bass response at lower volumes nor even touch the tone controls as it just gets it all right. That is something I missed from good clean power. I had been using my computer for so many years for my audio with a pair of Klipsch 2.1 pc speakers and when that died I picked up a pair of Behringer MS40s off CL. I was good for what little time I spent listening and for the most part all I did was listen to music off YouTube or mp3s I had ripped off of cds. I was good with what I had until a friend of the family gave us a stereo he said he didn't want anymore and told us we could sell it at our flea market booth. It was a late 80's MCS 45 watt per ch receiver and the Dynaco A25's. I brought them in the house and hooked them up and it took me back to when I was younger and my stepfather was spinning jazz albums through his Lafayette system. I am hoping that the MC-13s will give me even better sound than I have with my current set up and no crackily sounds either. I can not go audition it because well Va is a bit far from Illinois. I am a bit concerned that is does not have tone controls and with the 13s I can not bypass the internal pre and use an external pre. I am hoping that if I am not happy with the tonal quality that maybe I can swap preamp tubes to shift it in the direction I prefer but I am clueless to that process and might be flat wrong. I will say that my first interest in the Yaqin tube amps came from a YouTube video I saw that had a pair of 10s hooked up to a Qinpu A-6000 MKII integrated amp. While I understand YouTube is far from the ideal way of measuring audio I liked the way it sounded and it was only 16 watts and a hybrid tube ss. I figure the MC-13 at 45 watts and all tube would just make things better. I also have no way of measuring the amount of volume it would produce and while I do not try to annoy the neighbors I do like to turn it up a bit from time to time. My listening room is far from ideal as it is a multi purpose man cave in the basement with exposed floor joists and an odd collection of storage and workspace. I would liken it to having a sofa in the garage. Its my multi purpose room. My sources are currently a couple of Onkyo 6 disc changers DX-C340 and DX-C220 and a Pioneer PL-10 with a Grado Green I am just breaking in. I am looking in to dacs as well and for cutting my teeth on it I may get the dac Destroyer just to get me started as my digital media is limited until I work out ripping my lps on to a storage solution. Wow this rabbit hole is deep. I have not determined which route to go with that either as I have pc and macs and I just want to keep that as simple as I can before this becomes more work than fun. Well now that I have rambled on forever I am going to get back to trying to snake the clog out of my kitchen sink drain line. If you made it to the end of the post thanks for lending an ear.

voltz

Always glad to lend a Ear I was afraid of losing the tone controls myself as I did liked playing with the ones on my Vincent preamp now & then, but since I've been listening to the 100b I honestly have not missed them. I think the MC-13 would do you just fine and sound excellent with your 10's.

BTW the 100b has been super silent, and I think the MC-13 will be too.

Think the main reason hes going with the Silk over the Yaqin is the ebay seller is in the US and the other ship from china not Illinois, which is why I choose the Silk Audio too.

Simplyrandom

Well from the listings I see at Tabnaac the 10L and the 13s are both rated at 45 watts 8 ohms. I may be wrong but from what I have read the 13s is an upgraded version of the 10L. I am not sure what the changes were but even if it is just the addition of the meter on the front I am good with that. I also notice that the 13s uses two different tubes in the preamp section. 12AX7B

BKphoto

How noisy are they...? I've never heard any of the new tube stuff...From what I remember my uncle had a tube set up that sounded amazing when the music was playing but quite noisy in between tracks...

voltz

My Silk audio Mc-100b is dead silent. I think the Yaqin are also probably since they really make the Silk clones...