Karma - Monoprice Fabulousness!

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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,037
    Talking Heads. Burning down the house...
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
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    6lzhzfqvw9pu.png
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 11,533
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 18,380
    edited June 2018
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    The Monoprice hybrid amplifier is unboxed, hooked up and will go online presently.

    Anyone care to guess the first song that I shall play through it?
    (there are of course many apt choices given the backstory -- but one rose to the top for me very quickly).

    Burning down the house? Ken beat me to it, first one that came to mind. Speaking of talking heads @mhardy6647 :D:D
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 9,523
    How does it smell?
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    The Monoprice hybrid amplifier is unboxed, hooked up and will go online presently.

    Anyone care to guess the first song that I shall play through it?
    (there are of course many apt choices given the backstory -- but one rose to the top for me very quickly).

    Burning down the house? Ken beat me to it, first one that came to mind. Speaking of talking heads @mhardy6647 :D:D


    Ding, Ding, Ding! :)

    I guess I need to send you something now -- what do you "need" that I might have extras of? :)

    Carousel CD player?

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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 9,634
    edited June 2018
    I was thinking this one would be it;
    The Ohio Players "FIRE". :D
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
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    pjty7p5ibg0a.jpg


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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 9,523
    Are those the Dayton bookies?
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  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,857
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Are those the Dayton bookies?

    Yup!


    So... What's the initial verdict?
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    edited June 2018
    Comments:
    • This one seems to be working flawlessly out of the box. What's this, number four?
    • The general heft, fit and finish isn't bad at all for a ninety-nine dollar product.
    • The amber illumination (pilot light and meter light) is both apt and kind of scary at the same time.
    • Whatever is being done with them -- the tubes are run hard enough that the EL84s umm, 6P15s get pretty hot. Not EICO HF81 EL84 hot, but too hot to touch. The small signal tubes (6N1, whatever that is) run cool.
    • The amp does have an interesting bouquet. Slightly stale, musty, resinous and chemical, all rolled into one. It smells exactly like my grandparents' house in Glen Burnie, MD did -- ca. 1965. My grandfather was a dedicated smoker of very cheap cigars (El Productos -- my father called 'em "El Ropos") and the house bore mute testimony to it for many, many years.
    • The cassoulette :) of the amp isn't objectionable at all. I cannot smell it except right up by the tubes -- and my nose is pretty sensitive.
    • No flammulation, no funny noises, microphonics, etc.
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,037
    Run Forrest run!!
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    edited June 2018
    I cannot tell with certainty from teh interwebs, but it seems like a 6922 might be close enough to whatever a 6N1 is to drop in. It would be nice to see some consensus on the point :p but I might just have to chuck a coupla cannon fodder 6922s in there and see what happens...

    not tonight though.

    Having played (no kidding) a bunch of Talking Heads 'greatest hits', I've moved on to the Wailin Jennys. They're Wailin' nicely enough.

    I might work up the nerve to try the amp on some real loudspeakers... again, not tonight.

    :|
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 9,523
    Careful with your nicer speakers, look out for those turn on/off transients.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 18,380
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I cannot tell with certainty from teh interwebs, but it seems like a 6922 might be close enough to whatever a 6N1 is to drop in. It would be nice to see some consensus on the point :p but I might just have to chuck a coupla cannon fodder 6922s in there and see what happens...

    :|
    Yes Doc but there are some differences


    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/6N1P
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  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,649
    To reiterate...
    My amp is not in your house?
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 18,380
    lightman1 wrote: »
    To reiterate...
    My amp is not in your house?

    No it is holding up the lawn tractors axle off the ground.... outside
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    I cannot tell with certainty from teh interwebs, but it seems like a 6922 might be close enough to whatever a 6N1 is to drop in. It would be nice to see some consensus on the point :p but I might just have to chuck a coupla cannon fodder 6922s in there and see what happens...

    :|
    Yes Doc but there are some differences


    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/6N1P

    Yeah, the 6N1P I am very familiar with -- it's not completely clear to me that the Chinese 6N1 is "identical" to the Soviet/Russian 6N1P, though.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    edited June 2018
    lightman1 wrote: »
    To reiterate...
    My amp is not in your house?

    That is correct :)
    It is in an undisclosed location -- Dick Cheney may be groovin' to some tunes on it, I suppose.

    ;)
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    lightman1 wrote: »
    To reiterate...
    My amp is not in your house?

    No it is holding up the lawn tractors axle off the ground.... outside

    Naaah -- that's what the MC-2100 is for.

    Actually, that's a joke. The MC-2100 makes a much better doorstop.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,175
    Judging by the extreme glow of that thing, I'd say....the wick is lit. Delayed fuse maybe ? Kinda like when we were kids and made that wick on the M-80's/quarter sticks long enough to buy us some time to get the heck out of the way.

    What's the warranty on this thing....36 hours ? :)
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • verb
    verb Posts: 9,805
    I’m happy so far so good. Perhaps number 4 is the charm! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,Enlightened Audio Designs CD Transport, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, Marantz SA-14 SACD, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Digital Cables, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, Wireworld Oasis 8 RCA IC's, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, PASS ACA Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Antique Sound Labs Wave AV-8 Monoblocks, Tisbury Mini Passive Pre, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    edited June 2018
    verb wrote: »
    I’m happy so far so good. Perhaps number 4 is the charm! :smile:

    That's what I am thinking.

    In fact, early results suggest that this gizmo, as is, represents a great 99-dolla desktop/nearfield amplifier, except:
    1. It's rather large compared to most other such devices.
    2. It generates a fairly large amount of heat - mostly from those EL84s - relative to most other such devices.

    I wonder if I can figure out how to do something with the Bluetooth on it? I am pretty... shall we say... low tech. ...or is it old school?


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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 9,523
    edited June 2018
    It's actually $120 plus shipping. Not sure where this $99 figure is coming from.

    https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13194
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    It was $99 at least at one point -- and the same amp with other brand names is or was available for $99, last time I looked.

    If the OP paid more than $99 for it, I do apologize! :blush:
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    As a postscript -- I will give this amp a serious audition at some point in the not too distant future.

    If we really do get rain later today (it's in the forecast), maybe even tonight! :)
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 5,481
    $139.99, $120, $119.99, $99? Why does something from MONOPRICE have so many prices? :p
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  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,751
    Viking64 wrote: »
    $139.99, $120, $119.99, $99? Why does something from MONOPRICE have so many prices? :p

    HAHA!

    So you like it for $99? What if it was $99.99? Would it still be good for the money? :wink:
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 27,240
    Viking64 wrote: »
    $139.99, $120, $119.99, $99? Why does something from MONOPRICE have so many prices? :p

    That's a good question.
    One of those Imponderables, I guess.

    Either that, or the company should be renamed Oligoprice. Or maybe Oligoprices, to kind of maintain some consistency of pluralism.

    :|
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 9,523
    Just doesn't have the same ring to it.
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Either that, or the company should be renamed Oligoprice. Or maybe Oligoprices, to kind of maintain some consistency of pluralism.

    :|

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