Monoprice 50w Hybrid Amp
Comments
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Re-seated the crooked tube, popped in a 5 disc player, loaded it up. Letting in run.
No heat issues yet, runs cool.
If it doesn't catch fire
then to the wife's office it goes.
For me, the on button light is too bright, meters are really small and the volume knob has no light, has a black dot on it.
A balance knob and a remote would be nice.
It did arrive double boxed with some decent foam packing. Arrived in one day.
For $172.00 shipped express, it is what it is.
[emphasis added]
Boy howdy, now there's a ringing endorsement.
In seriousness, @oldrocker, thanks for apprising us of your purchase of this gadget and with sharing some pics and opinions! I (at least, since I am perversely interested in these things) really do appreciate it.
I am (of course) curious about the sound (i.e., your assessment of how it sounds). I've actually used the Firebird, umm I mean,the "25 watt" Monoprice amp quite a bit this year, because it has Bluetooth and it comes in handy to access some better quality (or at least louder) audio to support certain Zoom videoconferences without running wires all over the place. For that, it's quite "fit for purpose".* Otherwise, my impression of the "25 watter's" sound is that it's bright and fizzy in that artifically juiced-up way that I am getting increasing used to hearing in cheap Asian-sourced components. It's ear-catching, and listenable, but not right. It is also kind of short on definition (or resolution or whatever one might want to call it) and 'flat' (in the sense of two-dimensional) sounding relative to the big-boy hifi here. Of course, the difference in price is well north of an order of magnitude, so, on a per-dollar basis, I'd still say it sounds OK. That's slightly more optimistic than @oldrocker's initial feedback above on the PE amp!
OK, I've rambled on enough about these little boxes -- at least for now.
Thanks again for taking the plunge on one of the "Dayton" amps!
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* Although I am amused every time I turn it on and connect my lappie via BT -- and an elegant robo-voice with a manufactured British-European English accent intones "Your phone is connected." I mean, you'd think it might've said "Your device is connected", just to cover the bases.
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Oh man, Doc wants my opinion
I better have a morning martini first
Today after a few hours I will swap out some gear of better quality.
One thing I have noticed which just happened is the huge differences on music and how it's recorded. Grrrrr.
3 cd's just finished and then a Bryan Adams cd was next, it's so much louder almost to the point of being to loud. Sounds like someone turned it up.
Just the wrong cd I suppose along with other junk in the chain at this point.
The word sterile does come to mind, it's not terrible, just not quite there yet.
I do question the stated power output some.
I think the stated 50/100 watt is a bit of a push. Something with my ears telling me that those numbers just aren't realistic.
I've always heard, with tubes it takes more time.
I suspect an amp like this will not have that much more "full" sound due it's overall build quality/cost.
Maybe I'll be surprised in time.
FWIW folks, I'm not bashing the lil fella at all but it can only be so much for the price.
Time will tell, it should be a fun day playing with gear
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oldrocker, great job!!"Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
Ok, swapped all gear out of the rack.
I forgot what a PITA that is.
Amp, Marantz 6006, AQ cables all around and the Diamond 11.5's are all that's in.
Dis-regard the output power comment earlier. Diamonds are jumping nicely at about the 10-11 o'clock, what a difference.
Bass is much better, not restrained like before.
Highs seem to also have some more resolution but with more volume it tends to be a bit harsh for my ears. This could be the cd's I picked, all are newer/harder.
I chose Accepts The Rise of Chaos and Priest's Firepower
Sound stage is good, I'm 11.5 ft. from amp back wall. Vocals dead center.
One thing I did notice between the setups is the fan seemed to come on only when the volume increase went past 9 o'clock or so, now it seems to be on more than before even at a 8-9 o'clock volume. Who knows on that.
The fan is really quiet though.
Fan on the rack measures 3 ft. from the floor, I'm 6'6" and I have to bend down between songs to hear it running. It seems to dis-engage between songs but starts right back up when the music starts.
Another thing I noticed when everything was powered down is the volume knob rubbed on the plastic at the 2-3 o'clock position. I pulled outward on it and it's fine.
I still don't like the power light and a remote would be real useful to make changes while staying in the same sitting position.
With the first setup I was thinking ok for the money this is what it should be.
With the setup as it is now, I must admit it's better. -
Wait, you kinda lost me here -- are you using the Marantz 6006 or the Dayton thingie, or some satanspawn combination of the two?Ok, swapped all gear out of the rack.
I forgot what a PITA that is.
Amp, Marantz 6006, AQ cables all around and the Diamond 11.5's are all that's in.
Dis-regard the output power comment earlier. Diamonds are jumping nicely at about the 10-11 o'clock, what a difference.
Bass is much better, not restrained like before.
Highs seem to also have some more resolution but with more volume it tends to be a bit harsh for my ears. This could be the cd's I picked, all are newer/harder.I chose Accepts The Rise of Chaos and Priest's Firepower
Sound stage is good, I'm 11.5 ft. from amp back wall. Vocals dead center.
One thing I did notice between the setups is the fan seemed to come on only when the volume increase went past 9 o'clock or so, now it seems to be on more than before even at a 8-9 o'clock volume. Who knows on that.
The fan is really quiet though.
Fan on the rack measures 3 ft. from the floor, I'm 6'6" and I have to bend down between songs to hear it running. It seems to dis-engage between songs but starts right back up when the music starts.
Another thing I noticed when everything was powered down is the volume knob rubbed on the plastic at the 2-3 o'clock position. I pulled outward on it and it's fine.
I still don't like the power light and a remote would be real useful to make changes while staying in the same sitting position.
With the first setup I was thinking ok for the money this is what it should be.
With the setup as it is now, I must admit it's better.
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Started with a sony 5 disc into the Dayton amp out to some 301's.
Swapped to the Marantz 6006 cd player into the Dayton amp out to the 11.5's.
Haven't used the bluetooth yet.
I probably shoulda just kept a drinkin...
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Haven't used the bluetooth yet.
If the bluetooth on the PE model is anything like the bluetooth on the Monoprice don't bother. On the 50 hybrid bluetooth plays at a much lower volume and sounds terrible. My daughter had a $5 DAC on her computer (really and yea I know) but it blew away the bluetooth when plugged in to the RCA jacks.
I am wondering if some of the poor reviews are based on someone just listening that way and not via the RCAs.
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Started with a sony 5 disc into the Dayton amp out to some 301's.
Swapped to the Marantz 6006 cd player into the Dayton amp out to the 11.5's.
Haven't used the bluetooth yet.
I probably shoulda just kept a drinkin...
OOOOHHH! D'OH!
I thought it was an amplifier!
Those danged Marantz n00n model numbers...
sorry...
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Haven't used the bluetooth yet.
If the bluetooth on the PE model is anything like the bluetooth on the Monoprice don't bother. On the 50 hybrid bluetooth plays at a much lower volume and sounds terrible. My daughter had a $5 DAC on her computer (really and yea I know) but it blew away the bluetooth when plugged in to the RCA jacks.
I am wondering if some of the poor reviews are based on someone just listening that way and not via the RCAs.
I've only used the BT on the "25 watter" for Zooms -- it's absolutely fine (i.e., fit for purpose) for that (FWIW).
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Now with more watts!
(and under yet another brand name)
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-hta100bt-hybrid-stereo-tube-amplifier-with-bluetooth-usb-aux-in-sub-out-100w--300-3842
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mhardy6647 wrote: »Now with more watts!
(and under yet another brand name)
I'd be scared it would burn up at that price, doesn't even seem possible. If it works it's a great deal. -
Don't forget it is a hybrid. The outputs are solid state (possibly Class AB and not Class D) -- it looks identical to, and has the same model number of, the amp being sold some months ago by PE with a claimed output of 50 watts. Just sayin'.
It is also hard to say whether the tubes are actually doin' much of anything except lighting up, generating some heat, and providing a circuit path for signals (i.e., the amps won't work if the tubes are removed).
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I noticed it's 50 watts into 4ohm, at least it can drive a 4ohm load. It would almost have to be a solid state output, otherwise the output transformers of a tube output would eat up most of the cost of the amp.
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Probably 5 or 6 times the cost of the amp.
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I have a Monoprice model 16153 amplifier that has quit working. I would like to fix it myself. I'm a retired electrical engineer schooled in both tubes and solid state. Trouble shooting would be much easier if I had a schematic. Does anyone have a schematic for this amplifier? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks...Ken
