Aiqin/Oldchen Tube Amps

I placed an order for a black deluxe Aiqin EL34 SET amp. I'm looking forward to receiving it. A good match for my Dayton USA PS220-8 Based speakers (96.5db sensitivity). Who knows, I may even prefer it to My Yaqin MC10T Push/pull > B&W DM-16 combo. I've never had a SET amp before.
sorry to dredge the thread. wondering if you were still happy with your purchase? And did you have an opinion on any of these? shipping to Oz seems to be pretty variable among the companies.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/6P1...id=3de5015f-598b-446b-a08d-d52f7f206c14&tpp=1
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/AIQ...id=403f6d3e-1bf3-4105-954e-6fa0b4f681a6&tpp=1
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/AIQ...id=cb09e575-e0c1-442f-9aaf-a12d3397b235&tpp=1
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Dou...id=403f6d3e-1bf3-4105-954e-6fa0b4f681a6&tpp=1
looks like the old chen is $355 aud, aiqin $339 (2x12w), silver luxury is $355 2x10w. all pretty similar prices.
 
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Thanks for the reply. Cant get that link to work. Ill flip through the thread and see which one you bought. Shame about that shipping price.
 
Your link second from the top is the one, though they used to list the Black "Luxury" edition as a colour. The main reason for it at the time was use of the Russian PIO's though I don't know if they're still using them. Either way it's an incredible amp if you've efficient and easy to drive speakers. I can get more useable volume from my 10WPC Oldchen SEP amp / Dayton USA PS220-8 (96.5db) combo than my 45WPC Oldchen K3 / Aurum Cantus F620 (89db) combo.

I use these amps for everything from music to movies though te Oldchen K3 is my main system. It's fantastic for music though a bit weak when it comes to movies. The Oldchen SEP amp on the other hand has more punch so its better for movies..... I suspect that might be due to the DAC hooked up to each though. I'll have to try swapping it sometime to try sometime I guess.
 
Maybe ok, it's more complicated than I understand. Sensitivity only tells part of the story with respect to how easy to drive a pair of speakers can be.

I recommend the Dayton USA PS220-8 drivers wholeheartedly if someone wants to DIY a pair of open baffles for a low to medium (40W) amp. Really easy to build and punch well above their cost in terms of the sound you get for the money (after a long break in). They're full range so no need to worry about crossovers or anything. Mine are in vintage ported enclosures from the 60's with no connectors. Just 11ga Western Electric tinned copper wire between the drivers and amp for less resistance.

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Look and sound great and the system actually outperforms my far more expensive Oldchen K3 / Aurum Cantus F620 in some areas. They're point source drivers though so off axis performance isn't great.
 
Worthwhile looking at. I replaced the chipboard back which kept flaking everywhere on mine with MDF and sealed it with super glue, bathroom sealant, wood screws and black oil based paint. The cabinet and porting isn't ideal sucking out bass at the low end so a sub is required. I understand that when done correctly there's plenty of bass. They're still better sounding than they've any right to be considering the cost, and I enjoy the vintage looks ;)

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I got my amp almost 2 years ago and didn't specify a connection. At that time the ad said:
"Output power: Ultra-linear connection 10Wx2(default and recommand mode by manufacturer), triode connection 10Wx2, standard connection 12Wx2, tell us if you want to change the default connection mode."

I wonder what I got, 10W? What does that mean? Is that a pentode connection?
 
Mines the default.... So 12W Pentode I guess. Wish I had it wired for triode now. Ah well.

It sounds very very nice either way though.
 
mjw21a, I am not sure if you/we got 12W. Didn't you buy yours ~1.5 yrs ago? How do you read the above (listing both a default and a standard)? It seems then that a 10W connection was the default? What is that?

What is the difference in connections?
 
No idea really. It was supposed to have Russian PIO's also though when I opened it up recently they were definitely not PIO's so really I've no idea about its configuration apart from that it's single ended rather than push/pull. Still, sound is better than it has any right to for the cost. After painting the transformers bronze and fitting wood ends (using liquid nails) it looks as good as it sounds.
 
It's pretty easy to triode strap a pentode. Instead of sending power to the screen grid (G2) from a separate wire from the power supply you connect G2 to the plate with a resistor, typically 100 ohms or so, the value isn't critical. I'd probably go with a 1 watt. The wire that was originally supplying voltage to G2 is just taped off or covered with shrink wrap to prevent it from shorting out on anything. Depending on the type of tube, triode strapping will cut the power output at least in half. I'm not sure if these Chinese amps use negative feedback and I don't how it would affect that. Many people prefer the sound of triode strapped pentodes over operating them in normal pentode mode. The times I've tried it I didn't notice all that much difference. I much prefer using real triodes like the 6A5G, which is what I have in my current SET.

You should probably do some additional research on the subject. It would also help to have a schematic of the amp. Good luck with that.
 
My amp arrived. I ha ent opened it yet bit the card that came with said 10w. So i assume it is in linear not triode. Anyway it sounds pretty good with my axis floor standers. They 92db so not a bad pairing . Not a massive change from my nad 352I also picked up some fostex 167e drivers. I put them in a old box just to try oit and they are nice with horns and vocals. Obviusly mission the low end.
Is it ok to run 2 speaker cables from each side of the amp, one gping to a speaker each and the other into my powered subs hi level inputs?
 

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