$70 tube amp what did i get? (Roth)

[Audi0]

Paid $70 and a short drive to pick up this roth Chinese tube amp. Picked it up as a curiosity. Its From about 2008? Main issue is there is a bad solder joint on the p/s somewhere so I'm going to recap plus reflow the board. It claims 13 watts a channel so specs seem honest with a solid state power amp section. The question is..... is this a real tube amp or is it just for show? What I mean is the tubes light up but do nothing like other cheap chinese amps? Has 2 x 12au7 / 2 x 12ax7

What do you think?
I dont think it's white van.

 

[zackthedog]

You bought this:

Home review

Ignore the fact that at loud volumes you can fry eggs on the casing (okay, not quite), and you realise this is actually a superb-sounding, if quirky a

www.whathifi.com

Roth Music Cocoon MC4 review: Roth Music Cocoon MC4

The Roth Music Cocoon MC4 valve amp for iPods produces smooth sounds that are warm and pleasing. Bass is natural, while cymbals and hi-hats have an organic feel to them. It also comes with plenty of connections for hooking up MP3 players or the TV for video-playing iPods

www.cnet.com

 

[trainbuftony]

I don't know Anything about it but it doesn't look like a "real" tube amp to me.
Looks like someone put tubes in a bottom feeder of an amplifier in order to take money from those who are looking to try tube sound but who are uninitiated and without proper guidance.
Sure it has little glass tubes in it, and I guess that makes it a tube amplifier by definition but this isn't what all of the hype is about, it's just a cheap gimmick.

 

[Selmerdave]

Looks like solid state amplifier with some preamp tubes, what their role in the circuit is is unclear. Looks like it cost somewhat more than you paid when new so depending on your hopes might be worth it. I wouldn't use it as a basis for forming judgments about tube amps though.

 

[Audi0]

I thought a 12ax7 and 12au7 combo would be weird for a preamp.
Let's crack it open and see what we got.

 

[Audi0]

Or is there a way to measure voltages to see if it's acting more then a heater?

 

[trainbuftony]

I thought a 12ax7 and 12au7 combo would be weird for a preamp.

What's weird about a preamp that uses the 2 most common preamp tubes?

 

[Audi0]

What's weird about a preamp that uses the 2 most common preamp tubes?

That there using 12ax7 + 12au7 together. That I thought is strange. Usually it's one or the other. Maybe one set is the dummy set (just glows).

 

[Audi0]

Pics

 

[Selmerdave]

What's weird about a preamp that uses the 2 most common preamp tubes?

It's an integrated amp, no? Aren't there speaker connections on the back?

 

[ceylon]

That there using 12ax7 + 12au7 together. That I thought is strange. Usually it's one or the other. Maybe one set is the dummy set (just glows).

its not

 

[LonnyG]

Did it come with the manual and the white gloves??
if not manual sans white gloves .
https://cdn.cnetcontent.com/bd/7e/bd7e909b-a5d8-4b40-b2c8-6e72ff609f5f.pdf

 

[Lavane]

I bet there is a chip amp under that PCB right in the middle.

 

[Bradbrews]

Does it only work with an iPod?

 

[Audi0]

So there is transistors slammed underneath against this bar with the thermo paste on it. It looks correct for a functioning hybrid amp. In my opinion. This is just from a visual look. The picture on the box promised electroharmnix tubes. I got no name china ones instead.
Yes there is inputs on the back of the amp and yes the white gloves are in the box.
The old style apple docking port is really outdated at this point.

 

[trainbuftony]

The old style apple docking port is really outdated at this point.

This highlights what I do love about tube amps. The tubes themselves aren't like an iPod dock, 3 generations out of date. They're still highly useful despite being from 6 or 7 decades ago...
The apple docking port is definitely outdated, I should know, I've got literally tons if outdated hardware...
This is after all the tube section on audiokarma, we love our outdated hardware.

 

[Lavane]

Maybe someone pulled the EH rubes and appeared some cheep Chinese rubes in it. I dought that though. I'm surprised fake EH lettering was printed on the tubes.

 

[Lavane]

This highlights what I do love about tube amps. The tubes themselves aren't like an iPod dock, 3 generations out of date. They're still highly useful despite being from 6 or 7 decades ago...
The apple docking port is definitely outdated, I should know, I've got literally tons if outdated hardware...
This is after all the tube section on audiokarma, we love our outdated hardware.

Yes we do. Something that came across my bench recently speaking of Apple. Its now alive and well again.

 

[gadget73]

EH in this case might be the brand, not an abbreviation. Whats the tube quality like? Ehhhhhh.

 

[vinylkid58]

So there is transistors slammed underneath against this bar with the thermo paste on it. It looks correct for a functioning hybrid amp. In my opinion.

So the heatsink for the output transistors is the bottom of the amp.

The picture on the box promised electroharmnix tubes. I got no name china ones instead.

Probably the original tubes, given how much dust is on them.

jeff