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Jumping into tubes

heath2832 said:
Biasing a Yaqin amp is very easy. Using a voltmeter, place one lead in the + and one lead in the - and adjust with the screwdriver that comes with the amp. Although it will be biased before it leaves the factory (and again by Tabnaac if you buy from him) but you'll still want to check it after the amps been on for a couple hours to make sure it's at .4V Yaqin's bias readings are very stable. Just to be certain I recheck every few months or so and it's been spot on every time.

Thinking I might get better sound out of an already great sounding amp, I rolled Mullard EF95's in it and it increased the gain which was not to my liking. I also tried GE 5654W's and they were microphonic so I went back to the stock tubes and it simply sounds fantastic. In the case of this amp, some things are better left the way they were intended. YMMV of course.
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Excellent information! Thank you so much! This thread is helping me more than I can say!
 
Poultrygeist said:
The Musical Paradise MP-301 SET I recommended enjoys a long thread here. I have the Miniwatt/APPJ SET which is also a good choice for efficient speakers. Here's an article to read about SET amps.

http://www.decware.com/paper43.htm
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I agree. I use high efficiency speakers only. Not to confuse, but SET amps usually sound better than PP. I have built PP amps to sound about as good as SE amps, but not easy to sound as good. I increase the audio transformer PP plate impedance from tube manual suggested impedance for starters, CCS the phase inverter, etc. SE gets rid of a lot of circuitry and matching of components.
 
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The oldest and simplest of all tube amp circuits is the single ended triode. If you can deal with the low power output it's unbeatable.
 
I made the jump and went with the Yaqin MS20. Knowing myself it will just be the first of several over time. I can't wait to play around with it and see what set up I like best with it.
 
Exciting! I am leaning towards the 20l also. Let us know what you think when it arrives. And post pics!!
 
Twanx said:
Exciting! I am leaning towards the 20l also. Let us know what you think when it arrives. And post pics!!
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Oh I will! I'll be moving soon and need to update all of my set up picks. My list is soooo outdated!
 
Can't wait to get it home! The shipper (Tabnaac) from Canada did an amazing job with the packing thank God. The postal worker that delivers to my shop is ........... And he dropped it upside down on the floor. I was with a customer in the back and we heard it hit the floor. I opened the box and the packing was perfect. Now to get it home and start the break in period. I was going to use it in my bedroom but after seeing this thing it deserves a place where everyone can see it.
 
I have it set up with My Klipsch KM6s and think they were a perfect choice. Of course I still need to break it in but even now it sounds amazing at the low levels. I am surprised by the quality of sound without an eq or tone controls to be honest. I've heard a few people mention a lack of low end with tube amps but it sounds fine to me. Not as Punchy as my SS Yamaha but still tight and clear. I'm not getting any hum or feedback noises, no pops or any other unwanted sounds either. Aesthetically, I love it as well. I'm no professional by any means but for what I paid, I am very happy!
 
gunpoet said:
I made the jump and went with the Yaqin MS20. Knowing myself it will just be the first of several over time. I can't wait to play around with it and see what set up I like best with it.
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I bought a Yaqin preamp from this seller. The build quality that I can see is incredible for what I paid. I'm using it with a Dared 35 watt power amp and so far I like the combination.
I've had the Dared for maybe 3 yrs. and it's been going almost constantly without a single blip.
The 35 watt Dared is well above what is needed to drive my Polk Monitor speakers as well as my AR11s. It's just about enough to drive my B$W 801s to reasonable but not loud volumes.
I think you'll be very happy with the Yaqin.
 
I too just made the jump with tubes. I pulled the trigger on some Heathkits from another AKer and hope to find as much pleasure with my purchase as you are yours.

What is this tube rolling I read of. And is there anything I need to be aware of specifically related to Heathkits
 
Tchaikovsky and Wagner. Unbelievable the subtle tone differences between my SS and this Yaqin. I know it isn't a TOTL but I am in love!
 
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Cool. Another great thing about tube amps is that I've yet to experience any listener fatigue. Pretty good bang for the buck amp isn't it? What is your opinion of the build quality?
 
heath2832 said:
Cool. Another great thing about tube amps is that I've yet to experience any listener fatigue. Pretty good bang for the buck amp isn't it? What is your opinion of the build quality?
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I am no pro but my personal opinion would put the build quality at around 4 out of 5 stars. The case, the RCAs, speaker hook ups and tube mounts all seem very well built. The display cover seems a bit on the budget side as do the clear plastic protectors around the 6J1 tubes. The remote is so solid it could double as a weapon in the case of a home invasion.... :scratch2:
All around I love the way it appeals to the eye and for the money spent, I love the sound I'm hearing so far. It does reset to ultra linear mode when powered on which is a very small issue. I try to use it in triode and the KM6s are more than efficient enough for the low wattage. I did use it for a few hours in Ultra linear tonight and didn't notice any back ground hum or other noise for that matter. What I did notice was a slight roll off of the high end and the low end seemed to drop off a bit as well as compared to Triode mode. My question is...... Can I replace the EL 34s with better quality tubes in the future and if so, which ones?
 
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The amp sounds great with the stock Shuguang tubes. I'm not sure that changing the power tubes will improve the sound, however, you'll notice a change if you swap out the preamp tubes, and in my case, not for the better. I tried Mullard EF95's and all it did was increase the gain. I also tried GE 5654W's and they were microphonic. Went back to the stock 6J1's.
 
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