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New 'tube' receiver for $160.99 - too weird

Hakemon, did you have to sign a waiver of liability when you ordered? You know, like when you have to do something dangerous at an amusement park? If it blows up itself and you with it, Pyle had nothing to do with it?

I look forward to your observations.
 
Not to hijack, but... Anyone remember that computer motherboard that had a pre-amp tube to 'color' the soundcard output?
 
No wavier had to be signed, lol.

FedEx estimates delivery on the 17th.

I'm not going to tear it down totally like Gizmodo style, but I'll take off the cover and snap pictures with my dSLR Pentax camera, FOCUSED clearly. I will also try and get a picture of the tubes and the socket to show wires attached to see where they go. I'll even get an audio clip from my microphone, and try and capture it's sound quality.
 
Me too :P

I'm expecting it to be at least decent.

When I do product reviews, I go in with the mind set it's good, but I'm critical, so if any flaws show up, I'll notice it. But just because it's not a brand name, I don't knock it..

I've done teardowns before on reviews. Here are some of my product reviews, and teardown photos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgewAXUifw0
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/17lives.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/retroinside1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/retroinside2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/pixels.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSXJSKRSANQ
(This is the camera I use btw--NO teardown!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/pentaxslrtst1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gshinTINGs

And just some teardowns (These were shot with my video camera in photo mode, as my SLR's batteries were dead):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/tokina1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/tokina2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/tokina3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/tokina4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/rayovac1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/rayovac2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/rayovac3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/rayovac4.jpg

So yea, I'm prepared to get some detailed photos. ;)
 
I'm guessing that you won't find any tube sockets. I believe that these tube have leads instead of pins on the bottom, and are hard wired to the circuit board. I've seen them on some so-called tube cd players.
 
hakemon said:
Tell you what guys, I'll order one and review it for ya, how's that sound?
Click to expand...
Wow... now that's dedication!! I hope you have some use for it beyond the review, but if not, put it in the classifieds here as the "famous" unit discussed in this thread. :D

Why aren't you a subscriber? It would go well in Bartertown, for the sentimental value. :D
 
Thought you guys might find this interesting.

Weight: 20.0 lbs/9.1 kg

Shows that on the FedEx tracking page.
 
Oddly pyle do have a reputation to protect, strange, but they are "the high fi stereo for the common car" ... they cannot afford to put their reputation in front by making a "vacuum tube amplifier" and having light bulbs in it.

Much like walmart will not sell total trash and refuse to take it back ... they will at least take it back graciously refund you your $ and some extra hush $ ... seriously, I cannot think of pyle as shafting any one that directly. Of course it may sound like garbage or just be too hard to work on or be a rather chintzily made something or other ... I mean I'd put them right as equal to walmart. Chinese made junk which would be just about what the ad copy says what it is but nothing else.

Cool.
Srinath.
 
For the retail price they want, it should be able to perform. I can easily go to Radioshack, and get a Sherwood of similar price, that can perform well, even at the discounted price!

Here's something I think. Look at the pictures at the official site. Notice the 2 screws at front behind the tube display window? I wonder of those hold the window in, and when unscrewed, the window opens up, to replace tubes.
 
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hakemon said:
Here's something I think. Look at the pictures at the official site. Notice the 2 screws at front behind the tube display window? I wonder of those hold the window in, and when unscrewed, the window opens up, to replace tubes.
Click to expand...

Don't you mean "change the lightbulbs"?....
 
They advertise vacuum tube amplifier, I don't think they are going to lie over the nature of the tubes.

I think by luminous tubes, they are talking about the fact that theres a blue LED under them..
 
hakemon said:
I don't know what a subscriber is, lol.. But I usually like to go to forums free of charge. It's just how I always have rolled, if it's something you pay for..

For use beyond the review, I do have a use for it. My TV show watching
Click to expand...

AK is free and will always remain so. Subscribers get extra stuff that the reg members do not, such as access to barter town, which is a classifieds forum, that gets well used.

Either way, good on you for trying this amp. Like everyone else, I am looking forward to reading your review.

Grumpy
 
Light bulb

Naptown Rob said:
Don't you mean "change the lightbulbs"?....
Click to expand...

How many AK'ers does it take to change a light bulb.

1112 ... 1 to change it, and another 1111 to argue if it was a bulb or a tube ...


I guess ... The real answer will be known when this thread retires.

Cool.
Srinath.
 
hakemon said:
They advertise vacuum tube amplifier, I don't think they are going to lie over the nature of the tubes.

I think by luminous tubes, they are talking about the fact that theres a blue LED under them..
Click to expand...

One of the tube experts (I'm certainly not one) can correct me..please do...but if that was a working tube preamplifier section, wouldn't that be an odd set of tubes? That many, all exactly the same? I can understand something like the Peachtree Audio Nova, with one tube that looks to be a 12ax7..but this just looks like they're there specifically for looks and symmetry. Anyway...we'll know soon enough, right? :music:
 
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