M Jarve
Audio Geek and NGE Freak
It's been over 8 years since I bought the Yaqin MC-10L (you can read my original thoughts on the amp here) integrated amp, and almost 6 years since it's been in regular use. Indeed, it hadn't even been powered up since the completion of the Sub-Compact DIY speaker project finished in December of 2010. This should not be construed as disliking or getting bored with the Yaqin, simply that my speakers of choice, a DIY re-hash of the Infinity Quantum 3, were not well serviced by the relatively modest power output of a classic EL34-based amp; the combined might of 4 harmon/kardon hk775 monoblocks were better suited to the task. However, a change in circumstances gave me a bit more flexibility to put the Yaqin back into play, recently.
My system is currently setup in the third-floor room at Mark B's house, and while overall larger than my listening room at home, it's better proportioned for positioning equipment and speakers. Over this last weekend, I pulled the Yaqin out of storage and fired it up.
Currently, it's sporting a set of vintage Ampex/Mullard EL34's for the power stage, RCA 6CG7/6FQ7 for the line stage, and Orel 6H1π for the driver stage. The, as mentioned, hadn't been powered up for almost 6 years, and had been stored in a garage. I was not sure what to expect- blown tubes or a noisy volume pot or input switch, but I connected up my iPhone and the speakers (still my DIY Q3's), and powered it up. Everything worked just as it did many years ago, and the amp seemed no worse for not having been used.
Playing music, a wide selection ranging from Ladytron to Nobuo Uematsu, I was immediatly reminded of what made me fall in love with this amp in the first place. The incredibly alive vocals, the holographic (spooky-good) imaging, the sense that the performers were in the room with me (or I was at the venue, as the case may be). While of course it cannot compete for sustained, high-volume listening with my normal quad of h/k monoblocks, it does compete in transient dynamic range, being able to imitate a more powerful amp for short periods of time. But, I must say that even considering the speakers and the room, it went quite loud enough for all but the most loud listening. And, as I've noted before, I tend to hold imaging capability and bandwidth in higher regard than dynamics. The combination of my Musical Fidelity preamp and the h/k's get me 90-95% of the imagining magic of the Yaqin, but for most listening the Yaqin gets me >95% of the dynamics of the former. Indeed, I think I may keep the Yaqin on the rack longer than I planned, and it will likely regain its place as my reference unit.
My system is currently setup in the third-floor room at Mark B's house, and while overall larger than my listening room at home, it's better proportioned for positioning equipment and speakers. Over this last weekend, I pulled the Yaqin out of storage and fired it up.
Currently, it's sporting a set of vintage Ampex/Mullard EL34's for the power stage, RCA 6CG7/6FQ7 for the line stage, and Orel 6H1π for the driver stage. The, as mentioned, hadn't been powered up for almost 6 years, and had been stored in a garage. I was not sure what to expect- blown tubes or a noisy volume pot or input switch, but I connected up my iPhone and the speakers (still my DIY Q3's), and powered it up. Everything worked just as it did many years ago, and the amp seemed no worse for not having been used.
Playing music, a wide selection ranging from Ladytron to Nobuo Uematsu, I was immediatly reminded of what made me fall in love with this amp in the first place. The incredibly alive vocals, the holographic (spooky-good) imaging, the sense that the performers were in the room with me (or I was at the venue, as the case may be). While of course it cannot compete for sustained, high-volume listening with my normal quad of h/k monoblocks, it does compete in transient dynamic range, being able to imitate a more powerful amp for short periods of time. But, I must say that even considering the speakers and the room, it went quite loud enough for all but the most loud listening. And, as I've noted before, I tend to hold imaging capability and bandwidth in higher regard than dynamics. The combination of my Musical Fidelity preamp and the h/k's get me 90-95% of the imagining magic of the Yaqin, but for most listening the Yaqin gets me >95% of the dynamics of the former. Indeed, I think I may keep the Yaqin on the rack longer than I planned, and it will likely regain its place as my reference unit.
