Audio Mirror 45 thoughts?


I was wondering if anyone would be willing to provide a mini review of their Audio Mirror 45's. Reliability? Power tube life? Most importantly, SQ. I am interested in pairing these with a pair of Reference 3a De Capo's.

Interesting amps but not a lot on the web about them. Thanks in advance for any help.
smctigue1
Have had mine for couple years. Awesome sound quality - clean, organic, meaty, dimensional, etc. Vocals, piano, guitar - all awesome and natural sounding. Good bass, best mids, excellent highs.
Terrific reliability and great support from Vlad. Tubes last a long time.
Requires some space as the power tubes get HOT!, so not for stuffing into a cabinet. Mine are very powerful at 45 watts, so no problem at all driving your speakers (assumed since no prob driving my less efficient ones at 87 db).
Meant to also say I listen to variety of music: jazz, blues, rock, opera, classical, vocals, etc. (all but rap). And all sound great with the AMs.
You're welcome. I just checked to see how long I've actually owned the AMs ... FIVE years, not "a couple". Ugh! At my age, everything seems like it was just "a couple" of years ago.
I pulled the trigger on a used pair with auto-bias. They arrived this morning. Initial impressions are QUITE positive. I'll provide a more detailed report tomorrow after I spend time with them tonight.
I'm another happy Audio Mirror owner and would echo all positive attributes that Rockadanny already has elaborated on.

I bought mine about four years ago and had Vlad install Vcaps and balanced inputs as well as upgraded furutech IEC's. I was using them with Merlin's with great success. About that time I got the itch to try a different speakers....King Sound Prince II's. Unfortunately the AM's didn't have the wattage to run those speakers so I reluctantly sold them.

When I sold the prince II's a while back I got in touch with the gentleman I had sold the AM's to and asked if he would sell them back to me. He agreed and thus I have them back. Couldn't be happier with that good fortune.

A good friend of mine is a tube guru and suggested I try VT99's or 6f8g's as a substitute for the 6sn7's. These tubes need an adaptor which can be readily attained on eBay. I must say that this tube is a real winner. IMO it transformed my amps from very good to outstanding. Please keep in mind that I was using some pretty good 6sn7's already...Sylvania Bad Boys from 1952 and Tung Sol round plates from the mid 40's. Neither of these tubes can hold a candle to the VT99's. These tubes are a good pair of 6sn7's on steroids.

You might want to investigate trying those tubes at some point. They aren't as expensive as a good pair of 6sn7's. Mine are RCA's from the 40's. To be honest I couldn't go back to the 6sn7's.

I also appreciate the fact that these amps aren't heavy for a tube amp and have bulletproof packaging as well as being self biasing and will shut themselves down if overdriven.

They are a real hidden gem in the realm of SET amps.

All the best,

Scifi
Scifi, very interesting, thank you. Have you had success with any particular 6sl7?
Smctigue1

I am currently using Tung Sol black glass round plates in the 6sl7 spot. They provide a nice balanced full sound IMO.

I have also used Sylvania short brown base with D getters in that spot. They are more similar to the Sylvania bad boys in that the sonics are a bit punchier.

It all comes down to personal taste as there is really no right or wrong here. You just need so experiment with a few different types. I was lucky because my tube guru friend has virtually all the best 6sl7 and 6sn7s that were every made in his collection. He provided me with about 6 of each type to try out. There are most definitely differences in sonics for each one that are very easily discernible with just brief listening.

I'm sure you will find some that suit your tastes. It just takes patience!

ENJOY
Brent Jessee is the best. Tubes are always in great condition, matched and he has a return policy if you don't like them. Can't be better than that.

I hope that they are to your liking.