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Budget Chinese Tube amps - any good?

In the midst of searching for a budget tube amp. Lots of chinese made models keep popping up. The price on these amps are often really low and would give someone like me a chance to try the tube sound for cheap.

Do you guys have any good experiences with them?

Reason I'm asking is that I hear many conflicting experiences online on each amp. Some say their amps are really good, some say they are really bad - each model might have 5 good reviews and 5 bad reviews. I guess this is par for course with audio, where subjectivity is the rule of the game. However, chinese amps tend to have the largest disparity of opinions.

The models I've read up on so far are: Mingda amps, Miniwatt N3, Yaqin amps etc.
milesandcoltrane
schubert
7,386 posts
 
the various modded ST-70's are indeed where you should be lookinga as Markwatkiss said.
w_waldecker's avatar
w_waldecker
3 posts
 
I own a JAS Audio Bravo 2.3 SE integrated SET amp running 6C33-B triodes in Class A @ 18 wpc.the 2.3 SE retails for close to two grand. this amp is heavy and well made.it has a very low noise floor and very good bass response for a SET amp. it does a good job driving my Silverline Audio Sonata III's and it sounds excellent.i used to own a TAD 60 push pull tube amp and it was very heavy and well made and sounded nice for a budget amplifier. i have only owned two Chinese tube amps but both were well made. caveat emptor
leon55
6 posts
 
The Ming Da Mc7R is a great preamp with some unbelievable sound. Thes one has been modified and am really impressed at the different sounds that come out of the speakers now. This does not belong to me, but I have the unmodded model and dp plan to have it modded. Great value for a good sounding preamp without mods.
gopher
499 posts
 
There are many reasons to avoid products from China, but the blnket statements about them all being crap is absolute rubbish.

I've owned a plethora of Chinese heat from company's like Eastern Electric, Jasmine and Prima Luna and there are some FANTASTIC pieces coming from that country. One of the best amps I've owner was the $4500 Shuguang S845 Mk which was outstanding.

Yes, crap comes out of China, perobably more crap than any other country, but that doesn't mean they ONLY export crap. I'd rather own a jasmine or shuguang integrated than any similarly priced American piece.

If you boycott China for political reasons that's perfectly acceptable, but claiming its all junk is ludicrous.
sabocat59
98 posts
 
I'll throw in my 2 cents, and suggest that if you want to buy domestic, one of the best values out there today are hand-made tube amplifiers by people such as Jim Nicholls and Lance Cochrane. I own a Jimmy Nicholls creation, an 8 EL34 output push/pull, and it has given me nothing but listening pleasure. If I have any questions Jim is right there with helpful advice. His amps are also auto-bias, and overbuilt to last. Mine weighs 85 lbs.
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