I bought a Line Magnetic 216 integrated amp some years back. This was a very reputable Chinese made and engineered KT88 amp. It’s been fantastic, but I don’t know what the company has been doing now. I think one of the brothers passed away, so LM Audio may have changed philosophy? Anyway, at that time they were keeping much of the Western Electric ideas in their designs, which is part of the reason, I think their amps excelled. They also stood behind the product, when after 3 years, a transformer went bad. BTW with easy to drive speakers the amp sounds very, very good. I had replaced the stock tubes (did not have to do so, but wanted to try something new) with Gold Lion KT88 and the smaller tubes with NOS Sylvania tubes and the amp sounded even quieter and better.
Considering switching to Tubes
Hello all,
For the last ten or so years I've been listening to music on my home stereo, and for the last 10 or so years I have been 100% content with everything about it. And then my best friend brought by a Chinese integrated tube amp, and my world fell apart.
Currently the set up is:
Speakers: B&W 805s
Amp: Rotel RB1070
Preamp: Rotel RC1070
CD player: Rotel RCC1055
DAC: TEAC UD301
The B&W and Rotel gear was purchased whe I worked at an electronics retail store through the employee purchase program (I think it was cost -10%), the TEAC was added to try out streaming through the system, which in all honesty is what I do 99% of the time now.
My friend and former colleague brought over a recently acquired Yaqin MC100B, and I simply can't stress enough how much more I enjoyed listen to the music off of that integrated Amp.
Which leads me to my questions, should I just give in, and grab a relatively affordable tube amp? And secondly, I've been reading (mostly about Yaqin, because I'm not in the position currently to invest 5000+) up on their various models, and the two that seem to be what in looking for are either the MC100B which I've heard on my system and the MC13S, which I have not. The first uses KT88s and the second uses EL34s, I'm not a big bass loving guy, and the EL34s intrigue me, but I'm a hesitant to jump in without listening to them. The snag is, I live in the arctic, and the only really way for me to try them at home, is to purchase them.
I'm open to arguments for and against swapping out the rotel, for yaqin.
Cheers,
E
For the last ten or so years I've been listening to music on my home stereo, and for the last 10 or so years I have been 100% content with everything about it. And then my best friend brought by a Chinese integrated tube amp, and my world fell apart.
Currently the set up is:
Speakers: B&W 805s
Amp: Rotel RB1070
Preamp: Rotel RC1070
CD player: Rotel RCC1055
DAC: TEAC UD301
The B&W and Rotel gear was purchased whe I worked at an electronics retail store through the employee purchase program (I think it was cost -10%), the TEAC was added to try out streaming through the system, which in all honesty is what I do 99% of the time now.
My friend and former colleague brought over a recently acquired Yaqin MC100B, and I simply can't stress enough how much more I enjoyed listen to the music off of that integrated Amp.
Which leads me to my questions, should I just give in, and grab a relatively affordable tube amp? And secondly, I've been reading (mostly about Yaqin, because I'm not in the position currently to invest 5000+) up on their various models, and the two that seem to be what in looking for are either the MC100B which I've heard on my system and the MC13S, which I have not. The first uses KT88s and the second uses EL34s, I'm not a big bass loving guy, and the EL34s intrigue me, but I'm a hesitant to jump in without listening to them. The snag is, I live in the arctic, and the only really way for me to try them at home, is to purchase them.
I'm open to arguments for and against swapping out the rotel, for yaqin.
Cheers,
E
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- 56 posts total
- 56 posts total