Jaytor:
Anything from Theta or Ayre
blkwrxwgn:
Sense it really didn't hold a candle to the Dreadnaught I (stripped to just two cards), I sent it back to China Via Amazon return.
Highly recommended though!
Muzishare R100 300B 805 ... My Review and opinion
So after nearly a 10 year break from HiFi with my current system just sitting all these years and getting next to zero use, i decided, during some interior remodeling around the house, to get in some well deserved R&R and get back into one of my favorite hobbies :)
After some experimenting with my OPPO DVD player and a resultant removal and abandonment of a system preamp entirely (OPPO has its own volume control), i decided to give Tube amps a try, "once again", to see if tech improvements might have improved the sound in the bass department over the years.
I had also enlisted the services of a Chinese Gustard DAC with blue tooth for on line music services via my iPhone. What a GOD SEND this is, but more on that later.
So currently the system is quite simple with OPPO DVD, Gustard blue tooth DAC, Theta DreadnaughtI Amp, and Vandersteen Quatro fabric speakers. The room is damped against unwanted reflections and is on the medium/ large side.
Being "quite impressed" (total understatement) with the build, topology, and parts quality of the Chinese Gustard DAC id just installed, i decided to start researching Chinese Amps as well and decided on the R100 Muzishare, backed by Amazons return policy for Prime customers. An essentially ZERO RISK venture :)
Being a Theta Dreadnaught SS Amp owner, I've had a number of Tube Amps in my system that have bidded against this amp for a permanent home in my system only to be removed and put back on Audiogon.... (same goes for SS Amps for that matter). Tube gear from, VTL, CJ, Rogue, ect.... non gave as complete of a virtual sonic picture as the Theta. And entirely because of the bass roll off IMO.
So enter Muzishre R100 300B 805.
This is an absolutely gorgeous piece to look at and the build quality is outstanding! I was shock what 2700.00 bought because just 10 years ago ida been 15K easy! It sounded just as a tube amp would with all of its glorious midrange and sparkly highs. Very enjoyable and easy to listen to. With one exception..... a lack of bass.
Understand that the Vandersteen Quatro speakers have powered subs and high pass the amp at 100hz thus removing at least half the low bass current demand on any amp they are matted with. This took some measurements with a volt meter and a few listening sessions to determine what sounded best but after trying both an 80hz and 100 hz x-over point, i decided on the stock setting of 100Hz.
This is what i can say about this amp..... Its an EXTREMELY good value and sounds absolutely fabulous! But... Its a tube Amp and lacks low bass response, and without low bass, you have no low bass upper harmonics, and without low bass upper harmonics, your sonic picture and image is compromised from the mid bass on down and your not getting "as much" of the virtual sonic image that you could be.
To further, my opinion on "Tube Magic" is the result of a lack of low bass and thus the unmasking of much of the midrange that would otherwise be covered up by the bass.... that is, until you use an amp and transducer configuration that avoids that issue entirely. Hence a zero feedback ss biamp system that's time and phase coherent from nose to tail. Even with a powered sub system, the low bass sonic signature is so attenuated with tube gear that it cannot be boosted enough even with a properly configured crossover and a stand alone bass amp. Even the VTL 450MB mono bocks weren't enough to do the job back in the day. Its weird because even though normal listening levels don't require more than just a few watts to fill an average room with sound, yet a tube just won't make enough current to provide the full sonic spectrum without compromise. These are just my analogies. YMMV :)
Bottom line, Its a wonderful product at a killer price and sounds, not just a little, but exactly, like tube amps many multiples its price point. IMO Chinese audio gear has come of age. But im just not a tube guy i guess.
For individual instrument amplification like a guitar, Hell yeah! Tubes baby!! But for full range play back.... wrong tool for the job IMO.
After some experimenting with my OPPO DVD player and a resultant removal and abandonment of a system preamp entirely (OPPO has its own volume control), i decided to give Tube amps a try, "once again", to see if tech improvements might have improved the sound in the bass department over the years.
I had also enlisted the services of a Chinese Gustard DAC with blue tooth for on line music services via my iPhone. What a GOD SEND this is, but more on that later.
So currently the system is quite simple with OPPO DVD, Gustard blue tooth DAC, Theta DreadnaughtI Amp, and Vandersteen Quatro fabric speakers. The room is damped against unwanted reflections and is on the medium/ large side.
Being "quite impressed" (total understatement) with the build, topology, and parts quality of the Chinese Gustard DAC id just installed, i decided to start researching Chinese Amps as well and decided on the R100 Muzishare, backed by Amazons return policy for Prime customers. An essentially ZERO RISK venture :)
Being a Theta Dreadnaught SS Amp owner, I've had a number of Tube Amps in my system that have bidded against this amp for a permanent home in my system only to be removed and put back on Audiogon.... (same goes for SS Amps for that matter). Tube gear from, VTL, CJ, Rogue, ect.... non gave as complete of a virtual sonic picture as the Theta. And entirely because of the bass roll off IMO.
So enter Muzishre R100 300B 805.
This is an absolutely gorgeous piece to look at and the build quality is outstanding! I was shock what 2700.00 bought because just 10 years ago ida been 15K easy! It sounded just as a tube amp would with all of its glorious midrange and sparkly highs. Very enjoyable and easy to listen to. With one exception..... a lack of bass.
Understand that the Vandersteen Quatro speakers have powered subs and high pass the amp at 100hz thus removing at least half the low bass current demand on any amp they are matted with. This took some measurements with a volt meter and a few listening sessions to determine what sounded best but after trying both an 80hz and 100 hz x-over point, i decided on the stock setting of 100Hz.
This is what i can say about this amp..... Its an EXTREMELY good value and sounds absolutely fabulous! But... Its a tube Amp and lacks low bass response, and without low bass, you have no low bass upper harmonics, and without low bass upper harmonics, your sonic picture and image is compromised from the mid bass on down and your not getting "as much" of the virtual sonic image that you could be.
To further, my opinion on "Tube Magic" is the result of a lack of low bass and thus the unmasking of much of the midrange that would otherwise be covered up by the bass.... that is, until you use an amp and transducer configuration that avoids that issue entirely. Hence a zero feedback ss biamp system that's time and phase coherent from nose to tail. Even with a powered sub system, the low bass sonic signature is so attenuated with tube gear that it cannot be boosted enough even with a properly configured crossover and a stand alone bass amp. Even the VTL 450MB mono bocks weren't enough to do the job back in the day. Its weird because even though normal listening levels don't require more than just a few watts to fill an average room with sound, yet a tube just won't make enough current to provide the full sonic spectrum without compromise. These are just my analogies. YMMV :)
Bottom line, Its a wonderful product at a killer price and sounds, not just a little, but exactly, like tube amps many multiples its price point. IMO Chinese audio gear has come of age. But im just not a tube guy i guess.
For individual instrument amplification like a guitar, Hell yeah! Tubes baby!! But for full range play back.... wrong tool for the job IMO.