My Jolida 502P was compared (by me, I schlepped) to much more expensive things here and there and I concluded its main issue was regardless of its sonic excellence, it was too inexpensive for audio snobs. It just was. My hand made Dennis Had Inspire "Fire Bottle" HO (it’s a HO) cost me 1200 bucks nearly new, and the latest batch of triodes he’s been making on his cute little workbench (!) are about 1500 new (you should have efficient speakers as these things are 10 to 12 watts per side, so there’s that). I think these Had amps are world class, but I know they're not as they don't cost as much as a Shindo. My amazingly good sounding Schiit Freya (USA Made) sells for about 700 clams (actual clams, weirdly). Are these non recommendable? Should I be ashamed? Too late…I’m sad now, and shuffling off to look at my little pile of substandard gear…*sniff*…
Chinese products
I'm a little confused... Please bear with me
I recently reviewed a Chinese push pull amp for 600+ dollars as was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality( prev post)
I now see it for $50 more on the same website.
I started looking at Chinese high end products like Line Magnetic an Sophia. (Please see glowing reviews on Stereophile). They are often 1000s of dollars more. The lm518ia( per SV $4450) caught my attention but the specs match up very close to the mc13s($600+)! So what am I missing?
Also, I see the above lm 518ia 835 integrated now selling for $1800.
This price volatility got me thinking:
Are all these products in fact the same? with the hope that someone will pay more for a variety of reasons?
This may be another thread, but who in world would pay or sell an amp for 114,000? ( Boulder)
Thanks for you input
I recently reviewed a Chinese push pull amp for 600+ dollars as was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality( prev post)
I now see it for $50 more on the same website.
I started looking at Chinese high end products like Line Magnetic an Sophia. (Please see glowing reviews on Stereophile). They are often 1000s of dollars more. The lm518ia( per SV $4450) caught my attention but the specs match up very close to the mc13s($600+)! So what am I missing?
Also, I see the above lm 518ia 835 integrated now selling for $1800.
This price volatility got me thinking:
Are all these products in fact the same? with the hope that someone will pay more for a variety of reasons?
This may be another thread, but who in world would pay or sell an amp for 114,000? ( Boulder)
Thanks for you input
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- 19 posts total
++ What chayro said. Also. I have a Line Magnetic Audio amp. Very well made and sounds fantastic. It is easy to think all products from China are of poor quality, not all are. But I think resale value could be poor since there exist some many preconceived ideas about Chinese audio quality being substandard. |
@audiothesis, Not a tube amplifier, but a good example of a current Chinese SOTA product. Please review this link and tell us if your build and parts quality requirements are not met. Note the transformers: https://www.denafrips.com/terminator 3 year fully transferable warranty. Dave |
The general issue with the lower end Chinese audio gear is not necessarily their sound quality. The main problem is the inconsistency in the build quality. Its hit or miss. If you get a "good" unit, it could last a long time and continue to sound good. If someone is handy with electronics and a soldering gun, one could get a low-mid priced point-to-point wired Chinese piece and simply upgrade the tubes and some of the passive components and end up with an excellent sounding audio gear at a fraction of the price of a name brand piece. |
- 19 posts total