Inexpensive Tube Amps

Will62 I feel your frustration and see this happen all the time on threads. It might seem as if members on here simply cannot help themselves when commenting on your thread with no first hand experience of the amps you had asked about, and perhaps you wish they would keep their alternative recommendations to themselves. 

Having said all of that, I have seen many times when this happens where the op took a different direction based on what the members on here recommended and the outcome turned out to be very positive for the poster.

Im just saying, I don’t believe there is any malicious intent going on here and it could very well be that very few if any members on here will have any experience with your choices.

Best of luck on your search.

Will62:

I feel your pain. I've seen these inexpensive and (at least in pictures) attractive Chinese tube amps and have wanted to know what people's experience is. From the comments I've seen (and look above at some of the responses) it seems very hit or miss. Some folk have great experiences and others less good. It feels like there's little consistency, so you could get a 'rough diamond' or a lemon...I think you'd be OK buying from Amazon (check return policy)

Other than that (in no particular order):

• I've heard great things about Musical Paradise.
  
• I've heard Yaqin has above-average quality (but see Stero5's comments. Of course, that was 12 years ago)
  
• Quicksilver is a long-standing name in audio. I heard of them in the 80's! But they're expensive.
  
• Remember how the 'free market system' works. Bad products get a bad name and people stop buying. Do you want to be the 'canary in the mine' who finds out which brands are bad?
  

You 'pays your money and makes your choice'.

Good luck!

Gasbose

If your interest is STRICTLY in opinions on $50 Chinese, slave labor built, tin audio equipment, maybe you could stick to the fake Amazon reviews.

people are just trying to help you out.....dude.

Driving a pair of full range speakers with what amounts to a tube headphone amp.....priceless! I feel like im responding to a post that was started by Sam Tellig from Stereophile! LOL....and YUK= low watt SE amps imo. of course eveyone has one...opinions that is :-)



Matt M

My Yaqin arrived this week.   Definitely above average build quality.  (Sound quality still under review) Honestly, it was better than I anticipated.   Nice thick faceplate, well finished chassis sturdy as hell, quality connectors, and seriously beefy transformers.   No cosmetic flaws I could find.  Only area where it looks like they saved some money is the two knobs up front, which seem to be chromed plastic.