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Upgrade my Yaqin MC-100b for $2,000 - should I or not?

The scenario:  The Yaqin MC-100b is my first real tube amp.  I'm using it to drive the panels only on a set of Martin Logan SL3.  The woofers are bi-amped on my SS Nakamichi 100WPC old-school amp.

I LOVE THE SOUND TODAY.  I've rolled tubes in the Yaqin and my room sounds wonderful to me.

I listen a couple of evenings each week...so the amp is turned on and off lets say four to five times a week.

If you want all the details on my room/system, here it is:  http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?17931-System-541-(SL3-Logos-Aerius-I)

Please don't give me a bunch of grief about the surround speaker placement...it's not gonna change...and I do have room treatment now.

What I want:  Real feedback about the potential of upgrading my Yaqin to a used Tube Amp.

I'm looking through the ads here and see plenty of options under $2K.  I am not going to spend more...I don't care if there is something at $4k that should be at $20k...I told myself I am ONLY going to spend my credit card rewards...not one dime more as I am pretty dang happy right now.

I feel like the Yaqin is hitting way above it's price tag.  Everyone that listens to my room is blown away.

So...would an Audio Research D-70 be a good option for an upgrade?  What about the Genesis Advanced Technologies M60 Mono's?  PrimaLuna ProLogue 7?  Rogue ST100?  Conrad Johnson LP-66s?

Thank you in advance to anyone that has feedback for me. 

The ML are said to be hard to drive as they have a pretty challenging impedance curve at the top end...but the little Yaqin seems to be doing fine.

-TooSlow
tooslowmonroe
rudolfogrease
37 posts
 

To: mdelrossi1,

Good thought about the Yaqin volume potentiometer. I will be changing mine too very soon. I am ambitioning to make the volume knob wireless remote but using the hi-end analog pot (no sacrificing on the sound). I got away with the not blowing up my electrolytic caps due to the heat shield I made with vented insulator between the tubes, mildly on the tranny to the caps. I have a small cooling fan on the side too. For the sound that I am looking for, I find this amp excellent on classic pops, classic jazz, rock, from time to time classical basically the music of the golden hi-fi era, I love the Yaqin being an all around player. Especially with the Rauna speakers I got its a match made in heaven.

tooslowmonroe OP
4 posts
 
Thanks to everyone for their responses.  To answer a few items that were brought up:  My Yaqin had several different variations of tubes rolled into it.  I am convinced that everyone's room is going to sound different, so what happened to work in my room may not work in someone else's room.
My Yaqin had Mullard NOS for the 12AX7's, Baldwin NOS for the 6SN7's and Electro Harmonix 6550's for power.  That gave me the best sound in my room with my speakers.  The Yaqin to me was a little bright and needed to be tamed a little bit.
Now, the most recent updated came as a Jolida JS-1000-RC happened to come available for me to test.  The tubes were all stock when I got it, and once I listened for a week or so...I started in on tube rolling this one as well...and I have to say the Jolida just takes the room to the next level...it was the same WOW factor that I got from going from my SS amp to my Yaqin tube...the Jolida took it another step.
All the things that you can read in the magazines happened better with the Jolida once I got the tubes replaced and broken in...soundstage, imaging, all that stuff...it just got a little better.  
I am loving the room so much with the Jolida in it right now...it's just wonderful.
I upgraded the tubes in the Jolida along the same path as the Yaqin, finally setting with Mullard NOS for the preamp section and Electro Harmonix for the power tubes.  The sound is so sweet.
Hope this helps anyone considering tubes on their Martin Logans.
-TooSlow

mboldda1's avatar
mboldda1
575 posts
 
try kt90's for the power tubes.
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