A question about a Tube Amp

D

Dasmorbid1

Audiophyte
I hate to even post this I am in a position to get a good deal (hopefully) on a
Music Infinity Vacuum Tube Amplifier M20A
time is of the essence, have to make a decision very shortly...
and would like someones opinion, cannot find anywhere what it might be worth or anything.

Thanks so much for your help.
 
D

Dasmorbid1

Audiophyte
Possibly something decent in my office, DAC (Toppings, Shiit), M20A, decent set of bookshelf speakers
Just thinking if cheap enough (<$200) might be a decent addition to my office.
 
D

Dasmorbid1

Audiophyte
Well, will find out now for sure, was able to get it for hopefully a decent price, appears new, I saw the website you were talking about lovinthehd but was no pricing per-say. I am sure it will be ok for what I am wanting, just wanted some advice from some pros. I was more into music back when Marantz reached the high point, mid/late 70s... but now look at them...lol Just wanting to get back to some real clean sound soon...
Again, stupid question but was hoping someone knew more about the amp then what I was able to find, thanks for taking the time to answer and hopefully I can enter more interesting post's in the future.
Have to find an amp soon for my other project, maybe can post some about it later when have more $$$ to talk...

 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Not too many tube users around here for the most part. I wouldn't buy a tubed unit myself, and if I did it wouldn't be a cheap one like that....the good ones simply cost more from what I can glean from my various reads but just aren't worth the bother to me in the first place.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
Well, will find out now for sure, was able to get it for hopefully a decent price, appears new, I saw the website you were talking about lovinthehd but was no pricing per-say. I am sure it will be ok for what I am wanting, just wanted some advice from some pros. I was more into music back when Marantz reached the high point, mid/late 70s... but now look at them...lol Just wanting to get back to some real clean sound soon...
Again, stupid question but was hoping someone knew more about the amp then what I was able to find, thanks for taking the time to answer and hopefully I can enter more interesting post's in the future.
Have to find an amp soon for my other project, maybe can post some about it later when have more $$$ to talk...
Why do you think that a tube amp will give you cleaner sound than a solid state amp?

IMO, tube amps are products of the past that produce heat and auto destroy with time. They also require regular maintenance and tube replacements. There is no practical reason nowadays to look for such archaic stuff which is not as faithful to the real acoustic sound as a good SS amplifier.
 
M

MacCali

Full Audioholic
Yea seems tube amps are only for sonic characteristics, it will definitely take you back. But my main concern here is the unit is a phenomenal price, but the tubes need to be changed or are already bad.

which would most certainly destroy any savings. What was the condition of the unit? Used? Open Box? Details would be nice
 
M

MacCali

Full Audioholic
Also I am not sure if this is or was bought from AliBaba, but they have the unit there. If you buy 5 it’s 300 each, must buy in bulk or if you buy a lot it’s only 100 each.

So I am even more skeptical right now. Less so if it were 300 for a larger quantity.

These are the tubes they use. Which I will check the quality or substitutes.

D0339D11-C27E-4B7A-85E1-A8DD04EE82CB.png
 
M

MacCali

Full Audioholic
After reviewing the tubes they run really cheap which is even more scary, I never seen tubes at that price. But further corroborates why you can get them for 100 in large quantities. Not to rain on your parade, just trying to help.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
I hate to even post this I am in a position to get a good deal (hopefully) on a
Music Infinity Vacuum Tube Amplifier M20A
time is of the essence, have to make a decision very shortly...
and would like someones opinion, cannot find anywhere what it might be worth or anything.

Thanks so much for your help.
When considering a tube amp, you MUST also consider the speakers that it will drive.

Will the tubes have enough power to drive your speakers to the desired level?

Tube amps have high output impedance, so you typically see matching transformers on the outputs. Depending on the speakers, the freq response may depend on the impedance curve of the speakers.

The ideal power amp has very low output impedance by design, i.e. Solid Stat amps are inherently a much better technology in every possible metric!
 
D

Dasmorbid1

Audiophyte
Sorry took so long, actually been busy and I am old so really forgot. I got the Amp (Music Infinity M20A) for little less than $200 on an auction. I am not a pro, just love stereo equipment and Music, the different aspects preamps/amps can produce etc... It was a great buy, have not been able to compare it to any top line amp's but it is definitely better "clean" sounding than anything else I have, Yamaha, Arcam, Denon, NAD, etc...
All I know is connecting it and comparing to others after connecting them, a very noticable "tonal and clean" difference, just plain beautiful sounding compared to some.
Thanks for all the help, I wish I could afford to try high dollar SS amps. high end tube amps, but for now even with just a pair of Polk Audio T-15's or older paradigm's, It was well worth the money ...
Thanks all
 
ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
Not to burst your bubble, but that thingie is a hybrid amp (tubes drive a conventional ss output stage, and not a particularly good one). Enjoy the chocolaty midrange that your preconceived notions are producing.
 
D

Dasmorbid1

Audiophyte
Then so be it, More Chocolate Please!
Preconceived : If you have preconceived ideas about something, you have already formed an opinion about it before you have enough information or experience.
Seems to me thinking the midrange will be "Chocolatey" based on anything without listening to it first is, well, Preconceived?
All I know is I enjoy it... and thank all of you for your help and opinions...
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
Then so be it, More Chocolate Please!
Preconceived : If you have preconceived ideas about something, you have already formed an opinion about it before you have enough information or experience.
Seems to me thinking the midrange will be "Chocolatey" based on anything without listening to it first is, well, Preconceived?
All I know is I enjoy it... and thank all of you for your help and opinions...
Yeah, the chocolatey mid thing is a running joke around here. ;) Curious what drew you to this particular amp? Very little info available on-line except that it's marketed by Chinese on-line retailer Ali-baba and manufactured by Ankux in China. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence (not that the Chinese can't produce good gear). Were you able to find some trustworthy reviews? As mentioned above, this is not a tube amp. It is an integrated tube pre-amp with a solid state amp. Ankux doesn't even mention if the amp is class A, AB or D? Some people like the sound characteristics of tubes, so I won't fault you for that. 35W/ch is not a lot of power though and a signal to noise ratio of 85dB is only average. Something in the 90 to 100dB range is preferred. If I wanted the warmth that tubes exhibit, I would have been more inclined to look for a good quality pre-amp to drive a more powerful solid state amp. But as long as you enjoy it, that's what counts. :)
 
strongj

strongj

Audiophyte
As an owner of a tube amp, I would say if you can demo it, then give it a go. Tubes sound great, but for me they are a hobby amplifier now, I run mine in my bedroom with a pair of bookshelves and a Sonos hub and it’s fantastic. As people have mentioned, reliability is not great, you will need to order tubes if you keep it long enough.
 

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