those *bay Chinese valves, anyone here tried them ?

[sthomas048]

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone has tried one of the multitude of Chinese valve amps available on Eb*y ? You know - Audioromy, Music Angel, Yaqin and Bewitch. Its easy to dismiss all these as cheap tat, but who knows - they may be decent kit ? They look great but then how reliable are they ? the tubes they use look cheap and cheerful too.

I hope someone has some experience of these amps and can pass on their views.

Thanks !

 

[aliEnRIK]

Last I heard the chinese have been banned from using their electrical components in other manufactureres equipment due to all the failures of using cheap components

Theyve had mobile phones, capacitors and tvs exploding amongst many other electrical items

I too am not completely dismissing them but until I know any better I personally wouldnt touch ANYTHING they make with a bargepole

Incidentally, I did try some basic RAM from them off ebay which failed to work............

 

[idc]

I would rather pay a little more and go through a known source such as Rock Grotto, where the most expensive are £22 for a matched pair. Real pride is taken sourcing the best NOS valves and there will be easier and better come back.

 

[sthomas048]

idc - do you mean its worth looking at these kinds of valve amps as long as i look at upgrading to a better pair of tubes ? It seems otherwise i should avoid Chinese hifi gear then ?

 

[idc]

I can't be as specific as that, but since the valve is the heart of the operation having a trusted and reliable source is a definite. As for buying hifi from China, well read lots of forums and you will find happy customers and specific warnings against buying from certain manufacturers. Caveat emptor, so do the obvious and look for established stuff with positive feedback on forums. Happy googling!

I am about to make my first Chinese hifi purchase with the FiiO E5. I am going to make things a bit less risky by buying from Amazon and a UK distributor and paying £2 more than buying from Hong Kong off ebay.

 

[sthomas048]

Yes, i have had a good search through forums and various websites and it seems the best of these valve amps are Yaqin MC-10L and Audioromy FU13. However on conclusion i believe the safer most sensible bet is to stick with established well known brands like Icon Audio and Pure Sound, both offer low cost entry into valve sound. Maybe a nice second hand amp via Ebay ? Thanks idc.

 

[Anonymous]

I have purchased 3 different units and all worked perfectly, however an valve upgrade provides fantastic results. I am now hooked on valve ampilifiers. The warmth and depth they offer for the price is extremely hard to match!

I did have one little problem... one of the units, a small single ball of polysterene must have got inside one of the units I bought, and when I turned it on it smoked liked crazy and then I turned it off immediately. When I took the valves out and blew it clean although it had already appeared to have burned up (my conclusion)... it was perfectly fine after that... a bit scary but a minor thing which would have burned out.

Mahesh Gordhan