I love it when you call me Ampapa

@cheapaudioman

Жыл бұрын

Lmao. Nailed it

@shipsahoy1793

Жыл бұрын

@@cheapaudioman 😂

@bubblehead5394

Жыл бұрын

I love it when you call me Big Am-Pa.

Ampapa is a registered trademark of Shenzhen AMPAPA Technology Co.,Ltd, so a Chinese Company. That does not mean that Ampapa did not hire a U.S. electronics engineer to design the circuits. Still, if they are using it as a selling point, they should hire a U.S. writer for all of their ad copy so that their story seems credible.

@F1DesignUS

Жыл бұрын

I wonder is the design in USA is really the enclosure design and not the actual electronics. We all assume they are talking about the circuit but that enclosure and the esthetic feels like an American take on a HiFi "looking" Amp. When I get mine I am going to crack it open and see what we have inside.

Guy flew into Seattle from China to take in a mariners game. Designed a back of the napkin phono pre amp while at a great wanton restaurant the night before he flew home. Voilà … designed in Washington

@chandrakant1479

Жыл бұрын

😂

I bought a tube preamp very similar. I tore it apart and traced the signal path. It was actually an op-amp preamp. The tubes were just for show. Buying from China is about like the old West, you never know when you will get shot in the back. It's a good op-amp and it does the job, but it was not what they listed. They claimed the tubes acted as a buffer. I would rather give them a hug and move on. My wife is finally letting me put a simple stereo in the bedroom. I got a pair of Dayton speakers with the AMT tweeters. I had a $100 budget. I am going to use an ancient Harmon-Kardon HK3300 to start out with. It should sound better than the old clock radio.

@alanrogs3990

Жыл бұрын

Lucky you, my wife's boyfriend already has a stereo in our bedroom

@peterlarkin762

Жыл бұрын

@@alanrogs3990 that's cool does he let you use it!?

@alanrogs3990

Жыл бұрын

@@peterlarkin762 Only if my wife says it's okay.

@Sylvan_dB

Жыл бұрын

The tubes on your preamp were a buffer... buffering the vertical space to make sure you didn't set anything too close on top of it!

The GE tubes are definitely a good thing - they are a big step up from the generic tubes that many of these low price amps come with. They cost about $20-25 for a matched pair, if you were to get them retail. Maybe the amp was designed in the USA - but the ad copy was almost certainly written in another language and translated?

@alanrogs3990

Жыл бұрын

About 10 to 15 years ago GE or some other company (maybe US gov't) unloaded tens of thousands of these GE tubes onto the surplus market. They are good tubes not expensive AND vintage.

@adammurnane2400

Жыл бұрын

Whats better t9pro or ampapa?

Given that you can find all sorts of Chinese amp and headphone amp kits that say - Using X design - Designed in the U.S. could simply be a nod to the old / classic circuit design they used to build it. So again, just because it says, Designed in The U.S. it does not mean they paid for the design. There are tons of classic and easily copy-able circuits they could have used. Also, it does not necessarily mean the audio portion. "Designed" could simply mean the aesthetics and design of the outside of the unit.

Just a thought on the volume knob. I built a LM3886 chip amp without a volume pot. and purchased the Bellari PA550 to go along with it. The PA550 is much the same as the AMPAPA without tubes. This gives me a phono amp and 2 additional inputs. and It works very well. I believe I am not the only one wanting to add inputs to an amplifier.

@peterlarkin762

Жыл бұрын

Due to the low input impedance of the lm3886, it's really necessary to have a preamp with an opamp on the last stage before output. If it goes straight from volume pot to the lm3886 input, use a 10k potentiometer maximum.

Great video thank you, I like this Ampapa A1, I want to use it between my Cambridge Audio AXC35 cd player and my Cambridge Audio AXD100D receiver, plus between my Pro-Ject Debut turntable and the receiver, the receiver has a built-in phono stage, so can you tell me if I still connect the A1output to the phono stage input on my receiver, or do I connect it to a vacant input other than the phone stage input ? Would appreciate your expertise on this query, thank you.

Cool review of a product that is not likely to be picked up by the audiophile press. On practicality of the volume control and headphone jack, solution is to have a separate stand for your turntable that's near your listening chair. That's what I've done. Makes changing records more convenient, and I can listen with headphones or loudspeakers from the same location. Downside is long interconnect from the phono preamp to the rest of the system, but that could be solved by moving amplification to the turntable rack and using longer speaker cables or a separate preamp with balanced outputs and long XLR runs to power amps. In my case, I've solved this by using the Parks Audio Puffin phono preamp and running a 25 ft TOSLINK interconnect to a DAC in the main rack. Thanks for keeping me entertained during my breakfast and morning coffee each day. Have a wonderful December.

Thanks for bringing us another great review.

Thanks for bringing up the Walmart vinyl issue... I, too, appreciate the price. Sometimes the end product blows, but customers are paying a premium on new releases for what I believe is nostalgia sake. That said, a little bit of due diligence can really save customers on the front end. I have found several NEW releases are just newer pressings of older pressings... For instance, a few months ago I noticed my local Walmart was selling U2's Under a Blood Red Sky on special wine colored vinyl. No way was I paying $35 or so for an album I can find in bins at used record stores. When I got home I learned the new release was really a release from about 10 years ago. You could purchase it from a dealer on Discogs for far less -- minus the colored vinyl.

Is there any noticeable difference in sound when the LEDs are on or off?

Randy I have a Kenwood KD550 W/Grace F9 Rs9E (blue) what preamp would you use ? Bass/treble control would be nice but not a requirement , under a hundred would also be nice. In descending order your 3 picks. I've seen all your vids, your no BS reviews are the best I have found too date ,keep up the great work. Happy holidays too you and yours. If more info Is needed let me know and I will respond ASAP. Mike

Almost bought this. Went with the aiyima T7 Can’t wait for Christmas to test it out

Can this preamp plug from phono directly into a power amp and control the volume from there?

Merry Christmas Randy and family...

@cheapaudioman

Жыл бұрын

Same to you!

Just bought one last week, so far so good. I have it connected to a Yamaha P2100 to a pair of TOA 380SD's and it sounds clean.

I am looking for a preamp to use with a Crown XLI 1500 power amp. I do not use a turntable. Audio source will be my PC. I will be driving two Cerwin Vega RE30 4ohm 250W speakers. The Crown power amp is 450W/channel @8ohms with a selectable input sensitivity @8ohms of .775V, or 2.4V. Would this preamp have sufficient output signal to allow that power amp to perform at full capacity? Also, anyone know the output impedance of this preamp? Thanks for any help.

This review is unprecedented in surpass and looking! Ways to go it! Nice jobs on the detail comment and feedbacks!

Hi Randy..thanks as always for the video. I have a question for you or any of the group.. I am in the UK and there is no info or availability of the new Wiim Pro. Does anyone know if it has been released in UK, or has it sold out already and we are waiting on some more stock? Merry Christmas to you all. 🤘⭐️

@Feliciano12v

Жыл бұрын

Us has it. Sign up to their newsletter for announcement.

- Off topic, Hey hows about those class A 1969 JLH amps on AliExpress? any thoughts?

I just smiled as you finally plucked up the courage to say the C word. There is a reason it is probably similar to the other products you mention and I expect the circuit board is not quite a c.... (rhymes with drone ). But man...BUT you have to rip that knob off! and reset it 'nall. Sadly I doubt the tubes are GE. They look CE. It is a bonus of course that it sounds good. We all need at least one click. I need three as I am in my 60s. 70Hz to 14,000Khz is my range I recon. Cross town traffic - you should see the speed I used to drive :)

I bought this several months ago to go with my Fluance RT85 and Sennheiser headphones. I have had no issues with it, but I'm not hard core, just an everyday casual listener.

I don't give a damn where something is designed or made if it is a good product. If it is not a good product it also doesn't matter because at that point the main company is the target, wherever they are. So tired of all the concern over whether an audio product is made in the US or not. The US can't make many good things at all anymore since the mid 70s. The roots of the great gear we have now are in Japan. Why do people keep forgetting that or ignore it? Were it not for monster receivers, tape decks and the like coming out of Japan, the gear you see now including the $100k amps and such would not even exist. To this day the best cars are built in Japan, not in the US. A similar Toyota Corolla for example made in the US and one made in Japan, the one from Japan will be better in many ways even though it is the exact same car. It is a difference in work ethic largely. I'm all for providing jobs with a living wage for folks in country, the problem is that most companies are not. The High-End stuff makes the least sense. Most of it is made in China and so some company charges $20K for an amp, but is made in China with slave labor because they are unwilling to pay someone a living wage, which ironically is more than covered in the price, to make it in the US.

I had a 25 year old stereo receiver that the phono preamp became a problem. Hence, too lazy to pull it out, take it apart, and figure out the hang, I purchased a $70 solid state preamp (maybe 5 years ago) and bypassed the internal one. Could not really tell the difference sonically, too bad no opportunity for A/B comparison, but relative to other sources, the new preamp didn’t seem to change my impressions, so problem solved. That said, I think it is so 😎 that nowadays we can easily pick and choose the DAC of our choice depending on preference, need, and budget for our digital sources, with the help of the audio reviewers. 👨🏻

You can put it at full power and it won't distort. I'm sure being a pre-amp, the volume or gain is cutting off the signal, it doesn't boost it.

Is this pre amp for MM and MC cartridge

A 5654 is a Pentode designed for high frequency applications, e.g. RF amplification. I'm sure its use in this device is based mostly on availability in the surplus market, not it's actual suitability for the application. Also, given that it is not a dual section tube, it can only provide one stage of amplification. So no doubt, there's a whole slew of solid state circuitry living inside this thing doing the lion's share of the work, and the tubes are, at most, used as a buffer stage..Hopefully they're not just put there for show and don't do anything at all but light up.

@TonePriest

Жыл бұрын

Typical operating plate voltage for that tube is 120v. I'm wondering what the tubes are really running at especially with a 12v wall wart. Cool marketing trick though. Great video anyway, CAM!

@peterlarkin762

Жыл бұрын

@@TonePriest 12 volt is probably buck converted to 120v to run these. Since it's probably solid state inside doing the current amplification, the tubes don't need much current.

@jimf5160

Жыл бұрын

It is likely that since those tubes are not for that purpose, they are not even in the circuit supplying the sound...they are just there for show.

Interesting phono preamp! Great Review Randy! 👍👍👍

Designed and built in Washington, Province of Shenzen, China .. 😆 LOL

Just because the lowest setting on the tone and volume don't match the 0 mark doesn't mean 12 o'clock isn't halfway. Where is the stop at the OTHER side of the dial? Does it go past the highest setting mark or stop short of it? And if you can feel the clicks while turning the knob then count the number of clicks from 0-Max and go back half the number of clicks (if you're that kind of person). :)

While I can not speak for this product or the audio industry in general... Myself having run marketing for one of the largest cycling and triathlon component manufacturers, I can honestly say that we designed a lot of products in the US, (namely Seattle) but sometimes the copy for said products was written in Taiwan at the factory. We did our very best to keep up with it and we caught most of it in time. Could certainly be they just need an editor. Intriguing product for the right listener. Any chance you have another Ironman in your future? I do never and I like it that way. :-)

Wait. You raise something that I’ve wanted to address. Do you have your headphone amp for your turntable close to where you’re sitting? Cuz I’ve always wanted that. But it always seems way too awkward with the cabling. But have you overcome that? I guess part of it is I’m renting and can’t punch holes in the wall.

I just bought this and my power supply was noisy as hell, I moved it away to a different room and it still made the noise , i I bought a way better one from Amazon and it is dead silent

I absolutely love this little amp. While the headphone amp is decent. The sound is superb, it really sound a little more expensive than the actual price suggests. So very good bang for the buck there. Nice width and height to the soundstage. And good depth as well. Low end has nice power and drive. Mids are lush and full while treble is smooth and engaging. Use this as a tube pre amp with a solid state such as a Schiit Asgard 3, or Topping A70 pro and it just improves them. The Asgard 3 becomes more punchy, the added soundstage makes it feel more effortless. It's a beautiful combo. Very lush and easy to listen while not losing any detail. With the Topping A70 pro it's even better. Again the Ampapa A1 does it's thing, making music much more engaging and musical while not taking away any of the technicalities of the A70 pro, instead it just improves it by adding more soundstage and grunt to the music. It's a great upgrade to any solid state system 😁👍

just got the preamp sounds great with sony reciever 100watt and sub 10" the one you recommended ! I play guitar and drums so I know what tubes can do. They are a lot smaller than 12ax7 tubes lol. Have to try some Mullards:)

With the cost of NOS tubes, I can absolutely see counterfeiting them.

For products like this it would be useful to routinely just take off the bottom cover or whatever and look inside (one commenter did that and traced the signal path). I also wonder how many of these one would go through before saving enough money to buy a good B list Schitt audio phono preamp.

Could I use this with some IEMs?

They seem to be (or so I hear) related to Nobsound, the parent company of Douk Audio, One Little Bear, and apparently now Ampapa.

ThanksMXuch !

Great video. However those tubes probably aren't doing much. Where is the high voltage that tubes run? The tone controls are cool.

Just getting into headphones. If you are too, recommend buying extra adapter or two, maybe an extra pair of headphones. It's hard to troubleshoot without. Both my amp and headphones were made in USA.

The bad sentence structure is a dead giveaway. It ain't made in the USA. But with that out of the way, I've had mine for about 2 weeks. The tubes are well burned in, and I like the damn thing! It blows my FOSI out of the water. Next comes the tube rolling as soon as I find the equivalent tubes.

@blekenbleu

Жыл бұрын

Sure, because all folks in U.S. write great English and there are no immigrants.

@TheNewBorkTimes

Жыл бұрын

This thing should not be as good as it is. If you find replacement tubes you like better, report back!

@mrlondellsgroovymovies

Жыл бұрын

@@blekenbleu So if you were in charge of the marketing for this product, you'd let that grammar deficient description slide? I think not.

@S.G54321

10 ай бұрын

I bought myself one too. Theres sooo so so sooo many options for tubes I'm lost. I want to maximise soundstage so I was thinking maybe some 6J5G tubes would work? Have you found any nice tubes? I'm using this connected to my SMSL SH-9 and SU-10 stack. I must say, it sounds amazing. I just know some better tubes will make it mindblowing. I prefer how this set up sounds more than my Schiit LYR+

It's for sale in the Douk Audio store in Aliexpress.

The Amazon listing should say "Design stolen from Washington USA". :D Thanks for this review! I ended up picking one of these up after your review.

there's a large stockpile of nos tubes still available.

I’ve been looking into getting the Sony SS-CS5 speaker after watching your video “$80 speaker into a $1,000 speaker” and I was wondering if it has a Bluetooth system or if not, how could I make it Bluetooth.

@grahamluscombememories9897

Жыл бұрын

SirZayne, you would need to get a separate bluetooth receiver with RCA outputs and connect these to the line input on this unit…

I would bet you are right Randy. When the syntax is off like that, it makes me think they are lying. You liked it, it looks COOL and it's only 130 bucks! I would love to pull the trigger on this one but I think I'll wait for now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I would think the GE tubes are legit.

Okay, so I have a newb question. I'm on my first "hifi" setup and have the Cambridge Audio AXR100 integrated amp which has a phono preamp. My Audio Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB also has a built in preamp. So if I were to get a separate phono preamp, do I still just connect it to the phono jacks on my amp or do I need to bypass that preamp somehow? Same question for the preamp in my turntable. I've seen mentions of a modification that disables the preamp in the turntable that is supposed to improve the sound but that may be addressing a different issue. I don't necessarily dislike the sound when I play my records but I do have to crank the AXR100 up a good bit more when playing vinyl compared to when I'm streaming or playing CDs, so I hsve assumed that a standalone phono preamp would address that issue. I apologize if these are dumb questions. Please be gentle, I've just started my hifi journey 2 months ago.

@D1N02

Жыл бұрын

Don't stack phono preamps. Use only one or you will get massive distortion.

@billwoods9302

Жыл бұрын

When you have a built in phono preamp on your turntable, it's important that you run the RCA outs to an RCA input that is not the phono input on your receiver. Phono inputs on receivers are tied to the ground, and if you hook up an RCA cable that isn't grounded, you can permanently damage your receiver.

@marcusedwards8283

Жыл бұрын

@@billwoods9302, thank you. I just looked on the back of my turntable and there is a "Line/Phono" switch. If switching it to line turns off the preamp in the turntable, it should be okay to connect to the phono input on the amp, correct? I do have the ground connected as well. Realizing that there is a switch to turn off the built in preamp in the turntable makes me wonder even more why some feel the need to go in and modify/disable it instead of just sliding the switch over to line.

@D1N02

Жыл бұрын

@@marcusedwards8283 No Line=PreAmp and Phono = No PreAmp so line turns on the preamp.

@marcusedwards8283

Жыл бұрын

@@D1N02, I found that out when I went to play a record, lol. So I had it correct. But if I understand correctly if/when I get a seperate phono preamp, I will not use the phono input on my amp but will instead connect the phono preamp to one of regular inputs on the amp. I'm also assuming that my DAC (Geshelli Labs J2 - akm) doesn't figure into viny playback, but I'm honestly not sure.

What difference does it make as to what country something is designed in? How it's made and components used are more significant than where the circuit was conceived. Incidentally, does it still work with the valves removed?

@Smaug1

Жыл бұрын

If it was really designed in the USA, it means they are supporting American labor and economy. I think it's a lie, unless maybe they're just talking about the packaging and housing design. With All those LEDs, I kind of doubt it is American designed. Compare it to a Schitt product, which is understated, and you'll see what I mean.

@spamcan9208

Жыл бұрын

@@Smaug1 The world is so small now that just because the English is bad doesn't mean it wasn't designed in America. It's likely a non English speaking company worked with an American engineering company. It's also probably deliberately murky on how much input that company had in the design because I doubt their time is cheap.

is the T8 Better?

The Randy video review was appropriate least expensive male audio production informative best thankful content…… ya, thx Randy!

Really wish someone made a higher quality version of this with a remote. You have all the Chinese tube pre-amps hovering in the $100-200 range and then you jump up to several thousand for the classic Conrad Johnsons etc. With so many class D amps out there now, a good quality preamp with a phono stage and an extra RCA or two for your DAC and tubes to take the edge off the class D amps would make a nice control center for a modern audio system, but they are hard to find. Hard to bring myself to pay for an old school class A/B integrated when I know I can get very good class D with tons more power for much less but a good preamp/control center with a phono built in and tubes to take the edge of the class D is the missing piece.

So you never actually used this and heard this and saw how it sounds compared to your other pre-amps or built in pre-amps?

Does it do MC?

You should try the Mullard EF95 valves in that little pre amp and run an Topping E50 through using an Wiim Pro Airplay into an Aiyima YJCO D325X amp with Muses 8920d op amps…I did and haven’t turned it off yet…like hours. The Mullard valves made a huge difference.

Designed in the US does not means built or even that the parent company is US based, it means the person that designed the board or even the outside box was in the US.

The knurled aluminium knobs remind me of the ones Fosi Audio use, except these have set screws in the knobs. Aluminium wouldn't attract to a magnet :). Looks reasonably clear that it was designed in the USA, but they have offices in multiple countries. That said, it would still have been made in China I am sure. A lot of thigns can be designed in different countries, but end up made in China with cheap Chinese components. The designed in Washington doesn't say the marketing is based in Washington. Only says the amp was designed there. That all said, looks pretty decent for a Chinese tube-buffer pre-amp. Probably in the same league as Fosi and similar brands.

Why hook a DAC to it? I am new to this

I just purchased these GE tubes the bulbs say made in USA but the individual boxes say made in China.....I'm so confused.

The napkin it was drawn on was from Seattle.

You mean I just didn't buy a 2400 watt 2 channel rack amp on eBay for $105?

Thanks!

Very interesting!👍❤️🇨🇦

Irrelevant thank you note: just hooked up the new B1+ which I Snagged thanks to you on a deal for 199 plus tax. Got a little Coltrane and Ellington on at a civilized volume. Holy smokes they are sweet. Better than my T1s in this room. They punch way above their weight class. You called it, thanks.

Thanks

I say we believe which design could may be American in. (Comment engineered in America).

Not just any GE tube, JAN (Joint Army Navy) tubes...some would say, the most robust and best tubes available NOS

Maybe it was designed in the US by I Chinese exchange student ;).

i listen to a turntable with a phono preamp to a headphone amp in a small room, but i have a nine ft headphone extension cable from a jds labs el amp II+ to my headphones, so there’s freedom to move around.

I'm Da Pappy!! NOS tubes ain't cheap but they damn sure sound better.

I live in Wales and looked up that evatost company. Couldn't find a lot of info but they are registered as a consultancy business and the director is registered in China. Something weird going on there

I stand by Rearview mirror is pearljams best track, FIGHT ME.

Sometimes these inexpensive amps are just set up to glow the tubes and they have no effect on the sound...

Mm... the description of the product is a little too involved and all of those different countries' addresses remind me of a product I bought a few months ago and stated a clear no questions return policy and listed several "warehouses" all over the planet. I had trouble but finally I got my money back. When I looked up the address of the "North-East warehouse" all it was, was just a gas station. Somehow this reminds me of it. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Pull the tubes out and turn it on and we'll see if the tubes are actually in circuit or for show

I was all set to say "bad English doesn't mean that the person writing it is non-English-speaking," with several examples from my time as a college professor. But no, "Lots of researches" is not something that a person from an English-speaking background would ever say.

I really appreciate the down to earth videos. However, you should definitely grow your beard out! You could grow one helluva mustache (make Tom Selleck jealous) and the different colors in your beard would look really cool! Do it!! Sorry this isnt audio related lol.

I was just thinking: this is unprecedented in surpass and looking. (Was this designed in Washington or something?)

Another thing advertiser’s try to doop you with is “As Low As”

When do you have time to listen to these products since you post every day. Do you actually listen?

i think they are, recently i watched a yhoutube channel claiming they made 2000 speakers for far less and when showing the interior thye just ziptie everything togheter wich would made inmense vibrations on the sound, i think companies are not just lying they using youtube to promote false information.

I almost bought 1 of these the other day

I dont care how they if it made or designed in USA. I care about the value of the product.

I'm glad you reviewed this. I had it in my Wish List, but I removed it and clicked on your affiliate link to put it in my cart so you can get coffee. Will this drive a 150 Ω headphone with high sensitivity adequately? (Sennheiser HD 58x) I presume so. I hope they still have GE tubes when I get mine. I have a feeling that was a special touch just for the review sample... Re. "designed in USA", that could mean a lot of things. I bet the electrical design is copied, as you suggest. Maybe the case design and overall layout is American, so it doesn't look just like a Douk or Fosi...

I beg to differ. When was the last time you were to Seattle?😇

The knobs have detents..

looks like a douk, smells like a douk... i think it's a douk with a case desgined by someone in the us. i have a douk p1 with the same tubes which isn't as pretty as this thing but sounds damn good as a headphone amp.

That's a computer translator used from Chinese to English. Unlikely any American involvement in the product.

I'm Papa (he says, in a Barry White voice)

No one said the engineers were going to do the marketing too lol. Jokes aside, my guess is they could be a Chinese company that worked with an engineering firm here in the U.S. and then manufactured it in China.

@ericelliott227

Жыл бұрын

More like the usual thing that has been the norm for decades: American company designing the product and having it made in China to avoid having to pay a living wage.

@spamcan9208

Жыл бұрын

@@ericelliott227 That's certainly been a problem for the past few decades but recently I've noticed Chinese companies have been doing their own design work in addition to manufacturing. However it's very likely those companies got their start using foreign Intellectual Property.

@ericelliott227

Жыл бұрын

@@spamcan9208 Yes, that is how it is with headphones and now rumor has it that it is with speakers. The intellectual property is not locked down and easily accessed. Actually, almost given away in some respects. When a company has product made in China by just dropping off the specs and tools needed, they Chinese are free to copy all the intellectual property and cut corners. When a company has representatives living near the factory or what have you where they chose to have their product made and those reps are present in said factory mainly for purposes of quality control and the like, the intellectual property is protected proving to be more difficult for them to try to duplicate and sell out the back door.

Touch your tongue to the knobs, if they feel cold, they are metal.

I prefer Moominpapa. Furrier and more fictional. Just the way I like my amps. Actually, do Moomins have fur ? No idea. Having said that I don't think I have ever seen a phono stage with a headamp before, though I guess it makes some kind of sense in a weird way.

In the douk video there is a huge I mean huge verbal war about tube use...sad. reality is simple the tube is running at about 30 volts plate. Works great giving the tube sound as a buffer. Decent design works fine. N

Crank the volume to 11!

Sounds like Ampapa couldn't pay for a proofreader to spell check............................

Never mind the "designed in the US" there are ways to pull the wool over your eyes whilst telling the truth. If you believe it, you deserve it. The problem I have is with the tubes. General Electric, really?? If they really used GE NOS tubes, this pre-amp could not cost $139,- Moreover, if you have a batch of GE NOS tubes, you can use them in tube equipment selling for $$$. Why would you use them in such cheap product? So there is a 99.9% probability that these tubes are fakes. Again, if you believe it, you deserve it. But apart from that, they are ripping GE off as well. All in all Ampapa gets the thumbs down from me, purely for their deceptiveness.

@TriAmpHiFi

Жыл бұрын

"... their deceptiveness.", agreed. 🔈🔉🔊

@johnstone7697

Жыл бұрын

There's a lot of surplus US made tubes still out there. This one in particular was designed for industrial applications and wouldn't have ever been used in a consumer product. Often, surplus lots of thousands of tubes like this turn up for pennies on the dollar. It's not like this is a 12AX7 or other popular audio tube. I doubt it serves any function other than maybe a line buffer at most. Maybe it isn't even in the circuit. No serious tube preamp design would ever use a tube like this. To work properly, it would require a high plate voltage, meaning there would have to be a dc to dc upconverter inside this preamp. Given the cheap price, I wonder if it has one, or they just run it on low voltage. I'd have to see a schematic, but IMO, this thing looks like a well built toy to me.

@hugobloemers4425

Жыл бұрын

@@johnstone7697 You are right about that. It is an alternative possibility. And I also agree it is most likely working on low voltage, which makes it a complete gimmick and therefore they still get the thumbs down albeit for different reasons.

Hard to buy anything in this price range with the Schiit Mani out there.

Designed in the US isn't really a selling point today. Engineers outside the USA are every bit as good at their jobs even though they work in their native language. I would prefer Quality Tested in the USA...just my opinion.