Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Tube Heaven

Tonight I am the happy ebay winner of a hardly used (30 hours) Yaquin MC-100B Tube Integrated Amp that was for sale in Anacortes, WA. So, except for a couple of ferry rides, it is not too far from me. It's an early birthday present to myself!

I got it for a good price (saved about $150) from an electronics guy who checked it all out for seviceability. It has some upgraded, expensive Telefunken tubes which makes it an even better buy.

Mine is the gold coloured one with 4 dark green PS Covers that will drive my AX2s & Velodyne sub combo in my audio system. Only a CDP will be attached - nice & simple.

Specs here:

http://www.hi-end.on9mart.com/cart/Yaqin_MC-100B.html

It joins my 16 vintage tube radios from the 1930s to 1950s that I've accumulated over the past few years. I think that I'm in tube heaven.

The only trouble is that I'll need a block & tackle to hoist it onto its perch...

TAM

Congratulations exlabdriver. Let us know how it works for you. I've had my eye on those Yaquins. They seem to be popular in UK. Which CDP are you using.

I've used a 5wpc SET with a pair of M3Tis and a Velodyne sub, some Mapleshade Clearview Golden Helix speaker wire, Maple Audio interconnects and an Ah! Njoe Tjoeb upgraded tube output CDP. That was audio nirvana.

Good luck to you!

PS, I've got a gorgeous HH Scott tube tuner which sounds pretty great for a mono unit.

Congrats on the nice integrated amp, exlabdriver! Let us know what you think when you get everything hooked up.

Oh, and pics, too! (now that Mark has gone through the trouble of making step-by-step instructions how to post em)

Nice looking IA, looking forward to hearing your impressions

Very nice Tam, I look forward to your impression.

Gorgeous. And wow, that's heavy... but for that much tube power, I can't say I'm surprised! Congrats!

i want one . or at leasst to hear one.

Nothing but Cool. Enjoy!

Very cool. Not much for the grill. It reminds me of Planet of the Apes for some reason. I love the look of open tubes without it though.

There will be no grill covering those lovely tubes in my set up. Mind you, I have no little people running around either, only cats.

I like the naked look as well...

TAM

Excellent. I'm now listening to Musical Paradise's 301 Series MK1...tubes are sweet. Transparency on the M22's best I've heard. Just rolled from the 6V6's to the EL34-B's. Nice difference.

Reminds me of something I once read in Breakfast of Champions.

Tubes love these guys:

I know that this is not hi-end gear, but I'm a bang for the buck kinda guy. That's why I like my Axioms - both vintage & new.

This amp does get some very nice user reviews so it is a nice way to get into tube hi-fi without breaking the bank...

TAM

Congrats Tom, I really like the looks of that amp and will be curious of your impression.

2x6:

Sorry I didn't answer your question ref my CDP.

Mine is nothing special. It's a 10 year old Sony 5 Disc Changer that is still running strongly & still sounds good to me on my vintage AX2s & Velo Sub. It'll be interesting to hear it through vacuum tubes (or valves as they say across the pond).

When it finally dies I'll look at something that is perhaps more upscale before CDPs are no more...

TAM

Nice to hear from you! I'm totally with you on the bang for the audio buck philosophy. I've picked up many older very high quality components for a song. It's also why I love my Axioms (and Michauras)

I hope your new set up brings you a lot of enjoyment!!!

Just ordered Katatonia, thanks FireGuy!

My 'tube heaven' may not be the nirvana that I thought it would be.

I forwarded the ebay listing to my adult daughter. Her reaction - What is it? What are all of those things sticking out of it?

Then my wife - What is it? How big is it? Where is it going to go? It's ugly...

Beauty is in the eye of the male beholder I guess. I see some upcoming conflict in my life...

TAM

I am very lucky that my wife likes my tube amp. The first time she saw it she did not know what it was but thought it was cool. I do however irritate her with some other hobbies that I have (buying socks being one of them).

Chris, how many socks do you own?

I only buy tube socks. I tried solid state socks once, but they made my feet feel too analytical.

I tried single ended tube socks once and while my arches felt all warm and fuzzy my toes bunched up every time I picked up the pace.

I'll wear others, if I have to, but tube socks are my favorite. Only single ended of course, don't know how you'd keep your toes warm if they were open at both ends.

That there is funny.

Question for the fine experts here:

In anticipation of my MC-100B Tube Amp arriving, I need to know what Impedance Connections to choose for my speaker system - 4 or 8 Ohms.

My speakers will be my vintage Axiom AX2s that are rated at 6 Ohms. They will run from the Amp Speaker Connectors (4 or 8 Ohms) through my Velodyne F1000 that employs High Level IN & a High Pass OUT (at 85 Hz). Therefore the AX2s don't see much below 85 Hz.

From a Stereo Review lab measurement from the early 1990s, it described the AX2's impedance curves as:

The system's impedance reached a minimum of 4 Ohms at 170 Hz, with other dips to 5 Ohms at 30 Hz & 6 Ohms from 5000 to 9000 Hz. The highest readings were 24 Ohms at 65 Hz & 21 Ohms at 1500 Hz.

Given those numbers & the fact that the AX2s are not doing the bass work below 85Hz because of the Velo, what would be the best choice - 4 or 8 Ohms?

Thanks

TAM

I'd go 8 ohms.

BTW, I don't know why Katatonia would be considered good for tube amps. My CD just arrived, slapped it in, and slapped my forehead. Head banging, Nordic land of perpetual night noise.

Of course, everything is a matter of personal taste.

My experience is that female vocals, jazz, small ensemble, acoustic as opposed to digital music is where the liquid richness of tube reproduction shines for low power SET.

Higher power tube amps are great for large orchestrals ...

Others may differ.

My tube amp came yesterday, yahoo!! My ebay vendor did not want to risk sending 'his baby' via the mail so he drove it over from Washington State via 2 ferries at some expense to himself. Due to his need for some more funding for his major house renos, he reluctantly sold it.

He & his lovely wife also wanted to see & photograph our part of Vancouver Island. So, with some local sightseeing it was an enjoyable day for us all. After all of the negativity encountered on the other forums, it was so pleasing to meet some really nice people - it's easy to forget that they are still out there.

Being an electronics/sound system technician, he set it up for me & showed me how to bias the tubes & balanced them for me. He builds his own tube amps so he is an expert in this field & provided lots of tips on running these beasts. He stated that he was very impressed with the build quality of the MC-100B both inside & out, so not much worry there. Absolutely phenomenal customer service. BTW, he really liked my AX2/Velo speakers.

Impressions - With 4 huge power supplies & 2 completely separate channels, this thing is heavy. How does it sound? Simply wonderful - smooth & powerful. It drives my AX2s/Velo sub easily & I think that it can heat the room in winter, ha. Even in broad daylight, the glow of the tubes is easily visible.

Still having WAF problems though. If I have to 'hide' it inside the cabinet, I'll have to do some surgery (reluctantly) on the back cabinet wall to make it fit due to its depth. Or perhaps I'll move the whole system downstairs into another area of my HT room.

In the pics, my Sony Receiver in the cabinet now drives my small Koss speakers on the floor in diagonal corners so I will still have an ambiance system up there. I'll likely replace the Koss units with a pair of M3s this year.

My first attempt at pics:













TAM

Wow! Beautiful home!

I think it looks like a piece of art there on the top of the cabinet!

I agree with Mark. Haven't checked my sentiment with my wife yet....

It looks great. If it was all alone and dominating the top surface it might be a little much. But it is sitting there happily with all the other decorations. And I can tell the clock likes it. I think if you move the mirror up a few inches it will look perfect. If your wife still doesn't love it, do what I do: new shoes or handbag (for her)

LAB, nice photos BTW.

Can some sort of thermally-acceptable "cover" be fashioned to make her happier?

You have a beautiful home, exlab! Thank you for sharing not only your pics, but your story about getting the tube amp and time spent with the other couple.

There is no way I would hide that thing. It is beautiful.

You have a lovely home. I'll bet there is some spectacular view out that window.

I envy your experience and your new acquisition. Enjoy!

Great idea, Mark! Amplifier cozies!

MarkS - I think that you've created a photobucket monster of me, ha!

Yup, the mirror could go up some but it is heavy & awkward - hernia alert! If the amp stays there, I'll raise it.

For those who were interested in our surroundings, included are some pics of Comox Harbour & Glacier. Local critters include Columbia Black Tail Deer (lots of them) & we have an eagle tree behind our house where this mating pair often hangs out. Our wonderful palm tree - kinda unique for the Great White North - was planted by me in 1996 as a 2 footer..

That is an absolutely beautiful setting!

Can I come live with you? I can bring another tube amp.

WOW! Thanks for the great pictures!

I like the deck on your roof!

Holy moly! If I show my wife these pics, she'd insist we move up there. Very beautiful setting. You're a lucky man.

Spectacular all around photos.

Notice that I didn't include any pics when we under our frequent winter monsoons.

Although we hardly ever see snow down at sea level, the winters can be quite dreary, wet & windy. And of course we live under the threat of earthquakes, so it's not all roses...

TAM

Yeah, I always play up the earthquake threat, too.

Unfortunately, it doesn't phase the Californians.

So, how does it sound??

Do you like it?

Yup, I do like it; however, I haven't listened to a whole lot of different material yet. While I don't hear a huge difference from my el-cheapo Sony Stereo Receiver, it does impart some smoothness to certain material but it still maintains good bass & high end detail.

It especially shines with music like Sade, Chuck Mangione (1983 'Journey to a Rainbow' never sounded better) & Salsa that has lots of horns. I haven't tried Rock, Classical or Clapton yet.

I haven't quite figured out the differences or benefits of Ultralinear vs Triode modes yet. Both modes sound fine & provide good volume considering that the Triode mode halves the power for supposedly smoother sound.

The pic is of the amp in all its glory in subdued light (I should have used my tripod). It is way too cool to look at & is worth having it in the room even if there is no music playing.



TAM

Lab, is your wife still not liking the amp?

Let me put it this way, she's not enthusiastic about it. She does not like seeing the innards of things such as speaker drivers & tubes, etc. Perhaps it's because she is a nurse, ha!

I do have the option of moving everything downstairs or doing surgery on the back of the cabinet so that is mostly out of sight inside the unit.

Or perhaps it will just grow on her where it is. Given the amount of heat that it puts out, being in the open would be best.

TAM

Those tubes are beautiful. Also, your Sony won't keep you warm on a winter's night. The tubes sure will.

Triode trades output power for pure sweetness. I keep my ASL MG S1 15DT on triode mode all the time, pentode, never.

I have some favorites which show off my tube amp - Loreena McKennett's "Elemental" Ed Gerhard's "The Live Album," Stan Getz/Jobim, Girl from Ipanema ...

Of course the other thing about tube amps is their ability to turn pets into smoking raisins. Careful.

Beautiful location. The only thing better than water or mountains is water AND mountains.

Wow! missed this thread...those are some beautiful pictures TAM! It looks like one of the eagles is sitting in your tree behind the house in that one shot from the front.

Word from my wife is "that's hideous," but after further exposition that no, I wasn't going to buy one, she acknowledged that it fit in well with everything else on the shelf. Simply wouldn't fit in in our house.

Adrian:

The eagles sit in that tree (about 150 yards away) all the time, but at the moment only 1 is keeping vigil as mama eagle is sitting on her eggs in a huge new nest down the street. Last year they spent all summer building their nest nearby only to have their massive tree cut down by a damn housing developer who is putting up some townhouses there. I was wild!! Eagle trees are protected here but it seems that real estate is more important to some officials. Anyway, this pair was not put off & they built a new nest nearby. It is quite something to see them carrying 3-4 foot long branches up into a tall Douglas Fir tree. Hopefully they will be left alone this time; however, I'm always apprehensive for my 3 cats when the eagles are around & they have young to feed.

As for the amp, I think that this a male/female thing. After a few days it is still out in the open in our room, so perhaps it is growing on her; however, I expect a shot across my bow at anytime!!

Being an expert on these matters, I wonder what Amie thinks, ha??!!

Since I was confused on how to select Triode/Ultralinear Mode on this rig, I contacted the Yaqin ebay seller in Toronto & he graciously answered my questions. After reading a bunch on the net ref TR/UL modes, I'll leave it Triode mode - it seems to sound smoother to me. This gives me 30 watts/channel but that seems to more than adequate in an audio only system for my AX2/Velodyne speaker combo. Besides, tubes clip more gently than SS but I've never heard clipping at the levels that I use.

Yesterday I listened to DS 'Brothers in Arms' - it was rendered beautifully in every way. Then came Eric Clapton's 2010 'Clapton' (recorded at higher levels than most CDs) that is an outstandingly engineered recording. It almost blew me off the couch when it came on after DS (I have a 5 CD changer). The floor/couch was shaking with wonderful articulate bass from my vintage Velodyne.

Yes - tube heaven - I'm glad that I took the plunge. Besides it looks good to me...

TAM

I bet the sax on Brothers sounded killer.

Yup...

TAM

For the past while I've been looking for a SACD/CD player (2 CH only) to plug directly into my tube amp using audio jacks.

My quest has taken me to seedy pawn shops, thrift stores as well as the normal big box electronics vendors. It seems that some of the newest Blue Ray players (even low end) will play SACDs; however, I wanted a higher end dedicated CD Player. These all seem to be above $500 CAN or so & CD players are quite uncommon in the marketplace anymore.

Yesterday I happened to check out one of our local Mom & Pop AV stores. I found a new, long discontinued Denon DVM 2845CI 5 Disc Changer sitting on the shelf waiting patiently for a new home. It plays multiple formats. The sticker price was $550 CAN & without any whining or snivelling on my part, the proprietor offered it to me for $200 just to finally unload it. Last night I checked it out on the net & it seemed to be a very good product with great sound quality. After seeing that Dak-Mart in the US has refurbished units for $270 US, it was a no brainer.

So, this afternoon it played a couple of CDs through the tube amp - simply wonderful. Now, I'm on the hunt for some SACDs to feed it. I even have $10 in ebay Bucks from my amp purchase (that have to be spent by May) to put towards some discs...

TAM

Sounds, like heaven Tom!

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your tube setup. I just borrowed my brother-in-law's Jolida 302 last weekend and I hooked it up last night. Norah Jones' Feels Like Home CD sure sounded sweet!

Jolidas have a good reputation as well. They were on my 'want list' but they were always more than I wanted to pay. The ebay Yaqin at $500 was right at my price point.

Does the Jolida have switchable Triode/Ultralinear Modes?

I too have the NJ CD. It is beautifully recorded & sounds wonderful; however, it is just too mellow (boring?) for my tastes. I far prefer Sade's first 3 albums from years ago that sound simply stunning on tubes. I never tire of her original works...

TAM

If I keep reading this thread, it's going to cost me money. I love hearing stories from other folks about music bringing them happiness.

I thought we brought you happiness. Hell, I think some of us even sent you music. You should be so happy now that you are ready to explode.

Your home and location are beautiful. I especially enjoyed the photos of the wildlife. The eagles are spectacular. I recently had an encounter with a Peregrine Falcon around our Koi pond. The falcon was trying to get water and I played cat and mouse with it for about two hours and got a couple of decent photos.
[image]https://picasaweb.google.com/111959624636083379861/March292012#5725438085663252114[image]
[image]https://picasaweb.google.com/111959624636083379861/March292012#5725438089372069954[image]
[img]https://picasaweb.google.com/111959624636083379861/March292012#5725438130085171986[/img]

Hmmm looks Like I did something wrong. I think I need Marks help.

The Jolida 302B model that I am using is about 8 years old and does not have switchable ultralinear/triode modes. The newer model might have this feature. You can often find 302s on audiogon.com for $600 or so.

I use photobucket to imbed the pics into the post. It works fine once you do it a couple of times - quite simple actually...

TAM

Thanks Tam I'll give photobucket a try at home over the weekend

For those who like vintage tube radios, I thought that I would pass on some pics of my small collection from 'My Cave'. The oldest is from 1939 & go up to 1960.

The pic with my favourite cat 'Lucy' (1 green eye & 1 blue) is of my SS Shortwave Radio collection in the same room.

All radios are fully operational; however, a couple of the tube units are a bit cantankerous at times. I enjoy just being in the room with them...









TAM

Because they warm your heart....or because they warm the room?

what a beautiful sight!

That is quite a sight, great collection. Thanks for sharing those pics.

MarkS:

They do warm the room, but of course I don't turn on more than 1 or 2 at a time as they do contribute greatly to BC Hydro's coffers.

The tubed radios get used sparingly & I choose a different one everyday & then switch over to one of my SS rigs...

TAM

Thanks for sharing the pics, exlab. I enjoy the look of those old radios, as well.

Is das a Grundig?

What a beautiful collection of radios.

[img:center][/img]

HH Scott Stereo Master tuner and Antique Sound Labs MG S1 15DT 5 wpc SET tube amp. Under shelf, Ah! Njoe Tjoeb tube output CD Player.

2x6:

Nope, they are both from one of Grundig's many competitors at the time - Nordmende (both Othello models)- that are quite uncommon today. Grundig, Telefunken & Sata tend to dominate.

The upper one is an export model (stereo) for North America from 1960 that I picked up semi-locally (Victoria craigslist) for $50. A steal considering it is fully operational.

The lower one is a European model from 1955 & is a mono version as stereo was in its infancy at that time. It has been fully restored & is a jewel with its beautiful woodwork. Considering the time & work involved, the $200 (ebay from Quebec) that I paid was another bargain.

With their large speaker complement & tube amps, both sound full & wonderful.

Very nice gear that you have. What is funny, looking at your chess set, we had a carved alabaster set where my MC-100B now sits. I think that my wife prefers the chess set, ha!

BTW, I mustered up the courage to check the KT88 bias voltages yesterday & they are bang on & balanced - no tweaking required...

TAM

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/amplifiers/bob-carver-cherry-180-black-beauty


I want two of these amps for my M22V3's.

Ohhh, that is nice - and only 20X the price that I paid for mine...

TAM

[img:center][/img]

Better picture. Better unit. Beautiful.

OMG, we've gotten to the point where we're whipping out photos of our units to compare!!??!!

Only if the units are unique or uncommon.

I'm not going to bore you with pics of my new Denon standard black box DVD/SACD/CD player, ha!!

TAM

This is a mad hobby.

I really enjoyed this 8 year old thread. Back from below!

I just picked up an Audio Research Reference 110SE with KT120s, gone over by AR with full warranty. Coming tomorrow.

Picked up a TASCAM 32-2 with perfect heads. 10.5" reels, nab hubs and new ATR magnetics 1/4" tape arrived. Recorded some Shelby Lynne, Patricia Barber and Dean Martin from 45 rpm vinyl at 15 ips. Tape sounds as good as the records.

Conrad Johnson MV60SE (wonderful amp) going on craigslist or audiogon. I've got to sell some stuff fast.

Tell me you played them through a pair of BOSE 901's!!

2x6, why are you selling the SE? It a crime really!

The 901s sound terrific when listening a few rooms away.

No,no, no Bose.

Montana PBN EPS2 speakers, a pair of EP500s.
Micro Seiki table with MA505 arm, Koetsu Black Goldline cart, Parasound JC3+ phonostage, Jadis JPL preamp.

Yeah, the MV60SE. Difficult to part with no doubt.

Bose, no! Sound good!

...it was meant to be an ironic comment, with you digging out the 60's and 70's gear

I remember hearing a new pair of 901s when they first came out. They were interesting in an underwhelming kind of way.

I took no offense.

I know I have a problem ... an audio obsession problem. I could go to a shrink and pay him a lot of money and get cured, but then he'd have the money to buy audio equipment and I wouldn't. So, what's the upside of that?!?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

The 901s can pound it out. They can play at 112 dB from 10 feet away...maybe more! I think that's what Bose was shooting for. Unfortunately Bose forgot that it also has to sound good.

2x6, that is very sound logic.