Got a Chinese tube amp and now world is upside down

[kemmler3D]

That’s not very surprising. There is no way the bass section of the open baffle is 97 dB efficient. You’ll need a lot of power down there to fight the roll off.

I had a similar thought. From what I have heard about OB you need crazy power to get SPL below 100hz or so. We don't know what OP's setup looks like, but I would love to know what drivers can get 97dB open baffle for bass!

 

[svtcontour]

I had a similar thought. From what I have heard about OB you need crazy power to get SPL below 100hz or so. We don't know what OP's setup looks like, but I would love to know what drivers can get 97dB open baffle for bass!

LOL ya true, I guess I was approximating it in the broad range but the general FR @ 1 meter is above somewhere but these are them. Nearly all done, just waiting some removable front and back grills

 

[GXAlan]

I enjoyed my 300B SET as well. The dynamic treble boost which generates the treble sweetness and harmonics makes the music great. It’s a lot of fun!

It is still content dependent though. I can see someone who has a consistent set of music consistently liking tubes. The more eclectic your tastes though, the less likely it’s going to be your consistently preferred setup.

A tube preamp to add distortion as can @pkane ‘s distortion VST software can be used to get you halfway there. The tube adds non linearities which require more software to simulate.

 

[voodooless]

LOL ya true, I guess I was approximating it in the broad range but the general FR @ 1 meter is above somewhere but these are them. Nearly all done, just waiting some removable front and back grills View attachment 316495

These look great! And they are very wide, which will help the bass response a lot.

It’s also quite understandable that harmonics become more audible when the level becomes high enough: since the average response slopes down toward the top end, the harmonics are higher vs the regular sound at that frequency vs the fundamental. So if the 2nd harmonic of 200 Hz is 50 dBdown, it’s really is only like ~40 to ~45 dB down vs the 400 Hz content. So it’s a much harder job masking this.

 

[svtcontour]

That is great for a DIY.

Make sure to repeat the measurements a few times for each amp with the mic in fixed position to get a feel of the tolerance.
Acoustic measurements are a nightmare.
I would suggest to do measurements in the electrical domain under electrical load if you want to get to the bottom of it.

Oh very good point. Yes not just a single measurement I have to get down to the bottom of the mystery of why I like this amp even though every fiber of my being tells me I should be liking my SS more LOL

 

[svtcontour]

These look great! And they are very wide, which will help the bass response a lot.

Thank you I also feel (anecdotally) that the walls flanking the OB's might be helping at very low frequencies (maybe).

 

[svtcontour]

I enjoyed my 300B SET as well. The dynamic treble boost which generates the treble sweetness and harmonics makes the music great. It’s a lot of fun!

It is still content dependent though. I can see someone who has a consistent set of music consistently liking tubes. The more eclectic your tastes though, the less likely it’s going to be your consistently preferred setup.

A tube preamp to add distortion as can @pkane ‘s distortion VST software can be used to get you halfway there. The tube adds non linearities which require more software to simulate.

Also I guess something popped into my mind. Maybe its also the fact that this is all new to me so maybe some of it is just that and maybe after a few weeks things will wear off. For now I have a hard time prying myself away from the music LOL. Its past 2AM and I'm still listening to music and typing on this forum I need to get up at 7am LOL

 

[JSmith]

Its past 2AM and I'm still listening to music and typing on this forum I need to get up at 7am LOL

Ah... you may as well just stay up now and do an all nighter. Don't worry about morning guy;

JSmith

 

[svtcontour]

Ah... you may as well just stay up now and do an all nighter. Don't worry about morning guy;

JSmith

LMAO!!! haha

 

[audiofooled]

Distortion can be perceptibly louder, thus adding some "detail". In lower frequencies hearing is less sensitive to detect it. Combine it with low noise and I'm guessing it can be very pleasing. EDM to me in that sense seems to never be loud enough on a low distortion system. Most of the power is in bass frequencies so this little amp is probably struggling with this kind of content.

 

[DavidMcRoy]

It sounds like you stumbled on a tube amp that clicks with your senses. Enjoy!

 

[Sokel]

So we now have to convince you that you don't really like it but you think you like it.

(just joking)

Looks like your big boys there needs little to rock and this little amp somehow succeeds to move them.
I would just enjoy without remorse.

 

[Godataloss]

Though in my case if the amp is single ended class A, doesnt that mean its kind of running full out (or to however they've biased it) and I'd get coloration or is it still dependent on volume. I basically sit about 2.5 meters away from the speakers so I guess I'd need more power at that distance but maybe like 0.75 w or something

In my experience most of the tone you get from these amps is from the undersized transformers. Tubes can be fun on efficient gear, but you will start to hear the flaws soon enough. Soon that's all you'll hear. That is my experience anyway, especially with the cheap stuffs. Some of the better tube amps can overcome these shortcomings to the point they sound almost indistinguishable from a good SS amp which then begs the question 'why the hell am I paying for tubes?'.

Some of it might also be a synergy with your open baffle setup. I have a inexpensive vintage kit pair that uses 5 Jensen guitar speakers that absolutely adores my Dynaco ST35 (a pp el84). It's not critical listening, but slap on some blues music after a couple bourbons and it's great fun and an awesome aural pallet cleanser.

Not trying to pee on your parade- fearlessly persue what you enjoy! I'm amazed how well behaved the ASR bullies are treating this post.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

Subjectively, its better on anything that has vocals and real instruments or anything recorded in a live open space. The solid state is still better for pure electronic or dance /EDM if very loud volumes are needed. So at this point, I am finding it hard to go back to the solid state. I invited a couple friends over who are solid state guys and now they are tempted to buy the same little amp because they agreed, it sounds better and more involving.

Been there, seen that, many times. Call me in a year.

Jim

 

[svtcontour]

Distortion can be perceptibly louder, thus adding some "detail". In lower frequencies hearing is less sensitive to detect it. Combine it with low noise and I'm guessing it can be very pleasing. EDM to me in that sense seems to never be loud enough on a low distortion system. Most of the power is in bass frequencies so this little amp is probably struggling with this kind of content.

Oh interesting, didnt think of the distortion adding perception of detail. I always thought it was mostly perceived as warmth. I should look more into this. Definitely the amp is struggling with EDM at very high levels but sounds surprisingly together at mid levels (80s to 90's)

 

[svtcontour]

It sounds like you stumbled on a tube amp that clicks with your senses. Enjoy!

Thanks David. Yes I think so. And my guess is that its also dependent on the speakers. I am planning on taking this over to a friends place to hear it on his setup - his speakers are 93db@1W. Just want to see if it still does things I'm liking or falls apart on different speakers or setup

 

[svtcontour]

LOL ya I mean I guess I've read about the tube distortion so I know it cant really be technically better or not even close but mentally its doing it for me LOL. I'm almost trying to convince myself I'm crazy for liking it but at the same time i'm telling myself I dont care haha.

Also I was pretty surprised at the big OBs getting as loud as they do on this thing

So we now have to convince you that you don't really like it but you think you like it.

(just joking)

Looks like your big boys there needs little to rock and this little amp somehow succeeds to move them.
I would just enjoy without remorse.

 

[svtcontour]

In my experience most of the tone you get from these amps is from the undersized transformers. Tubes can be fun on efficient gear, but you will start to hear the flaws soon enough. Soon that's all you'll hear. That is my experience anyway, especially with the cheap stuffs. Some of the better tube amps can overcome these shortcomings to the point they sound almost indistinguishable from a good SS amp which then begs the question 'why the hell am I paying for tubes?'.

Some of it might also be a synergy with your open baffle setup. I have a inexpensive vintage kit pair that uses 5 Jensen guitar speakers that absolutely adores my Dynaco ST35 (a pp el84). It's not critical listening, but slap on some blues music after a couple bourbons and it's great fun and an awesome aural pallet cleanser.

Not trying to pee on your parade- fearlessly persue what you enjoy! I'm amazed how well behaved the ASR bullies are treating this post.

Thank you my friend. I think I'll always have the solid state - so it will be something to flip between depending on the mood but I thought I was going to buy this thing and basically have it be like a little joke but it definitely pulled the right strings for me and now my mission is finding out why that is Thanks to some replies I've got some things to read up on that can give me explanations

I'm also pretty amazed. I thought I'd be raked over the coals but maybe because I kind of know it should be flawed but not sure why subjectively its so good. One theory I have as well is maybe its just a perfect match to my DIY speakers. Like maybe my DIY speakers with its flaws and response wiggles when on the tube is actually providing a smoother response because the tube has its own response issues and they all land in the right spot. I will be doing a speaker response measeurement this weekend

 

[svtcontour]

Been there, seen that, many times. Call me in a year.

Jim

So its a honeymoon phase

 

[Chr1]

I would put money on you preferring the valve amp for sub-optimal recordings. Even a year from now. Particularly anything erring on the thin/bright side. I prefer my VTL valve amp with a pair of 97db Tannoy V12s. With two subs. I also have Neumann KH310s and though more accurate, they are pretty ruthless when it comes to exposing bad recordings. Always great to have both, I say!