Yaqin MC-84L Tube Stereo Amplifier Review

[Geert]

Looks like a very "musical" amplifier, or something. Why does junk like this even exist?

What people fail to understand is how these 'transparent' high SINAD amps fail to translate rhythm because they only focus on the first beat in a bar:

 

[Gilvan]

I never imagined existed such flawed equipment.
There is some very bad inclination in audio industry nowadays to product and sell dishonest products.
Jesus, and the general reviews give 4,5 from zero to five!

 

[AudioSceptic]

What about "Musical".

 

[Mojo Warrior]

The review is sorely lacking the "cool" glow of the tubes in a darkened room effect on the generally recognized enhancement of the listening experience.

An experience that no solid state amplifier can remotely replicate.

[sarcasm] YMMV

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

OMG! "coherent" "precise"

 

[EDMoser]

@amirm Did you listen to the amp? I'm just wondering what something that measures this badly actually sounds like?

+1
Yes, how different will this amp sound at 1-2W output versus the highest measured SINAD amp? An easy ABX pass?

 

[Ageve]

The designer after reading this review:

Joking aside, great review as always. The multi-tone distortion record will be hard to beat.

 

[MAB]

Great! And what do we learn from this?
People are very subjective in their perceptions, many love this type of sound amplification even if it is as incredibly poor as in this case.

And that's a good thing!

Not only can one assume that the main focus is actually on the music being heard and its emotional magic, but also that it is an important basic requirement to go through life unscathed.
Imagine if people were ranked by their most disgusting smell, appearance and behavior... over time no one would be left standing.
Maybe those with perfection fetishes should enjoy their music through such tube constructs every now and then, purely for therapeutic purposes

Mains noise isn't therapeutic.

 

[pogo]

Did the tube make proper contact?

 

[F1308]

Anyway, many will go Topping B100
and then connect a vinyl...

 

[MAB]

@amirm Did you listen to the amp? I'm just wondering what something that measures this badly actually sounds like?

It will mostly sound like an amp with a channel imbalance.
If hooked up to high enough efficiency speakers, it will sound like a noisy amp with an imbalance.
If you turn it up to 2 W, it will sound like the above but now with one channel clipping more than the other.
After that, perhaps the distortion is audible, not likely pleasing even by itself. Certainly not with all of the other irritating defects.
I recommend the Klippel listening test if you don't want to sort out all of the variables, and want to hear what HD sounds like without the masking.

 

[GeekyBastard]

Yaqin MC-84L Distortion Effect Module™​

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Great review, Amir. Of course it's distorted, but it's that utterly gorgeous fuzzed up second harmonic tube distortion. And with only 5 watts you're sure to experience the joys of "soft clipping', and, most important of all, it renders that all important "first watt" in all its glory!

Well, at least, it's only $600, so nobody's paying thousands for a single ended triode amp employing Western Electric 300B's complete with NOS oil capacitors costing thousands of dollars, outputting 15 watts with 45 percent THD. I've heard a few of those kind of systems and they're just a warm and fuzzy buzz of music and then they just stop getting any louder. Like listening to a euphonically tuned vacuum cleaner. Oh, well.

 

[Snarfie]

Seriously if you compare this against 2 topping B100 amp's 299,- each so besides pre amp same price an you do a blind test guess there is no comparison/competition regarding sound quality.!

 

[Leeken]

Well at least for once nobody is going to argue when someone says “I heard a difference!”
Or would they,or would I? I wish I could get to hear one and compare it with my purifi.

 

[Snarfie]

Well at least for once nobody is going to argue when someone says “I heard a difference!”
Or would they,or would I? I wish I could get to hear one and compare it with my purifi.

Thats why a blind test. You must be deff or extremely biased if you go for the tube amp i presume.

 

[voodooless]

Well, we’re just 2 bits away from the ultimate DSD amplifier

 

[Multicore]

It must be nearly Halloween.

horrific
diabolical
ghastly
gruesome
frightful
monstrous
wicked
heinous
undead
accursed
evil

But I think @amirm should have photographed it with the lights out so we could see the glow. I mean, without the glow, what's the point?

It is horrific to think how, for $ 2 less, I could buy two Topping B100 amplifiers, more powerful and w SOTA SINAD compared to this horrible one.

What do you propose to spend those two dollars on?

 

[DSJR]

I'd suggest that amps this poor, may not initially 'sound' bad, but my vibe today is that they'd make all recordings sound the same, regardless of venue, studio or producer, as if the music's been painted with a very broad brush....

 

[Saponetto]

Did the tube make proper contact?

View attachment 400794

Oh God... this misplaced poor tube largely exceeds my acceptance capability!