KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,271
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Post by KeithL on Oct 9, 2015 12:04:09 GMT -5
I wouldn't worry about where it's made.... but do note that it's a HYBRID; it has some tubes in the preamp section, but the output power stage is solid state (so, strictly speaking, it's NOT "a tube amp"). Now, I have no idea whether it has any "tube sound" or not, or whether it sounds good or bad, but I'm guessing that it will appeal to people who "read somewhere that audiophiles like tubes" and really have no expectations other than that. (Since the output stage is solid state, and so has no output transformers or tubes, don't expect it to sound like a tube power amp. In fact, in terms of sound and overload characteristics, I would expect it to share more with solid state amps than with tube amps.) (Don't get me wrong.... for $150, it looks very nice, and probably sounds decent.... ) Its about time someone marketed a less expensive tube amp. And thats the rub - serious audiophools will reject it based solely on the price. Much as they do with Emo gear this tube amp will get the cold shoulder from that same crowd. No doubt this is made in China. Probably has a very tidy profit margin for the manufacturer & importer and there is nothing wrong with that - its what drives innovation. Just like we used to do in the USA! |
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Post by jmilton on Oct 9, 2015 12:11:41 GMT -5
...still, it would make a great Christmas present for your kid going back to college.
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Post by dasanto2 on Oct 16, 2015 15:30:27 GMT -5
I just got an email from Monoprice notifying customers that the tube amp is back in stock (limited). May the odds be ever in your favor.
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Post by robcoff on Oct 18, 2015 14:00:21 GMT -5
Ordered one today.
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Post by adaboy on Oct 18, 2015 19:41:30 GMT -5
Rob keep us posted on this will ya? Really curious. Thanks |
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Post by novisnick on Oct 18, 2015 19:42:55 GMT -5
Rob keep us posted on this will ya? Really curious. Thanks +1 for curious!  |
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Post by kauai82 on Oct 20, 2015 14:05:26 GMT -5
I also have been interested in this little integrated tube amp. Monoprice is headquartered a few miles from me in So. Cal so I ordered one and got it today. I am listening to it right now as I write this. First impressions are very positive. The packaging of the unit is first rate. Well packaged and doubled boxed. Tubes were already installed in unit. Amp looks much better than I expected. Nice aluminum case and front panel. Weights more than I expected it would. So far I am very pleasantly surprised. But how would it sound ? Much better than its price point. I first hooked it up to my upstairs system. I used my Sherbourn Pre One as an input selector by using the tape out as the outp ut to the tube amp. The inputs were my Denon DVD-2900 player that I use as CD/SACD player and my Laptop that uses JRiver version 19 with ALAC files. These are feed to a Schiit Modi Umber DAC then to the Monoprice. For speakers I am using a DIY pair of Core 2 that are 34 inches tall have a 1 1/8 inch tweeter and a seven inch mid woofer. These are very nice sounding speakers but have low efficiency. The specs are 83db at one volt at one meter. My EMO UPA pushes them very well. It was asking to much of the 25 watts to drive the Core 2 to a very loud levels.. It did get up to medium level with good sound. It did not have the dynamic levels I have with the UPA-200 because I had the volume up almost all the way. I am impressed that there was not any distortion that I could hear turned up all the way. The amp does get warm to the touch after an hour of turned up almost all the way. The real surprise here is that the headphone section on this little unit is very good. Better than my Schiit Mugrui (sp?). I have Hifiman HE-400 cans and the sound out of this little amp was very good. It is worth the $150 dollars for the headphone section alone. The only major draw back is that putting in the headphone jack does not shut off the output to the speakers. The instruction manual states that output to the speakers is cut so I will need to talk to Monoprice tech support on this. I will up date the forum on what the resolution is.   The blue tooth worked first time and sounds good with my iPhone 6. In conclusion this is a great product for the money even with the problem with the headphone jack. Out of the box with no break in time on the tubes it sounds very good. With efficient quality speakers it would be very good with an office system or a dorm room. It is a very pleasant surprise and I can't wait to hear how it sounds after it is broken in and some quality tubes. |
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Post by jmilton on Oct 20, 2015 14:20:28 GMT -5
Thanks for your thoughts on this.  |
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Post by adaboy on Oct 20, 2015 14:31:08 GMT -5
Thanks for your thoughts on this. +1 thanks for your review! |
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Post by GreenKiwi on Oct 20, 2015 23:47:10 GMT -5
+1 thx
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Post by sahmen on Oct 21, 2015 12:34:49 GMT -5
If you are thinking of purchasing this amp, maybe you should consider reading this disassembly analysis first. I saw the link on Headfi.org, and I thought people in this lounge might want to know about it. It is probably called, in turns, the Nobsound MS-10D or the Jaycar AA0474. I am no expert, and make no personal claims about the unit, for or against. I am just a messenger trying to keep people informed. members.iinet.net.au/~cool386/jaycar/jaycar.htmlThe headfi.org thread for this amp is here: www.head-fi.org/t/741905/nobsound-tube-amp-impression(See post #2 on that thread) |
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Post by robcoff on Oct 21, 2015 16:07:50 GMT -5
First impressions. Arrived today and have been listening to it for a few hours using Denon CD source and La Scala's. For the $150 (less 10 percent discount for ordering prior to Oct. 18) plus exchange and shipping this is a true bargain IMHO. The build quality seems first rate and the sound is way better than anticipated - even in bluetooth mode. It looks better than the photos suggest and is heavier than I thought it would be. Now being a member of the secret monoblock society I won't even bother to compare it with XPA 1L's (cause you can't) or classic push/pull tube amps (cause you can't). I'll just say I am quite impressed overall and wish I would have ordered 2. I've done a fair amount of research and this may not be a "new' amp. Mistral MM-1 and Marriola AV - 101 look real close in appearance but I haven't checked the tubes yet (which I plan on swapping anyway). Below is a link to a real informative article on the Mistral MM-1 extensive modifications. projectrepair.blogspot.ca/2013/08/project-mistral-mm-1-hybrid-tube.htmlI think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this little amp. |
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Post by kauai82 on Oct 22, 2015 10:22:14 GMT -5
If you are thinking of purchasing this amp, maybe you should consider reading this disassembly analysis first. I saw the link on Headfi.org, and I thought people in this lounge might want to know about it. It is probably called, in turns, the Nobsound MS-10D or the Jaycar AA0474. I am no expert, and make no personal claims about the unit, for or against. I am just a messenger trying to keep people informed. members.iinet.net.au/~cool386/jaycar/jaycar.htmlThe headfi.org thread for this amp is here: www.head-fi.org/t/741905/nobsound-tube-amp-impression(See post #2 on that thread) I find it interesting that you do not post any of the positive reviews of the MS-10 that are much more recent than one sited in your thread. The link you site is the same for both were written in 2008. the Monoprice amp is undoubtedly similar to the unit reviewed in 2008, but there are some major differences. One there is no fan in the Monoprice unit. There is an addition of Bluetooth capability. The Monoprice uses different tubes. The one reviewed in 2008 and the Nobsound MS-10 uses 6N1 Chinese tubes. The Monoprice uses 6n2 tubes and they are not interchangeable with each other. So there must be some difference in the internal circuits. I do not claim to be an engineer nor do I claim to know that much about tube preamps or amplifiers I am just starting out on this journey. I choose the Monoprice unit because I thought it would be fun for $150 dollars to see what a tube unit would sound like. With a 30 day return period and being only ten miles from their headquarters in So. Cal. I saw little downside to the purchase. When one Googles the Nobsound MS-10 unit the first two results of the search are Amazon ads where they sell the Nobsound MS-10. The MS-10 has been sold on Amazon since 2014 and its reviews rate out at 4.3 out of five. There are 41 reviews the fast majority of them positive. One reviewer did a tear down of the unit and talks about the internal circuits in length. I find it interesting that you did not mention the positive reviews the MS-10 has on Amazon. The third search result for the Nobsound on Google is a You Tube video on the unit that is very positive. The fourth search result is your link. I do not disagree with the review that you linked. I did not understand most of the electronics discussion in the review, but I will take the conclusions as valid. The Monoprice unit is not a tube amp. It is a Hybrid. In fact the Monoprice users manual calls it , "25-Watt Stereo Hybrid Tube Amp". Which in my opinion is some what misleading as I consider the unit a integrated amplifier with a tube preamp section. I believe that misleading labeling the unit as a "tube amp" is the main cause of the controversy on the Monoprice unit and Nobsound MS-10. The purist tube followers are very upset that a Chinese manufacturing company is calling a hybrid tube preamp and solid state amp as a "tube amp". I can understand their view. However, I bought the unit with the full knowledge that it has a solid state amp section. There seems to be a question if the unit sounds the " classic tube" sound. I have owned only a Jolida hybrid integrated tube preamp with a solid state amplifier section and they sound somewhat similar but I must say that the Monoprice unit sounds very different than my Sherbourn Pre-one preamplifier (very similar to a USP-1) and my UPA-200 emotive amp. More tight bass and a little darker sound, not as bright as the emotiva system. Not necessarily better than Emotiva, but definably different. I do not think the Monoprice is built any where near as well as the Emotiva, but for $150 it seems to be built better than I expected. I believe that Monoprice and Nobsound should change there advertising and internet listings to state that this a hybrid integrated stereo amplifier. However, I would let this stand in the way in purchasing the Monoprice integrated amp if you are looking to see what a $150 dollar will get you. True the unit might crap out in a month and them I will update this tread. If it is going strong a year from now I will also update that also. But for a small second system or a bedroom, office or a dorm room this little integrated amp is a winner. Very nice sounding for the money. I believe that this is a much more balanced review and view of the Monoprice unit than the links shared in this thread. |
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Post by sahmen on Oct 22, 2015 10:40:01 GMT -5
I find it interesting that you do not post any of the positive reviews of the MS-10 that are much more recent than one sited in your thread. The link you site is the same for both were written in 2008. the Monoprice amp is undoubtedly similar to the unit reviewed in 2008, but there are some major differences. One there is no fan in the Monoprice unit. There is an addition of Bluetooth capability. The Monoprice uses different tubes. The one reviewed in 2008 and the Nobsound MS-10 uses 6N1 Chinese tubes. The Monoprice uses 6n2 tubes and they are not interchangeable with each other. So there must be some difference in the internal circuits. I do not claim to be an engineer nor do I claim to know that much about tube preamps or amplifiers I am just starting out on this journey. I choose the Monoprice unit because I thought it would be fun for $150 dollars to see what a tube unit would sound like. With a 30 day return period and being only ten miles from their headquarters in So. Cal. I saw little downside to the purchase. When one Googles the Nobsound MS-10 unit the first two results of the search are Amazon ads where they sell the Nobsound MS-10. The MS-10 has been sold on Amazon since 2014 and its reviews rate out at 4.3 out of five. There are 41 reviews the fast majority of them positive. One reviewer did a tear down of the unit and talks about the internal circuits in length. I find it interesting that you did not mention the positive reviews the MS-10 has on Amazon. The third search result for the Nobsound on Google is a You Tube video on the unit that is very positive. The fourth search result is your link. I do not disagree with the review that you linked. I did not understand most of the electronics discussion in the review, but I will take the conclusions as valid. The Monoprice unit is not a tube amp. It is a Hybrid. In fact the Monoprice users manual calls it , "25-Watt Stereo Hybrid Tube Amp". Which in my opinion is some what misleading as I consider the unit a integrated amplifier with a tube preamp section. I believe that misleading labeling the unit as a "tube amp" is the main cause of the controversy on the Monoprice unit and Nobsound MS-10. The purist tube followers are very upset that a Chinese manufacturing company is calling a hybrid tube preamp and solid state amp as a "tube amp". I can understand their view. However, I bought the unit with the full knowledge that it has a solid state amp section. There seems to be a question if the unit sounds the " classic tube" sound. I have owned only a Jolida hybrid integrated tube preamp with a solid state amplifier section and they sound somewhat similar but I must say that the Monoprice unit sounds very different than my Sherbourn Pre-one preamplifier (very similar to a USP-1) and my UPA-200 emotive amp. More tight bass and a little darker sound, not as bright as the emotiva system. Not necessarily better than Emotiva, but definably different. I do not think the Monoprice is built any where near as well as the Emotiva, but for $150 it seems to be built better than I expected. I believe that Monoprice and Nobsound should change there advertising and internet listings to state that this a hybrid integrated stereo amplifier. However, I would let this stand in the way in purchasing the Monoprice integrated amp if you are looking to see what a $150 dollar will get you. True the unit might crap out in a month and them I will update this tread. If it is going strong a year from now I will also update that also. But for a small second system or a bedroom, office or a dorm room this little integrated amp is a winner. Very nice sounding for the money. I believe that this is a much more balanced review and view of the Monoprice unit than the links shared in this thread. Great! I hope it gives you all the performance you're looking for. There's actually one opinion on the thread I posted which takes a position similar to the one you have taken here, and that's all good. I really mean it when I say I have no personal opinion about the unit, and no personal irons in this particular fire. I just saw the discussion of Headfi.org referencing the thread and link, and I thought I'd pass the info on to interested emoloungers, for better or worse... GLWS... Seriously. |
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Post by kauai82 on Oct 22, 2015 11:22:56 GMT -5
First impressions. Arrived today and have been listening to it for a few hours using Denon CD source and La Scala's. For the $150 (less 10 percent discount for ordering prior to Oct. 18) plus exchange and shipping this is a true bargain IMHO. The build quality seems first rate and the sound is way better than anticipated - even in bluetooth mode. It looks better than the photos suggest and is heavier than I thought it would be. Now being a member of the secret monoblock society I won't even bother to compare it with XPA 1L's (cause you can't) or classic push/pull tube amps (cause you can't). I'll just say I am quite impressed overall and wish I would have ordered 2. I've done a fair amount of research and this may not be a "new' amp. Mistral MM-1 and Marriola AV - 101 look real close in appearance but I haven't checked the tubes yet (which I plan on swapping anyway). Below is a link to a real informative article on the Mistral MM-1 extensive modifications. projectrepair.blogspot.ca/2013/08/project-mistral-mm-1-hybrid-tube.htmlI think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this little amp. Could you do me a favor ? Could you try headphones with your unit and see if the speakers cut out like they should when you put the jack in. Just wondering if yours is working like mine. Must say I really like this little amp. Monoprice has been really nice and followed up on my small problem with the headphone jack. Thanks in advance. Matt |
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Post by robcoff on Oct 22, 2015 18:53:20 GMT -5
Yes. Main speakers cut out when I insert headphone plug. On another note I think the more I play the Monoprice the better it sounds. Tube run in I would imagine. I just noticed on their site that they are sold out again. Glad I ordered when I did.
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Post by kauai82 on Oct 22, 2015 20:37:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on headphone jack. I will get mine replaced. I agree with you my amp sounds better the more I listen to it.
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Post by kauai82 on Nov 12, 2015 10:20:45 GMT -5
Update, Sent my Monoprice integrated tube amp back to Monoprice because of the problem with the headphone jack not cutting out the speakers when jack was plugged into the unit. Sent unit back on Monday and got my replacement on Wed ! Of course I am only ten miles from their home office, but still very quick replacement. New unit works as it should. Very happy with the customer service and the sound of the unit. I have also since my last post bought a Little Dot MK III tube headphone/preamp to see how it matches up with my Emotiva UPA-200 amp. I will give a review of the two units in another post after I get the tubes burned in both units.
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Post by garbulky on Nov 12, 2015 10:29:00 GMT -5
Do y'all think this will survive a trip overseas in its packaging?
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Post by kauai82 on Nov 12, 2015 10:58:21 GMT -5
If you are talking about the Monoprice unit I believe it would. It is packed very well and double boxed from Monoprice. Where would it be shipped ?
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Its about time someone marketed a less expensive tube amp. And thats the rub - serious audiophools will reject it based solely on the price. Much as they do with Emo gear this tube amp will get the cold shoulder from that same crowd. No doubt this is made in China. Probably has a very tidy profit margin for the manufacturer & importer and there is nothing wrong with that - its what drives innovation. Just like we used to do in the USA!
