700 bucks to own such a tube amplifier for the first time is a bargain. For the price including inflation, a guy would have to go back in time and put together a Dynaco kit. Don't let anyone give you grief about reviewing a product at this price point. Good review.
All that weight means it has good iron, which is almost everything on a tube amp. The better the transformers, the better the sound quality. Dynaco transformers are still legendary after 60-70 years
I bought the MT 34 back in November. I am running it with a pair of Klipch RP600’s. My experience was this.. It took quite a bit of running time (about 20 hrs) to tame the sound. China Hi Fi mentions that too but, what made the biggest improvement for me was swapping out the stock EL-34’s for matched quad of Mullard EL-34 tubes. It really made this amp sound lush and more holographic. Overall the MT-34 has been a lot of fun! Thanks for the review Randy!
yes the mullards are my fav el34 but the best tube i heard on this amp was the kt88 or 77 cant remember gold lion . makes the sound much richer and more tube like without being boomy they are expensive for matched quad though.
I can't afford a quad of the Mullard EL-34 tubes. They are nearly exist? for a quad. What make & model tubes do you recomend that would make an appreciable sound difference, in the amplifier being reviewed ,over the stock tubes, that are in the $600. range for all 4 tubes? Does such a product exhist? Thanks, David
@@davidstein9129 I would try tube depot and look at what tubes they have and then, search their sound profile.. I bought my quad of Mullard EL 34’s on EBay right before the pandemic and I paid $100.00 for them. They are now $200.00. I suggest you shop around and do some research. Hope that helps.
I’ve always been skeptical about tube amps until by chance I bought a Schiit tube preamp/headphone amp and inserted it into the loop stage of my Peachtree 300. This gave me a taste of what tubes can do and I refuse to listen to my system without that preamp engaged now. I’m wondering if a dedicated amp will improve on that experience or if a hybrid setup like I have now is a compromise that affords me the best of both worlds.
Thanks for the nice review, Randy. I think this is richer looking than the Reisong A10, that gold color really pops and with the higher power that is quite the combo.
For me tube amps with all their wonderful spatial qualities have meant a reduction in transient speed and sound purity. But the timbre is often so nice in the mids that the purity going down a notch is maybe not so big a deal, but still the timbre doesn't tickled you as much. Harry Pearson, former editor of Absolute Sound once commented that tube amps have a clearer midrange than solid state. Some try to get the best of both worlds, (the sweetness, the space AND the speed & purity by using vintage modified Vfet amps by companies like Yamaha, Sony, Sansui etc. The Vfet amps like higher impedences. Speakers with dual woofers sometimes have great 12 ohm impedences drivers as twin 4 ohm drovers would drop the impedences to 2 ohms and a problem for many amps.
Randy, if you dig EL34’s, you’d love a Dynaco ST-70. You can either buy an old one or build a new one. The A-10 is a true SET amp, and the MT 34 ll seems to have the EL34’s in a parallel configuration. If they were push - pull, you get more wattage out of them. Great review, man! ✌️🎶🌝
It is push-pull. The reason for less wattage is that the output tubes are run self biased (cathode biased). This reduces output, but is convenient because you never have to worry about biasing the tubes.
Waiting for mine currently. Got a local Tube dealer so I can roll tubes at a descent cost if it needs. Ill try to post what it came with. Mine is from China-HiFi. So far they were great with email communication.
I used to own a vincent 236 hybrid 100 watt per ch. amp with polk rtia3 speakers and Cambridge cd player. Kimber cables and speaker wire. Beautiful, big and heavy amp. Very rich, lively and had a presence to the sound. Ballsy bass. Wish I still had that system or any system for that matter. Lol
First off, Great review and channel. Now I'm torn between upgrading my Hafler dh220 or using that money towards this tube amp. If only money was never a consideration. Thanks for what you do.
Question about this amp: How does it compare to the Willsenton R8? Similar, or quite different? General comment: Tubes are a bit different to solid state, and although different tubes make a difference, a major thing with tube amps are the output transformers. The design and quality of an output transformer can make a HUGE difference, especially in how well controlled the bass and lower mids are. People forget the output transformers when they talk about tube rolling and tube amps.
I have one of these and I have undertaken some simple mods as per a YT site - Skunkie Designs. These are fairly simple and cost very little to get the 300Bs performing near where they should. One only needs modest skills and I am very happy with the results
I've had the MT-34 MKII for over a year now and I've loved it. I'm looking to get into some tube rolling with it now. Regarding the stock 6N1J tubes, does anyone know of any compatible alternatives that work for this amp? From what I've read, it sounds like maybe only the 6N1J will work for this unit? I'm a newbie to learning about this stuff, so I appreciate any advice.
So decent to pair with Emotiva T0 do you think? LOVING them btw!! Tubes with jazz and singer-songwriter stuff is brilliant. What about a phonostage? Cheers mate!
What source(s) were you using please Randy? Anything streamed and if so, what streamer was employed please? Thanks in advance!! Love the channel of course...that's why I'm here!!!
Thanks for a great video Randy. I learned a lot. I'm new to tube amps. I am looking for a tube amp that has the classic old McIntosh amplifier sound...without paying the ridiculous Mac price.. So, sub $2,000. My speakers are Totem Accoustic Tribe Floorstanders. Impedance: 4 Ohms. Their Sensitivity: 89 db. Recommended Power: 50-200 watts. I appreciate any info you can provide to help me on my hunt. Thanks, David
Dumb Question for the community. I am new to tube amplifiers but I am definitely on the toad to learning about them. I am thinking about buying my 1st integrated tube amplifier. I use Audioquest bi-wire speaker cables. They terminate with banana male plugs. Will I be able to plug in my Audioquest cables into the Boyuurange tube amplifier that was reviewed in this video? If yes, can this amplifier be bi-wired? Thank You
Off topic, sorry I’m confused on setting up a Amazon hi res music system. I have apple products but I see they aren’t capable. What cheaper android tablet exactly do you recommend? Also can we bypass the Bluetooth altogether and wire a high res iPhone/Amazon source? Love your channel, love music, lost on electronics/tech.
Noob here. It'd be great if the experts here could answer a question. I understand the Boyuurange MT 34 II is an integrated amp that DOES NOT come with a volume remote control. Could I add a DAC or a preamp that comes with a volume remote to this? And if yes, where how could I connect the two? Thanks in advance for your answers and suggestions.
Hi, I wonder if you know to switch UL mode to Triode mode,will it be necessary turned off power before changed mode? I have tried switched mode during playing music its seem like ok but not sure its correct.😅
What do you think about putting a DSP into your audio signal chain and adding some flavours to your sound? Maybe do the same with the analog hardware way to make it properly audiophile.
By "a DSP" I assume you mean a miniDSP and using R.E.W. along with a calibration mic? Actually that would not be a bad idea. I have klipsch speakers and getting mixed feelings about using a tube amp since Klipsch speakers are upper midrange forward. I really need to boost those lower mids since male vocals seem to be thin sounding and have not enough presence. I would be worried about the "midrange bloom" making the Klipsch sound even more top heavy, which is odd since tube amps usually have a rolled-off top end. But to answer your question I think a preamp-->miniDSP-->This Tube Amp would make a great system.
Tube amps do not have a rolled off anything. Quite the opposite. Reference speakers sound best to me with tubes. I would never buy Polk or Klipsch because I use tubes. Studio passive monitors also sound great with tube amps. Tubes will not make all speakers sound like magic.
I have had this amp for a couple years now. I must say that the amp was a pleasure to listen to when I first got it. About 8 months ago the amp started to pop and crackle when I turned in on and it did the same when turning the amp off. This lasts about 5-7 seconds and then it stops. Now I hear intermittent crackles while listening to a record. Occasionally, I often get a high pitch whine and slight echo coming from the amp while it is playing. It does both even when the volume is all the way down. I am not sure if this is a problem with the amp or a tube issue. I hate to spend $200 for four EL 34 tubes and find out it is another issue. What are your thoughts?
My A12 did do that and I did put $200 worth of tubes in. However I swapped the EL 34s back in and they don't seem to be the problem. So buy the other tubes in my case I'm guessing it was the rectifier tube.
Your videos are addicting! I'm about ready to retire and am considering a 2 channel system and am considering the Vista Auto Spark, BOYUURANGE MT-34 MKII EL34 or BOYUURANGE A10. I play guitar and love my tube amps in general. Will be listening to my CD collection. Will purchase speakers to match amp. Anyone have experience with these?
I have the A12, it is ultralinear only. Put $200 worth of tubes in it, KT-77 sound nice and I think the U77/GZ34 is a good upgrade. I like it but between your choices I plan to buy the willsenton R8 eventually upgrading to the cayin cs88 and gut the reisong A12 and rewire it to how I want. It only puts out a half watt without lots of distortion that said it's plenty to drive Klipsch fortes in a small room. Any way willsenton, cayin and Prema Luna offer more flexibility in tube choices and modes than reisong does. If you don't know if you want 300b SET or KT88 push pull ultralinear or EL 34/6L6/Kt77 in all the modes get something that you can change modes preferably autobias and tube roll and A/B test to your hearts content then you will be set for longer.
What floorstanding speakers or bookself speakers would you recommend to go with this amp? I just bought one a few weeks ago.. im currently using polkt50s. I like a warmer sound. Id prefer to not have to use a sub
Powered Bookshelf with a remote would be best I would guess. Tube sound amplified and you have the remote to control volume. 90+ db sensitivity speaker to the tube amp to a av receiver or any other source with remote volume control would also work.
How many amps can one man own? I already bought one of the amps you reviewed, the Aiyima a07 ($70). And my vintage Fisher is still kicking. How can the A07, which is 1/50th the volume of my receiver, be louder, cleaner, clearer, more balanced, etc.? PS. The problem you had with the A07 was the power supply. I believe it works best with 48 volts and 5 amps to really get it blasting.
The chip spec on the TI states a max voltage of 51v I believe. The max ratings as to output is at 10% distortion so at low distortion, the watts outputed will be less, still, whether it outputs 60-80-100 or more watts, it's enough for loud music. Where the chip amps fail is current output vs an AB amp if you happen to have a difficult to drive speaker that responds to more current. I have a 36v power supply for mine. Havn't used it much as I have other gear. But it will be great for travel, along with some of my smaller dacs.
When you’re playing your Metallica, are you trying it at full volume? I have had problems with the sound feeding back into tube amps when played them anywhere above a medium sound level. What’s their return policy if it doesn’t work out? Also, how do I hook up a subwoofer to it?
Tube amps are LOUD. 100-watt guitar amps were built for performing at arenas and other huge venues. Most of my guitar amps I can't even use at home because if you turn the volume up enough to make sound it's already too loud.
@@cheapaudioman so I got this amp for Christmas it's my first tube amp, I haven't gotten around to setting it up yet, but I plan on running a line to my sony SSCS5Ss I'll have to report back on how it sounds.
My buddy told me when he was the military they used it to wrap around the wings of planes that were shot full of bullet holes. It would hold temporarily if you didn't fly over 100 mph. That's why they called 100 mph tape.
. . . 'it was going pretty good until the end. . . . ' Had a propper laugh at that. I did not pmsl, but it was good. Very cool looking piece of kit. Still very wary of China built kit. I do model trains and had a few shockers 'built' in China. I know it is not good to generalise and my fear is probably irrational, but it is still my fear.
Really... since when is $740 considered being cheap Randy? I mean I get it about tube amps and how they sound,but there are other tube amps that sounds great for under$100 that you could talk about...( Fossi t20 comes to mind)...just saying.....
@@Feliciano12v Your missing my point I think....I never said that it was a bad value compared to higher priced tube amps...but that it isn't cheap. Let's be realistic about it shall we.....
