miniwatt amp

[moko]

ive been wanting to set up a audio system with my pc running to a usb to dac...then one of these mini tube amps..amplifier..then to a pair of either quility book shelf speakers and a sub, or klipsch 2.1 or 4.1

but i cant find these anywhere.....all out of stock.

http://www.tonepublications.com/spotlight/the-miniwatt-amplifier-take-a-fresh-look-at-hifi/

[moko]

also....what do you'll think of this one....

http://www.nysound.com/exec/servlet/CategoryServlet?action=productdetail&itemID=mex-2033-01005&formID=0

[Sir Barton]

Youll need efficient speakers (90dB or greater) in order for the Miniwatt to really sing. You only have 3 watts at your disposal, so the more efficient the speaker, the louder those 3W will be. The amp I built last month is only 3W, but my speakers are 98dB efficient and they get louder than I can stand. Ive owned a few Chinese tube amps...while they were good, theyre definitely not great. They can get away with the low prices because they skimp on the output transformers. Output transformers are the most important part of a tube amp, because they will be the main factor in how good or bad it sounds. The Miniwatt above uses very small output trannies, so it probably wont make much bass below 80Hz or so. Chinese amps can also offer excellent bang for the buck. The better manufacturers are Cary, Jolida, Yaqin, and Antique Sound Lab. Despite what alot of non-tube people say about tube bass output, this has been addressed in modern tube circuits. Most of it boils down to the output transformers. My 3W single-ended amp puts out better and more detailed bass than any piece of solid state gear I own or have owned. That includes the likes of NAD, Rotel, Adcom, as well as vintage Pioneer and Kenwood. FWIW, I dont use the tone controls on any of my gear. You may want to register on Audiogon and check out the For Sale section. Aside from building your own, youll get much more amp for the money buying used. $500 will get you a $500 amp if buying new, but buying used $500 will get you much more.

[moko]

thanks alot for the info.....i think ill sign up on that site.....btw whats the cheapest 90 or 98db speakers i can get

[Rafjr00]

Moko,
What I did was get an old Magnavox console amp off of the 'bay. Their is a great yahoo group that revolves around these old tube amps. I got one for around $100usd, changed out the old caps and resistors and I had a 7 watts per channel tube amp. Built a pair of Metronomes for around $400usd. My laptop is plug into a LM-DAC3 from the 'bay using USB, I have modded the DAC. I could not be happier.

[Sir Barton]

thanks alot for the info.....i think ill sign up on that site.....btw whats the cheapest 90 or 98db speakers i can get

Are you looking for full-size floor standers or bookshelf speakers? If you want big ones, look for some vintage Klipsch. You can find Fortes, Chrouses, Quartets, Heresys, or KG4s for under $500 easy.