The choices are....

I've decided I'm going to give the chinese valves a go, but the question is how.

I can buy what is apparently the same amplifier umpteen different way. I can get it direct from Hong Kong for about £359, plus import duty. How much is that likely to be? I've heard horror stories about them arriving needing biases doing and blowing valves and resistors, so to save £60/£70 I'm not sure.

I can buy one ready imported and tweaked with an alps pot on it, and fettled with all biases checked. £445 plus postage so £463

I can buy a second hand Icon which is again the same amp, but tweaked by Icon and has their name on it. Again £445 plus postage.

After that I'm going to have buy a phono stage. I've decided to try the graham slee 2 at £125. Unless anyone has a better idea or something second hand.

Interconnects are going to have to be el cheapo until I save up. I've got SCSI bobs at the moment but they're bullets to din.... I guess I could buy 4 bullets and find a friend to solder them for me, having the soldering technique of a drunk chimp. How much are bullets? I'd then need one more lead for the phono stage.

I'm going to order this afternoon so thoughts before then please.

 

Of those, I'd get the imported one with the alps pot. It's new rather than s/h, and saves an awful lot of hassle for a minimal saving in ordering from hk (import will likely run around 20% of the goods + shipping total).

 

That's what I thought. Saving £60 would have helped pay for some wires. I've got a total budget of £600. Not a penny more.
How do you think valves and meadowlarks will get on?

 

Meadowlark themselves seem to think pretty well.

I reckon they need big welly. My poor little "60W" rotel hasn't got the bottom-end control for them. I need my NAD back, I am feeling emasculated without it...

 

I would not feel right w/o my Nads. We can only sympathise. Lets hope you can get your output gear sorted soon

 

Just out of interest, which model is it?

 

This one


The MC34A

And if I ring up and find they've had a sudden rush and they haven't got anything left I'll do something horrible to you all

 

They do sem to be extraordinary value don't they. Well I wish you luck. Wouldn't want any horribleness Looking forward to the report back when you've got it.

 

I'm sure there'll be no problem. I've had a run of bad luck with lurkers having mentioned something I fancy it's been sold ten minutes later. It happened with the Meadowlarks and also with an earlier Icon. It may of course have been co-incidence..........

 

Sure does look nice, hope it sounds just as good.

Has any body tried their MC300-C Mono-blocks or their MC845-C Mono-Blocks?

 

Right all is going well, Graham Slee phono 2 is bought and paid for. the man is ringing me about the mc34. So hopefully early next week I'll be cooking with gas.

 

Hi Richard,

Good to see you are getting sorted with your valve amp. I hope it is to your taste. Doing it this way means you may pay more for the amp but you won't be stung with import duty and tax. And you should get you amp quicker.


Those other mono block amps also look interesting.


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they do, but then there's a pre-amp to buy and that would have been way over the allocated spend. If I don't like it I'm sure somebody will. It was the clincher that somebody else had tested it and taken the hit on the tax and import duty. I reckon that by the time I'd paid those it wouldn't have been much different

 

Hi,

These Chinese based amps are looking to take over. There are a number of interesting designs which may be very good.

On the cheap side I have seen these.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3280&item=5752535465&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73369&item=5751831696&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14974&item=5751313978&rd=1


Also looking at the Icon & edenlake sites show a big price difference. I'm not sure what the full differences between the Icon amp & the MC34A amps are (apart from pre amp out sockets) but the price difference is £554.99.

http://www.iconaudio.co.uk/ProductRange.htm

http://www.edenlake.com/amplifiers.htm

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