The dealer you contacted is trying to take advantage of your naivete. Best to disregard and forget what he said. I've had 2 China-built tube amps (one was a Cayin), I didn't find any fault with regard to the build and sound quality. Just make sure to always use good quality tubes from a reputable seller, the only issue I ever encountered with the Cayin was that I bought a faulty set of power tubes, the tube pins were filthy, and 2 of the tubes sparked and red plated. I had to have the amp serviced and they replaced a few resistors but after that, it was smooth sailing.
China built tube amps
Well I had an interesting conversation today. I contacted a large dealer and let him know I would like to buy a certain integrated tube amplifier that is made in China. I was told he wouldn't sell me one. He said they are all junk. Prima Luna, Line Magnetic, Cayin, etc, etc, he said forget it. If you want a tube amplifier buy an American or European built unit that can be serviced.
So, I am new to valve amplifiers and I want to try one to understand what they're all about and sort of get my feet wet with tube rolling etc. I don't want to spend a lot of money at first which is why I was looking at Chinese built integrateds. So my question is, without getting into any particular brand other than what I have already mentioned, what is your experience with Chinese built tube amps? As a whole are they reliable? Am I wasting my money if I buy one according to this dealer? I have to admit I was rather taken aback by how adamant he was. Thoughts anyone?