Inexpensive Tube Amps


Anyone have any experience with the following?  I want to try one just to see how the sound compares to my Yamaha and Denon solid states.  Since the Denon is living on borrowed time I will likely have to replace it this year anyway.  Looking at the Nubsound and noted a Germtune that is identical to the Nubsound but costs a bit more.  Reviews are largely good including those on other forums.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWISSGU/?coliid=I2VYW63Z6R35ZH&colid=3O2PB0XPYIL0T&psc=0&re...

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Amplifier-Single-Ended-Handcrafted-Headphone/dp/B073ZXZ3Z5/ref=pd_sb...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRUY6EG/?coliid=I1EPHIQ7T6OOPR&colid=3O2PB0XPYIL0T&psc=0&re...
will62

Showing 18 responses by will62

Yes,  I won't buy anything that does not come with a money back guarantee.

Based upon reviews I've read, people using amps with as little as 87 db sensitivity into 8 ohms are not having any trouble driving amps like these or the Musical Paradise model.  Trouble in Paradise though since that one is out of stock and may be for a while.  They move fast.

I have a pair of Mirage OM 10 Towers that are 6 ohm and 91 db sensitivity.  Should not pose a problem for any of these.  Also have a pair of Castle Conway 3 Towers that are 8 ohm and at least 88 db sensitivity.  

A guy using the Musical Paradise which puts out 6.5 watts per channel has a pair of Sonus Faber speakers that are a mere 87 db sensitivity and he said they are easily driven beyond a reasonable comfort level for audio with that amp.

Medium size room at the moment 15 by 14.  Will likely be in a smaller room in a couple of years since I doubt I will be staying in my present home.
I guess I didn’t make myself very clear in my initial post. No point in responding to most individual posts since they have gone off in a completely different direction than my desire to obtain information on the amps mentioned.

Some of these posts I find rather condescending. I have heard tube amps and that is the reason I am interested in buying one. I did own a Qinpu A3 hybrid which I liked very much despite its mere 8.5 wpc. Sadly it broke when I relocated a year ago and they are no longer made. BTW. That little amp easily drove both pairs of speaker I mentioned in the OP. Volume knob at 9 AM was more than loud enough for me. Thus, I am confident that one of the tube amps mentioned in that post should be able to handle either pair of tower speakers.

I liken the advice I am getting from most of you as somewhat insulting. If I HAD the money I WOULD look at more expensive gear. I have numerous projects that I have to address for the next year, and all require money. Some minor house repairs, buying a new audio processor, a new transmitter for my flea powered Part 15 AM radio station, a new computer, a new CD player, a new computer printer and more. I DO NOT have much money to spend on anything since I have so many things to replace at once. And the fact that the prices of some or most of these items could rise before the end of the year makes it imperative that I start buying now to save money. I have to take what I can get. I liken this advice to the following. I ask someone where to find a reasonably priced Chinese restaurant that has good food and instead I get steered towards a Seafood place that costs ten times as much money as I can afford for dinner. That doesn’t work. This also reminds me of a quick story from many years ago at my friend’s place. Someone that had trouble with his comprehension of a request. My friend and his wife had a friend over for wine and cheese. About 1 AM they were ready to hit the hay and when they ran out of wine and cheese they asked the friend to leave. At that point in time the friend’s only response was "do you have any more cheese?" He was totally oblivious to their wishes. And no, it was not me. But this is precisely how most of you are behaving on this subject.

Buying used, again is NOT an option. NOT an option. I have already purchased a Denon amp used that needed work a few months after I bought it. And it still apparently has some issues. Same for a Yamaha Receiver I bought last year. Still works but needs some work since a couple of inputs don’t work. Not worth it when you factor in the cost to repair such old units. I don’t want to spend hundreds on a tube amp of any type if it is used only to find it starts having problems which won’t be under warranty. I can’t afford that problem again.

From where I sit many of you don’t understand free market capitalism. There is a reason those amps from China are so cheap. Cheaper labor. Less government regulation for business. Those same amps if they were made in the USA would likely cost several times more money and many of you would then rave about how great it is that someone can build a tube amp of this nature for perhaps $600. But because it is a lot cheaper you dismiss them as crap.

I’ve read a fair amount of reviews on a variety of these Nobsound, Gemtune and Douk tube amps. Most people are not only happy with them but said they are the best amps they’ve owned or sound better than Solid State amps costing several times more. And a couple more people have said that they’ve had tube amps that cost thousands and these little Chinese made amps give you almost as good sound without the high price. That speaks volumes that they have good engineering and design and hopefully are well built. Yes, some have been defective but buying new allows me to return the unit if I don’t like it or it is defective. I don’t have that option with used gear unless I buy it on Ebay and get lucky and find someone that offers a Money Back Guarantee. But again the cost to do that is prohibitive at this time.

Apologies for the lengthy post but I really believe this is necessary to get through my message to a few people that don’t get it. think I will start a new thread on this with a different subject line. That may improve my chances of getting the information I desire.
Thanks.  I am fortunate that I can even consider buying a new amp this year what with all the other projects that I have to spend money on.  Yes, I can save for something and that may happen if I determine I would be better off spending more.  But I have more reading to do.  The vast majority of reviews of these affordable imported amps are positive and that says a lot.  I think I read the review about one catching fire.  That was years ago and I would think the manufacturer made some changes in the design to insure that does not happen again.  A few times would be enough to deter anyone from buying once the word got around.

Never heard of Quicksilver except for the courier company out of Minnesota.  LOL  Will at least research this amp and go from there.
tubegroover.  Most likely I will buy from Amazon.  Or perhaps the Paradise model which is also a North American based company.

Again, those prices would be considerably higher if the products were manufactured here.  Since the companies in China are still around and selling these, knowing how the free market system works, they likely are making better products now than a decade ago.  If they sent out a lot of junk, they would go out of business.  
addyson815.  I thought the point behind forums such as this was to exchange ideas and gain information?  Precisely why I posted.  Boards like this would not exist if everyone just went out and tried a component without asking other people for some information or advice.

sbuckley.  Thanks for the info.  Good points.
kalali. Thanks. Yeah, I am leaning towards what you suggested. The tubes are excellent from what I’ve read and they are easy to roll if necessary.

My A3 did drive my OM 10’s very well. They are 6 ohm and 91 db sensitivity. The Castle Conway 3’s were OK with that amp but I now have them paired with my old Yamaha A500 amp and there they shall stay. I bet the OM 10’s will be great with one of these little tube amps.

Wish I could biwire though.  The OM 10's really shine when bewired.  But will likely be more than happy with the sound of the tubes with them.
What I think most of you fail to grasp is that I have a limited budget for this.  If I had wanted to hear about alternatives then I would have asked specifically for advice or information about other brands or models.  I already did preliminary research and determined that these inexpensive imports offer most of what I am looking for at a fraction of the price.

I don't need people telling me to spend either several hundred or perhaps thousands on something like audio gear.  I already have to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on other electronic gear, home repairs etc.  Audio while important, takes a back seat to the other things as this stage.  

From where I sit the reading comprehension of some of you is below average.  Steering me into a direction where I have to spend money I don't have budgeted, I would like to avoid is not helpful at all. 
Tubegroover. My initial query was straight and to the point. I wanted to know about the three amps that I linked to. I don’t see any other request for additional information about any other amps.

Over the years I've found this board to have some knowledgeable and helpful people.  But when it comes to these little tube amps it is obvious I am dealing with people that are fairly prejudiced and also have not had experience with this gear and to compensate for that lack of experience, steer you off in another direction.  
addyson.  You are delusional.  I wanted feedback from people that had experience with the units mentioned.  Here is the OP:

Anyone have any experience with the following?  I want to try one just to see how the sound compares to my Yamaha and Denon solid states.  Since the Denon is living on borrowed time I will likely have to replace it this year anyway.  Looking at the Nubsound and noted a Germtune that is identical to the Nubsound but costs a bit more.  Reviews are largely good including those on other forums.

Nowhere do I mention that I need feedback on any other pieces of gear right now.  I am in fact finding mode and I have my own method of conducting research.  What you and some others have just achieved by your continued pressure to look at other gear that I don't have under consideration right now, is to steer me either towards one of the aforementioned amps in the links or in some other direction.  

Pissy?  Not really.  But I am ticked off at the responses I am getting since they are not what I asked.  I want to hear from people that have experience with the three amps mentioned right now.  That's all.
I appreciate the additional and more supportive feedback on this subject.  Simply put I have a finite amount of dollars to work with and a budget to stick to.  I've got so many other projects that consume money and time and also other things to buy like a new computer printer, computer etc.  That leaves only a certain amount of money for the audio these days.

Just got the Miniwatt N3 aka TubeCube7.  Swapped out the stock pre amp tube for a Mullard 12ax7 (new new stock) and it sounds great.  Better than my old Yamaha A500 which is bi wired into the Castle Conway 3 towers.  Using the Mirage OM 10 towers with the TubeCube7 and the sound is better than I had hoped.  Will look at upgrading the power tubes in the near future.  
Fortunately I have a good repair shop in the area.  Already have used them for a couple of things.  At some point I may spend a bit more on a tube amp if the Yamaha A500 bites the dust.  But will worry about that if the time comes.
I should mention that the TubeCube7 drives my Mirage OM 10 towers just fine.  Six ohm and 91 db sensitivity. I gets more than loud enough to hear in 30 feet away or two rooms away from the living room. The 8 ohm Castles don't work well with it.  

To those that think my attitude stinks.  Not really.  I don't have much disposable income right now and won't for quite some time.  I was quite clear about what I wanted and what I could spend yet many of you were off on another tangent and trying to push me in a direction i.e. products that don't interest me or I cannot afford.  That is NOT being helpful at all.

Right now this little TubeCube7 is better sounding than ANY SS amp I've ever owned and it cost under $200.  From where I sit I made a very wise choice and stayed within my budget.
I was quite clear about what I wanted.  Why people are pushing me off in another direction is a problem.  Yes, a problem especially if they are trying to get me to spend money I don't have to spend right now.  If I wanted to get opinions about other amps I would have asked.  

I'm a fiscal Conservative and don't go spending money on anything without first doing research.  Precisely why I ended up with the TubeCube7 for now.  Good amp, very reasonable price and it has a warranty.  I don't have the time, money or inclination to buy used and then have to find someone to do repairs.   While it is usually true that you get what you pay for, there are instances such as in this case, where you don't have to spend a lot to get something good.  Stereophile gave it a very good review and in fact virtually every review of this amp has been positive.  Not a piece of junk.

Bottom line is that I am very happy with this amp.  It sounds better than any SS amp I've owned.


wolf.  My budget is for a Honda Civic and you keep trying to sell me on a Acura.  The fact that you've never even heard this amp lends less credibility to your suggestions which are too expensive for me at this time.  At one time I probably could have afforded to spend money like that on an amp but not these days.  

I sincerely hope that none of you are politicians.  With your spend with reckless abandon mindset it would help contribute to the continued bankrupting of our country. 
pawlowski.  Glad to hear you get it.  I've literally got to spend thousands for so many new things right now that have been neglected for years and that includes my stereo system.  Aside from my speakers most of the other gear needed to be upgraded aside from the Yamaha S300 CD player.  I need to buy so many things and do work at my house which leaves very little money for audio at this point.  

The TubeCube7 aka Miniwatt N3 sounds BETTER than any of the SS amps I've owned.  Why this is not getting though to some people is beyond me.  

From where I sit I am getting anything but useful advice from a number of people on this subject.  BTW.  My friend the Broadcast Engineer is going to build his own Mono Block tube amps in the very near future.  When I told him what I just bought he said he heard that many of these little amps sounded great and were reliable.  What they lack, which keeps the price down is numerous inputs and outputs and that is precisely the reason they market these cheaper amps to people that want to get real tube sound but don't have the money to get the more expensive gear.
Thanks wtf.  Yes, it really is a very good amp.  Wish I had more to spend but I don't.  Maybe in the future.  For now this one works just fine for me and with the preamp I have, I am able to use any of the components that I have with it.  At some point if I buy another tube amp I will be sure to get something with more power that can drive my Castle Conway 3 towers.  8 ohm with a sensitivity of around 89 I believe.  Not enough to sound right with the TubeCube7.
Lloyd.  My 6 Ohm Mirage OM 10's are fine with this amp.  5 wpc and with a sensitivity of 91 db I get more than enough sound to hear it 30 feet away even with the volume knob around 11 AM.  In the same room or an adjacent room and I can leave it at 9 AM and will be adequate for listening.
I wanted to update everyone on the Tube Cube7 amp performance.

Swapped out the tubes for the new edition of the Mallards (Mullard) for both the Power (EL84/6BQ5) and Pre amp (12AX7/ECC83). Also switched speaker cables from the AQ Type 4 to KnuKonceptz Kord Kable 14 Gauge speaker wire. What a difference. Bass is improved and also there is more air around the instruments i.e. better separation than with the stock Sino tubes. And I get a bit more sound stage with this speaker wire vs. the Type 4. Best of all, I can now use my Castle Conway 3 speakers with this amp and it will play as loud as the Mirage speakers. More than loud enough for me now even if I am sitting in a adjacent room and listening to the Castles! Great amp for the price.