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 2 responses by audiothesis

The lowest I would ever recommend for a tube amplifier would be Yaqin as mentioned above.  Any less and you are seriously gambling your money.  I'd also stay away from older Jolida units as they have issues with the PCB boards - I've been down that road with a SJ302a and it wasn't fun or cheap.  Shuguang also had some decent amps but I'm not sure you'd find any at a 'budget' price.

If you wanted to get a feel for what tubes were and not worry about the hassle, I'd recommend checking out the Dayens Ampino solid state integrated.  Its got that tube sound to it and would be a safe bet to see if you want to jump down that rabbit hole.  When I got this in, my Shuguang 845 monoblocks set to the side for several months while I enjoyed the Ampino.
For what its worth, I haven't had any experience with the hybrid designs but the Yaqin amps I've experienced (probably close to a dozen now) have all been solid for the money.  I'd still have no issue buying an all-tube Yaqin if I had a small budget.  Each piece I've experienced was also manufactured after 2005 so perhaps QC has gone up since then.