Muzishare X7 - an affordable hand-wired KT88 integrated made at the Line Magnetic factory

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by action pact, Dec 10, 2020.

  1. Nicode70

    Nicode70 Overspending completist

    Location:
    France
    Do you have any idea on how to recalibrate the VU meter? i too find that the needle barely moves when played at not so loud volume.
     
  2. Mark broadhead

    Mark broadhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Newcastle England
    Hi, I am assuming the lower scale is in Watts so unless you really are pushing those Spendors you will not see much movement. They are obviously designed to display the output accurately so re-calibrating - although technically possible, would render them just eye candy.
     
    Benzion and action pact like this.
  3. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    Right, I'm not inclined to mess around with them.
     
    DougRuss likes this.
  4. Nicode70

    Nicode70 Overspending completist

    Location:
    France
    Yes, you are right. I won’t touch it.

    i just came back from the test of the focal chora. I’m very glad I did go there. I thought It would convince me to by the Chora. But it’s th e opposite. I’m uninpressed by the 806.
    ...but I have another appointment to have a go with the Kanta. Thank would be more than unreasonable... but so tempting
     
    action pact likes this.
  5. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    Have you considered BBC-style speakers (Harbeth, Spendor), etc.? My Spendor SP3/1R2 are working out great with the Muzishare.

    [​IMG]
     
    bluemooze and jonwoody like this.
  6. Nicode70

    Nicode70 Overspending completist

    Location:
    France
    I might have a look a it. But for that kind of money, I would like to have a listen for myself.
    I can’t rely only on others opinion and test.
    Also the aesthetic comes in line since my wife will have a say in the matter. It needs to sound good and to look good. The hifi system is in the living room.
    I’m afraid that the BBC style speakers are too « boxy ».
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
  7. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    A lot of people don't like the look of BBC monitors for the same reason. I personally love their classic appearance.
     
  8. Mikeybc

    Mikeybc Listener

    Location:
    Northern Ontario.
    I almost bought one of these X7's 2 or 3 years ago (was actually 1 click away from doing it) There wasn't much info on these online at the time and I balked. I'm quite happy with my current amp but I still wonder how it would've sounded on my ProAc's, pretty damned good I'm betting.
     
    Andy Saunders and action pact like this.
  9. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    My amp passed the 100 hour mark today, and I have to say this is a very impressive amp. It had a bit of a harsh edge at first, but now it sounds quite smooth, but yet detailed and revealing, with a very wide/deep soundstage. I am beyond delighted.
     
  10. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    Well congrats mi man! Looks like you've got a nice Christmas gift!
     
    action pact likes this.
  11. okc_craft

    okc_craft It All Matters

    Location:
    Okc
    That’s great, that amp has intrigued me for a while, and hearing your favorable opinion makes it all the more so. It seems like a whole lot of amp for the money, and the killer look on top of that.
     
    trd and action pact like this.
  12. trd

    trd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berkeley
    The pentode/triode switch is a nice touch. I know a lot of people don’t hear much of a difference but when I ran a friends Rogue st-90 in my system I really enjoyed that feature. It’s definitely a must have on whatever integrated I move to next. It’s usually found on much more expensive integrateds - sli80, CM III come immediately to mind.

    That date with the st-90 also made me a fan of kt-88s and this is one of the most (the most?) affordable kt88 integrated (or even power amp) I’ve seen.

    This has a lot of potential! I’ll be following the thread closely, enjoy @action pact
     
    FalseMetal666 and action pact like this.
  13. Urban Spaceman

    Urban Spaceman Forum Eulipion

    I am very intrigued by this amp. Just wanted to pop in to say "congrats" and to follow the thread. Cheers!
    Chris
     
    trd likes this.
  14. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    if they made a tube power amp i would give it a try....
     
    Benzion and Seafinch like this.
  15. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    ditto.
     
  16. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    The x7 can be used as a power amp. The preamp section is defeatable.
     
    timind, avanti1960 and Seafinch like this.
  17. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    Tonight I'm spending my first session listening in triode mode. I first listened to Joel Paterson's brand new album of Beatles songs arranged for fingerstyle acoustic guitar, and now I'm playing some small group jazz.

    Triode definitely has a different character. Thicker in the middle, with a softer/smoother top end. The bottom seems to have more thump vs. ultra-linear. More warm 'n' cozy vs. edge-of-your-seat.
     
  18. MedozK

    MedozK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    Like others, I am also very intrigued about this amp. Keep us updated on your thoughts as more time goes by.
     
    action pact likes this.
  19. Nicode70

    Nicode70 Overspending completist

    Location:
    France
    I did not have much time with it. But I don’t regret buying it for a second. Last week I had a day off work, at home without the wife and kids. Listened to records all day. That was one of the happiest day of the year.
    Si much details, richness to the sound.
    It has all I was looking for, and then some.
    And the looks... The remote, the meters, the color.
    Go for it. That’s my advice.
     
    Twinsfan007, matro5, 33na3rd and 3 others like this.
  20. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    One thing I have't played with yet is the phono stage. I have a Rega Fono MM MKIII, so figured it would almost certainly be a downgrade.

    I should try it, just for the heck of it.
     
  21. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    does it say in the manual which tubes are just for the preamp? also if can use other power tube specs? thanks.
     
  22. Nicode70

    Nicode70 Overspending completist

    Location:
    France
    Same here. I got a Yaqin MS 22B tube preamp. But i definitely need to check if it’s better or not.
     
    action pact likes this.
  23. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    The owners manual doesn't indicate that tube substitutions are OK. There are two 12AU7's and one 12AX7 in the preamp section.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  24. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    One thing I’d be curious about with this amp is if when you bypass the preamp, does it actually bypass the preamp for real, or is it more like the line magnetic 805 where it just bypasses the volume pot.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  25. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    I had begun experiencing a crackle in the right channel. It wasn't audible from the speaker unless I put my ear right up to it, but it was often distracting when using headphones. The AliExpress vendor offers a 30-day return window, but I was really hoping to avoid dealing with an international return. Fortunately the vendor was responsive and helpful, and despite some language challenges, with their assistance I was able to identify and fix the problem: it was a dirty KT88 socket.

    Whew.

    This morning I did some poking around in my tube stash, and found a '50s RCA 12AX7 and two Sylvania 12AU7's (one from the '70s and one from the '50s or '60s). The Muzishare-branded stock tubes that it came with are quite good, but I was hoping to warm up the mids a touch. It's early in the morning right now and my wife is sleeping in the next room, so I'm limited to headphones (Sennheiser HD 6xx) at the moment. It seems that I'm getting the desired results, but I'll be able to better evaluate it later through the speakers.

    I also went ahead an ordered a matched quad of Gold Lion KT88s, which seem to get top reviews from almost everyone. Like I said, the stock tubes are fine, and they will probably become my backup set down the road.
     

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