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. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    Same here, the vast majority of the time I run in UL mode. I’ve found that Triode mode sounds better when I’m able to crank the volume a bit, otherwise it can sound too dark.
     
  2. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I've caught the Muzishare bug, but I was wondering if anyone here who has one has experienced the source/line bleed the reviewer in this video mentions?

    He says he can faintly hear music coming through the speakers when he switches from the line-in he's playing through to an empty line.
     
  3. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore Thread Starter

    I haven't experienced that on the occasions I've accidentally switched on the wrong input.
     
    rischa likes this.
  4. PooreBoy

    PooreBoy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake City, TN
    I’ve not experienced this myself. No bleed over whatsoever.
     
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  5. PooreBoy

    PooreBoy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake City, TN
    The price I quoted included shipping. It’s a little over $1100 minus shipping.
     
  6. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    My X7 is on the way! I'm in love with new KLH Model 5s, but the only amp I have that's powerful enough to drive them is a vintage Kenwood integrated, and I'm not that in love with its sound. I'm hoping the X7 will be a good match for the model 5s when I eventually pull the trigger. In the meantime, it should pair nicely with my Omegas. It will also be fun to compare it to my Decware Torii Jr, though not an apples to apples comparison since the Torii uses EL34s.
     
  7. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    My X7 is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday but it's already in Ohio so I wouldn't be surprised if it arrives sooner. I'm going to give the stock tubes a chance before rolling, but I have some RCA 12au7's/12ax7 and a JJ 5ar4 I can try if the spirit moves me. I also placed a bid on a Mullard 5ar4 today so we'll see how that goes (I've always wanted one).

    I have some rearranging to do in my rack while I wait. I'm excited to hear what it can do in my system!
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2021
  8. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    congrats! bet it will sound excellent with the new speakers...
     
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  9. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    Anxious to hear what you think (break-in time not withstanding ;-).

    Congrats!
     
    rischa likes this.
  10. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Congrats and enjoy!
     
    rischa likes this.
  11. FromMysticStreet

    FromMysticStreet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    I think the muzishare may be fine for the KLH 5. Im using a NAD with 40 watts per channel and have no trouble reaching good volume in my 11 by 18 room. In fact they don’t seem too demanding of power to me at least.
     
    rischa likes this.
  12. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I'm hoping you're right. I listen at relatively low volume -- 60-70 dB give or take -- so the Muzishare should be adequate in theory.
     
  13. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    My Muzi was delivered today, 3 days early. It's warming up now so I can bias the tubes, but man I'm super impressed with the build and fit & finish upon initial inspection. As others have noted, it's a heavy boy. It also smells like it was painted an hour ago, so if it doesn't sound good, I can at least enjoy the buzz, lol.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    For the other X7 owners out there -- which line are you using for the 40 mA mark when biasing? The meter illustrated in the manual has the 40 line labeled, but the actual meters on my X7 go from 10 to 60, and the lines in between don't seem to correspond to increments of 5 or 10 as far as I can tell. I biased to the line by the second white dot in the pic below on the assumption that each line is 10, but that math only works for the lines after the first white dot (which I'm assuming is 20), but doesn't make sense going in the other direction toward the line marked 10. What am I missing here?

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2021
  15. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    Bumping in hopes of getting a reply to the above.

    Thanks!
     
  16. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    As a data visualization geek, my take (pretty clearly) is that as you go from either zero=>first white dot or from 140=>160 that it's an increment 20. So your first white dot from zero equals 20 (exactly as reflected in the jump from 140-160)

    From 20-140 the ticks all layout perfectly in increments of 10. Therefore 40 would be your second white dot from the lefthand side.

    Seems pretty straight forward but bewildering that they didn't mark 0-20 like they marked 140-160.
     
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  17. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    So looks like I interpreted it correctly, then. Thanks for your help.

    (BTW, I'm a graphic design geek so from my point of view it's a confusing way to communicate the needed info. We should combine our geek powers and create the perfect meter, lol.)
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2021
    Tube Roller, h1pst3r88 and jonwoody like this.
  18. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    Well it looks like I will not be joining the X7 club after all. This past weekend I picked up a Line Magnetic LM-218ia -- single-ended triode, 22-watt, 845-tube based integrated.

    I am gobsmacked at how spectacular this amp sounds.

    I will keep an eye on the X7 thread as I think it's a great integrated but I couldn't pass up the Line Magnetic.
     
    jonwoody, Andy Saunders and rischa like this.
  19. onlysleeping

    onlysleeping Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chico CA, USA
    Considering picking one of these up. Instead of KT88s, could EL34s be used?
     
  20. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    No KT88s on the X7. However, it's kissing cousin, the Willsenton R8 can swap EL34s and KT88s as can the Black Ice F22 and F35.

    Exclusive use of the KT88s in the power stage is the one thing that kept me from picking up the X7.

    -Chris
     
  21. onlysleeping

    onlysleeping Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chico CA, USA
    Thanks. I was between ordering an X7 or getting a Quicksilver mono tube set up, Decware, and now Black Ice. Since I have horn speakers and want minimal noise, I am not sure what would be best.

     
  22. John Moschella

    John Moschella Senior Member

    Location:
    Christiansburg, VA
    So how was this issue sorted out? Sounds like a cathode resistor or capacitor.
     
  23. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    I was very attracted to the Black Ice F22 and F35 because the circuit is balanced. By using opamps to balance the tube signal, noise is cancelled at the outputs. The reviews have been stellar and it's is supposed to be remarkably quiet. Seems like a clever design and I am still very interested in getting it as a different flavor than my 845-based Line Magnetic.

    My Line Magnetic LM-218ia, a single-ended triode amp, is supposed to be a "noisier" circuit than a push-pull designs like the X7 or Black Ice amps, but I must say it is very quiet in my room with my 87/88db Polk LSi15 speakers (soon to be replaced with Omegas -- I think).

    I am intrigued with horns... what speakers do you have and do you like them?

    -Chris
     
  24. h1pst3r88

    h1pst3r88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    The construction and layout may be similar but an X7 and a LM-218ia are completely different circuits and obviously priced at different tiers ($3500 for the LM vs. $1400 for the X7) The X7 is a push-pull, KT88-only amp with a 12ax7 frontend where the 218ia is a single-ended triode amp with 845 tubes with 6L6GC and 12ax7s as drivers.

    These different circuit designs have different tonal signatures. The LM-218ia is also 80lbs... so the iron in 218ia is on a different level than the X7.

    Muzishare now has the R100 or X9 are both great looking SET amps from Muzishare and a better comparison to a 218ia -- actually the tube options on the R100 look great, though the 845 is likely the best sounding.
     
  25. onlysleeping

    onlysleeping Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chico CA, USA
    I have a few different horn speakers
    Klipsch Cornwalls II
    Klipschorns (1984 I think}
    Altec A7 in a wood cabinet.

    I like how effortless horns sound. The Altecs are not ported so they don’t go as low as standard grey box A7s. Great midrange, good for movies. Horn is nearly ear level when seated.

    The Klipsch speakers can get bright and fatiguing if your ears are near the Horn. More bass from both compared to the Altec.

    Tubes really mellow the highs out on the Klipsch in a good way. I’ve tried a tube pre bad solid state amp with good results. I recently hooked up an Eico hf87 to my Cornwalls, and it sound great!

    I can hear a sort of buzz noise if I get right next to the speaker.

    The khorns are super sensitive. Same amp, it’s noticeable during quiet parts of music. With my solid state McIntosh 2505, I get a slight hiss.

    I really want to find something with no noise but lush sounding. I had a little chip amp tpa3-16 that lowers background noise but was not musical sounding.
     
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