First full tube preamp, Yaqin MS-12B?

Hi guys.

Wanted to taste some tube sound, so I got PRO-JECT Tube Box DS which is a hybrid and paired it with full tube amplifier - Yaqin MS-30L. This is my first and only expperience with tubes. Before that I was using solid state preamps like Rega Fono MM MK3 and Cambridge Audio 651P paired with solid state amp - NAD C 356BEE.

Now, I love that hybrid/tube combo so much, that I wanna go 100% full tube combo. (I guess tubes should be paired with tubes right?)

What do you think about Yaqin MS-12B, which seems to be a full tube preamp? My budget is $700.



Should I check any other full tube preamps?

Thanks!

PS. I have not rolled any tubes in PRO-JECT and Yaqin yet.

 

I've been very pleased with my Mapletree 2A SA tube preamp which I've had for many years now. There is a newer version @ Welcome to Mapletree Audio Design It's built by a retired professor of electrical engineering in Canada.
It uses 12sn7 tubes (NOS are plentiful and inexpensive) but it can also be used with 6sn7. There is also a version with a phono preamp . In my system it feeds a Jolida 502 P with KT 150's into Magneplanar. 1.7's.

 

Thank you, afraid can't get it here in Poland.

 

There are some DIY articles that modify it into a full tube preamp, but in stock form it is a hybrid too. Less so than some of the others that use opamps for most of the gain, but the Yaqin still uses transistors as part of the RIAA stage. Not saying that's good or bad, just saying.

There are other inexpensive Chinese units that are based on the EAR 834P circuit, so they are all tubes.

 

And Yaqin MS-30L, tube or hybrid?

 

May I ask you for a link to a decent pre-built? Loads are listed but I'm lost. Always wanted a taste of the 834P but not for $$$.

 

I bought one of those a few months ago. First the good news, delivery was fast and tracked, the unit is very well made, and it sounds excellent (see below).

Now the bad news. Out of the box there was a clearly audible hum. Loud enough to be annoying when playing quieter music. I tried different valves and tried different locations but the hum persisted. In the end I sent it to a tech in the U.K. and he confirmed what I was hearing - so it wasn’t an artefact of my system. He did some great work which involved removing the power supply to a separate box connected via a low and high voltage umbilical lead, replaced some components, and corrected a potentially dangerous earthing mechanism. All that cost me around £200.

I’m listening to it now and it sounds marvellous, well worth the £500 it’s cost me in total.

Incidentally if you get the MM/MC version, which I did, the MC gain is provided by two bits of circuit disguised to look like two transformers. In fact they’re powered by a rechargeable 9v battery - the battery is charged when the unit is set to MM (there’s a press button on the back).

This is the unit I bought...

US $399.99 20% OFF|Douk Audio EAR834 MM (Moving Magnet) / MC (Moving Coil) RIAA Phono Stage Preamplifier HiFi Turntable Pre Amp PHONOBOX -in Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

 

I had (still do, somewhere) the Grant Fidelity version of the MS-12b. I recall it being a tad noisy but overall a lot of fun.

 

There's a lot more talk on the subject in this other @DoF thread on the same subject ... Which Pro-Ject tube preamp do you recommend?

@Kiko1974 and at least a couple others around here have one of the units in that thread, maybe contact one of them for advice, I don't have experience with any of these Chinese units, just mentioning some of the other options out there

 

Well, I think most around here aren't buying that clone, they are getting some of the other units with the more conventional layout.

If someone is into DIY and kit assembly, there are a lot of inexpensive tube builds out there too, including the low cost Tetra from Tube CAD, kits and boards from GlassWare in Colorado, USA ... https://www.tubecad.com/2012/02/07/Tetra Sans PS.pdf

 

The layout of the one I bought is very, very similar to the EAR834P - as confirmed by the tech. The main difference is the provision of MC gain, there are versions available without.

 

Yea, I know, peel off the copper tape on the front panel and I think it even says EAR 834P, they sell them in China without the tape.

 

There’s no copper tape. I know earlier units had tape, but this one doesn’t, the copper look on the face is metal.

 

Take a look at the Yaqin MS-23B with the Les Box Mod. Would match your Yaqin Amp

 

Ah, OK, the newer version does look a bit different, on the earlier one below with the copper tape you could even see the EAR 834P logo underneath

 

Thanks , is it full tube or hybrid?

 

It is a full tube preamp but a lot of users are amazed by the quality once you do the Lesbox mod. Check out their FB group. A lot of information about the amp and mods. Join Yaqin Tube Vavle Amplifiers and Yaqin MS23B Les Carpenter Mod Group.

 

Thanks

 

What cart are you using btw?

 

Currently I use AT95E/BL, but change it from time to time to Technics EPC-270C (a. EPS-270ED, b. Tonar Diabolic E), Ortofon Concorde MKII Club, Nagaoka MP-110, AT95EX