Another Chinese tube amp adds soothing sounds to horns...

[jt1stcav]

My brother's mint pair of 1994 Klipsch KG 3.2 loudspeakers just arrived the other day from Savannah, GA, and what a fine pair of oiled walnut horn speakers they are (was only $205 on eBay)! Sounded pretty damn good driven by his MOSFET Adcom GFA 5400 power amp. Unfortunantly, he didn't have his JoLida JD 202a integrated tube amp to try out on the Klipsch, and my BEZ Model T3B 300B SET still hasn't arrived from Hong Kong yet. After hearing about how wonderful tube gear sounds through horns, he was just itchin' to get back into tubes again...

[jt1stcav]

...So he decided to purchase another integrated tube amp, the 2004 Dared VP-16, with a quartet of stock Chinese military 6V6GT output tubes, and a pair of 6SL7 driver/preamp tubes. It's only 12 WPC, but with the KG 3.2's 94dB efficiency rating, the VP-16 should be more than adequate for his needs (soft jazz and classical).

[jt1stcav]

This Chinese-made amp is brand new, and only cost him $371 on eBay. It's a heavyweight for it's small size at almost 30 lbs. due to its beefy transformers. It's a solid lil' amp, nicely constructed, with lots of chrome, and solid wood sides. Gold plated RCA jacks and binding posts are used throughout (with solid brass cones added in place of the little rubber feet). The innards are a work of art...ceramic tube sockets, a neat and tidy PCB, and all wiring is point to point and neatly tied in place.

[jt1stcav]

But the most striking thing about this particular tube amp is the acrylic side panels for the tube cage...There is a single high-output blue LED at the base of each panel that gives off that deep blue glow (to match that blue power indicator, which makes a great night light)! Best of all is the sound...even with the cheap Chinese no-name tubes, this amplifier sounds damn good; even better than his JoLida JD 202a in our opinions! A very sweet and neutral sounding amp, with excellent dynamics and spot-on imaging. And it only gets better as it breaks in. My bro is looking for NOS tube replacements...we can only guess how wonderful the Dared integrated amp will sound then with the KG 3.2s.

[jt1stcav]

Of course what he really wanted was this 90 lb. monster, Dared's flagship VP-845 Class A SET @ only 25 WPC...nice! The starting bid on eBay is only $1249...wonder how high it'll go?

[Butuz]

Interesting use of plexi and bloo led's but i cant help but think i'd rather just the vavles glowing and nothing else :)

Looks a very nice amp though!

Butuz

[jguzman21]

COOL!! I think the blue lights are sweet.

I looked at purchasing one of these when I was searching for an amp. I hadn't really found any reviews on them so I went with the nOrh.

Keep us updated on how it is sounding. Maybe one of these is in my future, especially at the prices they are going for.

john

[THOR]

Blue Lights are cool!

[jt1stcav]

His DIY PC...matches his new amp!

[yrly]

It glows a bit more blue in the dark, but I think the blue with the glow of the tubes looks nice, just my opinion...

[jt1stcav]

:rolleyes:

[jt1stcav]

:dunno:

[jt1stcav]

My brother's happier than a pig in $hit! His Klipsch KG 3.2s never cease to amaze him. These horn speakers are extremely smooth and detailed, and have no problems whatsoever being driven by the 12 WPC Dared.

My bro was listening to a Mozart opera just the other night that also proved just how good their imaging really is. With this Klipsch/Dared combo, you could actually trace the opera singer's whereabouts as they moved across the stage, stopped, and moved to another position, even forwards or backwards! Sure, other amps and loudspeakers he's had could project this detail. But not nearly as precise as with the KG 3.2s and the VP-16, with their pin-point 3-dimensional imaging and soundstage. Plus with their extreme dynamics and resolution, his recordings seem to have even more life-like presence!

The KG 3.2 may not have the same bass output as my Cornwalls, but they certainly don't lack any bass either! Bass response is still strikingly deep and solid. Midrange is still clean and full-bodied. And the horn tweeters are not shrill, but exceptionally natural! The overall clarity of these loudspeakers surprised us all, but then again being Klipsch, maybe we should've expected it all along!

If it wasn't for this inexpensive Dared PP integrated amp with no-name stock Chinese tubes, he wouldn't be enjoying his newest loudspeakers right now! And he did order a set of NOS tubes:

4 NOS '50s vintage Philco 6V6GT output tubes (possibly made by Sylvainia?)
2 NOS '50s vintage JAN RCA CRC-6SL7GT driver tubes

And they should be arriving sometime this week. Looks like he's going to enjoy some tube rolling next weekend!

[jt1stcav]

Holy $hit, Tom received his NOS tubes last night, and after dinner installed these like-new tubes from Philco and JAN RCA in his amp. These tubes are marvelous! Even their original tube boxes look mint! And they sound even better than they look. These NOS valves are so smooth and full of life for 50+ year olds; there is considerable air and presence in the music. Depth and 3-D imaging surpass even the stock tubes (which sound damn good). But what surprises me the most is the fact that the Philco 6V6GTs barely put out any heat unlike their Chinese counterparts! Why is that? These things seem like they're just barely running heat-wise...does the dark grey chrome-dome glass retain heat output? The stock Chinese 6V6s are black glass, but their heat after an hour was much more intense than these Philcos. Are the NOS Philcos more efficient running tubes? Regardless, his amp makes his KG 3.2s thump! Seems his bass output is more pronounced than before...is that possible? Damn, it's amazing how tube rolling to NOS can be this dramatic!

[jt1stcav]

My youngest brother's blue computer...can't have enough of a good thing I suppose.;)

[jt1stcav]

Wow, I guess I should be flattered! The seller of the Dared tube amps on eBay (who sold my brother his VP-16) must cruise these forums. Look at his latest eBay auction on a VP-16 and scroll down the page...anything look vaguely familiar?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3089445350&category=3280

Can I collect any royalty fees from the seller using "my" photo of my brother's amp on his auction? Copyright infringement can be a b!%@#! Hee hee...

Since when does he sell his amps with brass cone feet in protective discs?

Hey, it's all good. At the very least he should give me credit, eh?:p: