Yaqin MC 10L 52

From my vintage altecs to my integrated mcintosh mc2275 i feel strongly drawn to this yaqin amplifier. I have used several 10L amps for testing and one with mods. This is on par with amps 3-4 times the cost in stock form. Rolled tubes and other mods bring this amp up and beyond some of the hifi tube amps that are seen in mags and heard at shows. I do suggest getting at least some better el34's and a higher guage power cord then some efficient speakers although my planers did just fine at 4 ohms although for planers new power tubes are much needed. Internal modifications take this 10L to a top level tube amp for about the same cost of the amp to start with. You can also build a nice wooden case for the 10L.

I have had my valve amp for a few months now and I have been veery happy with the sound at low levels. As I moved to a house this week and can finally crank up the volume I am finding some excellent results. I used a Denon amp for around 20 years I think it was a DRA335 which I loved. For looks and sound the Yaqin is a steal. It took seven weeks to arrive but it was very well packed and so far I am delighted with the purchase. I find the amp superb for piano, acoustic guitar,vocals etc. Maybe its my speakers but rock sometimes get a little lost.

I have the Yaqin MC10T, which is almost identical to the 10L, except for the tubes, which are 12AT7 for the signal amp / phase splitter, and EL34B for the power tubes.

Running the stock tubes into a pair of Altec Lansing 305 vintage speakers gives incredible results. I had been for years running a vintage MacIntoch MAC1600 from the late 60's as my favorite amp for music. Not anymore. The MAC is now collecting dust while I ponder if I should hang onto it, or take some "suckers" money. The difference between my classic MAC and the new Yaqin was night and day. It sounds twice as good as amps costing 4x as much. I intend to try some different tubes in it, but I haven't found fault with the OEM tubes, soI will likely leave these ones in it for awhile. One thing to note, new tubes require a burn in period and after the initial 100 or so hours I rebiased, and it made all the difference in the world. Also which speaker tap you use also affects sound. My speakers are rated 6 ohm. The amp has only a 4 and 8 tap. The 4 ohm tap yields much better bass than the 8. A good rule of thumb for tube gear is to use the closest setting for less than your speakers. For 6 ohm, the 4 tap or 8 will do because the impedience is fairly close, but for 16 ohm speakers the 8 is the only one to use. The lower ohm tap will result in less voltage to teh speaker, but more current, which is required for lower impedience speakers. Another word of warning, never operate a tube amp without speakers or you can blow your output transformers due to very high voltages formed in the secondary arcing over the insulation and shroting the winding.

After weighing the pros and cons of ordering a Chinese made tube amp via ebay for a few months, I decided to take the risk and order a Yaqin MC-10L Mk3. Without question it is the best audio purchase I have made. My $4K solid state amp has sat unused ever since.

I purchased through ebay from a Hong Kong group called Primeamp. It took 3 weeks to arrive from Hong Kong because I asked for a special 240V version. Be careful to order exactly the right voltage for your area. If you have a 240V supply, don't expect a 220V amp and tubes to last very long.

While the amp is beautifully made with quality parts there is effectively no manufacturer post purchase support. However, the net has a huge amount of info on this amp and what do to if things go wrong, just Google it and see.

While the amp sounds good out of the box with the Chinese tubes supplied, amazing things happen if you invest in quality replacements. After trialling many, many tube options my recommendation is to try the following: Power tubes - 'Winged =C=' EL34 - these provide real bass weight and definition; Phase inverter tubes (front position V2 & V3) - Russian 6n1p ('Nevz' or 'Orel' work best) are relatively cheap - get ones made in 1970's or 80's; Voltage amplifier tubes (front position V1 & V4) - Here's where the fun really starts as these tubes define the sound produced by the amp - Amperex 6922's or 7308's from the 1960's produce jaw dropping 3D soundstaging. Unfortunately a complete set of unused tubes will set you back around $250 on ebay. Trust me; it's worth every penny given the results. Pair an MC-10L Mk3 with a set of quality tubes and the musicality and 3D soundstaging produced is simply stunning.

The power output of the paired EL34's is a modest 40ish watts per channel. In real life with relatively efficient speakers this is plenty. In fact, from the listeners' perspective, the output seems very close to the 75 watts per channel I get from my solid state amp. With my 89db speakers I'm yet to turn the volume higher than the 9 o'clock position. Above 10 o'clock I would certainly have the cops paying me a visit.

The MC10-L Is one of the greatest pieces of kit to come out of China.

It's very well built & well designed, it even looks great.

I've had a Mk2 version now for over three years & had no problems.

The Mk3 version is now available now, but as far as I'm aware the only change is to the power switch, it's a small Toggal on the Mk2 & a push button on the Mk3.

It's VERY important to run it on the correct voltage. Most are 220volt, here in the UK we should now be on 230V, but we still get over 240v at the socket. In my area it ranges from 243-251 volts!

So I power my amp vir a variable transformer(Variac), which means I can set it at a dead 220 volts,which is what they are designed to run at (unless you have the 110v USA version), I just wounder how many people are just pluging them straight into the mains!

This is the reason why chinese amps blow, Over Voltage!

On the MC-10L the HT rail is about 440 volts, so if you give it an extra 20 volts on it's mains input then that results in about a 40 volt overload on the HT rail, No amp could handle that and it will blow, it's only a question of time.

Many people find the standard Chinese tube's sound nice, which they do,so

If your happy with the stock tubes, then stick with them, but if you feel like spending some cash changing the EL34's for almost any other make will give a more detailed sound & a firmer base, Winged Svetlana's are a popular choice, but even the humble JJ's are good & much cheaper.I believe changing the power tubes is the way to go, I find the stock 6N1P's are in fact quite good, but I know others will disagree, maybe I just got lucky & got a good set.

However the 6N1P's can be up graded to Mullard or Telsa ECC88's (Gold pin versions are best) or a set of RCA 6CG7's will give it a lift.

Please remember to re-set the Bias if you change the EL34's & check the bias every 3 months amyway, this is not an auto bias amp! (bias.35v).

When I first received my amp I ran it for a week without turning it off. just to burn the tubes in & shake down the amp, it had no problems at all, after the first week I checked & re-set the bias & that was all.

They are good on power usage as well, mine only seems to use 135 watts, no matter what power leavel it's running at!

The power output is stated as 52 watts per channel,which can't be correct, a pair of EL34's running in push pull mode should be producing 40 watts not 52, you might beable to over run them a little & get them up to 45watts, but that's about it, but no matter the MC-10L does not lack power!

They are great amp's at a very fair price, it a good way to get into valve amps. I'm sure you will not be disapointed if you buy one, but run it on the correct voltage or there will be tears!

Good luck, Bob.

I bought this amp 2years ago.And I am still very happy with it.

Later I ordered 5 more.(for selling them here)

I had one bad EL34,and by 2 amps a blown resistor in the Cathode circuit.(10Ohms-5 Watt)This happened over a period about 6 months.So I replace the 4 cathode resistors now and there are no troubles with the amps.

Sound quality is great.I use Infinity Delta 60 speakers.

Voltage is here 230 Volt.

I have actually owned this for l day... Read on... The problem with tubes is that they blow. I just purchased this item via a certain auction site. It looks stunning. Near flawless finish. Solid as. But I plugged in the tubes the first time and low and behold one was faulty (got seriously hot, hummed, crackled and banged through the speakers). The unit is supplied with budget tubes. Search the web and you will find others with this problem from the outset of ownership. I now have to wait to get more tubes before I can listen to this Amp. I don't recommend tube amps for the non technically inclined as you have a higher level of skill required to keep them working. I will review the amp again once I get some new tubes (assuming none of the components are fried)... Have marked sound as a one star as I can't use the amp...

Now i know what you are thinking, should i or shouldnt i? Big risk, will it work? will it be safe? will the voltage be right etc etc.... I bought this amp on ebay from tubestein. The packaging was great. The amp arrived in five days. I have bought some very expensive gear over the years but i really must say this amp is right up there with 2k stuff, seriously. It looks amazing glowing in the dark and i am delighted to say the least!

Best electronics buy of my life, full stop!

i have the amp four over 2 years now still very happy with it , gone from boom boxes to wellings to sonab al-2a now to a pair of b&w 685 (think iam happy now )it has handeled ever thing you throw at it ,highly recomend this amp

great item i love it