Chinese Audio Equipment

[Ninanina]

I've just realised that I have owned two Chinese amps...

The first was a Ming Da (Mei Xing) MC-34 like this one:


I can't remember what I paid for it, direct from China, but it was very cheap, maybe £150-£200 I can't remember exactly... Using EL34's. Build wise it was fantastic, soundwise well it was what I guess a lot of people think valves sound like ie. warm and cuddly but quite pleasant with it

The second was a Yaqin MC-100B like this one:


I think I paid about £300'ish for it secondhand. Using KT88's...Again fantastic build wise but soundwise I didn't get on with it at all... it might be that I don't like what KT88's do, I have no idea, but it didn't stay in the system long at all

If I had no other amp and was really strapped for cash, and wanted to stay with valves, then the Ming Da 34 would be my choice between the two... luckily for me I do so I don't have to...

[Arkless Electronics]

It probably doesn't require explaining but... If an amp is built in China using exactly the same parts as were once used when it was built in Cambridge, and with due care and attention to detail, then there is no reason for it to be in anyway inferior to a UK made one.

The problems come in when to make extra profit, the cheapest components known to man (and yes made in China) are used, sometimes they are not even "genuine" parts, and workers who may have been making socks two days ago are put on the production line without sufficient supervision or training... The Chinese are noted for their hard work and "can do" attitude but not for their precision and attention to detail... witnessed by the fact that apparently they still can't successfully manufacture ball point pens! (look it up).

Where they excel is in making stuff cheap of course.... I am sometimes flabbergasted to see made in China clones of western amps, for example, with a price tag (including delivery to UK) of maybe half of what it would cost me, trade, for JUST THE COMPONENTS!!!! This makes me doubt whether even non fake parts have been used.... I have before even priced up the cost of buying enough parts to make 50,000 of these Chinese amps and I still couldn't buy the parts for the delivered price of the finished Chinese amp!! It makes yer wonder....

[montesquieu]

Kind of surprised no-one here has stated the obvious (not even you Jez and you are never shy with a bucket of cold water - sometimes even in a good way ...) anyway the issue is VOLTAGE.

Mainland China voltage is 220v. EU voltage is 230v, but in reality a lot of national standards still apply and the old 240v UK standard +/- 10% - still lingers in a lot of places, that +10% means you can get 250v+ quite frequently, well out of spec for Chinese kit unless the transformer has been changed for an EU spec or better still, a UK spec one. That spells FIRE HAZARD and might well invalidate your home insurance

As people have mentioned a lot of big name or at least 'established manufacturer' kit - from Quad to Prima Luna to Puresound - is made in China these days and for this sort of stuff you can be confident it's localised. In other cases you can't, certainly not from the warehouse box shifters like Cattylink or Chinese vendors on ebay unless you ask very specifically and clearly.

I've had some great fun with Chinese kit but I've made damn sure that I avoid anything thatthat says 220v on it, and even with 230v, I try to have it checked over by someone who knows what to look for.

[walpurgis]

According to the nonsense on the seller website, my MingDa TVC pre-amp is rated at 110v/220v. Which of course is complete rubbish and I ignore it.

[struth]

I had a bucking tx on my yaqin.

[Ninanina]

I had a bucking tx on my yaqin.

? ? or am I being thick again ?

[walpurgis]

? ? am I being thick again ?

No comment!

[Ninanina]

No comment!

So polite Geoff.....

[Arkless Electronics]

Kind of surprised no-one here has stated the obvious (not even you Jez and you are never shy with a bucket of cold water - sometimes even in a good way ...) anyway the issue is VOLTAGE.

Mainland China voltage is 220v. EU voltage is 230v, but in reality a lot of national standards still apply and the old 240v UK standard +/- 10% - still lingers in a lot of places, that +10% means you can get 250v+ quite frequently, well out of spec for Chinese kit unless the transformer has been changed for an EU spec or better still, a UK spec one. That spells FIRE HAZARD and might well invalidate your home insurance

As people have mentioned a lot of big name or at least 'established manufacturer' kit - from Quad to Prima Luna to Puresound - is made in China these days and for this sort of stuff you can be confident it's localised. In other cases you can't, certainly not from the warehouse box shifters like Cattylink or Chinese vendors on ebay unless you ask very specifically and clearly.

I've had some great fun with Chinese kit but I've made damn sure that I avoid anything thatthat says 220v on it, and even with 230v, I try to have it checked over by someone who knows what to look for.

A good point Tom... It wouldn't bother me personally though as I could make technical amends for the issue in minutes and at little or no cost to myself as I have things like Variacs and step down transformers laying about the place...

It shouldn't be a fire risk (and I say shouldn't rather than isn't for a good reason) as whatever goes wrong that badly should cause a fuse to blow and end the problem. I would more expect highly accelerated wear.. valves had it after 3 months and capacitors after 1 year etc, rather than self immolation... BUT, knowing the errors and wrongly specified parts that can creep into the cheapest Chinese gear, fire cannot be ruled out.

[struth]

? ? or am I being thick again ?

tis a transformer Bev to add or subtract voltage from the mains depending how you wire it. in this case to take say 20volts or so from uk mains to give 220volts for the amp.