Unbranded Chinese Firebottle Valve amp.

[Bigman80]

Hi all,

I recently felt a need to try a valve amp. My Sony setup is amazing but an itch needed scratching. Luckily, Alan had just converted this Chinese kit build into a different beast.



Now, I'm not going to go I to specific details because I don't know them.

Alan kindly offered to let me take his creation home (I'm going to name it the Firebottle27 after my favourite thing on the Chinese menu)

So after listening to it for a while through Alan's Quad speakers, I took it home.

Here it is perched precariously on a speaker.



FISUAL Hollywood speaker cables, Klotz IC and Sony ES CDP as the source. All playing through the Mission 710 speakers.

First impressions:

SHIT, ID BETTER TURN IT DOWN !!!

😂 This class A power is sweet. Half way on the volume and the room is vibrating with deep bass. Im Listening to Sarah Jarosz and the double bass is lower than a snake's belly. I know the speaker's are capable of producing superb bottom end but the Sony hasn't gone this far down.

The vocals are so smooth and sweet ! The hardness I'd experienced with the CDP and Amp just isn't there. It's completely tuneful and natural. The Missions are really responding to every note no matter how subtle. Im temporarily distracted by a noise to my left, I then realise it's an instrument, possibly a banjo that I hadn't heard before ??? No I'm annoyed. I trust the Sony amp to be as good as I think it is but it didn't reveal this to me ???!! How is this £350 amp doing this ???

I swap CDs to Kenny Ball. The Sony loves this CD BUT it can be hard on the ears at high volume.

I test it at 3/4 volume.

Straight away I notice the presentation is different. Hmm 🤔 but all the instruments are there, just not as prominent as usual. I swap the track a few times and listen to familiar tracks and sure enough everything is there just more subtle. Now I'm starting to notice the Reed in the wind instruments and how the drums are popping and I realise I am really enjoying the CD. And again No hardness. Hmmm. Let's put some guitars through it

Ocean colour scene - Marching already.

Now this CD is, IMO, one of the finest High Quality recordings on CD. It was very well produced. So I dive in to a few of my favourite tracks

Drums √
Vocals √
Guitar √
Bass √

I'm blown away by how easy this is to listen too. I won't lie, I prefer the OCS CD through the Sony on first impression as there is a lot of Bass on that album and at times through the F27 I was slightly distracted by it but only on a couple of tracks. The album is Bass heavy in the mix so it's not the F27s fault but my god it sounded great.

Melodic, clean, effortless, sweet class A power. The F27 has good grip on the notes too. Treble or bass is punchy and tight but never overbearing. I particularly liked how the Vocals sound and how clean everything was. Soundstage was enormous and the channel separation was perfect. I could follow notes panning left to right like I could see them.

This thing is way beyond Good. It's exceptional and very sexy in the dark



I (jokingly) told my wife id bought it expecting a bollocking. Instead she said "I can see why"

Outstanding.

PS, Alan, I've been burgled and out of everything they only took your Amp !!!! 😂


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[Barry]

Fine review Oliver! Thanks for sharing.

I assume it uses EL84s, so maybe 10-12 watts, and it didn't misbehave itself with Quad 57s, so it would be interesting to compare it with a Leak Stereo 20. It passes the WAF test as well, so all in all pretty good! Glad it's doing the business for you.

(I use, inter alia, Fisual speaker cables as well as Klotz interconnects.)

[Bigman80]

Fine review Oliver! Thanks for sharing.

I assume it uses EL84s, so maybe 10-12 watts, and it didn't misbehave itself with Quad 57s, so it would be interesting to compare it with a Leak Stereo 20. It passes the WAF test as well, so all in all pretty good! Glad it's doing the business for you.

(I use, inter alia, Fisual speaker cables as well as Klotz interconnects.)

Thanks Barry 😄

It is done a fine job. I'll spend more time with it over the next week or so (however long Alan will let me have it for) and update my findings.

Looks like I'm seeing the Valve appeal

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[RothwellAudio]

First impressions:

SHIT, ID BETTER TURN IT DOWN !!!

�� This class A power is sweet. Half way on the volume and the room is vibrating with deep bass.

I'm glad you like the amp and I'm sure Alan has done a great job, but...
the position of the volume control vs. loudness in the room doesn't tell you anything (other than how user-friendly the volume control is) and don't be fooled into thinking that full rotation equals full power, half rotation equals half power etc.
Anyway, I agree it's quite amazing how satisfying a 10(ish) watt valve amp can be

[Ali Tait]

Can't go wrong with EL84's, such a musical valve.

[nthall]

Nice. Are those 7247s on the input stage? It looks similar to an ST-35 which is an excellent amp with a few tweaks. Alan is getting you set up right.

You'll get used to the bass. It's supposed to be there.

[Firebottle]

Glad you are liking it Oliver. Welcome to tube world.

F27 sounds a bit like an fighter jet, let's hope there's no reheat with this one

Nathan the driver valves are ECC83, not my usual fare, with EL84 output tubes in Single Ended mode.
Just looked up the 7247, not a type I know. An interesting valve with one high mu section and one low mu section.
A bit like half an ECC83 combined with half an ECC82, nice.

[Bigman80]

I'm glad you like the amp and I'm sure Alan has done a great job, but...
the position of the volume control vs. loudness in the room doesn't tell you anything (other than how user-friendly the volume control is) and don't be fooled into thinking that full rotation equals full power, half rotation equals half power etc.
Anyway, I agree it's quite amazing how satisfying a 10(ish) watt valve amp can be

Hi Andrew.

I will keep that in mind. Obviously, with this being the first valve amp I've ever heard I have much to learn. The important thing is how good this amp sounds !!!

😀

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[Bigman80]

Glad you are liking it Oliver. Welcome to tube world.

F27 sounds a bit like an fighter jet, let's hope there's no reheat with this one

Nathan the driver valves are ECC83, not my usual fare, with EL84 output tubes in Single Ended mode.
Just looked up the 7247, not a type I know. An interesting valve with one high mu section and one low mu section.
A bit like half an ECC83 combined with half an ECC82, nice.

Ye, the name might need some work lol



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[jandl100]

Very nice, and I am sure Alan can be relied on to have done a good job on it.

I haven't tried every type of power valve in existence by any means, but I've owned and heard a fair few. The el84 is my favourite of those I have heard. As long as you have speakers that can reach the levels you want with the 10wpc or so on offer from having them paired up, then they simply make glorious natural, well balanced music better than any others, imo.

Save up some pennies and convince Alan to let it go!