Topic: APPJ S.E.T. Mini Tube amp (rebadged MiniWatt)

[RXV]

ayos yan sir i order na agad yan he he! session ulit tayo pag may time...

Kapag nakapag-ipon na sir

[deist]

I say GO FOR IT sir! I have a pair of Alpair 10Ps in pensil enclosures & SQ is outstanding, bang for the buck talaga 

sorry sa OT...

Natetempt tuloy ako magkaroon ng Alpair10p's

[RXV]

I say GO FOR IT sir! I have a pair of Alpair 10Ps in pensil enclosures & SQ is outstanding, bang for the buck talaga 

sorry sa OT...

No problem sir. Oo nga, sarap siguro i-pair ito sa APPJ amp. My own APPJ has been burned-in already and I can really feel the smoothness and organic lifelike sound pulling me towards this addictive hobby

[RXV]

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[RXV]

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[RXV]

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[RXV]

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[RXV]

Bump

[RXV]

Bump

[Gino]

After weeks of research, I was convinced to give this amp an audition. I brought my gears to RXV's house. I mean all ha ha ha. My main concern was my 88db sensitivity speakers.

Well, what a wonderful visit it was. RXV and I hooked my gear up to his APPJ and it was magical. True S.E.T sound. I am used to my Sun Audio SV-2a3 and to be impressed with this tiny tube amp is not just an enthusiastic comment of the moment.

Today, I finally hooked it up at home. Wonderful depth and clarity. Palpable presence in a small but proportional sound stage. In near field, I can really sense the air it provides. The recording venue is faithfully recreated. Bass is solid and full.

At 88db, it was reasonably loud. Louder than I care to play at near field. On some tracks, the volume is almost maxed out. But for my ambient music level while working, 1 o'clock position is fine. For delicate small room acoustic recordings, this is very comfortable. For large and high impact performances, a 94db or better speaker will be needed for scale.




Mac Mini Late 2012 * JDS Labs Objective DAC * APPJ Tube Amp * Denon SCM51 speakers

[fredreadrick]

sir RXV,
Very much interested in this amps but have very liitle knowledge with tubes. I have an AMX Aria EL84 but the configuration is SEP [Single Ended Pentode].
My question is 'Is this really as SET [Single Ended Triode]?
Thanks

[disturbed]

^ I am in the same boat with sir Gino, my main concern too was the sensitivty of my current speakers..I would really like to demo it though..malayo lang talaga si sir RXV at hindi ako familiar pano pumunta dun hehe..napa isip ulit ako sa post ni sir Gino

[tony]

sir RXV,
Very much interested in this amps but have very liitle knowledge with tubes. I have an AMX Aria EL84 but the configuration is SEP [Single Ended Pentode].
My question is 'Is this really as SET [Single Ended Triode]?
Thanks

if the EL84 screen was hooked up to the plate of the EL84, then it's a triode SET,
bear in mind that wiring the EL84 as a triode results in much lesser power
than is available than when it was wired as a pentode....

[geevee]

Can this amp be wired for pentode or UL? Interesting. I wonder if this 3.5wx2 tube can produce as much power as T-amp.... I used to use a Dynaudio Audience 42 with a Dayton DTA-1 with very good results... Interesting considering I have a stash of NOS EL84 tubes....

[remington]

Can this amp be wired for pentode or UL? Interesting. I wonder if this 3.5wx2 tube can produce as much power as T-amp.... I used to use a Dynaudio Audience 42 with a Dayton DTA-1 with very good results... Interesting considering I have a stash of NOS EL84 tubes....

try it together with a pre amp and you'll be surprise of the power and the quality of sound it will produce I and sir RXV have tried it first hand and we were both speechless...nganga kami parehas 

[fredreadrick]

if the EL84 screen was hooked up to the plate of the EL84, then it's a triode SET,
bear in mind that wiring the EL84 as a triode results in much lesser power
than is available than when it was wired as a pentode....

thank you sir tony, i'll give it an audition [when schedule permits] to hear the difference between the two configurations.

[tony]

Can this amp be wired for pentode or UL? Interesting. I wonder if this 3.5wx2 tube can produce as much power as T-amp.... I used to use a Dynaudio Audience 42 with a Dayton DTA-1 with very good results... Interesting considering I have a stash of NOS EL84 tubes....

UL wiring a pentode is a circuit trick designed to get triode like power output
(triode sounding)with pentode like efficiency...

pentodes came about due to the craving for power when low
sensitivity speakers came about...
and this is also how the push-pull amps came to be...

as always, it is your speakers that will determine if this amp is for you or not....

[geevee]

I read in one of the forums that one the Almarro a205a 5W x 2 EL84 is a match made in heaven with the LS3/5a 81.5db/Watt speakers. Watts are only numbers. I believe 3.5W/ch can truly sing.

I have driven a Dynaudio Audience 42 86db/W with a 10watt/ch T-amp for some time along with a HRT microstreamer DAC. It was one of the cheapest, best synergies I have encountered for the price. The trick was to use a high voltage source (2v or more RMS) such as a CD player or DAC. If you use a low voltage source such as a Mobile phone you'll never get decent volume.

I agree a dedicated pre amp would put this tiny amp on steriods. Tempted to try this tiny amp with a high voltage tube preamp. Its also a tube rollers delight since it only uses a single 12ax7/5751 tube.

[RXV]

@Gino
Thank you for your wonderful and analytical personal review of the tube amp. I'm glad it integrated well into your system. Nagulat din ako sa Denon bookshelves mo, they were pretty small but surprisingly sing beautifully. And for such a small enclosure, the bass is surprisingly evident.

@fredreadrick
Based on manufacturer specs, yes it is S.E.T.
For some reason, I also tried different types of amps from SS to tube amps like push-pull, pentode, hybrid, and for unexplainable reasons, I still ended up going back to this SET. Yes other tube amps such as push-pull may have more power and grunt, but the sweetness and right amount of airyness brings me back to this humble amp. I feel it really depends on proper speaker-amp matching, nagkataon e sineswerte lang ako Of course audition talaga is the best for your own judgment.

@disturbed
Sir you can visit me anytime naman and bring your own speakers just like sir Gino did. My place is in Antipolo but at the lower part lang naman, just 2km from Marcos Highway, so hindi aabot sa bundok
Usually hindi naman traffic dito huwag lang rush hour or raining. Either from Makati/Fort or Quezon City, it takes around 40 minutes to get here kung light-moderate traffic.

@geevee
About the Dynaudio, I'm not really sure, since demanding talaga ang speaker na yun, but we could pair and audition it para magkaalaman na. Based on my experience, not all speaker's sensitivity ratings are accurate. I once had a 90db speaker being bested by a 86db speaker in terms of sheer output. I believe more on speaker-amp matching, and just trying it out is still the best way to know. Also, yes I agree to your comment about the audio source, the difference can sometimes be night and day if properly implemented.

About the tube rolling, yes I also started venturing into this, and different tubes give out their own character nga, that's the good thing about tube amps that cannot be done with SS and T-amps. The only down side here is the hole in my pocket

@remington
Yes sir Jun, that pre-amp really brought this amp even further, parang na-turbocharge na vehicle. Makabili nga
Actually because of this, napagastos ulit tuloy ako. I'll soon be matching my other personal APPJ with a new speaker project... Next time listening session ulit tayo

[estaana]

mga sir share ko lang... sa experience ko best match nga APPJ tube amp sa mga high sensitivity speakers... I use it sa vintage 12 incher panasonic fullrange rated at 93db in open baffles augmented with twin subs, the sound delivery is very nice, very organic, para kang nasa live acoustic venue lalo na pag mainit na ang tube amp...(parang diesel engine pag uminit lalong ganado)...

Used in rotation is another vintage 10 incher coral fullrange rated at 95db.... halos same sound delivery. and another vintage 8-incher foster (fostex) fullrange at 95db (which i sold already) dahil I needed funds that time.

I used to own different high wattage branded SS amps and even a t-amp, and several popular brands of commercial speakers in the past.

my observation: 3.5Watts per channel ng APPJ (for me has enough volume) mated to high efficiency speakers... but i also want/plan to try adding a tube preamp one of these days and hear what happens....

[remington]

my observation: 3.5Watts per channel ng APPJ (for me has enough volume) mated to high efficiency speakers... but i also want/plan to try adding a tube preamp one of these days and hear what happens....

naku sir pag naparisan nyo ng magandang tube pre amp yan mag ta-transform yan parang si bumblebee

[RXV]

Thanks sir. BTW, I will be out for a couple of days. For any inquiries, just PM me here. Thanks

[RXV]

Last piece available. Get yours now!

[tony]

I read in one of the forums that one the Almarro a205a 5W x 2 EL84 is a match made in heaven with the LS3/5a 81.5db/Watt speakers. Watts are only numbers. I believe 3.5W/ch can truly sing.

I have driven a Dynaudio Audience 42 86db/W with a 10watt/ch T-amp for some time along with a HRT microstreamer DAC. It was one of the cheapest, best synergies I have encountered for the price. The trick was to use a high voltage source (2v or more RMS) such as a CD player or DAC. If you use a low voltage source such as a Mobile phone you'll never get decent volume.

I agree a dedicated pre amp would put this tiny amp on steriods. Tempted to try this tiny amp with a high voltage tube preamp. Its also a tube rollers delight since it only uses a single 12ax7/5751 tube.

unless i hear it for myself, i will treat such comments as opinions, of course YMMV...

[Gino]

I concur.

I am using an APPJ with 88db/1w/1m Denon SCM51 4" speakers and an active 10" sub. The system has very limited headroom.

It gets realistic with acoustic sets like trios, guitar gigs, and small studio recordings. Upright bass and specially tube guitars and bass guitars sound really accurate. Jaco Pastorius comes alive.

It loses steam with expressive pianos, drums sets, choirs and orchestras. It just cannot reproduce the scale with my 88db/1w/1m speakers.

To me scale only comes with critical listening. For everyday ambient desktop music, the combination is perfect. It's louder than I can stand to hear continuously.

[stockHT]

sir what would be an ideal pre-amp to APPJ? considering the cost of the amp, im assuming there's a pre-amp near its price range as well.

thanks!

[Gino]

I like to know too since I've never owned a preamp. I want more headroom for my Chesky and audiophile cds.

[tony]

sir what would be an ideal pre-amp to APPJ? considering the cost of the amp, im assuming there's a pre-amp near its price range as well.

thanks!

tube types of course.....a preamp may add more flavor some people like, again YMMV....

[RXV]

Thanks for the feedback sir Gino. As for my experience, the APPJ is very well suited to high sensitivity speakers, such as my 8" Royal Copenhagen fullrange (95db), I usually listen at around 12 o'clock, which literally fills my entire small room (4 x 4 sq/m).

But now, I'm already mating the APPJ with a Markaudio Alpair 10P (90db) with good results. Although it's still in its break-in stage and without the proper enclosure yet, maganda ang pagka-match, tamang tama lang.

Also, I'm testing the APPJ with a Markaudio Alpair 7 gen3. This driver has a very low sensitivity of around 85db. But when used in a small room, kayang kaya pa naman ng APPJ, but of course don't expect heart pounding dynamics from this match. But still, it's really good, especially in near field listening and small rooms.
Heavy rock and metal and loud music in my opinion is not the forte of both APPJ and fullrange as well anyway. Jazz, acoustic, classical, voice, and critical listening, wala ako masabi...

[RXV]

@stockHT

I already was able to try and mate my personal APPJ with sir Tony's tube preamp during my meet-up with sir Remington in his setup before. Without any bias (or solicitation), malaki ang linakas ng output/headroom, parang tinurbo-charge ang APPJ (gulat din ako e), while maintaining composure and cleanliness of sound.

But then again, a tube preamp may add some flavor/coloration (also depending on the tubes that you put). But in my opinion, during that time, my ears agreed to the sound of music.

This is also one of my future upgrades that I plan to pursue when I have the budget (as well as a larger room).