Yaqin MC 10L 52 Reviews

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Yaqin MC 10L 52
★★★★★
4.7
93.0% of users recommend this
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Latest Reviews

“Great tube amp for anybody A+”

★★★★★

written by JaysonLewis-Alt98 on 17/03/2014

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.

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Bobauch's Comment

Written on: 30/03/2014

I too own planar speakers,and am considering this amp.Mine are a set of very vintage 1979 Magnaplanar MG-1s, with a low 83 db rating,and a 4 ohm load. I don't listen loud,usually 80 db or lower.,mainly acoustic jazz and classical.Do you think, based on your experience, you would recommmend this amp for my application? If so, I would also be interested in knowing what replacement tubes you used.
My sonic goal is a richer, more dimensional sound at low volume.Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.Bob in Michigan

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“So far so good”

★★★★★

written by philmckee on 05/02/2014

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.

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“I am rating the MC 10T, which is the replacment for...”

★★★★★

written by on 14/10/2012

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.

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“Stunning sound - Bargain price”

★★★★★

written by Lehnacker on 11/09/2011

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.

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Astronamp's Response to Lehnacker's Review

Written on: 22/01/2013

i took the risk too im in australia and got brand new one for $420 $40 shipping,the preamp valve had a dry solder joint in the socket got it biased and fixed for $110. ive had very expensive solid amps all my life but absolutly impressed with what it cost me for this hey $570? what a steel and unbelievable power output.

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Melbournemuzza's reply to Astronamp's Comment

Written on: 30/04/2013

Can you talk to me about getting this into oz? I am in Melbourne and have trouble with sending over the cold hard to China. Thanks Murray

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Astronamp's Response to Lehnacker's Review

Written on: 03/05/2013

i not sure,i happend to come across a guy who already imported some in queensland i know he doesnt have any now but to import should be strait forward i just would not recomend the free shipng by boat thats the catch, trying to get a good shipping price.
dream hifi australia have rebadged ones for about $800.I got a tube cd player off them once 2 days to canberra and awsome for $500.

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Bwarner123's Response to Lehnacker's Review

Written on: 08/03/2013

Lehnacker May I ask how long have you had the Amperex 6922's or 7308 in your Yaqin MC 10l, they have a lower heater current than the 6N1, 6N1P, 6N1P-EV thus stressing the tube out. Have they lasted? Thank you

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“The Yaqin MC10L : The Worlds Best kepts Secret.”

★★★★★

written by Drastic on 10/08/2011

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.

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“I bought this amp 2years ago.And I am still very happy...”

★★★★★

written by on 15/05/2011

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.

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“I have actually owned this for l day... Read on... The...”

★★★☆☆

written by on 15/03/2011

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...

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Guest's Comment

Written on: 09/08/2011

You were unlucky to have a duff tube, the stock tubes are ok, but can be bettered by any other make!
The main problem with this amp is people using them on the wrong voltage, if it's a 220v unit then that's what it needs
to be fed. a 20v overload on the input, results in about a 40 volt overload on the HT rail, it wont take that.
Here in the UK we tend to get 243-251 volts at the socket, so I run my one vir a Variac, I've had it for three year's & it's been a dream, no problems.
I hope you have your's running nicely now.
Best regards Bob.

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Drastic's Comment

Written on: 25/04/2014

The stock tubes are not up to much, but to have the problems you've had is very unusual? Maybe your running a 220v unit on 240v? that would explain it.
Also you say you only "gave one star for the sound as you cant use the amp", well on that bases one could say :- You cant write a review as you cant use the amp! secondly why give it four stars for "Value for money" when you cant use it?
To write such a review after only one week of ownership, without giving the supplier a chance to supply the required replacement tubes is very misleading.
Once you have your amp running correctly I'm sure you'll have a much better opinion of it. I've had a 10L for about 6 years now with no problems & a 100B for about 3 years with no problems, All tubes up grades of course.

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“Now i know what you are thinking, should i or shouldnt...”

★★★★★

written by on 26/10/2010

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!

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“i have the amp four over 2 years now still very happy...”

★★★★★

written by veitchy on 12/04/2010

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

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“great item i love it”

★★★★★

written by tooriscool on 03/04/2010

great item i love it

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“I have owned my MC-10L for over 2 years now and have...”

★★★★★

written by on 19/07/2009

I have owned my MC-10L for over 2 years now and have had no problems. The thing about valve amps is that they are like owning a new pet, you have to know how to treat them in order to keep them happy. As a retired (crinkled) electronics engineer, I know quite a bit about valve technology and maybe this has helped me to keep my Yaqin in first class order. You must regularly check the bias on the output valves to ensure all is well. Well the first thing I did after unpacking the very well packed amplifier was to inspect the valves, after all they are the most delicate items in the package. I personally did not like the way the valves had been manufactured, the internal rivets and metal work did not look quite as good as I had expected and I decided there and then that I would eventually replace all of the valves at a later date. This was an early model, to check the bias meant removal of the top plate which is a pain, thankfully not necessary now as the updated versions have easy access test points and even a trimming tool is provided. There was no handbook with these early units so I checked each valve in order to establish their correct operating points and found all were set very close to each other, that gives you confidence in the manufacturer for a start. I also checked that the alleged 220V - 240V input was happy running on 240V here in the UK and was surprised to find the voltages were spot on for the valve heaters. I run the amplifier into Tannoy speakers and have made my own remote control volume/switching box for the amplifier. The switching arrangement on the Yaqin does introduce some small amounts of cross talk between inputs which is why I made an external unit providing more isolation plus the beauty of remote control. For the money, I don't think you can really go wrong and the cost is far less than trying to build your own amplifier which is how I found the Yaqin in the first place. I was going to build my own but the cost of just the transformers alone was horrific and I doubt if I could have made an amplifier that looks as good. There are issues with some of this manufacturers other amplifiers but the MC10-L appears to be good and I certainly can recommend it. For the more technical reader, I fitted JJ/Tesla EL34's biased at 35mA and replaced the original 6N1's with Svetlana Golds. The difference in sound quality was immediately apparent and certainly made the extra cost worth while. I am currently trying the larger glass enveloped Elecro-Harmonix 6CA7's in the output and they also sound great!

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Rolleiman59's Comment

Written on: 22/08/2009

I would be curious if any more tube rolling or mods were done on this amp. I just purchased one and it seems to lack in the low end, high end is a bit harsh and the mid-range is just so-so. This is in comparison to my sherwood S-8000 that I modified. I as hoping to replace my receiver with this amp but will go back to my fantastic Sherwood if I can not figure how to improve the sound. I have tried replacing the power tubes with two different types without much change. I will search for some 6N1 tubes next.
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“This integrated amp is capable of revealing extremely...”

★★★★★

written by on 20/10/2008

This integrated amp is capable of revealing extremely quiet passages as well as rocking out to the tune of 108db peaks at just 52 watts. A tribute to it's design and value.

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Drastic's Comment

Written on: 15/08/2013

Sorry to nit pick, but it's not really point to point wiring, there are two PCB, one which holds the pre-tubes (Drivers & Phase spliters) & one for the four power tube (EL34's).
Point to Point work is where an amp’s components are connected directly with wire normally with the use of tag strips, & the valve sockets mounted to the chassis not mounted on pcb’s.

Not sure what you mean when you say " a second input would be nice" the amp has four inputs! Otherwise I agree with your review, a great amp!

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“One word of warning. I purchased a matched quad of the...”

★★★★★

written by cruzrman on 04/08/2008

One word of warning. I purchased a matched quad of the new JJ KT-77's from the Tube Depot. Within 2 hours of listening to the greatest EL-34 ever made (their words) ,there was a series of very loud pops and electrical noises and smells. No more than 5 seconds passed before I turned it off, but in that brief time, it took out the voicecoil in a Vifa 8" midbass driver in my vintage Harmon-Kardon "Sixty" speakers. Having to buy a new matched pair of drivers cost over $175.00. An authorized dealer in Canada says that most "tube rollers" resort back to the factory tubes 90% of the time. Food for thought.

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Drastic's Response to cruzrman's Review

Written on: 10/08/2011

The KT77 should be a direct replacement for the EL34, however any change of power tubes would require the amp to be re-biased.
If this was not done or done incorectly then it would cause trouble! I trust your running it on the correct voltage, If you have a 220v unit & that's what in needs!

Regards Bob.

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“After many years of listening to music from big power...”

★★★★☆

written by veitchy on 29/07/2008

After many years of listening to music from big power amps and boom box speakers, I needed change in my music listening. It was getting stale. More natural was what I needed no turning up bass changing treble just good clean music. After months looking into valve amplification it was mind boggling, good amps varied in price from $2000.00 Au to $12000.00 ( not selling the boat for a amp love my fishing to much ) so now looking for a cheaper valve amp. I said to my son getting rid of the old but good Sherwood amp and the boomers , going to go all valve , looked at me in despair and said your going senile in your old age. After weeks on end looking at cheaper China built amps on eBay and reading forums on Chinese amps some were good some not so good, main concern was voltage 220v here in oz 240v. After many emails to china based sellers with this concern in mind they assured these would run in my country. I decided to take the plunge. Now what amp is going to suit me, i decided on the Yaqin MC 10L 52 watt to run boom boxes. After watching many sell on ebay at around $130.00 Au postage $320.00 insurance $90.00 usually i bid nails you one of these amps, every man and his dog wanted the won i happened to bid on cost an extra $90.00 to convince them this is my amp. After 1 week amp arrives open the box( very well packed) taking amp out all the valves, now for the instructions said to son grab the book what book he said, your kidding no instructions. ( this is the first time i ever laid eyes on a valve amp) one page in a folder troubleshooting only. Well lets see, open boxes of valves one said v1 v1 on amp so it must go in here v2 v2 on amp so on, now all valves are in place boomers hooked up CD player in line volume on amp to 0 remembering 5 min warm up on valves ( all read in forums thank goodness for forums not from Yaqin user manual). Still very paranoid about this voltage thing so son on the power point ready to pull plug if fire works erupt, switch on, valves all glow up wait 5 mins no fire works display slowly turn volume up wow we have music and what good music it was. After 1 week the boomers had to go, early birthday present from the kids came a pair of welling Windsor-ws-5r bookshelves. Now I listen at lower levels and more detail from my music. I would have rather floor standers but the wife's 2x 4 leg fur balls just loved the grills on the boom box speakers (should off made the boomers into electric statics) would have the floor standers i wanted. All jokes aside after 9 months this amp is just what i was looking for, teamed with the wellings it just gets better every time you listen.

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480692_Mtwhickory's Response to veitchy's Review

Written on: 04/09/2009

I just ordered my MC-10L today and have some of the same concerns, though the voltage issues I've read deal mainly with the 220/240 difference in Aussieland. Hopefully, my experience will be equally fireworks free here in North Carolina, US.

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Asked by TedBloomfield on 19th August 2014 Report this content
What is your feeling on pairing this with Energy 22's?

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Asked by bobauch on 30th March 2014 Report this content
Will this amp adequately power up a pair of vintage Magnaplanars with an 83db sensitivity rating and a 4 ohm load? I listen mainly to acoustic jazz and classical at low volumes,mainly 80 db and below.looking for rich, dimensional sound at lower volumes. Any feedback would be helpful, especially those who pair this piece with Maggies.

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