YAQIN MC-13S Stereo Tube Amplifier - Setup, Tube Change, and How-To Bias The Amp
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- Опубликовано: 31 дек 2016
- This video features the YAQIN MC-13S Stereo Tube Amp. In this video I perform a:
Setup
Tube Change
How-To Bias The Amp
Along the way I add my thoughts on the amp itself. It's a great amplifier especially if you're looking to enter into the world of HI-Fi tube amps. 
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I bought this same amp about 8 months ago. Love the sound!
Nice, thank you. I just ordered my first Full tube amp (besides my Bravo headphone hybrid) after 38 years of dreaming planning wishing and other priorities. I knew of biasing but you just thought me what I actually would need to do. Thanks
Great video! You explained Bias really well and in the near future I am buying the same model as you demonstrated and found it useful. Many years ago I had a pair of UK built Quad II second hand mono block 15 watt amps second hand and just loved the sound on everything from classical to rock! I can't wait to order it and take your point about Valve (Tube) upgrades. Thank you.
+Ian Hilpus you're welcome - glad I could help!
Johnny Vette dont get me wrong...you have a very nice amp but ...with the money you have invested in your amplifier you could have spent maybe a $100 more and bought a couple of used Fender Bassman 100 heads .....cons two big bulky heads....pros super sensitive preamp to easily run a turntable.. iPod ..cell phone.. home PC or laptop audio signal out CD player.... plug a microphone in if you want to sing maybe a digital Reverb unit... plug in a bass guitar or a regular guitar or for that matter any electronic instrument....a fully controllable preamp section volume bass treble bright normal....and the treble/ high frequency goes way higher than a home use equalizer ....and the bass is deep and rich because of the saturation of the large output Transformers on the bass man's....and YES you do get the awsome tube sound from the bassmans... not mention im getting about 200 watts RMS while your shiny fancy over priced amp is probably not going over 60 watts RMS...
The preamp tubes are used single-ended so their bias isn't critical. The output tubes are used in push-pull so they have to be matched.
Really great no nonsense review. Thank you 👍
Th preamp tubes don't need bias adjustment because they are connected differently. In technical terms it's called "Cathode Bias" while the output tubes are using "Fixed Bias".
Cathode Bias does work for output tubes as well, but it's less efficient and results in lower power output. But for Preamp tubes it's fine since they're dealing with lower level signals so the loss is negligible.
Well, if you adjust supply voltage you can still achieve similar power with auto-bias (cathode bias). The lower efficiency will still hold.
It can also produce some extra distortion when used with very high average power, which was already described in tube times in a book written by Mullard engineers. But then they proceeded to use auto-bias due to simplicity :P
Nice video! Excellent information! Thanks!
I play guitar , and I am a tube guy. I restored an old Fender Champ. The Tung Sol tubes are actually quite good, so that system probably sounds nice.
Have one, EXCELLENT amp!
Great vid!
In 2008 I bought a Yaqin MC10L for £126 including shipping - It is currently driving a pair of Dali Oberon 5s fed by my Linn Sondeck. Best value item I've ever bought.
Os melhores amplificadores são os válvulados. Parabéns pelo vídeo! Rio de Janeiro capital
É vdd e o melhor time é o Vasco
Sweet amp ! As a guitar player I have always preferred the warm fuzzy feeling a tube amp has over solid state. You need to give us a side by side comparison of your solid state and the tubes so people can hear the difference.
LOVE THAT FUSE CASE!
GONNA GET ME ONE IMMEDIATELY
🤘😎🤘
I have basically the same amp. I will be upgrading my tubes shortly and this video helps. Thanks. One thing I noticed. Your interconnects and speaker cable appears to be standard consumer stuff. Not a problem if you are happy with the sound. However when I improved my interconnects and speaker cable I noticed a huge improvement in my systems sound. I also have two other higher priced tube amps as well. To me tubes are the only way to go, especially playing vinyl records. Regards.
Interconnects and speaker cable make no difference, if there's nothing majorly wrong with them.
That was a wonderful, hands on demonstration. Thank you very much!
Just got mine!
What a beautiful amplifier! I couldn't speak highly enough about it. I am using it with two sets of speakers, a pair of Thiel CS6 large floorstanders and another pair of Rogers LS7t large stand mounts.
Despite being only around 32 watts per channel it drives the large and demanding Thiels with no problem! Sound quality wise, easily betters the solid state amps I also have ( Meridian 556 and Bryston 7B ST) by quite a margin, mostly in tonality, depth and timbre.
I use it with the standard EL34 tubes that came with it. Later on I may try 'better' quality tubes (pre and output) but, for the time being, I am quite happy with the way it sounds.
Do you still recommend it,any problems
@@gage4375
No problems at all Gage!
Have upgraded the input tubes with Amperex ones and it has become slightly more detailed. Great amplifier.
Best performance and biasing after about 20 min of being turned on.
Biased at 39 mV with the EL34s still sounds fantastic. Highly recommended.
PS: If this was build in the UK or the US it could cost 3 or 4 k...
@@m.9243 I think I'll get one .thanks for the reply
Great video!
Excellent video .
Great amplifier in my opinion. I also swapped out the supplied valves for higher quality Gold Lion tubes in the line preamp and Mullard EL-34s made in Russia now. The line preamp tubes are “self biasing”. I could not find the bias adjustment tool for ages as I put it away in a draw with the spare fuses. The bias adjuster is a 2mm Hex (Allen) key. I now keep them next to the amp. They should really have built a holder for both on the amp itself.
Great amps, especially for the price!
I have and use the MC10 which is the larger 'brother' of the one shown here and uses, instead of EL34 output tubes, KT88 or 6550 which are a bit more powerful.
It can be switched at will between triode mode or ultra linear mode, the latter giving almost double the power output.
Never had any problems with the amp and I would recommended to anyone who wants a great sounding system without breaking the bank.
I'm also a proud owner of a Yaqin MC 10L. Great beast of a tube amp, mine has been flawless since I bought it new 5 years ago. I swapped out the 6NP preamp tubes for some Russians tubes a while back, just now looking at tube rolling the EL34s. I ordered a matched quad of Tungsol - they are on the way.
Can I swap KT88 or 6550 for the EL-34 tubes in the Yaqin MC-10L?
Just a follow up on my post.
I got tempted (about a year ago) and bought the MC - 13S as well!
That's what happens when you start a tube amp 'trip'. 😃😃
After listening and comparing both for several months, I decided to keep the MC - 13S with EL34 tubes on it and sold the MC 10.
The main difference between the two was, the tonality and detail retrieval.
The MC 10 excels in rock music with plenty of 'slam' and bass extension, especially in 'Ultra Linear' mode.
The MC-13S present a more delicate, detailed sound more suitable for Jazz, Classical and female vocal.
It's a matter of personal choice at the end as, they both present great value for the price asked.
@@laporche2113
Yes, you can. You will have to re-bias them though.
Thank you. The best job.
Excellent review of this cool little tube stereo! There's some great comments concerning tube bias which is very important as you said. I play guitar also & I have a hand built all tube American made amp. My choice for audio listening is a Marantz 2270 which has the reliability of solid state but the warmth of tubes, completely restored using premium components much better than the originals. Saul Marantz had a goal of building solid state with the warmth of tubes. One final note: Tubes are alive & well & can't be replaced by solid state in a few military/satellite applications!
Thank you - and you’re right - tubes are alive and well!
@@TechStuff1 weather is so hot ... tube amplifiers ...
Awesome video!
Thanks Brother.
Well-edited vid, great speaking voice. You may be the least annoying audiophile on RUclips.
very interesting!!! ... liked your pool vid but trying to find out who's actually behind that soft voice and those delicate fingers . . .... need to say, you got me on the "hook" once you said: I was playing Depeche Mode by the way ..... THAT WAS IT, Johnny, you got me. Listening to that voice and seeing your grinning face finally, it's not just easy on the ears also on the eyes! Well done! Greetings from Bavaria. Song was probably "I'm Taking a ride with my best friend"?!? 🤗👍🏻😉🤗👍🏻😉
Ho comprato questo amplificatore su Amazon il prezzo è aumentato a euro 900 ma lì vale tutti con diffusori dali opticon 6 mk2 suona fantastico è assolutamente da consigliare.
Just as a note, when biasing pairs of push-pull (PP) output tubes, it helps to have 2 meters going at once; one meter on each one of the PP tubes. You'll notice that as the voltage of one goes up, the other will go down. It's therefore much easier to balance the pair when you see both match their bias voltage. Otherwise you end up going back and forth and back and forth ... etc.
Wise words.
Thanks for this info sir
I have the el34 from destiny audio. yours has a benefit. the measuring contacts are outside
Bravo, well explained. Question the procedures that you performed with the volt meter is that the case with all tube amps?
And, how common are the tubes? Where to purchase & are there tubes with matching product numbers that are shared with other manufacturers brand? Thanks
What is the fuse size/name that is needed. I am ordering a Yaqin mc-13s and want to have them on hand. THANKS
Bias info. is super helpful.
Many times been tempted play with one, but what always pulls$ me back is NO REMOTE!
Thanks for this well spoken informative video it was just what I needed as my first tube amp arrives today. I did hear you mention a 5-10 minute warmup but anything on “burn in” time and the best way to do it?
The best way I’ve found to burn-in is to simply use it at a nice volume every day for about a week. After that, I use it like any other piece of equipment.
Wow, Tung sol tubes! Funny to see that name still around and especially in selling (very good) russian tubes! Tung sol were another supplier to our government back in the cold war.
Tung-Sol are one of my favorites. The KT120’s are awesome.
Nice looking amp. I use an Icon Audio pre(and class D power), which I think is made by Yaqin and rebranded.
Try JJ KT77's.. same family but different flavour and v good for rock and electronic
How do the Tungsol EL34s sounds vs. the stock EL34 tubes?
Thanks for a concise explanation. I have this amp but it seems my right channel is louder than the left one. I was playing Neil Diamond's "Moods" album and his voice was coming out only from the right speaker. i tried Lez Zeppeline's stairway to heaven and the same thing happened, though not as obvious. Any input would be appreciated. Will do the bias shortly.
If it's a voice that's only coming from the right, and not the entire sound, you have an album that was mixed that way. I there is no sound coming from one of the speakers, I would suggest checking the fuses in the back. On the right and left side of the back panel, there are 2 plastic circles with a flathead screwdriver channel in them. AFTER unplugging the amp, use a flat head to remove those covers and pull the fuse out. If you find a burnt fuse, that is the culprit. If you bought your amp new, it should come with a couple spare fuses.
The reason I heard years ago to use gloves or wipe the tubes after installing them is because when the heat of the tube goes UP it heats up the body oil left on it.
This in itself should not be a problem but once the tube stops being used and drops temperature, you have a part of the tube that drops temperature slower due to the body oil and that has one part of the tube colder than another, increasing the chance of the tube cracking.
@Heads Mess Many vacuum tubes myths still survive.
is really nice the only downside is that the valve has to be changed every specific hour of use but hey it is really nice sound is worthy to have
Short and informative, good job. If you get into tube rolling please please post you experience.
I think I can help you, you can take a look at my shop, there is my address below
hiendchina.com
Thank you for the video. What type of fuse do I need to buy in US (110V)?
Thanks for the video. How would you connect a reel-reel tape deck to this given the line-in, line-out of a tape deck? thanks
what are the speakers that you use? does the amp still ok after more than a year? how good does the bass and treble is?
What is the correct setting on the multimeter? First view of it shows it set to VA Alternating, the next view of it shows it set to the diode setting?
I bought one a few moths back. It sounded good and looked good but it stopped working after 3 weeks and I returned it. Did anyone else have this experience ? Is yours still working years later ?
I have purchase one of these amps used and it comes with no manual or torque bit. Do you know the torque bit size so I can adjust the bias ? Thanks
At 6:19, why is your multimeter set to the "diode" setting ? Shouldn't it be set to the VDC setting ?
Thanks! I’ve had an mc13s for 4years running on the standard tubes, just ordered some KT77 tubes to replace them today, so thanks for the tip on bias adjustment when they arrive :)
I’m also blowing fuses every 5-6months. If you figure out what causes it let us know :)
How’s your Yaquin mc 13. Mine broke within weeks after purchase and I would like to get another one. Let me know if yours is still working
@@rl7487 I blew one of the KT77s, which was causing some weird issues and may have been caused by a faulty heater circuit... but it’s currently working fine after swapping the tube out.
I also upgraded the preamp tubes to Mullard. It sounds bloody awesome now.
I have fuses on my Kenwood and Sansui gear too. It's not THAT old a tech. If you own a guitar amp you should be used to a blown fuse on occasion. Moving gear around gigs regularly will do it, a damaged speaker cable ect.
How does it sound I’m looking to match with walsh 1000 Speakers
Thanks!
I would always suggest that users try both the 4 and 8 ohm taps and see which sounds better. Sometimes one can be surprised by just that simple change.
what type of fuses are they exactly? link to product description?
THANKS , I BOUGHT 1 YAQIN FROM AMAZON ALSO
Great! Thanks.
Great, informative video. Does those valve amps uses a lot of electricity compared to solid state?
I haven’t noticed any spikes in my electricity bill, so if it does use more it’s likely a marginal difference.
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. I have vintage Marantz 2238B and also NAD components in another room. Would you say this amp's sound is as good or better? Just trying to figure out if I should buy this or just put my money toward another vintage amp or receiver. Thanks in advance for any help.
+fpgrind That's a good question. I know "better" can be a relative term, but it's at least as good in my opinion. Since you've already got some vintage equipment, the yaqin might be a nice addition to your fleet. Get new tubes if you do purchase it. This one upgrade made a big difference!
IMO and having had both brands you mention, the 13S with good tubes would be far more transparent and give infinity better tone and depth of stage. With good source and speakers of course.
hi there, could you please put your output cables used in the description so i can get those. Thanks ! :)
So six years later would you still recommend this amp
No one seems to address this issue. What exactly does changing the tubes do? I know they say it changes the sound, but how?? Before I spend hundreds of dollars of vacuum tubes, I would like to know what I can expect to gain. Will changing the preamp tubes affect the sound as much as changing power amp tubes?
Johnny, I'm seriously considering this amp. Are you still happy with it? Have you stuck with the Russian tubes?
Can it drive a 6ohm speaker?
I have elac unifi ub52
Sensitivity 86db
Great review. Are you still using this amp 6 years later? If not, what are you using now? Also, random question-the knobs on the front, are they plastic or metal?
Yes, I’m still using and still love it! The knobs on the front are plastic but high quality.
Great video. Do you think it can also be used as a guitar power amp?
No, I don’t think so.
My front transformer is not as hot as the rear 2 transformers. Is this normal and same as anyone MC13?
Hello, nice and simple video. Is this model an hybrid amplifier or a full entire tubes?
Pure tube. The big tubes in the back are for power.
do you have this AMP connected to your TV?
The bias for the TungSol EL34B tubes should be .39
Sounds just like my flying instructor talking to me across the noise cancelling headphones! Set your power to 1800rpm and line up with the runway. Pull back on the yoke as we cross the threshold! LOL
I'm a purist with a very fine ear, musically trained, me and my dad have very very expensive and exclusive tube amplifiers, about 2 years ago I told my dad we should get a Chinese amplifier just to see how good they were since I knew China has the reputation to be the number one consumer in HiFi products, so after some research we ended up getting the music angel XD 800 I think (it's a kt88), we were so blown away by the sound quality, it outperformed all of our solid state and tube amplifiers, it's our favorite and the one we use all the time, we have paired with some McIntosh speakers, btw yes we do have a music room, with balanced acoustics
Yeah! Very good, helpfull, right in the middle, so much really usefull information...thank you....by the way, the name of brand chinese YAQIN should be pronounced like beard , chin , but in front ya ya chin .. ;-) thank you again
cool
Does it still sound good when using the records phono stage. I heard from people to not use the ones built in. I really like this tube amp. It’s the nicest “new” one I’ve found so far. I hate all the new hybrid blue tooth bullshit ones. I guess I’ll just buy a small pre amp. Thanks for the info brother.
Yes, the amp inside the turntable sounds quite good!
That having to adjust the bias yourself with the voltmeter and so forth seems like a rather of a hassle especially for someone perhaps not to tech savvy such as myself
Thanks - no waffle just the facts you need to know. Btw I have this amp and its superb!
Me too!
Hi Johnny I am really new on this but I am seriously considering to buy one Yaqin MC-13S but from what I have seen there seams to be 2 different options when you talk about the tubes 12AU7 and 12AX7 … the one supplier I found on amazon UK shows 6A7T tubes. Can you help me out understanding the difference between them, if this is important and if it is replaceable with the Tung Sol 12AU and 12AX you mention on your video. Thanks in advance. Any help is valuable for me.
Sorry really made a mess here... I see now that the 6A7T are in exchange for the EL 34B … Well, questions remain. Do you consider this an issue?
But bias regulation it's done with amplifier on and no speakers connected?
Thanks Johnny. Very well articulated.........very helpful video. One quick question - how is the amp performing now? It is almost a year since you uploaded this video after tube rolling.
The new Tung Sol tubes are ok but I wouldn’t exactly call them premium. They have good fast base but the treble isn’t the smoothest on the market.
Like some others have asked - anyone using this with a pre-amp? What brand? Just curious, as I would need a phono stage. What about sub-woofer? Oh man, I see a purchase coming. And I would want the Tung Sol tubes!
really? You can visit my shop
hiendchina .com
Great video, but I have a genuine question. I have set of q acoustics 3050s which is 6ohm, where should I plug them? 8 or 4 ohm?
I wish I knew the technical answer to give, you but I don’t. Me personally, I’d probably use the 8 ohm.
Johnny Vette thanks anyway, great vid by the way
You'll want to use the 8 ohm option.
@@TechStuff1 right 8 ohm.
I bought this AMP used off amazon - the amp is fine, but after seeing your video I wanted to make sure the bias was correct. However, the adjustment wrench is not in the box it came with and I can't see inside closely enough to determine what wrench I need. Do you know what wrench type/size is needed?
You can visit my shop
hiendchina. com
@@quanyhuang3178 I did - where should I find it (some nice stuff there, but not the tool)
@@sideswipe091976 You can ask our customer service staff questions, and he will help you solve them
Now there is a handy and safe tube puller / inserter available on ebay, item 254242318237 Easy, simple and safe. A perfect tool for any audiophile or vintage electronics technician
Do you need to have tube pre amp? I have a phono pre amp. But not a tube pre amp. Just want to make sure my phone pre amp will work.
Any phono preamp works with the Yaqin MC13S just as it would a solid state amplifier.
Question: Does this amp have an Ultra Linear mode? I noticed they are still available now for about the same price.
General comment: 5 years on, still agree with you. But it is not just Tube amps, HiFi that are aiminng for "audiophiles" will have virtually no ceiling limit. Even if the sound is not as good in the expensive ones, people pay it because there are some nuts out there who just feel more expensive = better, which we all know is false.
A lot of these full tube amps, sub $1000, from China are actually really good. They seem to have really great output transformers, which creates a really nice, clean sound with the lows. I would challenge any audiophile nut, in a completely blind test, to tell the difference between one of these amps with decent tubes compared to a system over $50,000
Does this unit have a remote you can use with it... or is there a remote you can get for it?
No remote is available on this unit.
did you use a sock to clean the tubes :D ??? 5:12
What do you use for headphone use?
No headphone jack on this unit. This is strictly for use with floor speakers.
Crazy Tube Amplifier Prices !
Tunes really do sound good.
waste of money
Hey, John I have Yaqin amp that picks up my computer modem have you ever run into this with your amp?
My friend, can you play some music so I can hear the power.
I have a pair of b and w speaker and like to update to tube amp
My shop has these equipment
hiendchina. com
$1000 amp $60 turntable. Nice
Three fuses in one year? That's insane. Something has to be up for it to do that.
Chris Mccuskey probably the volume was up!
any pre-amp / phono stage tube amp you'd recommend?
Have you found anything
@@mrchinaski4125 I got a ms-23b from Yaqin then had it modded. seems okay, sometimes better than the pre-built phono stage in my TT.
The "metal line" in the fuse is actually called a filament.
I'd also advise using a calibrated multimeter to set the bias. Your el-cheapo Radio Shack meter is not the best for the job.
I’d set your bias with a right hook
@@Maxumized I'd prefer a left jab.
Is it possible to plug 6 ohm speakers into this?
yes, just use the 4 ohm plug for the positive connector
tawilk
Okay, thanks for the information.
Sure
you can connect it 8 ohm speaker outs as on the manual. Also i use Dali Icon 6 mk2 6 ohm with my Yaqin mc-100b
Can u use a remote for the volume?
No. Manual adjustment only.
I'm confused. Why does this require a separate phono stage/preamp if it's an integrated amp?
This amp has simple line-level inputs, and doesn’t have an amplified phono input like the units of yesteryear.
Do u think with tung sol the sound it is better???
The Tung Sols definitely sounded a lot better than the stock tubes. Since I’ve made this video, I’ve rolled-in a set of JJs which sound even better. Both are great tubes, but to my ear, the JJs are slightly better than the Tung Sols.
@@TechStuff1 do you have made another change with jj? Now is definitely the amplifier setup???
Sound is good?
Mullard El-34 FTW \o\
You might want to join an audio club.