REVIEW: Musical Paradise MP-301 Tube Headphone / Speaker amp - Page 4

Some very nice looking amps, would love to listen to one. The 6V6 is w/ the 7591A my favorite tube. If you have a chance to listen to an old 60's black face Fender Champ or a 60's Ampeg Reverbrocket or Jet you will hear what I am talking about.

Skylab: The Audio Space range of amplifiers are designed, engineered and tested in Hong Kong, assembly is of course in China. Audio Space have a strong following in Japan and are quite well respected having being featured and reviewed in the Japanese "MJ" magazine (Hi-end audio journal mainly on tube gear) on many occasions.

^^^ You may wish to also check the latest update I posted in the Yarland P-100 thread where I list rankings compared with some other amps. I have also made a note that with some of the tube amps, the headphone type and impedance does have an overall bearing on the low level amp noise (call it very low level tube hum) detected and the AS-2.8i is no different from other tube amps. Some headphones are just terrible with any tube amp, period, I think it has to do with the impedance of the cans used.

They also have a 300B version which looks very nice!

^^^LOL, I'm up to my eyeballs in tubes and amps and need more rack space! BTW have you seen the G&W Tsing Hua University head amp which looks like the P-100 but slightly higher (also tubes and wood face plate with gold knobs). I've been trying to find more details on the web, but failed?

Really nice amp there. From the 9 types of 6V6 I have tried so far, I have found the best to be:
- Radiotechnique RT 6V6G (most balanced, warm and sweet)
- JJ 6V6S (the only new production tube I've tried with Sino: powerful, extended and strong mids)
- RCA 6VGgt (very warm, full, great bass)
- Ken-Rad 6V6gt (a bit like RCA, less fat)
- Sicte 6V6 (also warm, creamy, but not as full/thick as RCA; more refined)

The only brands that I didn't like were
- the stock Sino
- Sylvania (sounds honky-farty, not very extended)
- Mullard (probably rebranded... sounds muddy)

Anyone tried NOS GEC or Mazda 6V6G ?? They are supposedly the best

^^ Thanks for the info., this will assist me in tube selection, many thanks.

^^^ Any reply yet?

^^^ I don't think it's a language issue, more like because they are a quite well established brand they may not have any interest???

Oh well, maybe I will write something up on my blog using my unit as a review sample.

Skylab, have you tested the MP-301 with speakers? Also, would you say it is the best 'tubey' tube amp under $300?

I'm looking at the MP-301, Qinpu A-3 and the Eddie Current Lunchbox. I want a characteristic tube sound (even at the cost of losing some accuracy/transparency) and ability to drive speakers. What would you recommend?