Me: I am a 21 year old grad-student living in a small town in India. I would like to call myself a music enthusiast, rather than an audiophile. I was inspired by music since childhood, and as the time passed, the passion of music grew in me, and that subsequently led me to join Head-Fi. Eventually, I found the pleasure of listening to music mainly by the HD600 and recently, by the seductive LCD2 headphones, and realized the true components of recorded music. I usually like to listen to Indian Classical Music along with Bollywood songs. My main listening genres include classical, vocal, instrumental, jazz and sometimes pop.
Intro: Miu Tech-Systems is a lesser-known, but well established Chinese brand specializing in wide range of products including Headphone Amplifiers. Miu Audio was established in 2004. Miu managed to capture attention of the world by their amp offerings which had attractive price tag & appreciable performance. Particularly, Miu’s MRB portable amp has been famous in eastern half of world. The MKTP-1 head amp is a hybrid tube-opamp structure, and is very versatile in terms of operation & rolling.
Specifications of MKTP-1:
Input Impedance: 10K ohms
Supported Vacuum Tube: 6922 & 12AU7
Maximum Input level: +18 dBV
Gain: 20dB/ Channel
Power Supply: 12-13.2V DC
Frequency Response: 25Hz to 150KHz (+/- 3dB)
Output Power: 388 mW THD+N: 0.1% @16 ohms & 102mW THD+N: 0.1% @300 ohms
Let us see what the MKTP-1 amp has got for us,
Packaging and Accessories: The S1 amp arrives packed inside a general cardboard box, packed inside a removable foam packing. Packaging is generic, but nothing to complain about. But all the included accessories have a good quality and feel to them.
List of accessories in the box, which include the following:
Power Adapter: AC to DC 12V 3.5A power adapter EU/US/AU/UK is supplied as per specifications.
RCA to 3.5mm cable: To connect MKTP-1’s input from portable sources with 3.5mm out.
Rubber Feet: Self adhesive rubber dots to stick beneath the amp and prevent the amp from skidding of the desk.
Design and Build: The MKTP-1 has an excellent overall build quality. Its design is decently practical. The MKTP-1 looks nimble, different& funky, and stands out from the crowd.
The amp has aluminium case with upright socket for tube installation. The Tube is also protected by a transparent circular cover. But this cover can be nuisance for tube rollers.
The transparent tube cover makes us gaze through it and onto the well soldered circuit board. The MKTP-1 is fairly small in size. The MKTP-1 is light in weight, & weighs under 250 grams.
At the front we have volume knob with on/off function, 3.5mm headphone output socket & a 3.5mm input socket. At the rear side of MKTP-1, we can observe the presence of power socket, RCA input sockets & a 3.5mm Line-Out socket.
Volume knob rotation is tight & accurate. The 3.5mm jack is also a very sturdy, but is slightly tight. Considering the powerful output provided by MKTP-1, I feel it would have better if a full size ¼” output were provided, along with elimination of front 3.5mm input. This would reduce congestion in front face panel. Internals quality is very good. The MKTP-1 amp has no manual wirings inside; everything is fixed on the PCB. Soldering & joints are very well done. Volume pot is well known Alps branded, which a plus for both volume control & audio quality.
Since the MKTP-1 amp follows Op-amp/Tube design, there is a DIP8 op-amp socket present, in which we may roll any compatible dual audio op-amps. The default one is NE5532 from Texas Instruments, & does a decent job in sound quality.
There is also a jumper on the PCB, which lets us swap both 12AU7 & 6922 variants. The MKTP-1 also supports pre-amp out via rear 3.5mm socket. To roll tubes & op-amps, we have to unscrew the body screws, remove the side screws on main body, slide out the amp board to completely access the board, op-amp socket, tube jumpers and tube socket, which is quite irritating for frequent tube rollers. Power supply is 12V 3.5A, is very well made & is properly earthed hence ensuring zero risk of any electrocution & a low noise floor.
Sound: The MKTP-1 has a very clear, detailed but intimate & closed in soundstage.
Burn in: I could not notice any major sonic improvements or changes by burn in. But let’s say a playback of about 20 hours provides few minor audible improvements, Bass prior to break-in is quite muddy, and eventually it becomes more accurate and clean, Mids will sound more open & slightly forward, airy and natural. Highs become slightly smoother, soundstage will open up by a margin. Also, the noise floor further went down towards complete silence.
Op-Amp rolling: One can roll enormous number of 8 pin dual op-amps or single channels ones on adapters. After much testing on vast number of op-amps like, 2134NA, 4562NA, 6171,6172, 2111KP, 49720HA/NA, 49860NA, 49990MA, OPA209/627 /827, I could conclude, the stock one (NE5532) does its job & is optimal for the existing circuit parameters. But after intensive testing & attentive listening, I found the 4562NA also to be a great match, both for circuitry as well as for headphones by sound quality.
Tube Rolling: The MKTP-1 accepts both 6922 & 12AU7 family tubes, which is a definite advantage for tube rollers. Please remember to set the jumpers correctly before rolling. The default tube is Electro Harmonix 6922, which does a very good job by sound quality, and really a replacement is not requirement, unless you want different signature/colouration in sound.
This amp is extremely powerful and can drive any dynamic/Planar magnetic cans to insane loudness with just 50% of the volume used, which is at 12 o’clock. Anything above 12 o’clock is unbearably loud. This incredible power brings out the best out of a matching headphone. Noise floor is audibly almost silent with demanding cans (yet i could detect a very faint hiss at max volume on the pot. There is absolutely no channel imbalance, thanks to the alps pot.The pre-amp function is pretty good for a starter system, gives a slightly coloured and detailed yet intimate sound for powered speaker system.
Lows: are accurate, tight and refined; have a great impact & extension. Depth is good enough.
Mids: Clean, but sounds and very intimate & closed in.
Highs: clear & sparks grains are very much present in highs.
Soundstage: This is the area where the amp disappoints me. The MKTP-1 is not airy & and does not have appreciable soundstage. But the existing intimate stage is fully circular. Width is mediocre, & depth is decent enough for imaging. Instrument separation & detailing is pretty good. The MKTP-1 did not sounded good in every genres I tried (due to its congested soundstage) The MKTP-1 is decently transparent, detailed but also slightly forgiving to poor recordings.
Comparison: There is a hybrid tube amp in same price range which can compete with Miu’s MKTP-1.
Bravo Audio Ocean: A Mosfet-Tube design far better soundstage & imaging with appreciable dynamics, and supports only one family of tubes (12AU7) it also has a mammoth power output at its disposal. Both amps have pre-amp out, but pre amp sound quality in ocean is audibly better than that of MKTP-1. The ocean amp also has better design & controls. The MKTP-1 is price at 110$, Bravo Ocean is available at 120$, and the Ocean amp, in overall will be a better purchase than the MKTP-1.
Conclusion: I feel the MKTP-1 is a capable unique hybrid amp in its price range. Build quality is excellent, sonic presentation is near neutral & detailed; MKTP-1 is very powerful with low noise floor & can drive almost all cans including IEM’s & its sonic character can be tailored to meet one’s taste by op-amp & tube rolling. But the congested & somewhat closed soundstage disappointed me, leaving me desiring for more.
Pros:
1) Build Quality: even though it is open by case, the MKTP-1 has a excellent build. No compromise to be seen anywhere in exterior too. Circuitry is also neat & well built.
2) Sound quality: Sound presentation here is clean & clear but lacks in soundstage.
3) Rolling Capability: Enthusiasts can roll great number of op-amps & tubes to alter & fine tune the final sonic character.
4) Driving Power: The MKTP-1 amp has a powerful output power. It definitely can comfortably drive any set of cans including IEM’s.
5) Value: The MKTP-1 offers a good price/performance ratio, and is one of the most versatile amp in its price range
Cons:
Sounstage: The MKTP-1 lacks in this particular sonic character & has a congested and closed in soundstage, which will cause fatigue to a listener’s ears quickly.