Antique Sound Lab in UHF No. 62

The bragging rights alone are worth the price, we figure. Sure, tubes used to be in the mainstream (as were washboards and crystal radios, once), but today they're exotic. And exotic is spelled e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e.
     Single-ended tubes are even more exotic, in fact. Does any other single-ended tube amplifier have a three-digit price? Still thinking?
     This little integrated tube amp is from China, of course. In any other country you couldn't buy the parts for this kind of money.
     The design is simple, and classic too. This is an integrated amplifier, with an input selector (three choices, no tape loop) and a volume control. There is just one 6550 output tube per channel. This single-ended setup can potentially give lower distortion at very low levels than the usual push-pull configuration, because there is only a single tube doing all of the amplification...no sharing with another one that might have a mind of its own. On the other hand, high-level distortion may be higher. With just one output tube, there's no need for the usual phase inverter, so the ECC83 dual triode (one per side) is just a preamp and driver.
     Like other amplifiers from this factory, the MG-SI15DT has a sleek finish, and it's made with what seem to be quality parts. That includes the binding posts.
     All tube amplifiers radiate a lot of heat, as everyone knows, but you might think this one, with its 8 ohm rating, should be an exception. It's not. We tested it on a hot day, and we could actually feel the heat coming from it just by looking toward it. It is proof that you don't need to emit greenhouse gases in order to contribute to global warming!
     We did the review using the same discs as in the cable test on the previous pages, starting with the Bruckner Scherzo (Reference Recordings RR-81CD). This is a tough recording for a tiny amplifier, especially with our not-so-efficient 3a MS5 reference speakers. Could the amplifier handle it at anything even close to reasonable volume?
     It could and did. The bottom end didn't have the oomph of our YBA1 (which costs exactly ten times as much), and the lower strings at the start of the movement were left outside. We were impressed and surprised, however, by the sheer detail in this vast orchestra. The brass was bright, but -- and this is the big surprise...

Model: Antique Sound Lab MG-SI15DT
Price: C$879, US$699
Warranty: 5 years on most parts, 1 year on tubes and labor, transferable
Dimensions: 32 x 26 x 20 cm

(What was the big surprise? Alas, the answer is in our print issue! To read the entire article, just order issue 62 at our secure server.)

Complete articles from this issue:
Vecteur I-4 integrated amplifier, Antique Sound Lab passive preamp, State of the Art

Excerpted articles from this issue:
Copy Right!, DVD for Your Future, Vecteur L-4 player, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista amplifier, Moon Attraction processor, Creek OBH-12, Two Interconnects, Antique Sound Lab amplifier


		(Reprinted from issue 62 of UHF Magazine. To purchase the issue, click here. Or click here to subscribe to UHF) Antique Sound Lab MG-SI15DT A single-ended integrated tube amplifier for US$700...it's a joke, right? Well, no...
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		The bragging rights alone are worth the price, we figure. Sure, tubes used to be in the mainstream (as were washboards and crystal radios, once), but today they're exotic. And exotic is spelled e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. Single-ended tubes are even more exotic, in fact. Does any other single-ended tube amplifier have a three-digit price? Still thinking? This little integrated tube amp is from China, of course. In any other country you couldn't buy the parts for this kind of money. The design is simple, and classic too. This is an integrated amplifier, with an input selector (three choices, no tape loop) and a volume control. There is just one 6550 output tube per channel. This single-ended setup can potentially give lower distortion at very low levels than the usual push-pull configuration, because there is only a single tube doing all of the amplification...no sharing with another one that might have a mind of its own. On the other hand, high-level distortion may be higher. With just one output tube, there's no need for the usual phase inverter, so the ECC83 dual triode (one per side) is just a preamp and driver. Like other amplifiers from this factory, the MG-SI15DT has a sleek finish, and it's made with what seem to be quality parts. That includes the binding posts. All tube amplifiers radiate a lot of heat, as everyone knows, but you might think this one, with its 8 ohm rating, should be an exception. It's not. We tested it on a hot day, and we could actually feel the heat coming from it just by looking toward it. It is proof that you don't need to emit greenhouse gases in order to contribute to global warming! We did the review using the same discs as in the cable test on the previous pages, starting with the Bruckner Scherzo (Reference Recordings RR-81CD). This is a tough recording for a tiny amplifier, especially with our not-so-efficient 3a MS5 reference speakers. Could the amplifier handle it at anything even close to reasonable volume? It could and did. The bottom end didn't have the oomph of our YBA1 (which costs exactly ten times as much), and the lower strings at the start of the movement were left outside. We were impressed and surprised, however, by the sheer detail in this vast orchestra. The brass was bright, but -- and this is the big surprise... Model: Antique Sound Lab MG-SI15DT Price: C$879, US$699 Warranty: 5 years on most parts, 1 year on tubes and labor, transferable Dimensions: 32 x 26 x 20 cm *(What was* the big surprise? Alas, the answer is in our print issue! To read the entire article, just order issue 62 at our secure server.) Complete articles from this issue: Vecteur I-4 integrated amplifier, Antique Sound Lab passive preamp, State of the Art Excerpted articles from this issue: Copy Right!, DVD for Your Future, Vecteur L-4 player, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista amplifier, Moon Attraction processor, Creek OBH-12, Two Interconnects, Antique Sound Lab amplifier [TABLE OF CONTENTS] [BACK HOME]**