APPJ PA0901A 6N4+6P14 Mini tube Amplifier Black

Well, for a tiny amp this thing is a champ! I have it in my 5th wheel trailer as the center of my 2.1 AV system. I'm using it to drive a pair of Radio Shack Minimus 7 speakers and a 6" Acoustic Audio powered subwoofer, and it sounds absolutely great!I feed my Sony BluRay into the TV via HDMI, then (for now) pull the TV audio out of the TV's headphone jack. Essentially, I'm using the TV as a preamp. I listen to cd's and FLAC files on a USB drive from the BluRay (as well as watch DVD's and BluRay movies, of course), and watch over-the-air TV, all fed to the APPJ amp from the headphone out jack on the TV. Volume and tone are controlled by the TV, with the APPJ amp's gain cranked to the max.I'm new to the tube scene, and since the 5th wheel listening is most definitely near-field, I thought a cheap, tiny amp would be a great way to get started with tubes. I live in the 5th wheel about 6 months out of the year, so I want a good quality sound system.So far I'm very happy with the results. I haven't gotten into tube rolling (yet), so I can't comment on how different tubes would sound in this baby. I'm quite happy with the stock tubes at this point. It does settle into its own sound after several hours of play. It's actually kind of interesting to listen to it as it's burning in. The sound does get richer as it goes.I have ordered a set of lo- and hi-pass filters to send a line-level low frequency (below150 Hz) signal to the sub (currently running the speaker wires through the high-level inputs on the sub), and everything over 100 Hz to the APPJ amp. I'll update this review when I get the filters installed. I'm also installing a small DAC to take the signal from the TV out of the coax out (not optical - the TV doesn't have optical out) instead of the headphone out. Should be a cleaner signal with a better DAC chip than the stock TV DAC. Of course, this will require me to control the volume at the amp instead of using the TV's volume control. I may install a remote volume controller in the future, depending on how lazy I feel. After all, the amp is only 6 feet away from my listening position! I mean, I should be able to lean forward every now and then to adjust the volume, no?So how does it sound? Well, pretty good! The powered sub takes care of any low frequency weaknesses of the tiny Minimus 7 speakers. These are not particularly sensitive speakers (86 db, I think), but it's a rather small listening space I'm in. The amp did soften the rather shrill high frequencies of the speakers. I have the TV eq set to flat and it sounds good. I'm not a basshead, but I listen to a lot of classic rock, so a good bottom end is crucial. The tiny sub is set to 12:00 on both the crossover frequency and gain controls and disappears into the sound stage - perfect! I'm looking for a bit tighter bottom end and a bit clearer midrange with the filters installed. This amp and speaker combo has a slight bump in the midrange, which is great for vocals. Good source material (hi-res FLAC) gives an excellent listening experience, and even 128k mp3's sound good. There is no harshness in the sound, a nice mellow silkiness is my best description. It sounds really smooth to me.For the price this little gem is perfect for my needs. I have a tiny amount of space for components, and a small listening space. This little beauty meets my needs perfectly.I'm thinking of getting two more if these, one for each of my ELAC towers at home. They are set up for bi-wiring, so I'd run the low end through the left channel and the high end through the right. I have an old Harman Kardon amp with pre-outs that would be my pre-amp. I'd just split the signal with a y-adapter at the amps. It would sound great and look totally cool with each amp sitting on a cinder block beside each speaker!

I picked this up after reading several positive reviews on the Miniwatt-branded version and am not disappointed.Pro: This is a very attractive amp that fits easily in the record cabinet. It's simple to use and sounds great. Low frequency response is excellent without sounding muddy and the high end is clear and detailed without any of the harshness that I have experienced with many solid-state amps. While the wattage is limited, there is plenty of power to drive a pair of efficient bookshelf speakers (my listening is done on a pair of Pioneer A. Jones signature series BS-21's) with enough volume to fill a room. Rolling the tubes in the unit with higher end versions is simple and affordable. I listened to the unit both with the stock Chinese tubes and again after rolling the tubes with Sovtek ECC83 / EL84's with vast improvements in response and detail. Also, the speaker output options are well thought-out... My Pioneer's operate at 6 Ohms and I was quite pleased to see that this little amp has 4-, 6-, and 8-Ohm output options on banana plug connectors. There was no literature to describe if the unit has a soft power-up or down, but there is zero speaker thump when switching the unit on or off.Con: The unit has only a single stereo input connector via RCA plugs, though they are gold-plated and solid. The power switch is on the rear, which I like, however there is nothing on the front of the unit to indicate that it is receiving power. Of course, you would see the glow of the tubes after a few minutes of warm-up, and the switch on the rear does light up. Plan on replacing the stock tubes, as mine produced a noticable hum at full volume (which was greatly reduced after rolling the tubes with Sovtek's). The unit also runs rather hot, so while it's a small footprint, it will need plenty of ventilation space above and beside it on the shelf.All in all, I think this is a great amp for the price. It's beautiful, simple, and sounds lovely. With a new set of tubes, I absolutely love listening to this thing.

Worked just fine. But only lasted a year (of infrequent use, well-vented are, etc.) before dying.

First off, let me review this in stock state before tube rolling. It is small and cute. Five hours on tubes and it sounds great. I really like it. Got it for a super price, Prime early access deal, got up early to make sure I got it. It has a surprisingly good soundstage. It will only get better. Next to my Audio Space Galaxy34 it looks like a toy. But don't let size fool you. It has a nice sweet mellow tone, not harsh. I can't say for certainty the bass is great or not as I am running it into Infinity Overture 1's which have powered woofers. I knew bass wouldn't matter so that weighed into my purchase. I have read some complain of hums but I hear none. Just a nice clear clean sound. I would buy another one of these in a heartbeat but to be honest if they ever put the 1501 on sale I would like to add that to my stable. My speakers are 91 db efficient and amp drives them nicely. Rolled tubes, first amperex hammonds from 60's, pretty good. Bassy. Next set was new genelex el84's, new tubes, outstanding mids, smooth highs but light on bass BUT I have the powered subs in the overture 1's and wow. Absolutely stunning. Man what a sound. Better than my Audio Space Galaxy, no but for what it is I am more than satisfied. What a gem. This little guy is the bomb. Oh yeah, I replaced the pre-amp tube with a telefunken west germany tube, an12ax7. Also an old tube Just ordered a long black plate 12ax7, an rca 7025 from late 60's nos. We will see how that changes sound.