Doorway single ended tube amp

[Poultrygeist]

The APPJ/ Miniwatt has been around for a number of years. I think I bought mine back in 2010 and she's still going strong. The new version has the tubes on top and transformers on bottom but it's essentially the same amp. You can often find these for around $100. To my ears it's SQ is comparable to my Dennis Had EL84 SE amp. It's power tubes are 6P1's and there are convertors on ebay that allow you to substitute different tubes.

 

[prime minister]

Cool thread.

 

[StevenZ]

Do you have any pictures or links to the new version?

 

[Audionut]

Amazon has a couple versions for sale. Not sure the amperex logo is used with permission or is any indication of the performance?🤷‍♂️
Can’t beat the price and aesthetics though.

 

[StevenZ]

Amazon has a couple versions for sale. Not sure the amperex logo is used with permission or is any indication of the performance?🤷‍♂️
Can’t beat the price and aesthetics though.
View attachment 28268

I had the original and always thought it sounded good. The guy I sold it to still uses it daily. He's put it up against some pretty expensive competition and still really likes it.

 

[Audionut]

I had the original and always thought it sounded good. The guy I sold it to still uses it daily. He's put it up against some pretty expensive competition and still really likes it.

I’ve always wondered about an entry level unit like this, slightly modded to be a giant killer or just punch way above their cost. I read a little about a version with WE tubes which was much better than the China tube version.

 

[StevenZ]

I’ve always wondered about an entry level unit like this, slightly modded to be a giant killer or just punch way above their cost. I read a little about a version with WE tubes which was much better than the China tube version.

They take well to quality tubes. I sold mine with NOS Mullard EL84 and NOS Mullard 12ax7. I'm not sure how much they can be modded since they're REALLY compact.

 

[Ernie]

There were three versions, the original 6P1, then the WE6005, and the EL84/12AX7

 

[electrovice]

Here is another bargain amp that uses the same output tubes.

6N1+6P1 Vacuum&Valve Tube Amplifier 2.0 Channel Hifi Stereo Audio Power Amp | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 6N1+6P1 Vacuum&Valve Tube Amplifier 2.0 Channel Hifi Stereo Audio Power Amp at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Since eBay links have a shelf life, the amp is a PCB that uses two 6P1 and one 6N1 tubes. The price with tubes and shipping was a whopping $23. It arrived in less than 2 weeks from China. The buyer will then need to add a power transformer, a small choke, output transformers, RCA jacks and binding posts. The tubes that came with my amp appear to be unused.

The actual amp I received differed from the description in two ways. The PCB board now has provisions to add the second diode pair for bridge rectification rather than by using a supplemental PCB. Additionally, the discrete components have been soldered to the underside of the PCB rather than on the side with the tube sockets. The second item makes it much easier to make a finished amp. There are several sellers of the same amp on eBay and Amazon, who knows which version of the amp you will get.

The standard Chinese tubes do not have a great reputation for sound. The Russian 6P1P-EV seems to be the preferred upgrade for the outputs. They are plentiful and cheap. The 6N1 does not have an exact Russian analog. The closest Western tube is the 6AQ8. It is plentiful but not really cheap. Fortunately I have a dozen or so US,UK,Holland,German and Japanese pulls.

I haven't completed the amp yet. I have been playing around with the layout with the parts I have in my stash. Once I settle on a layout I will make a Bottlehead type of top plate and proceed.

John

 

[tonyp063]

This has been my office music maker for the past couple of years.
Quite enjoyable.

 

[Mortsnets]

I like my Musical Paradise MP-301 (original with 6V6) which sold for $200.

The current Mk3 is $350 and can be ordered with 6L6, EL34, KT66, or KT77. SEP about 6 watts.
MP-301 MK3 Mini Tube Amplifier with Headphone Output (2018 Deluxe Version)

 

[Thermionics]

Another option if you are into roll-your-own, you can build a DGSE-1 for pretty damn cheap ($15/ea. per output transformer, probably another $60 for a new Edcore 500VCT power transformer, four tube sockets, some capacitors, some resistors, a cake pan, and some tubes - 12AX7 driver, EL84 outputs, and either an octal or 6CA4 rectifier). I built one from scratch using a Hammond box for less than $150.

 

[Poultrygeist]

There are a couple of adaptors on ebay that allow substitutes for the 6P1. Here I'm using the big smokey 6v6 Ken-rads . I've had the three tube version but the four tube is better. Mine has a diode mod which Ed Schilling ( Hornshoppe ) did for me some years ago.

 

[Poultrygeist]

The APPJ/Miniwatt was right at home driving the Lowthers.

 

[Poultrygeist]

The Zu's have long since departed while the APPJ/MW has stood the test of time.

 

[Poultrygeist]

Over the years the APPJ/Miniwatt has been used with a host of preamps and the added gain allows it to perform well with any number of speakers.

 

[Poultrygeist]

 

[Poultrygeist]

 

[djnagle]

How does the Miniwatt compare to the early Decware Zen amps?

 

[Poultrygeist]

How does the Miniwatt compare to the early Decware Zen amps?

From the 6moons review:

"The MiniWatt reminded me of the crystalline, fast as a whip, lit up EL84 Decware sound." - Srajan

6moons audio reviews: MiniWatt tube amplifier