I've found a great little amp that I think is mostly definitely worth checking out for those that are interested in cheap and cheerful HiFi. I've posted my initial impressions over at diyaudio.com but I'll cut and paste them here for those that are interested.
From DIYAUDIO.COM:
--Well I've finally had a chance to sit down and do some listening to this little baby and I'm very impressed. I've had it running into my Omega 3's (93 db) and so far this little amp is helping these full-range/single-driver speakers do exactly what there supposed to do. Vocals and midrange really just jump out of the soundstage and are presented with clarity and sharpness (more on that later). With these particular speakers and in my room I don't find that the Suppo has a warm/tubey sound; it has a very accurate sound.
I'm using a Red Wine Audio iMod as my source and it was a pretty low output voltage (less than 1 V as compared to most CD players putting out 2V) and this has often been a problem for me depending on the amp I'm using. This source most definitely did not have a problem with this amp. My speakers are pretty efficient (93 db) and even on low voltage from the source, I couldn't get past 12 o'clock on the volume dial in my medium sized room. I have no worries on getting the power I need from the Suppo.
I listened mostly to single acoustic instruments (love my Yo-Yo Ma CDs!) as well as some small group stuff (also mostly acoustic). Everything was bright, clear, and accurate. Like I said above, great performance with both male and female vocals (James Taylor was great, as was Norah Jones). I know these are all strong points of single-driver speakers and I think if this kind of stuff is your cup of tea (like me) you won't be disappointed.
I love a slightly warmer sound in my setup so I'm looking forward to seeing how things go when everything breaks in a little more. Everyone has told me the Omega's need 100 hrs of break in and I'm not anywhere near there yet.
One thing that troubles me ever so slightly with this setup is the amount of base I'm getting; its pretty non-existent below about 55 Hz. Now, I can't blame the amp because my speakers are only rated to go about that low so I need to try it with another pair of speakers. In addition, I was listening in a far from optimal setup as my new speakers stands are still under construction (Bubinga and Curly Maple and with luck they should look pretty awesome when there done!). As such, I have to set everything up on a kitchen table and listen that way.
I'm planning on testing the amp tonight with my Quad 12L2's to see what happens. These speakers are much less efficient (only 87 db I believe) but they have much deeper base. I'm interested to see how 8 ish watts sounds into these little guys. The Quads are probably my most favorite monitor and are the main reason I'm interested in the new EL34 offering from Suppo. 35 wpc goes a lot better with 87 db speakers.
Anyway, so far this is a GREAT little amp, especially considering the KILLER price. I've received a great big box of Russian tubes that I plan to roll into this thing soon and hopefully see how it responds to some changes. I've also got some really nice NOS Westinghouse 6922's that I love and I'm hoping to try them in here as well. Also, just won 10 6CG7 RCA blackplates on ebay for almost nothing so those should be fun to try too. I know everyone loves the cleartops but we'll see how things go with these. As an aside, pretty much all the tubes I've purchased recently have come in lots of 8 or 10 so if anyone is interested in doing a little trading please PM me. I've got several Russian driver options (and soon those 6CG7's) as well as a couple of different Russian tubes for the output side.
Anyway, more to come.
P.S. I have discovered one more quirky thing with this amp; its impossible to turn off without unplugging it. I've got to open it up again (maybe tomorrow) and see if the switch is wired incorrectly. "Always on" is not a good feature for a tube amp! So, one more small strike when it comes to build quality. Couple loose screws, slightly bent/scratched chassis plates, and something wrong with the switch. Overall, nothing too serious. This is one of th first amps to come out of Suppo and I'm sure QC will improve down the road.
P.P.S. When I stupidly turned my amp on without speakers connected I was lucky and did not blow anything up. Thanks for the heads up!
P.P.P.S. Everything is still stock, mods are probably a couple months off for me. Too many projects on the table at the moment to mess with something that sounds good as is (except for the switch, got to fix that!).
If you made it through all that and are still interested in more you can find more info throughout these two threads:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/155057-suppo-audio-new-chinese-el84-pp-amp-cheap.htmlhttp://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/155238-review-suppo-audios-first-offering-el84-push-pull.html
