Sophia Electric Baby Amp. An outstanding integrated tube amplifier that exceeded my expectations.
RE: Special. I have the opportunity to buy some gear locally at a good price and it would be nice to off-set the cost. $400 is a fine deal for a stock unit. This is a steal with all the upgrades. Seriously, I will only offer this for 24 hours. $400 firm. Act now. $1200 of gear for $400, you do the math.
The sound is great and it is completely quiet....no tube hiss, buzz, or hum. I first heard these on a pair of Klipsch speakers and the utter quiet background is fantastic. The complete lack of noise helps to bring out details. This also makes it great for high efficiency speakers. This Baby has a great loyal following and worth a quick search if you haven't heard of it. Excellent condition functionally and cosmetically. I used this for maybe 200 hours or so on various weekends in a second system. The amp uses military type tubes and are known to last a very long time.
I have three other amps and I'm re-arranging gear, so time for this to find a new home rather than sitting idle forever.
Upgrades
1) Upgraded filter capacitors are installed. These made a significant improvement: helped fill out the bass.
2) TWO complete sets of NOS tubes are available, NOS/NIB GE and RCA I briefly used the GE tubes.
3) Jantzen superior capacitors. brand new, not installed.
I was planning to go all out because this amp is worth it. Amp was $995 new. Also, this is an original unit direct from the manufacturer. READ the three excerpts below. Can be used as a power amp, too. Thanks for looking. BTW, this amp is one of the best looking amps in history.
To recap the value:
Original amp cost = $995
filter caps = $40 plus installation cost
NOS/NIB tubes = $88 2 RCA, 2 GE (and the orig. 2 tubes). Amp only needs 2 tubes, so 6 will last many years.
Jantzen caps = $40 appx. cost. not installed.
From what I've seen, these amps sell used for $400 to $450 completely stock. So, I priced the amp with filter caps (installed). I would prefer to sell the whole package with all upgrades, so I'll negotiate a great deal on the balance (4 nos tubes, Jantzen caps).
$429 w/o the NOS/NIB, w/o Jantzen caps, but with filter caps
$455 for everything. That's $128 of added value for peanuts. Why? Because I'd rather just sell it all together. And, it belongs together, ideally.
Feel free to ask questions. I have pix of everything, just ask. Thanks.
Some review excerpts.
ONE
I e-mailed this guy before I bought the amp. BELOW is not our e-mail, but his publicly available info... his reply to the manufacturer in 2009.
11-26-09: Mrovnak Sophia Baby Amp.
I have owned about 19 amplifiers since I bought the Baby Amp (I am not kidding, I sat down and counted the other day). The Baby Amp absolutely stomps on so many other amplifiers, it has sent a Nelson Pass Aleph J, a PrimaLuna, a Pathos, and a RedWine Audio packing. I can't stress enough how beautiful sounding this amplifier is, I have several 300b amplifiers, and frankly the baby amp. has all of the sound but more dynamics, it really is hard to beat. The Sophia Baby Amp really is one of the best bargains in audio, one of those components I bought almost out of curiosity, but I will never sell. (Output) Tubes are not common at all, of course, but Sophia still sells them for $60 a quad. And by the way, I think the sophia (Baby Amp) is one of the best looking amplifiers out there. Mrovnak (Answers)
So I sent an email to the review author. Within one day, I got a reply in my mail box as below.
Hi Washington highend Audio,
I am a huge fan of the Baby amp, I really can't stress enough to people I speak with how fantastic it sounds, and how surprisingly powerful it is despite its low specified output..
I originally bought the amp from you guys used, probably the best money I have spent in the audio realm. The amps I have owned including
1. Cambridge Audio Azur 340a.
2. NAD C355 Bee.
3. Rotel RB1080.
4. Sonos ZP 100.
5. Sonos ZP 120.
6. Peachtree Audio Decco.
7. Musical Fidelity X-150.
8. Sophia Electric Baby.
9. PrimaLuna Prologue 1.
10. Welborne Audio 300 DRD.
11. Tubelab 300b.
12. Pathos Classic One MKII.
13. RedWine audio signature 30.2.
14. First Watt / Nelson Pass Aleph J.
15. Audiosector Patek V2.
16. PeachTree Audio Nova.
17. RedWine Audio Clari-T (Custom).
You are more than welcome to use any text I have written in the public domain for advertising purposes, and I would be happy be a reference for anyone considering purchasing one of them from you, I certainly have an intimate knowledge of its' sound characteristics with over a dozen different speaker types..
Not too mention it is, in my wife's opinion, the best looking amplifier that has come into our home. I have to agree!
M. Rovnak
Here is my thought on Baby Amp:
While there is no shortage of affordable tube amps, however, none has the name recognition, the sound performance, and the reliability quality as well as the liquid resale offered by Sophia Electric Baby Amp. This is the one that has achieved cult status. It is more than just a taste of true high end sound on a beer budget.
TWO All in all the Sophia Electric stereo tubed amplifier offers impressive sound easily challenging unit more than double the costs. Add to this the sheer lack of background noise that tends to obscure everything in its path and you have one hell of a bargain!
THREE Sophia Electric has entered the sub-$1000 amplifier price range with a vengeance, serving notice of their intentions with a completely new amplifier designed, as their website says, "to be the world's finest amplifier." While that stated goal may be a bit optimistic, especially in light of higher priced Sophia Electric products available, the fact remains that the Sophia Electric Baby Amplifier is certainly among the finest in its price class - and beyond. With decent, usable power, impeccable sound, superb build quality, and very pleasing visual aesthetics, the littlest Sophia is pleasing to see, and wonderful to hear. With any luck, they will be able to continue to offer the Baby Amplifier at a low price for a some time to come.
