New Miniwatt N3?

pardales · « **on:** 20 Apr 2010, 03:17 am »

Anyone hear or have one of these yet? The new Miniwatt N3 that is!

Mariusz · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 03:36 am »

I would like to take it for a spin.
But I doubt it.
It may sound really good tho.

JeffBrown · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 03:40 am »

I've got one... (Review coming soon!)

As a small taste, it does all the S1 (original Miniwatt) does with more finesse and better tube upgrade options...

Jeff Brown

pardales · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 03:57 am »

Quote from: JeffBrown on 20 Apr 2010, 03:40 am

I've got one... (Review coming soon!)

As a small taste, it does all the S1 (original Miniwatt) does with more finesse and better tube upgrade options...

Jeff Brown

Cool!

Looking forward to your review.

Mariusz · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 03:58 am »

Quote from: JeffBrown on 20 Apr 2010, 03:40 am

I've got one... (Review coming soon!)

As a small taste, it does all the S1 (original Miniwatt) does with more finesse and better tube upgrade options...

Jeff Brown

One question Jeff:
Is it worth the premium?
(not refering to tubes)

or should we wait for the review?

Mariusz

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 05:01 am »

JeffBrown · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Apr 2010, 02:48 am »

I kept the S1 so the review will be a direct comparison.

worth the premiem will be in the eye of the beholder, but I do like it better! I'm a bit sorry I bought the first one now...

Jeff Brown

Mariusz · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Apr 2010, 03:02 am »

That better ahh.

If it had another input and an input switch, I would have been all over it.
I'll definitely keep an eye for used one or group buy.
Thanks for heads up Jeff and I'll check out that review as well.

bombadil111 · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 May 2010, 09:51 pm »

Hi Jeff,

Maybe I missed it . . . I assume you will post your review in an upcoming Affordable Audio issue?

I look forward to your review. I also purchased the N3 . . . a couple months ago; apparently before is was even released for sale

.

I have zero experience with tube amps. But so far I am quite please in the sound . . . especially through my Hawthorne Audio open baffles.

Quote from: JeffBrown on 21 Apr 2010, 02:48 am

I kept the S1 so the review will be a direct comparison.

worth the premiem will be in the eye of the beholder, but I do like it better! I'm a bit sorry I bought the first one now...

Jeff Brown

Folsom · « **Reply #9 on:** 31 May 2010, 07:10 am »

I just hooked one up to some Horn Shoppe speakers.

DVD/VCR joke > Blue Jeans 6'ft Digital > PD DAC > Blue Jeans RCA > MiniWatt N3 > "White Lightening Wood Patio Cord > Horn Shoppe Module 1. All fed by special power conditioner that I make (extremely good, makes Audience Adepts stuff look like toy).

Extremely clinical sound. Tube upgrade would be nice for "warmth" (distortion), and some tone. Bass guitar is more than tight enough even in a system not broken in. I doubt the old diode mod would do any good for this unit. It does however have an ever present sound. It has a small hum or sorts that has nothing to do with the volume, input, or what it is plugged into. This might be due to the new transformer setup for 4/6/8ohm. It is not a bad sound but you can hear it in a quiet room. It is a little bizarre and I wish it was not there. However it is far from as bad as the radio station near my house that gives me darn near imaging on butt rock when nothing in my system is playing, just on.

This thing easily is as good as any nice 300B or McIntosh units I have heard with one small issue. The volume potentiometer is a joke. I would not buy the unit unless I knew I could replace it. I know what a bad pot sounds like because I have heard them a lot and then removed them. It is like a blanket over the music. Anyways that is the only real big drawback from a outrageously affordable power house of an amplifier. I would suggest one of these because it probably fits inside the unit.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SMT-Resistor-10K-Step-Attenuator-Volume-Control-Alps-/320494435731?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4a9ef4fd93

Anything else to say? It might lean slightly on the bright side (not in a bad way, just a sort of shiny metal way) but again easy tube upgrade. The transient response lacks world class detail, but come on it cost so little... big deal. One change and you are rocking serious gear. At 1/4 volume it is at decently good volume levels for listening on The Horn Shoppe. It provides plenty power for listening and rocking out.

Oh yeah results may vary because not everyone has power conditioning like I do. Well or actually like my grandfather has now (made the stereo for him). You could start with any of the old ones people where making for Squeezebox power supplies to start to get the same thing.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #10 on:** 31 May 2010, 06:37 pm »

I have been wrestling with hum from a tube amp that is also present when the amp is only connected to the speakers and nothing else. It seems the first step to try is to get a "cheater plug" that converts a 3 prong plug to a 2 prong plug, taking the ground out of the equation. That's the cheap and easy first step. Not that it worked for me. I need to get back to finding other solutions. My amp was dead quiet through another system, so I think it is my power that is the problem. May be the case for your N3 as well.

I had not had this problem with other amps I have used in the room my tube amp was set up in. Gainclones were fine, silent as could be. Have you had other tube amps in this set-up? And was there hum then?

Folsom · « **Reply #11 on:** 31 May 2010, 11:21 pm »

That system never existed before yesterday.

Every other system that has any similarities lacks the hum this one has. I think it is just the Miniwatt N3...

My GC picks up the local radio station at about low whisper level, a lot of the time. It is a BAD radio station too, terrible music, nothing but butt rock.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #12 on:** 31 May 2010, 11:29 pm »

And have you had tubes before? I never had speaker hum issues until my first tube amp. Just want to make sure we aren't blaming the amp for what might be AC power probs. I was blaming my tube amp for the buzz it produced until I heard it plugged into another system and found it to be dead quiet.

Mariusz · « **Reply #13 on:** 1 Jun 2010, 03:24 am »

Can not speak for N-3 and some hum issues reported by at least one user (there are many variables when it comes to source of hum) but as far as original S-1 performance is concern, self noise of that amp is better then most.
It's (S-1) comparable in that regard to my Decware monos.

Folsom · « **Reply #14 on:** 2 Jun 2010, 12:16 am »

I will have my father check the AC that my uncle put in when he goes back to setup the phono side.

Folsom · « **Reply #15 on:** 2 Jun 2010, 12:27 am »

I almost forgot... without these speaker cables (I just put stripped ends into the speaker terminals and bananas into the amp) it would not sound half as good as it does. I just put them in my system... Let me tell you it was not a fad. Oh my god. Reference quality. Mine are not even burned in and I am floored. I would skip the IC's though I think. I think the specs on my Blue Jeans are superior. (my grandfathers stereo with the N3 has Blue Jeans too). It is amazingly how little money you need to get tens of thousands of dollars worth of clarity, if you just choose the right stuff. By the way most of the local stereo shop (RIP) that had $15k speakers and $20k worth of gear behind them sounded boring, boring, boring. I think just outright buying stuff is a waste of money without good power conditioning and the simple things that make the big difference like not playing with all the gemicky cables. For example a stepped attenuator will give you more of what you want than changing amps endlessly that all feature anything short of the $500 Alps unit. There are just bigger fish to fry in a system that people overlook.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/whitelightning/moonshine.html

Mariusz · « **Reply #16 on:** 2 Jun 2010, 12:31 am »

That's how I got it hooked up - no bananas, no nothing.
Banded copper wire, pushed in and bingo !!!

Folsom · « **Reply #17 on:** 2 Jun 2010, 12:34 am »

Quote from: Mariusz on 2 Jun 2010, 12:31 am

That's how I got it hooked up - no bananas, no nothing.
Banded copper wire, pushed in and bingo !!!

You use them too? They are the one and only thing I will buy from Wal-Mart because they are frankly as good as I can imagine it getting. You take a system from being a toy to impressing anyone especially the cheaper the system might be.

Mariusz · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 Jun 2010, 02:31 am »

Quote from: Destroyer of Smiles. on 2 Jun 2010, 12:34 am

You use them too? They are the one and only thing I will buy from Wal-Mart because they are frankly as good as I can imagine it getting. You take a system from being a toy to impressing anyone especially the cheaper the system might be.

I love to play some tune for friends ("audiophiles") and then reveal the total cost of the system. It makes my day....... and it never fails. :icon_

tawaundabomb · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Jun 2010, 04:28 am »

Like 1 poster said it does all the things the S1 does but better,but it plays much bigger more controlled and relaxed it has the widest soundstage of any amp I've heard,and the bass goes waaay deep,i would love to hear it alongside the Vaughn Audio Carina and Decware Mini Tori,its a very very special amp,hats off to the MiniWatt team.