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Question in March 2008 = Just as always there are people who just want to shout the opposite of
what is commonly regarded as 'good'.   You're just like one to me.
I'm a happy owner of the LS3/5a... indeed not a full range speaker but the
sound stage and midrange is one of the things I rarely heard in a better quality.

Answer = Many dealer selling used BBC LS3/5a have written nonsensical claims about BBC LS3/5a
to sell BBC LS3/5a to trusting Hi Fi enthusiasts
.
BBC LS3/5a is good speaker FOR THE SMALL SIZE.
If you want a TINY 5 inch speaker.  BBC LS3/5a is very good.

But if you want a SERIOUS HIgh FIdelity speaker with good loud bass
and can go loud
and has good midrange EVEN WHEN THERE IS A LOUD BASS DRUM,
then the tiny BBC LS3/5a is not suitable.

I am not the only person saying that the legendary BBC LS3/5a is o.k. but not fantastic.

Please read page 64 and page 65 of Hi Fi Choice number 31 magazine that tested many dozens of speakers.

1983 Hi Fi Choice say ......
the bass lacked extension and sounded boomy in the upper bass register,
while the mid had a noticeably hard , nasal quality and
the treble seemed forward with a grainy. 'zitty' effect at the extreme top end.
Some tubby, wooden and boxy coloration were also evident, 
while its only moderate rendition of stereo depth was apparent.

1983 Hi Fi choice also say ....
At the risk of offending the BBC, I feel that the LS3/5a is due for a revision........

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
our GBP £950 to GBP £2500 speaker with Cheery wood veneer + expensive piano finish
+ 2 pieces of 8 inch bass speaker with HUGE MAGNETS
+ 4 inch or 5 inch superb coated paper cone (seldom overload, because bass is diverted to 8 inch woofer)
+ 1 inch dome tweeter + sophisticated crossover
looks and sound 3 times to 100 better (depending on how fussy you are)
for bass + more realistic human voice + much much more realistic clearer human voice even when there is loud bass drum.

HUGE 22 inch bass drum will easily overload the SMALL 5 inch speaker of BBC LS3/5a
and once the SMALL 5 inch speaker is overloaded,
human voice became blur and congested as though the singer has a bad cold and a blocked up nose.
Turn up the volume louder, and the 'blocked up nose' effect gets so bad that you cannot understand the words of the song.

How can you say that the BBC LS3/5a has got good midrange
when you cannot even understand the words of the song, 
when HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum has overloaded the SMALL 5 inch speaker.

How can you say that that 
sound stage and midrange is one of the things I rarely heard in a better quality
when 1983 Hi Fi choice say
'while its only moderate rendition of stereo depth was apparent.'

Why is your word so different to 1983 Hi Fi Choice words ?
Are you a dealer trying to sell a few pairs of LS3/5a
that you bought from an old studio ?

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Even MODERN speaker designer do not like Bextrene cone of BBC LS3/5a
Please read 
http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/speaker-design2.html
for the section on 'Bextrene Mid bass'
which say 
Bextrene Mid bass
........ is typically damped by a layer of doping material on the front of the cone
to control the strong first resonance it displays around 1.5 kHz.
(Affordable Valve company say that this is true, )
(because there is a huge about 6 decibels peak in the frequency response curve at about 1.2 kHz for LS3/5a)
(in 1983 Hi Fi Choice.  This is about the most sensitive part of your hearing range, so it is bad. )

The BBC derived designs always employed notch filter equalization to flatten the Bextrene driver in the mid band;
the most famous (or infamous, depending on whether you were the listener or the designer) driver was the KEF B110
used in the BBC LS 3/5a mini monitor. 
Not everyone knows that this speaker, which is legendary for its sweet midrange,
employs a deep notch filter with 6 dB of attenuation at 1.5 kHz to correct the B110.
(Affordable Valve company say that there is still a huge about 6 decibels peak)
(in the frequency response curve at about 1.2 kHz for LS3/5a in 1983 Hi Fi Choice.)
(This is about the most sensitive part of your hearing range. So, it is bad. )

Over time, Bextrene has been replaced by BBC developed polypropylene, which gives much flatter response,
does not require a layer of doping material, and provides a 3-4 dB increase in efficiency due to the decrease in cone mass. 
Bextrene is now considered an obsolete material by nearly all speaker designers.

Strengths are: Consistent batch to batch, excellent potential imaging (by mid Seventies standards).
Inner resolution higher than many paper cones.

Weaknesses are: Very low efficiency (82-84 dB at 1 meter), requires a strong notch filter in the mid band,
a "quacky" coloration by modern standards, sudden, unpleasant onset of breakup at not so high levels
, and numerous resonances at the top of the working band.

Best Examples are: None. Modern designers are not willing to tolerate the low efficiency
and the complex notching and shelving equalization required to make these drivers acceptable.
Although some traditionalists revere the KEF B110 used in the Rogers LS 3/5a,
the uneven response of this driver requires the LS 3/5a crossover to be very complex.
Having worked with the B110 for many years, I feel the modern Vifa P13WH-00-08 is superior in every way.
 

 
 
Question from eBay member on 21 March 2008 =

have very large living room 48 ft buy 19 ft have a old set of gemini 5
speakers the subs in them run of a separate amp i run a cord at the top end
but was thinking of upgrading to audio research vt 200 second hand but
after reading your add would like to try yours do u think it would be a
better move thanks tony
 
 

 

 
Question in March 2008 = I am looking to buy a valve amp but am concerned at the correct 
loud speakers to match the amp. I built a World Audio Design kit amplifier a few years ago and 
constructed , at great time and expense, a pair of speakers using very sensitive Lowther drive units.
When I paired these to the amplifier the results were very bad, I got white noise at all times 
and this was due to the sensitivity of the speakers. I contacted the WAD help line and they suggested
some 100K resistors to reduce the gain of the amp.. this worked well and I had the
most wonderful hi fi experience which lasted until the amp failed and I could not repair it.
So . I am interested to know if your amps are likely to give the same problem, and what is the solution.
Answer = I knew that some of WAD (World Audio Design sold in Hi Fi World magazines)
DIY (Do It Yourself) home made valve amplifier
had problems with hum (even though modern inefficient speakers.)
For example, the construction article for WAD 300B Single Ended valve amplifier said that
their WAD (World Audio Design sold in Hi Fi World magazines) had a hum,
and you could use some negative feedback to reduce (but not cure) the hum.
(Our eBay shop listing of ALL 3 model of our 300B valve amplifiers do NOT hum,
(because of we have fitted a choke./ inductor in power supply , Big capacitors in the power supply,)
(DC heating , humdinger to earth the heater of the 300B valve at ABOUT the 'centre point'.
We refused to sell the original Chinese 300B amplifier because it hummed,
so LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes) helped the Chinese designer to cure the hum problem,
before we sold the 300B amplifier. If our valve amplifier hum or hissed,
customer will return  our amplifier during the 1 month home trail,
so we are VERY FUSSY about any minor problems AND QUALITY OF SOUND.)
But I did not know that (World Audio Design sold in Hi Fi World magazines)
home made valve amplifier also had a hiss.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
ALL of our valve amplifier , even our 300B Single End amplifiers,  do NOT hum or hiss,
at normal listening distance,
through efficient speakers like Lowther.
If you are listening late at night, when everything is quiet, and there are no road noise or children,
and you put your ears 6 inches (150 millimeters) from the the speaker or amplifier,
you can hear a TINY hum or TINY hiss.
If you are sitting 6 feet (2 metres) from the speaker and amplifier,
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR ANY HUM OR HISS EVEN WITH EFFICIENT HORN SPEAKER
OR MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
WE CAN GUARANTEE THIS BECAUSE
WE HAVE  A CUSTOMER WHO USES LOWTHER WITH TWO DRIVE UNITS.
I think that 1 lowther drive unit faces forward,
but the OTHER lowther drive unit faces towards the ceiling. or something like that.
SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS AMPLIFIER HAVE HUM OR HISS
SO YOU MUST HAVE 1 MONTH HOME TRIAL
AND LISTEN LATE AT NIGHT, WHEN EVERYTHING IS QUIET.
IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR 'HIGH END' VALVE AMPLIFIERS TO BE FREE FROM HUM AND HISS BECAUSE ..........
In addition to WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) valve amplifier
producing sweeter , nicer treble WITHOUT LOSING THE DETAILS
and less sibilance (when a woman say 'his' , it sound like 'hissssssk')
and SLIGHTLY more bass (if you have huge output transformer + push pull + fixed / adjustable bias, better than the 'automatic bias')
you also get another important improvement
if you have WELL DESIGN (that need not be insanely expensive) speaker with HUGE MAGNETS that 'start and stop' quickLY,
and does not boom and boom.
This other important improvement is you hear
a musical note that QUICKLY dies away,
so you get an INKY BLACK SILENCE,
BEFORE the next musical note starts.
Because you get this INKY BLACK SILENCE (if you have WELL DESIGNED speaker with HUGE MAGNETS, etc),
soft echoes / reverberation become BLATANTLY OBVIOUS (because it is not hidden / masked by 'Class B crossover distortion')
.
You will also heard that some recording engineer will do silly things,
like adding echo (echo chamber) to enhance the singers voice.
So, it sound as though you and the singer are sitting in an 'echo y' bathroom.
But these echo are NOT invented by our Affordable Valve Company valve / tube amplifier or speakers.
You get these 'echo y' effect on about 20 percent to 40 percent of singers in a STUDIO RECORDING (NOT a 'live' recording)
and VERY occasionally on the drums in a STUDIO RECORDING (NOT a 'live' recording).
but you seldom get echo on other musical instruments in a STUDIO RECORDING (NOT a 'live' recording)
If these echoes were invented by Affordable Valve Company valve / tube amplifier or speakers,
you should get echoes on EVERYTHING,
but you only get echo on 20 percent to 40 percent of singer in a STUDIO RECORDING (NOT a 'live' recording)
and VERY occasionally on the drums in a STUDIO RECORDING (NOT a 'live' recording).
So, these echo are the fault of the Studio engineer,
who was trying to improve the singers voice by artificial means.
The fact that Recording Engineer do not notice these BLATANTLY OBVIOUS echo effect only proves that
how lousy many studio monitors and studio transistor amplifiers are,
(Yeah, studio monitors can go loud,)
(but using 12 inch woofers to reproduce half or most of the human voice is a bad idea.)
or the Recording Engineer has PERMANENTLY damaged their hearing,
by listening at insanely loud levels, for many months / years.
You do NOT notice these BLATANTLY OBVIOUS echoes with 'Class B' transistor amplifiers,
because 'Class B crossover distortion' is VERY HIGH at low volumes
(Please ask the manufacturer for a graph of distortion going from 1 thousandth of a watt to 1 watt.)
(It is so bad, that the transistor amplifier manufacturer will NOT reply)
You will NOT notice these BLATANTLY OBVIOUS echoes with many speaker with small to medium size magnet,
because the sound do NOT start and stop VERY quickly.
(Please look at the size of the HUGE magnets on our eBay listing of GBP £750 to GBP £2500 speakers 
with 2 pieces of 8 inch woofer bass speaker + 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter
+ sophisticated crossover, unlike the simple compact crossover of most 'High End' speakers)
At this stage, you might be thinking, if you should replace 
your WAD (World Audio Design sold in Hi Fi World magazines) valve /amplifier
with another WAD (World Audio Design) valve amplifier
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
our eBay shop listing for Triode Connected 'Chinatown' or 'Lim Aik Leong Signature' valve amplifier will 

sound 50 percent to 10 times better than any
WAD (World Audio Design) valve amplifier because ......
1. Our amplifiers do not hum or hiss at a listening distance of 6 feet or more.
    hum or hiss affect the 'inky black silence between the musical notes' and mask / hide the echoes, quiet notes, etc.
2. Fixed / Adjustable Bias will produce more bass power and better bass than 'Automatic Bias'
    Our Fixed / Adjustable bias will produce more bass power and better bass than
    WAD (World Audio Design) very unusual (I do not think that any other valve expert does this) bias
    of half 'automatic bias' and half 'fixed / adjustable bias'
3. Triode valve or 'Triode Connected' valves will produce less distortion and sound better than
    the pentode valve (input / driver) used in some WAD (World Audio Design) valve amplifier like their 300B Triode valve amplifiers.
    Most manufacturers producing 300B triode valve amplifier uses triode valve for the (input/driver) valve,
    because most people agree that triode valve or 'triode connected' valve sound better than the pentode valves. .
4. Our transformers are better. For example, you MUST have an 'air gap' in the output transformers for Single Ended amplifiers.
    Once the 'air gap' has been set in output transformer, you must NOT loosen the bolts,
    to mount the output transformer on the chassis of WAD (Word Audio Design) amplifier
5. Affordable Valve Company 'Chinatown' and 'Lim Aik Leong Signature' valve amplifier usually have more 'ultrasonic filter'
    than WAD (World Audio Design) valve amplifiers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, I know that some ?valve? experts? (who have not heard MODERN SERIOUS speakers)
go on and on about Horn speaker,
but please ignore the nonsensical hype about horn speakers.
First of all, in order to get good quality bass to 20 Hertz, with low coloration,
you need a horn with a mouth of 37 FEET IN DIAMETER !
(37 feet is two third of 54 feet wavelength of 20 Hertz sound wave)
The typical 1 foot mouth of the typical horn
is 37 TIMES TOO SMALL !
So, the bass from the 'typical' horn speaker is lousy !

One way of getting around this is to use a 'corner horn' (the size of a fridge),
that is designed to be put in a corner of the room.
So the walls of the room became part of the horn.
Although this will improve the bass,
the reflection of the rear wall, side wall
will affect the midrange and human voices badly.
Try putting your loudspeaker in the corner of the room.
You should hear more bass (but the quality of the bass might be uneven).
But the human voice, and midrange instrument become very 'blur'
and is no longer clear / clarity / transparency
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment return during 1 month home trial)
that our eBay shop listing for Affordable Valve Company GBP £950 to GBP £2500 speakers with
2 pieces of 8 inch woofer bass speaker
+ 5 inch or 4 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter
+ sophisticated crossover, unlike the simple compact crossover of most 'High End' speakers)
will produce 3 times to 100 time better bass (depending on how fussy you are)
that Lowther (or any other brand) horn speakers, with 1 foot or 2 feet horn mouth.
5 time to 100 times better treble (depending on how fussy you are)
Hi Fi New magazines published a frequency response of a very expensive horn speaker using a new - ish Lowther drive unit,
and the treble response was very bad, when compared to a WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) modern 1 inch dome tweeter.
There is a difference between
treble is not irritating because there is no treble
versus
treble is not irritating because the frequency response and waterfall curves are very good,
and the tweeter had sophisticated crossover to prevent human voices overloading the tweeter.
Please buy our eBay shop listing of a test CD to check the frequency response of your Lowther horn speakers
or any other 'Single Driver' speaker (which usually have poor treble and / or poor bass ).
will produce 3 times to 100 time (depending on how fussy you are)
more realistic human voices, and will trick you into believing that you favorite singer is in your living room
for almost all 'live' recording' + about 70 percent of studio recording
when using any of our Triode Connected amplifiers + hilarious price GBP £200 Sony CD player with 300 CD jukebox,
when voice is at a realistic
(The most important sound on the recording of your favorite singer is the voice of your favorite singer)
Reply from customer = Thank very much for the very detailed technical reply to my query regarding
matching of loud speakers to one of your valve amps. I must stress that when I used to have a
fully functional WAD amplifier, the performance of my full range Lowther drive units in compact
cabinets was absolutely superb, even though the bass would probably be considered  inadequate by
anyone looking for quantity above quality .... anyway I thought the level of bass was perfect for the
type of music which I listen to. Please find below my postal address for delivery of one of your
brochures
Answer = Please let me explain that we have a huge range to speakers to make sure that our amplifier work well with almost any speakers.
Our speaker range from the legendary Yamaha NS-1000M sealed box with 12 inch woofer + exotic 3 and half in exotic BERYLLIUM METAL DOME MIDRANGE + exotic BERYLLIUM METAL DOME TWEETER (look at GBP £10000 to GBP £20000 speaker if you want BERYLLIUM DOMES)
and
12 inch woofer in huge well dampen (no boom) transmission lines
and
IMF TLS50 with tweeter + midrange + 8 inch woofer in transmission line (modified with extra sound absorbent to to 100 percent boom free)
and
KEF concerto bass reflex with 13 inch by 9 inch woofer (superb bass, no boom) + 5 inch bextrene cone + 1 inch tweeter
and
Quad Electrostatic ESL 57 (bass is boom free, but severely lacking in loud deep bass) (very good human voice) (treble is not irritating, because there is no treble ! Please look at the frequency response of 'typical' quad electrostatic and NOT a specially select sample for review sent to Studio Sound many years ago !)
I am very fussy about the quality and quantity of bass.
Please can I explain that our 2 pieces of 8 inch woofer with huge magnet in Lim Aik Leong (beware of fakes) designed / tuned  bass reflex cabinets
will easily easily out class the Lowther for bass both in quality and quality by 3 times to 100 times (depending on how fussy you are)..
You need very long horns with huge 37 feet diameter mouth to get quantity AND quality.
If the horn is too short with too small a mouth you get huge amount of resonance / coloration and the frequency response ha huge peak and huge dips because of the resonance of small horns.
Please can I also explain that our superb 1 inch dome tweeter will produce 5 times to 100 times better treble (depending on how fussy you are)
that the huge whizzer cone.
(Please look at any frequency response graph of any Lowther drive unit.)
Please can I also explain that our superb 'High End' 5 inch coated paper cone with huge magnet,
with low crossover point of about 200 Hertz, will slightly beat (or match) human voices from our best Quad electrostatic speaker
(not enough bass, when compared to BIG modern 'high end' speaker)
and
will produce 3 time to 100 time more realistic human voice (depending on how fussy you are) and will trick you into believing that your favorite singer is in your living room for almost all live recording and about 70 percent of studio recording, if you are using our 'triode connection' amplifier + GBP £200 SOny CD player with jukebox for 300 CD.
The reason is the 'whizzer cone' of the Lowther and any other brand is a bad idea, and introduce a huge amount of resonance and coloration.
Please let me try to explain that the some 'single driver speaker' ?expert? will come up with all sort of 
fancy explanation that the 'whizzer cone' de couple itself from the main cone at high frequency.
This fancy explanation might impress the 'typical' Hi Fi enthusiast,
but it is a 'poisoned chalice' explanation for an audio engineer.
The fancy explanation is saying that the main cone is bending VIOLENTLY at high frequency.
Audio engineer call this the dreaded 'cone breakup'
that speaker cone designer try to prevent / reduce / control / dampen.
The cone breakup of the main cone adds resonance / coloration and colors the human voice,
and human voice do NOT sound real. (I have heard one of the new - ish Lowther drive units drive by 300 SIngle Ended valve amplifier)
and human voice was blue / congested , like the singer got a cold and blocked up nose.) 
So, my recommendation is to buy one of our cheaper valve amplifier (preferablly Triode Connection)
and use the money you save, to buy our GBP £950 speaker which will sound 3 times to 100 times better than any Lowther or any Fostex single driver or any Jordan Single driver speaker or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
Before anybody tells me that the frequency response of the Jordan 4 inch or 5 inch single driver is fantaistic,
please look the frequency response curve of 'Arousal' speaker using Jordan single driver speaker,
and the TREBLE frequency response was very bad (and TREBLE should sound awful)
and VERY DIFFERENT to the frequency response curve on Jordan website.
Needless to say, the Hi Fi reviewer wanted better bass.

 
 
 
 
My speakers are Snell Acoustics Type J mark. II (from '88 I think) - efficiency 91 or 92 dB, so not that hard to drive.
Room size is 5 m x 4 m and I sit about 2,5 m - 3 m from the speakers.
I listen to a great deal of acoustic music (bluegrass and blues), "semi "acoustic (blues again), some electric blues and the occasional pop - record (mostly of '60's origin).
Thanks for quick response!

Please can I explain that many producers of 'acoustic' folk type music, want the singers voice to be clearly heard.
The trick to do this is to try and use musical instruments that has a DIFFERENT frequency to the singers voice.
So, you have the singers voices 
+ cymbals (very high frequency) (that does not hide/ interfere) with the singers voice.
+ LOUD deep bass (very low frequency) (that will not hide/ interfere) with the singer voice,
to provide the 'beat / rhythm'
Of course, you also have SOFT guitar or SOFT violin, which is too soft to drown out the singers voice.

You will notice that the 2 loudest sound on many 'acoustic' folk type music is the singers voice.
+ LOUD deep bass (very low frequency) (that will not hide/ interfer) with the singer voice
and will provide the 'beat / rhythm'

Many people who own small 6 inch inch speaker will say 
What LOUD DEEP bass is Lim talking about ?

If you have WELL DESIGNED , MODERN , HUGE 'High End' HIgh FIdelity speaker
with 10 inch woofer or 2 pieces of MODERN 8 inch woofer in BIG cabinets + WELL DESIGNED BIG bass reflex ports,
you will be shocked to hear the huge huge huge amount of bass in Irish folk singer Mary Black CD,
or American James Taylor or Irish band Dubliners (when they use the floor boas as a bass instrument, by stomping on the floorboards. just like Queen's 'We will rock you')
or 'semi acoustic' music like like Eric Clayton.

One of the problem with almost all 300B valve single ended amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK
is they have lousy bass.
There is not enough bass, for a SERIOUS HIgh FIdelity system.

bottombottom
 

Question from Denmark on 25 February 2008=
I want to buy the 300B Triode Parallel Single Ended Amp WITHOUT negative
feedback, but it doesn't appear on eBay Store. How do I order and pay?

We can list the 300B Triode amplifier in our eBay shop.
You can pay by PayPal or Danish Credit Card.

Please can I explain that
we sell 3 different version of 300B Triode valve amplifiers
in our eBay shop.

Our eBay shop sells 3 different version of 300B amplifiers, which are
GBP £       300B Triode Parallel Single Ended amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK
GBP £       300B Triode Parallel Single Ended amplifier WITH FEEDBACK
GBP £       300B Triode Push Pull amplifier
( All the 300B amplifiers are the same price )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please can I explain that many of our competitors 300B Triode Single ended valve amplifier
have humming sound, which is bad for a prestigious amplifier.
. 
Our 300B Triode Single Ended valve amplifier do NOT have hum ,
because we have help the Chinese amplifier designer solve the hum problem

Our 300B Triode SIngle Ended valve amplifier do NOT have hum ,
because we have choke / inductor in the power supply , big capacitors in the power supply ,
DC heating of the 300B triode , humdinger to split the DC heating to the 300B valve.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please can I explain that many of our competitors 300B Single Ended amplifiers only 
have 90 days guarantee for the 300B valves / tube.

Please ask our competitors to give you a better guarantee for their 300B valves / tube.

We have 2 years guarantee on our superior reliable Chinese 300B valves tube,
because we have improved the reliability of the amplifier with 7 pieces of Ultrasonic filters.
(There is only 1 year guarantee on our spare replacement valves)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please can I explain that
ALL of our competitors and us have problems
getting  bass (for bass drums or bass guitar or double bass)
from 300B Triode or 845 Triode or 211 Triode or KT88 Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK.

If you want GOOD BASS and good realistic human voices,
please can I recommend our ebay shop selling

GBP £1200 300B Triode Parallel Single Ended amplifier WITH FEEDBACK 
( MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

GBP £1200 300B Triode Push Pull amplifier
( MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG With 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

GBP £1400 KT88 Triode Connection Push Pull amplifier
( MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 16 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the output transformer (the black lump of metal at the left rear and right rear) are VERY BIG,
Human voices in 300B Triode Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK can be very good
( if LOUD BASS DRUM do not overload the BIG output transformers )
and will be much much much better than 'ULTRA LINEAR' Push Pull amplifiers.

Human voices in our 300B Triode Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK is better
than
Human voices in our 300B Triode Single Ended amplifiers WITH FEEDBACK

Human voices in our 300B Triode Single Ended amplifiers WITH FEEDBACK is very very good.
and much much much better than most 'Ultra Linear' Push Pull amplifiers.

But, to be frank,
a good design of 300B TRIODE (better than ULTRA LINEAR) Push Pull amplifier (with BIG output transformers + ultrasonic filters + fixed / adjustable bias (better than automatic bias))
and
a good design of KT88 TRIODE CONNECTION (better than ULTRA LINEAR) Push Pull amplifier (with BIG output transformer + ultrasonic filter + fixed / adjustable bias (better than automatic bias)
have better human voices than
300B Triode Parallel Single Ended amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK
( 5 watts of loud bass drum will easily overload the output transformer of many of our competitors 300B Single Ended Valve / Triode amplifier )
( Once the output transformer is overload, you get a lot of distortion on human voices. )
( This distortion is not rattling or something bad like that. )
( This distortion makes the human voice sound 'blur' as though the singer has a cold and a 'blocked up nose',)
( and is talking in a bathroom with echo. )
( You will hear this problem if you have WELL DESIGNED powerful '3 way' speaker.)
( Most 6 inch speaker will overload with 5 watts of DEEP bass,    )
( so you do not know if the 'blur' problem was caused by the speaker or amplifier)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want 300B Triode Single Ended amplifiers,
it much be better for you to buy the version WITH FEEDBACK
(MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes..
You lose a bit of quality for the human voice,
but our HUGE output transformer + a bit of FEEDBACK makes the bass about 10 times better
than 300B Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK
or 845 Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK
or famous USD 120000 Japanese 211 Single Ended amplifiers WITHOUT FEEDBACK

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want 300B amplifiers,
and you do not care if you buy Single Ended or push pull,
please buy our GBP £      300B Push Pull from our our eBay shop
(MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can hear the difference in all of the 3 amplifiers listed below,
but nobody can say which amplifier is better.
(It is like asking, which is better ? A big Mercedes car, a big BMW car , a big Jaguar car or a big Saab car. )
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that all 3 of the amplifier listed below
will EASILY EASILY EASILY beat GBP £3000 American valve / tube amplifiers to GBP £60000 (about 120,000 American dollars) Japanese Audio Ongaku 211 Triode SIngle Ended amplifier (Where is the bass ?)
 

GBP £       300B Triode Parallel Single Ended amplifier  from our our eBay shop
(MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

GBP £        300B Triode Push Pull from our our eBay shop
(MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 7 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

GBP £1400 'Ultra High End' KT88 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature Push Pull amplifier in our eBay shop
(MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG with 16 ultrasonic filters for better sound and improved reliability. Beware of fakes.)

-------------------

Please could you tell me 

What speakers do you have ?

How big is your room ?

How far do you sit from the speakers ?

What type of music you listen to ?  Classical Music or pop , rock music

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For people who do not like reading my long boring explanations .......................
Money back guarantee (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
Affordable Valve Company GBP £950 speaker with cherry wood veneer + piano finish + 2 pieces of 'High End' 8 inch woofer + 'High End' 5 inch coated paper midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter with LIM AIK LEONG MODIFICATION (beware of fakes)
driven by Affordable Valve Company GBP £750 'EL34 Triode Connection'  Chinatown valve amplifier with LIM AIK LEONG MODIFICATION (beware of fakes)
will sound 
100 times better for bass and human voices than GBP £1000 PMC GB-1 transmission line with 5 inch speaker
driven by GBP £300 to GBP £10000 300B Single Ended valve / tube amplifier without feedback or with feedback 
or GBP £60000 Japanese Audionote Ongaku 211 SIngle Ended valve amplifier valve 
in 20 feet room,
playing music with loud bass drums or loud bass instrument
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
because HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum and HUGE 32 inch kettle drum will EASILY overload the SMALL 5 inch speaker.
Once the SMALL 5 inch speaker is overloaded, human voice will become blur , congested (as though the singer got a bad cold, and a blocked up nose)
Turn up the volume even louder, and the 'singers blocked up nose' becomes so bad,
that you cannot even understand the lyrics of the song.
If you cannot even understand the words that your favorite singer is singing,
you might as well turn off your ?HIgh?FIdelity? system and watch television !
The most important sound on the recording of your favorite singer
is the voice of your favorite singer !

For people who do not like reading my long boring explanations .......................
Money back guarantee (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
Affordable Valve Company GBP £950 speaker with cherry wood veneer + piano finish + 2 pieces of 'High End' 8 inch woofer + 'High End' 5 inch coated paper midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter with LIM AIK LEONG MODIFICATION (beware of fakes)
driven by Affordable Valve Company GBP £750 'EL34 Triode Connection'  Chinatown valve amplifier with LIM AIK LEONG MODIFICATION (beware of fakes)
will sound 
10 times better for bass and human voices than GBP £1600 Spendor S8e speaker with 8 inch speaker, with soft plastic cone,
driven by GBP £300 to GBP £10000 300B Single Ended valve / tube amplifier without feedback or with feedback 
or GBP £60000 Japanese Audionote Ongaku 211 Single Ended valve amplifier valve 
in 20 feet room,
playing music with loud bass drums or loud bass instrument
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
 
 
 

TERMINOLOGY = A 'typical' 6 inch speaker has an Xmax of +- 3 millimeters.

This means that the speaker cone can move forward or backward by 3 millimeters,
before distorting badly.










About 3 years ago, I had a customer (with the same name as you) who was using
GBP £1500 SMALL 6 inch B&W Nautilus 805 in a HUGE 20 feet room.
I told the customer for weeks and weeks that 6 inch loudspeaker (with the 'typical' Xmax of + - 3 millimeters) 
are USELESS for 20 feet room UNLESS YOU SIT 6 FEET FROM THE SMALL 6 INCH SPEAKER 

It does NOT matter if you paid GBP £300 or GBP £1500 or GBP £4000 or GBP £60000
for speakers with 1 or 2 pieces of SMALL 6 inch speaker.
6 inch speaker (with the 'typical' Xmax of + - 3 millimeters) 
are USELESS for 20 feet room UNLESS YOU SIT 6 FEET FROM THE SMALL 6 INCH SPEAKER 

3 years later, somebody with the same name is asking 
'How do I improve the sound of my even smaller 5 inch speaker called PMC GB-1' 
that uses a transmission line that is too short
(less than 14 feet, which is the quarter wave length of a 20 Hertz sound wave) 
with insufficient stuffing / sound absorbent to properly dampen the speaker resonance
(Please look at the impedance curve at ...................)
( The impedance curve of the PMC GB-1 look like a 'Bass Reflex' )
( What is the difference between a 'Transmission Line' and a 'Bass Reflex' cabinet )
( Can you call a 'Bass Reflex' cabinet with a 2 feet long bass reflex port, )
( a transmission line speaker ?  )
( Can you call a 'Bass Reflex' cabinet with a 6 feet long bass reflex port, )
( a transmission line speaker ?  )
(Well dampened transmission line, with low resonance will have the a SMALL peak at the speaker resonance)
(Please see Figure ... in Chapter 6 of the .. edition of Mr Dickason excellent book 'Loudspeaker Cookbook')

I can only repeat my previous advice for small speakers .......
It does NOT matter if you paid GBP £180 or GBP £1000 or GBP £2500 or GBP £60000
for speakers with 1 or 2 pieces of SMALL 5 inch speaker.
6 inch speaker (with the 'typical' Xmax of + - 2 millimetres or + - 3 millimetres) 
are EVEN MORE USELESS for 20 feet room
UNLESS YOU SIT 4 FEET FROM THE SMALL 5 INCH SPEAKER 

I built my own transmission line speaker about 30 years ago,
and I own SERIOUS transmission line speaker like 
TLS-50 Mark II with 8 inch soft plastic woofer + midrange + tweeter 
('Transmission line' modified with extra sound absorbent to stop 'transmission line boomy bass', when there is not enough sound absorbent)
(that will EASILY EASILY EASILY outclass GBP £1000 PMC GB-1 with small 5 inch speaker
and GBP £1400 PMC FB-1 with small 6 inch speaker
and GBP £2000 PMC with small 6 inch speaker)
(There is a limit to what you can do with small 5 inch and small 6 inch speaker.)
(Some people think that shoving a small 5 inch or small 6 inch speaker into a 'transmission line')
(will MAGICALLY transform the small 5 inch or small 6 inch speaker into a huge 12 inch woofer !)
(This MAGIC does NOT happen, 
(that is why PMC produce GBP £7500 '3 way' MB-2 with huge 12 inch woofer + 3 inch dome midrange + tweeter !)
and my own
SERIOUS 'STATE OF THE ART' transmission line speaker of  my own design 
with 12 inch woofer + 3 and half inch exotic 'STATE OF THE ART' BERYLLIUM METAL DOMES 
+ 1 inch exotic 'STATE OF THE ART' BERYLLIUM METAL DOMES
that will EASILY outclassing GBP £7500 PMC MB-2 with smaller cheaper 3 inch soft dome midrange.
 
 
 
 

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Brand of valves

I agree that putting in different brand of valves makes a SMALL difference to the sound.

Unfortunately, this has been blown up to silly hysterical proportions.

Some Hi Fi enthusiast have had their 'head messed with' so badly
that they WRONGLY think that
if you shove in a 'hyped up' brand of unreliable valve (with a disappointing 90 days guarantee)
into a mediocre valve / tube amplifier,
the mediocre valve / tube amplifier MAGICALLY become a superb amplifier.

This does NOT happen.

The mediocre valve / tube amplifier is still a mediocre valve / tube amplifier !
 

different

Hi Fi Enthusiast have their 'heads messed with' so badly that been so 
But .................
 

this has been blown up to silly hysterical proportions.

................

Many people seem to think that 
 

 
 
A customer had a rasher unusual requirement.
The customer had a pair of tall PMC FB-1 floor standing speaker,
which was too big for his new house.
As a temporary solution,
he wanted to buy tiny PMC DB1 stand mount speaker to mount on wall brackets.
When the customer has built an extension to his house,
then he will use his tall PMC FB-1 floor stander.

Needless to say, I was shocked at this suggestion !
Why spend GBP £700 on PMC DB1 speakers
when he already has GBP £1400 FB-1 speaker.
(My brain is stuck in the 1970 ,  with 1970 prices)
(and GBP £700 for a 'temporary' speaker is a lot of money !)

I was also shocked because a Hi Fi dealer told him that
GBP £700 PMC DB-1 sound like GBP £1400 PMC FB-1 speaker 

I asked the customer to think about what the other Hi Fi dealer had said,
and think about
'If  GBP £700 PMC DB1 sound like GBP £1400 PMC FB-1,
why is the PMC FB-1 twice the price of PMC DB-1'

At this point, the customer mind suddenly clicked that
the other Hi Fi dealer might be lying !

The customer said
'The young man in the shop was so convinced of what he was saying, 
so I believed him !'
              ------------------------------------

Fortunately, I managed to convince him that
spending GBP £700 for a temporary speaker,
which will sound worst that his GBP £1400 speaker,
was a bad idea.

What he sound do was to add more sound absorbent to his 
 

                 ----------------------------------
 

If you put too much sound absorbent in transmission Line speakers,
the bass will disappear, and there is not enough bass.

If there is not enough sound absorbent in transmission Line speaker,
you will get a lot of bass, but it will be boomy and poorly controlled.

Make sure that you have about 3 inch or 4 inch of 'free air'
around the 6 inch speaker of PMC FB-1 
to allow the 6 inch speaker to 'breath'

The 1 inch dome tweeter does NOT need to 'breathe,
so you can fill up the space behind the 1 inch dome tweeter

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OK, but it is confusing to see such a high buy it now price. I have had one
of your amplifiers for years and am very happy with it. The only thing I
miss is the facility to record from the amp. I have to use another system
for that. I was looking to see if you have introduced this facility, but
the information is not clear. Also what is all this about fraud. How can I
know my purchase is genuine?

Our eBay Buy Now price of GBP £60,000 was because,
I was trying to make the point that our 'KT88 Triode Connected' or 'EL34 Triode Connected' valve amplifiers
will EASILY EASILY beat (or match) any amplifiers from GBP £100 
to GBP £3000 300B SIngle Ended amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK (with lousy bass)
GBP £60,000 Audionote Ongaku 211 SIngle Ended Valve amplifier (with lousy bass)


Question  = Also what is all this about fraud. How can I know my purchase is genuine?

I have had some strange phone calls,
like somebody who CLAIMS to have one of our amplifier
with a DANGEROUS SWITCH that changes from 'Ultra Linear' to 'Triode Connection'.

I said that most switch are rated at around 250 volts,
and I am not reckless enough to use 250 volt switches to switch 400 volts.
(Please ask 'Icon Audio' how many volts are their swatch rated at.)

It is a bad idea to have a switch from 'Ultra Linear' to Triode Connection'
because ALL text books for valves / tubes or TRANSISTORS or INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
always say 'Keep the connections / wires / PCB copper tracks as short as possible'
To have all the extra LONG wire from the valves
to the switch from 'Ultra Linear' to 'Triode Connection'
is just asking for problems.
LONG wires + feedback can lead to ultrasonic resonance , poor stability , lousy reliability !

There are some dubious dealers who WRONGLY claim that
£750 TAC 34 valve amplifier is the same as our GBP £750 'EL34 Triode Connected' Chinatown
This is NOT true.
£750 TAC 34 valve amplifier is the same as our eBay listing of GBP £450 Audio Institute VR-110

If you like the sound of £750 TAC 34 valve amplifiers,
please buy our eBay listing of GBP £450 Audio Institute VR-110
and save GBP £300

The reason why the TAC 34 is so expensive is because
the German importer of TAC 34 makes some profit,
the British importer of TAC 34 makes some profit
the British shop selling TAC 34 makes some profit,
so a GBP £450 valve amplifier becomes a GBP £750 valve amplifier !

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Question =  Hi What would be the best way to buy one of your fine products, I live in Sydney, Australia? 

You can buy it from eBay,
and we will send from England to Australia.

UPS couriers have already delivered a few of our valve amplifiers to Australia.  Fully insured.

All amplifiers sent to Australia works perfectly, reliably, absolutely no problems.

We even supply the correct mains cable with correct Australian mains plugs !

bottombottom

 
Question from eBay customer in January 2008 = Hi, I need to know how much it will cost you to send this item to me in Australia.
I imagine it will be a fair bit but I am happy to pay as long as it is reasonable.
I have had quotes on mailing before from "dodgy" sellers who make their money by charging exorbitant mailing charges.
Hoping you are not one of these, I look forward to your reply. Cheers, Tim
Answer = Shipping to Australia is slightly cheaper nowadays,
because there is a price war amongst the couriers,
which is SLOWLY bringing the prices down.
We have sold a few amplifier to Australia,
but this is the first time that
we have used eBay to sell an amplifier to Australia.
This is a good omen for us !
We definitely want your business and your money !
We do not want to lose
our first eBay sale to Australia
with an argument over shipping cost.
Please could you suggest a REASONABLE shipping cost (for a big heavy box)
that you think is FAIR TO YOU AND US,
and we will try our best to 'match the price'
Please do not say 1 Australia dollar !
     :-) internet symbol for smiling face
I apologise for the big heavy box.
SERIOUS 'High End' valve / tube amplifiers MUST be HEAVY !
You need BIG heavy transformers (the 3 black lump of metal, at the rear of amplifier)
to produce LOUD DEEP BASS !
Lightweight valve / tube amplifiers with SMALL transformer (especially Single Ended amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK)
have lousy bass !
( This is a 'Law of Physic' )
( No amount of lies in 'dodgy' Hi Fi Reviews can change the 'Law of Physic' )

 
 
Question from eBay member in January 2008 = Hi, I live in Australia and am very interested in buying a valve amp. 
I would be grateful if you could advise me on which model to buy. I do not need deafening sound. Currently I use
Jamo speakers CD60 I think they're called. Bought them in 1988 and still sound very good
Answer = I cannot find any information about your Jamo speaker
British reviewer like Jamo Concert 8 and Jamo Concert 11.
I STRONGLY recommend 
a WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) valve / tube amplifier that does NOT sound bright
for the metal cones in the James Concert 8 and Jamo Concert 11.
Unfortunately, the reputation of many of the Jamo speaker are not very good.
I agree that Jamo speaker are usually 'good value for money'.
My 'general' advice for the 'general' Jamo speaker is
our starter amplifier GBP £450 Audio Institute VR-110
   with BIG output transformer
        + superior Fixed / Adjustable Bias (much better than automatic bias for bass)
will be MORE THAN ADEQUATE
and will EASILY , CONCLUSIVELY , BLATANTLY out class 
GBP £100 to GBP £60000 transistor amplifiers ,
MOSFET amplifiers , Class B amplifiers , Class A amplifiers , Class D amplifiers , Digital amplifiers
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges, equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
My 'general' advice for the 'general' Jamo speaker is
our starter amplifier GBP £450 Audio Institute VR-110 with BIG output transformer
  + superior Fixed / Adjustable Bias (much better than automatic bias for bass)
will be MORE THAN ADEQUATE 
and sound better than GBP £3000 Audio Research VS-55 valve /tube amplifier,
(this sound unbelievable until you read Hi Fi Choice review,)
( which describe the Audio Research VS-55 as slightly bright and best used with a slight warm sounding speaker.)
( How much do the distributor of Audio Research valve / tube amplifier pay Hi Fi Choice for advertising ? )
and 
might be more reliable than GBP £4000 Audio Research VS-110 valve / tube amplifier
which Stereophile said had an ultrasonic 'ring' on square testing with 'analogue' oscilloscope.
( Too high frequency for many 'digital' oscilloscope )
( I disagree with Hi Fi reviewer comment in Stereophile that )
( 'dismiss' audible problems with ultrasonic ringing in square wave.)
(I can EASILY hear any BIG improvement in 10 kiloHertz square wave)
(and I am the person who say that expensive cable are a waste of money)
Many electronic text books on valves / tubes , transistors ESPECIALLY MOSFET ,
warn about the dangers of 
ultrasonic resonance and 'ringing on square wave testing' affecting reliability.
If you do not believe me, please read the text book for valve or Transistors ! 
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges, equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
If possible, please pay an extra £50 (AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE)
for 2 pieces of Silver Mica Capacitor ULTRASONIC FILTERS.
2 pieces of Silver Mica Capacitor ULTRASONIC FILTERS
makes a HUGE improvement in the 10 kilohertz square wave performance,
and make the treble even sweeter
+ reduce the sibilance (when a woman say 'his' it sounds like 'hissssssk') even more than the basic GBP £450 model.
Before the DIY (do it yourself) valve enthusiast moan about the GBP £50 price,
please can I say that British labour is absurdly expensive,
and
somebody have got to pay for the 'Research and Development' time to find
the CORRECT VALUE of the silver Mica capacitors
and the CORRECT POSITION for the silver Mica capacitors.
If you do not want to pay GBP £50,
you can buy the GBP £450 amplifier
+ Oscilloscope
+ Signal Generator
+ 10 different valves of Silver Mica capacitors
and try to find the
CORRECT VALUE of the SIlver Mica Capacitor Ultrasonic Filter
and the
CORRECT POSITION for the the SIlver Mica Capacitor Ultrasonic Filter
This is a LIM AIK LEONG (ENGLAND) modification,
and it really does make a worthwhile difference 
(even sweeter treble and even less sibilance, when a woman say 'his' it sounds like 'hissssssk')
unlike some of our competitors EXPENSIVE 'waste of time and money' modification of
changing a plastic film capacitor IN GOOD WORKING ORDER to another plastic film capacitor of the SAME VALVE
(waste of time and money)
changing copper wire to silver wire (waste of time and money)
changing a volume control IN GOOD WORKING ORDER to another volume control of the SAME VALUE (waste of time and money)
hiring a naked virgin (male unfortunately) to sprinkling holy water on the amplifier (waste of time)
If we can agree a REASONABLE charge for shipping to Australia,
I will include the GBP £50 modification for FREE.

Also what makes your KT88 push pull design
> different from Icon Audio KT88 push Pull?

BETTER AMPLIFIER DESIGNERS !

The COMBINED KNOWLEDGE of the Chinese designers (Living in China) and Lim AIk Leong (living in England)
is probably the best in the world.
Just look at the square wave performance of GBP £3000 Conrad John CAV-50 in Stereophile review
and GBP £4000 Audio Research VS-110

Better output transformers (no problem with bass or treble) !

Better ultrasonic filters (no problem with treble) for MODIFIED IN ENGLAND VERSIONS !

Please ask Icon Audio designers a few complicated questions,
and you will will find out exactly what
Icon Audio know (or do not know) about valve / tube amplifiers

If Hi Fi World is complaining about Icon Audio best , most prestigious 300B valve ./ tube amplifier 
has problems with 'frequency extreme",
meaning
listen to the bass and treble of Icon Audio 300B valve / tube amplifier BEFORE YOU BUY !

Is there any reason, why do you think that
Icon Audio KT88 valve / tube amplifier will be any better
than Icon Audio best , most prestigious 300B valve tube amplifier ?

If Icon Audio cannot design
their best , most prestigious 300B valve tube amplifier to sound superb, flawless, without any irritating points,
how can Icon Audio design a better amplifier using cheaper KT88 valves/ tubes
(KT88 can matches 300B valves / tubes, when Triode Connected in a WELL DESIGNED amplifier)
(When using 'Ultra High End' BIG '3 way' speakers)
(It is BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that)
(our 300B Triode amplifiers with HUGE POTTED transformer,)
(our KT88 Triode Connected amplifier with HUGE POTTED output transformer,)
(our EL34 Triode Connected amplifier with HUGE POTTED output transformer,)
(sound different o one another.)
(BUT ... NOBODY CAN SAY WHICH ONE IS BETTER. )
(IT IS A MATTER OF PERSONAL TASTE)
(But I can tell you that out HUGE potted transformer will sound MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH BETTER)
(than Icon audio smaller transformer in their GBP £900 amplifiers,)
(that looks very similar to Mingda / MeiXing GBP £300 valve / tube amplifier)

There has been some Icon Audio dealers (pretending to be innocent members of the public) 
making absurd nonsensical claims that Icon Audio amplifier sound better,
but this is a joke.
Most of our customers who auditioned the Icon Audio amplifier 
versus Affordable Valve Company valve / tube amplifier,
said that Affordable Valve Company Valve amplifiers were much better (and cheaper) !
Some of these customer are very fussy,
so they would not mind paying an extra few hundred pounds for better sound !
Please look at Icon Audio GBP £900 versus MingDa GBP £300 valve tube amplifier,
and ask yourself, why is Icon Audio amplifier is 3 time more expensive ?

 

 
 
        Question =

 I am interested in trying one of your 300B push pull or KT88 push pull
amplifiers, or even the Parallel single end version?

I will use it to drive a pair of Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo Three
speakers, cheap I know but a stunning little '3 way' speaker in my
opinion.

What are the characteristics of the 2 valves & the difference in sound
to a push pull & single end amplifier.

I listen to a wide variety of music types but a lot of large scale
orchestra & rock so assumed the push pulls would be better suited to
this? or maybe I am wrong in that?

Sorry for all the Q's but this will be my last amplifier upgrade for a
while so want to get it right..

Many Thanks,

-----------------------
Room is 
Approx. 4 Meter by 3 Meter.

Also as the world of valve amplifiers is completely new to me, do you
have an opinion on speaker wire?

For valve amplifiers capable of the current delivery yours are would you
recommend good old chunky multi strand or solid core?

      Answer = 

Whoa ! stop ! YOU ARE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

For 40 years, the Hi Fi Industry, which include many Hi Fi magazines
(which rely on millions of pounds of advertising revenue from their masters, the big Hi Fi companies)
have been 'messing with the head' of Hi Fi enthusiast.

After 40 years of 'messing with the head' of Hi Fi Enthusiast,
many Hi Fi enthusiast and many HI FI REVIEWERS (especially the younger Hi Fi reviewers)
do NOT have clue about what is important,
and what are a CHEAP GIMMICKS  , SOLD AT ABSURD HIGH PRICES !

-----------------------------------------------------

You are wasting your time, asking question about 
the NEGLIGIBLE DIFFERENCE in sound
and SMALL TINY DIFFERENCE in sound,
but
you are ignoring the important things that causes HUGE HUGE HUGE DIFFERENCE in sound !

YOU HAVE BEEN CONNED BY THE HI FI INDUSTRY
WHICH INCLUDES MANY HI FI MAGAZINES.
(which rely on millions of pounds of advertising revenue from their masters, the big Hi Fi companies)

YOU ARE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

It might be a coincidence, but there was somebody with the same name as you,
who was brainwashed by Hi Fi magazines,
and will NOT listen to anything that I say, for 3 years !

He was using SMALL 6 inch B&W Nautilus 805 in HUGE 20 feet room.
Hi Fi magazines have been hyping up £1600 B&W Nautilus 805 like crazy.
B&W must pay Hi Fi magazines thousand of pounds every month,
for B&W full page advertisement, usually on the back page, or inside the front or rear cover
which are the 3 most expensive place to put an advertisement.

I keep telling him that 
SMALL 6 inch speaker CANNOT imitate / reproduce HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum

or HUGE 32 inch Kettle drum
but he will NOT listen to my sensible advice.

Just because he paid GBP £1600 for a SMALL 6 inch speaker
that is about the size of GBP £300 SMALL 6 inch speaker
he think that his GBP £1600 SMALL 6 inch speaker can MAGICALLY imitate / reproduce 
HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum !

I keep telling him that 
Once HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum overload the SMALL 6 inch speaker,
human voice will become very blur , congested ,
as though the the singer got a bad cold and a blocked up nose.
Turn up the volume even louder, and the 'block up nose' gets worst,
and you cannot even understand the lyrics of the song.

If you cannot understand the words that your favorite singer is singing,
you might as well turn off your HIgh FIdelity set (or LOW FIdelity) set
and watch television.

It does not matter,
if you pay GBP £300 or GBP £1600 or GBP £4000 for SMALL 6 inch speaker,
YOU STILL GET THESE PROBLEMS.



GBP £250 to GBP £350 AE EVO 3 are very good speaker FOR THEIR SMALL 6 INCH SIZE.

If you MUST have a SMALL 6 INCH speaker for HUGE 20 feet room,
then GBP £250 to GBP £350 AE EVO 3
will EASILY EASILY EASILY beat GBP £1600 B&W Nautilus 805,
for clarity (less blocked up nose) of human voices,
when there is a HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum.

GBP £250 to GBP £350 AE EVO 3 have 
6 inch bass + 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter.

About half the human voice will go to the 5 inch midrange.
Most of the bass drums are kept away from the 5 inch midranges,
so 5 inch midrange is NOT overloaded by HUGE 22 inch bass drums.
So, half of the human voice coming through the 5 inch midrange 
will remain crystal clear EVEN WHEN THERE IS A LOUD BASS DRUM

Unfortunately, 
About half the human voice will go to the 6 inch bass speaker.
HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum will easily OVERLOAD the small 6 inch speaker.
Once the SMALL 6 inch speaker is overloaded,
half the human voice (that comes out of the 6 inch speaker) 
will become blur , congested (like the singer has a bad cold, and a blocked up nose)

Acoustic Energy AE EVO 3 '3 way' speakers
only have half the problems of 
of the 'typical' small 6 inch speaker !

Not perfect ,
but what more can you ask for
for an affordable GBP £250 to £350 ?

You have to solve this
HUGE PROBLEM OF OVERLOADING SMALL 6 INCH SPEAKER
before you have a SERIOUS Hi Fi set !

Stranded wire or solid core wires CANNOT stop
SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum

You can connect 1 pair or wire or 2 pair of wire (bi wire) or 100 pairs of wire to the speaker,
and you still cannot stop
SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum

You can connect 1 amplifier or 2 amplifiers (bi amp) or 100 amplifier to the speaker,
and you still cannot stop
SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum

You can connect 500 watt transistor amplifiers to the speaker,
and you still cannot stop
SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum

You can put the speaker on VERY heavy rigid Partington Speaker Stands stands,
blue tack the speaker , black tack the speaker , glue the speaker to the stands,
spike the stands , use GBP £1000 Kimber cables , silver wires , 
ask a virgin to sprinkle holy water on the speaker on a full moon night
and you still cannot stop
SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum !

What is the solution to
prevent SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum ?
It is certainly NOT the CHEAP GIMMICKS
(like bi wiring with a cheap pieces of wire sold at silly price or cheap blue tack or cheap black tack)
recommended by most of the HI FI magazines
(which depends on millions of pounds of advertisement from their masters, the big Hi Fi companies)

What is the solution to
prevent SMALL 6 inch speaker being overload by HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum ?
The answer is very simple (but cost more money).
Use bigger speakers !
Use 10 inch woofer / bass speaker (with Xmax of about 5 millimetres or more) 
or 12 inch woofer / bass speaker (with Xmax of about 5 millimetres or more) 
or 2 pieces of 8 inch woofer / speaker (with Xmax of about 5 millimetres or more) 
 



Question = Please can you explain what makes a "HUGE" difference?  (part 1)

Please go and listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick bass drum or HUGE 32 inch Kettle drum.
You might find some 'live' music in some pubs / night clubs
or local orchestra (look at notice board in your local library)
and you will find that

The bass from ALL 6 inch speaker is terrible,
and does NOT sound anything like a REAL HUGE 22 inch or 32 inch bass drum !

Please do NOT believe the 'spiced up' reviews in Hi Fi magazines that
some insanely expensive SMALL 6 inch speaker sounds
like HUGE 22 inch or HUGH 32 inch KETTLE drum

It is NOT possible.
You have been conned by some irresponsible Hi Fi magazines,
praising the speaker sold by their masters ,
big Hi Fi companies, who pay Hi Fi magazines millions of pound for advertising.

Before anybody argue. GO AND LISTEN TO A REAL BASS DRUM !

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our GBP £850 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Upgradeable + tuned for extra bass' 
or GBP £1500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Chinatown'
or GBP £2500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Lim Aik Leong Signature'
with 2 pieces of 'Ultra High End' 8 inch woofers (with Xmax of about 5 millimetres) with
HUGE MAGNETS, big enough for 10 inch or even 12 inch woofers
will 
produce 3 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
HUGE 22 inch Kick bass drums or HUGE 32 inch Kettle drum or HUGE Double Bass
or DEEP DEEP fundamental note (about 30 Hertz) of a Concert Grand
that is BLATANTLY OBVIOUSLY missing from small 6 inch toy speakers !

Reviewers who makes misleading absurd claims that SMALL 6 inch speaker
can imitate / reproduce Concert Grand Piano properly,
should go to the music department of a large departmental store,
slip the salesman a 20 pound note,
and ask the sales man to play the deepest bass notes on the Concert Grand,
and concentrate on the 'rumbling body' of the note, the menacing bass rumble will
'put the fear of god in you' (not as frightening as a Church Organ !)
caused by the  DEEP DEEP fundamental note (about 30 Hertz) of a Concert Grand

This DEEP DEEP deepest bass is NEVER heard in 6 inch speaker ( in smallish cabinets ).

6 inch speaker in HUGE cabinets might produce a SOFT 30 Hertz note but ..........
Turn up the volume, and 6 inch speaker will
NOT produce a LOUD 30 Hertz note.
You get HUGE amount of distortion (old timers call this bass doubling. Frequency doubling)
and you will get a SOFT 30 hertz
                       + LOUD 60 Hertz (2nd harmonic distortion)
                       + LOUD 90 Hertz (3rd Harmonic distortion) , etc
Some inexperience Hi Fi Reviewer / enthusiast will then WRONGLY CLAIM 
that his 6 inch speaker can produce 30 Hertz notes !

Just look at the size of a Concert Grand (that has extra keys that are 1 bass octave lower than an ordinary piano)
and ask yourself. How can a a SMALL 6 inch toy speaker
imitate / reproduce the DEEP DEEP fundamental note (about 30 Hertz) of a HUGE Concert Grand ?

Question = Please can you explain what makes a "HUGE" difference?  (part 2)

The most important sound on the recording of your favorite singer
is the voice of your favorite singer.

As I have explained above.
HUGE 22 inch Kick bass drum will easily overload small 6 inch speaker.
Once that happen, human voice becomes bur, congested, as though the singer got a blocked up nose.
Turn up the volume and it gets so bad that you cannot understand the lyrics of the song.

If you cannot understand the words that your favorite singer is singing,
you might as well turn off your HIgh FIdelity set (or LOW FIdelity) set
and watch television.
This is a serious problem with the
typical '2 way' speaker with 1 pieces of 6 inch speaker
or 
typical '2 and half way' speaker with 2 pieces of 6 inch speaker

Acoustic Energy '3 way' speaker has bass + half the midrange coming out of the small 6 inch speaker.
Acoustic Energy '3 way' speaker only have half this problem of congested singers, with blocked up nose.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our GBP £850 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Upgradeable + tuned for extra bass' 
or GBP £1500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Chinatown'
or GBP £2500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Lim Aik Leong Signature'
with 2 pieces of 'Ultra High End' 8 inch woofers (with Xmax of about 5 millimetres) with
HUGE MAGNETS, big enough for 10 inch or even 12 inch woofers
will 
produce 5 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
more realistic human voice,
when there is a 
LOUD HUGE 22 inch Kick bass drums or LOUD HUGE 32 inch Kettle drum 
 


 

Question = Please can you explain what makes a "HUGE" difference?  (part 3)

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our GBP £850 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Upgradeable + tuned for extra bass' 
or GBP £1500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Chinatown'
or GBP £2500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Lim Aik Leong Signature'
with superb 'High End' 5 inch or 4 inch coated paper cones WITH HUGE MAGNETS
with a low crossover frequency of about 200 Hertz
will
produce 2 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
more realistic human voice,
even when you play SOFT music !
because WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) coated paper cones
will always be much better than most metal cones, most Kevlar cones, most glass fibre cones,
most carbon fibre cones
that crossover around 400 Hertz to the woofer. bass speaker).

How is this possible ?
When you crossover at 400 Hertz,
about half the human voice comes out of the 12 inch woofer of GBP £700 PMC MB-2
or 9 inch woofer of GBP £8000 ATC

What is the point of having an expensive 3 inch dome midrange,
if you are going to use the 12 inch woofer as an '2nd grade' midrange
to produce half the human voice ?
 

------------------------------------

How is this possible ?
WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) Paper cones are much much stronger
than aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, steel, etc FOR THE SAME WEIGHT
Exotic Beryllium metal , used in our Yamaha NS1000M are stronger than paper FOR THE SAME WEIGHT

WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) paper cones have much better 'mechanical loss' / damping
than Beryllium,  aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, steel, Kevlar, carbon fibre, glass fibre, etc

Tap your finger on an empty aluminum can, and it will 'ring' / resonate  for some time.
make a cone out of aluminum, and the cone will 'ring' resonate for some time (once there is any cone break up)
This might cause HUGE peaks in the frequency response.
Please look at Stereophile measurement of Monitor Audio Studio ...
that shows a HUGE peak (that must surely be audible !)

Tap your finger on a piece of cardboard, and all you get a is a dull thud, that dies away quickly,

Why do people make cones out of aluminum, kevlar, Bextrene, polypropylene, etc ?
To be frank, they are either illogical to choose weaker, less rigid material
or they do not know enough physic to realise that
the strength / rigidity of a flat piece of material depends on the CUBE of the thickness / density !
If you compare the rigidity (Young's modulus) with the CUBE of the density,
you will find the strongest material FOR THE SAME WEIGHT is beryllium followed by paper. 
Everything else is far behind 
(ignoring complicated 'sandwich' structures,)
(where LIGHTWEIGHT WEAK material is sandwiched)
(between 2 layers of HEAVIER  STRONG MATERIAL)
(e.g. lightweight polystyrene FOAM sandwich between aluminum foil STRONGLY GLUES ON)
(is VERY VERY VERY STRONG ! )
(Most Kevlar cones + carbon fibre cones + glass fibre cones is weak FOR THE WEIGHT,)
(because they have done the 'sandwiching, the wrong way around !)

Many people forget the CUBE of the thickness.

This is why you can use 18 millimetres thick chipboard or MDF for making a floor.
but 12 millimetres chipboard or MDF is useless for making a floor.

18 millimetres chipboard or MDF
is 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 = 3.375 times 
stronger / more rigid 
than 12 millimetres chipboard or MDF

Question = Please can you explain what makes a "HUGE" difference?  (part 4)
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our GBP £850 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Upgradeable + tuned for extra bass' 
or GBP £1500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Chinatown'
or GBP £2500 '8 inch + 8 inch + 5 inch + 1 inch - Lim Aik Leong Signature'
with superb 'High End' 5 inch or 4 inch coated paper cones WITH HUGE MAGNETS
+ any one of our Triode Connected amplifier from GBP £650 and upwards
+ Hilariously price GBP £200 Sony CDP-CX355 CD player will
produce human voice so realistic,
that it will trick you into believing that 
your favorite singer is in your room for
ALMOST ALL 'live' recording
+ about 50 percent to 80 percent of 'studio recordings'
(Adjust volume for Human voice at 'realistic life size volume')
(If your favorite singer is 5 times louder than a real human being,)
(your brains will know that it is too loud to be real.)
(Eyes closed, you hear 5 times better with your eyes closed.)

CONCLUSION 

There is a limit to what you can do with
GBP £250 to GBP £350 Acoustic Energy AE Evo 3,
even if you use GBP £60000 amplifiers

Instead of spending GBP £1400 on of our best amplifiers,
you will be much better off buying
our MUCH better speaker (as low as GBP £850)
+ any one of our Triode Connected amplifier from GBP £650 and upwards
+ Hilariously price GBP £200 Sony CDP-CX355 CD player will
 

bottombottom

 
Question from eBay member on 16 January 2008 = 
Hi, I've been thinking about changing to Valve amps for a while,
but don't know much about them. I bought a valve headphone
amp this year and I'm very happy with it. Anyway, I only heard
about your amps today for the first time when I saw this ebay
listing. Can you confirm that it's an integrated amp?
I own Ruark Equinox speakers. I am very happy with
them, but I wonder if you know how well they might pair up to this amp?
Lastly, I'd just like to comment on your listing format. It's been a
very interesting read, but never in my life have a came across
such a messy and hard to read, digest and basically negotiate
page in my whole life! For example, I looked at what else you
had, and there were 2 listings for 4300 pounds. One said
speakers and the other said speakers + amp. I scanned the
listings and I couldn't actually find out what amp
you were selling. No picture either! I think you need a re-design
with links to pics, testimonials & advice.
Answer = All of our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG valve amplifiers
GREATLY improve the sound of GBP £2000 Ruark Equinox
and any 6 inch "2 way" or "2 and half way" loudspeakers (from GBP £200 to GBP £11000)
Our GBP £1400 KT88 Triode Connection - Lim AIk Leong Signature
UPGRADED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
WITH 18 PIECES OF ULTRASONIC FILTER OF SILVER MICA CAPACITORS, FERRITE BLOCK, ETC
+ modification to improve the balance between the 'Push and Pull' to reduce distortion WITHOUT INCREASING FEEDBACK
will make your 6 inch speaker sound MUCH MUCH BETTER
but the 6 inch speaker of GBP £2000 Ruark Equinox has some weakness
(please see review in Stereophile magazines + the bottom of this answer for more details).

On the left is GBP £2000 Ruark Equinox
with small 6 inch speaker + 1 inch tweeter.
On the right is
Affordable Valve Company 'Ultra High End' SERIOUS speakers on the right, with
           expensive Cherry Wood Veneer
        + expensive PIANO FINISH
        + 2 pieces of big 8 inch woofer / bass speaker 
        + 5 inch midrange
        + 1 inch tweeter.
Which do you think is the more powerful speaker ?
Which do you think is better at producing
LOUD PARTY MUSIC in HUGE 20 feet rooms ?
Which do you think will do a better job of
imitating  / reproducing HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drums and HUGE 32 inch Kettle drum ?
Instead of spending GBP £1400 on one of our best valve amplifier,
you will be better buying our cheaper range of valve / tube amplifiers,
and using the rest of your budget to buy
our eBay listings of our 'Ultra High End' GBP £850 speaker 'Upgradeable + slightly less treble' (beware of fakes)
or our eBay listings of our 'Ultra High End' GBP £1500 speaker 'Chinatown + tuned for extra bass' (beware of fakes)
or our eBay listings of our 'Ultra High End' GBP £2500 speaker 'Lim AIk Leong Signature' (beware of fakes)
(that will EASILY EASILY EASILY beat (or match) GBP £6000 to GBP £10000000 speakers,)
(except bigger woofer in bigger cabinets should produce better bass).
This sound unbelievable until I explain that our 'Ultra High End' speakers has
                  EXPENSIVE real cheery wood veneer
             + EXPENSIVE PIANO FINISH
             + 2 pieces of 'High End' 8 inch woofers with HUGE EXPENSIVE MAGNETS
             + 5 inch 'High End' coated paper midrange with HUGE EXPENSIVE MAGNET
             + 1 inch 'High End' tweeter with 'hollowed out' magnet pole piece with HUGE EXPENSIVE MAGNETS
             + sophisticated 'high end' crossover with HUGE EXPENSIVE inductor
            + HUGE EXPENSIVE plastic film capacitors (except for 1 big electrolytic capacitor)
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges.  Equipment returned during one month home trial)
that our cheaper range like our eBay listings for our
GBP £450 audio institute VR-110 + GBP £50 UPGRADE IN ENGLAND with 2 pieces of silver mica capacitors ultrasonic filters
or our eBay listing for our
GBP 750 EL34 Triode Connection - Chinatown (beware of fakes) UPGRADED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
WITH 8 PIECES OF ULTRASONIC FILTER OF SILVER MICA CAPACITORS, FERRITE BLOCK, ETC
or our eBay listing for our
GBP 888 KT88 Triode Connection - Chinatown (beware of fakes) UPGRADED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
WITH 16 PIECES OF ULTRASONIC FILTER OF SILVER MICA CAPACITORS, FERRITE BLOCK, ETC
will be in MORE THAN ADEQUATE for any six inch two way or 2 1/2 way speakers
and 
will make your 6 inch speaker sound
50 percent to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than
any 'Class B' transistor amplifiers, MOSFET, class D, digital amplifiers from GBP £100 to GBP £60000
30 percent to 50 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than 
any 'Class A' transistor amplifiers, MOSFET from GBP £100 to GBP £60000
30 percent to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than
GBP £700 to GBP £3000 valve amplifiers sold in high street shops
(please compare BIG EXPENSIVE output transformers )
(the black lump of metals at the left and right rear of amplifiers )
(with the SMALL output transformers of most of our competitors)
30 percent to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than 
similar looking valve amplifiers sold in high street shops for GBP £750 or 1000 Euro
Since we sell valve amplifiers on 1 month home trial,
we ask customers to have reasonable expectation of small 6 in loudspeakers,
and remember that
1.  It is impossible for 1 or 2 pieces of SMALL 6 in loudspeakers
     to imitate / reproduce HUGE 22 inches kick bass drum or HUGE 32 inches kettle drum
EVEN IF YOU USE 500 WATT TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIERS.
       Please go to a pub / bar or nightclub that has real live bands, and you will find that
       SMALL 6 inch speakers do NOT sound anything like REAL HUGE 22 inch kick bass drums !
        Please ignore nonsensical 'spiced up' hi-fi reviews that makes unbelievable claims that
        SMALL 6 inch loudspeakers sound anything like REAL HUGE 22 inch kick bass drums !
2.   Once the HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum overloads the SMALL 6 inch loudspeaker,
      human voice will sound very blur, congested, (as though the singer has a bad cold and blocked up nose)
      Turn up the volume even louder, and the human voice gets so bad, 
      that you cannot even understand the lyrics of the song.
The most important sound on the recording of your favorite singer 
is the voice of your favorite singer.
If you cannot understand the words that 
your favorite singer is singing,
you might as well switch off the HIgh FIdelity (or LOW FIdelity) set
and watch television !
3.  It is impossible for 1 or 2 pieces of small six inch loudspeaker, to fill huge 20 foot room with loud party music,
EVEN IF YOU USE 500 WATT TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIERS.
      Please ignore nonsensical 'spiced up' hi-fi reviews that makes unbelievable claims that
      SMALL 6 inch speakers can fill huge 20 foot room with loud party music.
      If SMALL 6 inch loudspeakers can fill HUGE 20 foot room with LOUD PARTY MUSIC,
      why do many 'High End' famous loudspeaker manufacturers produce
      GBP £6000 to GBP £20000 HUGE HUGE HUGE superior '3 way' speakers
      with BIG 10 inch woofers or BIG 12 inch woofer or 2 pieces of BIG - ISH 8 inch woofers / bass speakers ?
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges.  equipment returned during one month home trial) that
our eBay listing for
our GBP £450 to GBP £1400 valve/tube amplifiers MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes)
driving
our eBay listing for 'Ultra high end' GBP £750 or GBP £1500 or GBP £2500 '3 way' speakers with
         expensive real cherry wood veneer
     + expensive piano finish
     + 2 pieces of expensive Ultra high end BIG - ISH 8 inch woofers/bass speakers with HUGE EXPENSIVE magnets
     + 5 inch ' high end'  or four inch ' Ultra high end' coated paper mid range with HUGE EXPENSIVE magnet
     + 1 inch ' Ultra high end' tweeter
will produce
1.  3 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
     much more realistic bass drums and bass instruments
     then 1 piece of small 6 inch speakers
        2 times to 20 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
        much more realistic bass drums and bass instruments
        then 2 pieces of small 6 inch speakers
2.  3 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
     much more realistic, clearer human voices WITHOUT HARSHNESS,
     when there are loud bass drums and bass instruments
3.  5 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
     LOUD LOUD LOUD PARTY MUSIC in HUGE 20 foot rooms
We will not offer you our MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, if we are talking nonsense,
because we would end up with a lot of second hand equipment, that will lose us a lot of money.
Since we sell valve amplifiers on one month home trial,
we ask customers to have reasonable expectation of small 6 inch speakers in GBP £2000 Ruark Equinox,
which has some weakness.
Please read
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/297ruark/
(The Hi Fi reviewer fairly wrote)
        Though the Equinox offered these particularly dynamic events with satisfying impact and weight,
        in the same movement orchestral chords of similar loudness suffered from a tonal shift that
        I attributed to a subtle but significant lack of power in the not - so - extreme bass.
        It's as if the rug had been pulled out from under the music.
        The low brass should shudder, warning of the great, brooding evil to come.
        With the Equinox, I could hear all the notes, but the villains no longer menaced.
(The Hi Fi reviewer fairly wrote)
        Although physically small, the Equinox is a big speaker in almost every other way.....
        I have some reservation about their compatibility with my taste in large - scale music.
Please read
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/297ruark/index2.html
(Affordable Valve Company helpful advice on frequency response is ...)
( If you have a speaker has 3 decibel NARROW peak or dip in the frequency response, )
( the speaker might get away with it, )
( and you might not notice 3 decibel NARROW peaks or dips. )
The frequency response in figure 2 shows
5 decibel BROAD PEAK from about 400 hertz to about 1500 hertz (which is a sizeable 2 octave),
which will be VERY NOTICEABLE.
(The Hi Fi reviewer fairly wrote)
        This type of curve always results in some added nasality to a speaker's balance;
        though I note that KR was bothered by a "caw" coloration
The frequency response in figure 3 shows
3 decibel BROAD PEAK from about 50 hertz to 200 hertz (which is a sizeable 2 octave) (which will be quite NOTICEABLE),
falling down to about 400 hertz.
A bigger, more expensive magnet for the six inch speakers 
and / or large cabinet should cure this  problem,
and improve the damping factor Q, with 'tighter bass' / better bass control 
If possible, I will be extremely grateful if you could change your expensive Ruark Equinox
for our eBay listings of our GBP £750 or GBP £1500 or GBP £2500 speakers, which does not have this problems
Please ignore the nonsensical advice in many hifi magazines and many Internet forums
about cables, bi wiring, bi amping, spikes, heavy stands, blue tac, black tac,
holy water sprinkled on the Hi Fi set on a full moon night by a naked virgin (male unfortunately), etc. 
Lim Aik Leong simple advice is
WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive)
HUGE '3 way' speakers
and
WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive)
valve / tube amplifiers with HUGE OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS
makes the BIGGEST DIFFERENCE TO THE SOUND !
CHEAP GIMMICKS like
bi wiring (wow ! the speaker manufacturer  gives you 2 loudspeaker terminal , worth about GBP £1
+ an extra 12 inch inches of wire , worth about £0.50 or 50 pence )
GBP £500 speaker cables that cost the manufacturer GBP £20 
Please could somebody explain English Proverb of
'Money for old rope / wire' to this China man.
GBP £100 to GBP £500 speaker stands that cost the manufacturer GBP £10  to GBP £50
Please could somebody explain 'Absurd profit margin' to this China man.
Please look at the low low low prices of 'High End' cables on eBay,
and laugh at the absurd prices charged in High Street shops !
'Active crossover' with a 'heart' of cheap GBP £0.30 (30 pence) 'Op Amp' IC (integrated circuits) made in China , Korea, etc
driving
cheap 'Class B' or Digital amplifiers with a 'heart' of cheap GBP £2 power transistors made in China , Korea, Taiwan, etc
are CHEAP GIMMICKS
and is 100 times LESS important than
our eBay listing of our GBP £850 or GBP £1500 or GBP £2500 
BIG EXPENSIVE SPEAKERS IN BIG CABINETS 
and our eBay listing of our GBP £450 to GBP £1400 valve amplifiers
with BIG EXPENSIVE OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS

 
 
 
Question from eBay member on 19 January 2008 = Do you sell any amplifiers that 
I can use for a record deck / turntable WITHOUT the need for a pre-amplifier as well ??
Answer = Most  modern amplifiers do NOT have any connections for vinyl records deck/turntable.
Most modern preamplifiers NOT have any connections for vinyl records deck/turntable.
The reason for this are ....
1  Most 'record shops' sells CD and DVD,
    but most 'record shops' do not sell records !
    Maybe we should change the name of 'record shop' to 'CD shop' ?
2. From a serious audiophile viewpoint,
    connecting vinyl records deck/turntable to an amplifier
    spoils the sound
    because HUGE voltage and HUGE current in the amplifer will interfere / contaminate
    the TINY TINY TINY voltage from the vinyl records deck / turntable
The cheap simple solution is .....
please buy our eBay shop listing of
GBP £55 SMALL , HIGH QUALITY , SUPERBLY MADE phono stage
           ( Some people call 'Phono Stage' a 'Phono Preamplifier' ) .
It is only a SMALL box, about the size of 2 big cups.
You plug your vinyl record deck/turntable into the GBP 55 SMALL phono stage.
You plug is GBP £55 SMALL phono stage into our valve amplifier
You plug the mains adapter into the GBP £55 SMALL phono stage.
IT IS SLIGHTLY MORE INCONVENIENT,
BUT YOU GET BETTER SOUND QUALITY
for only GBP £55 from our eBay listing.
However, please could I remind Hi Fi Enthusiast that
40 year old worn out vinyl records,
that have been played 2000 times,
have lost A LOT OF HIGH FREQUENCY,
because the stylus grinds away the high frequency, again and again and again , for 2000 times !
There is a difference between
Vinyl Records do not have irritating treble,
because the cartridge has a flat frequency response,
without the typical peak around 18,000 Hertz or 40,000 Hertz , etc
caused by the stylus 'typical' resonance at around 18000 Hertz (for Moving Magnet)
                                  or 40000 Hertz (for moving coil)
and
correctly loaded by the correct amount of 100 pico Farad , 200 pico Farad , etc capacitor
( Insufficient capacitance can cause HUGE peaks in the frequency response, for some Moving Coil Cartridges )
versus
40 year old worn out Vinyl Records do not have irritating treble,
because after 2000 playing ,
the needle / stylus has ground away the hugh frequency,
so there is NO HIGH FREQUENCY !
Please buy a NEW UNPLAYED record,
to replace your favourite 40 year old record,
and you will be
SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH IRRITATING TREBLE
THE NEW UNPLAYED VINYL RECORD HAS !
TONALLY, NEW UNPLAYED RECORD SOUND MORE LIKE A CD,
THAN 40 YEAR OLD WORN OUT RECORDS !
This effect is 100 times more blatantly obvious
than the fancy prose about timing, speed, imaging, depth, etc

 
 

Question from eBay member on 8 January 2008 = Hello. Do you make stand mount speakers?

Yes, we will be listing 'High End' stand mount speaker on eBay, with 
EXPENSIVE REAL Cheery wood veneer or EXPENSIVE REAL Maple wood veneer
+ EXPENSIVE PIANO FINISH (look  like old fashion French Polish)
+ 'High End' 6 inch paper (modified with wool) cone 
+ "High End' 1 inch dome tweeter.
+ 'High End' crossover using EXPENSIVE Plastic Film capacitors (not cheap electrolytic)
+ 'High End' sophisticated 3 rd order 18 decibel per octave crossover,
   which need 3 times more components than 
    cheap 1 st order 6 decibel per octave filters used in many stand mount speakers,
    to save money, whist 'bluffing' the Hi Fi Enthusiast that
    cheap 1st order 6 decibel crossover are good !

The original Chinese version is only GBP £350 but
that the original GBP £350 version has too much treble for British taste.

At the moment you have to buy the MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
(Beware of fakes) for GBP £650

In the long term the Chinese factory MIGHT (or might not)
modify the speaker to Lim Aik Leong specifications,
to suit British taste,
and we can lower the price to £ ..?....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that almost ALL small speaker with 1 pieces of SMALL 6 inch speaker,
selling for GBP £300 to GBP £5000 are NOT suitable HUGE 20 feet room,
unless you sit 6 feet from the small speakers.

How big is your room ?

If you have HUGE 20 feet room, buy our eBay listing 
of our speaker with 2 pieces of 8 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter
for as little as GBP £750
 

For our 'High End' stand mount speaker,
please look at our eBay listing at

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Affordable-Valve-Company-6-inch-1-inch-speaker_W0QQitemZ120209877113QQihZ002QQcategoryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 

 
 
Question by email in January 2008 =  I have for many years been using Leak Stereo 30 valve amps re-configured as monoblocks and been delighted with the sound. I have not used a pre-amp but had a small volume control and selector unit made.
The latter has now packed up - apart from a slight hum the valve monoblocks are fine.
Should I in your view, buy a pre-amp, replace the volume and switching unit or go for something new like the EL34?
Obviously you have a vested interest in saying the latter but from your info and reputation I think I'll get some straight advice! 
Many thanks, Martin

Affordable Valve Company asked for clarification = Leak Stereo 30 are transistor amplifiers. Are you using Leak Stereo 20 ?
What speaker are you using ? How big is your room ? Thank you.

Sorry, yes, you are right... Leak Stereo 20s, Epos speakers and the stereo
is in a mezzanine about 15 ft by 15 ft. The amps certainly have enough
power...

I am currently working in Malaysia but this is for my apartment in England.

many thanks,
 
Answer = Sorry for the delay in replying.  Busy like crazy.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges., equipment returned during 1 month home trails)
that our cheaper range of valve / tube amplifer from GBP £500 to GBP £750
MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (BEWARE OF FAKES)
will sound 20 percent to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than your Leak Stereo 20 because ..............
1. All valve or transistor amplifer, CD players, tuners, etc
    that are more than 20 years old need to be be FULLY REFURBISHED,
     because electrolytic capacitor have limited life.
     Even older equipment (transistor or valves) will also need the old fashion 'carbon resistors' replaced because ...
     The old fashioned 'carbon resistor' (even the CLAIMED ?stable? versions)
     can EASILY DOUBLE or HALF in value, over many years !
     I have personal experience of this with my old Leak Stereo 20, that is broken.
     You cannot expect 50 year old car or 50 year old washing machine or 50 year old amplifiers or 50 year old man to be reliable.
      (At this point, you will hear a chorus of woman chanting that all men re unreliable, regardless of age !)
     Unless you have done all of this, you do NOT have a Leak Stereo 20 !
     Yeah, you have a valve amplifer,
      but it is NOT the valve amplifer,
      that the designers of the Leak Stereo 20 designed !
2. The problem of Leak Stereo 20 valve power amplifer humming seem to be relatively common.
    One of the beauty pf SERIOUS valve amplifer is the
    'Inky Black Silence' between the notes.
    You should hear 1 note, which will die away
    BEFORE the 2nd note starts.
    If you can get this 'Ink Black Silence' you will BLATANTLY hear the
    SOFT echoes of the concert hall, a 'zing' as a guitarist accidentally touching the strings when changing cords,
    the sustain of a piano note,
    somebody coughing in the audience, there is always somebody coughing in the audience.
    You will also BLATANTLY hear that some Studio Engineer though that it would be clever to add some echo / reverberation
    on the singer voice in many studio recording.
     (No, our QUIET valve / tube amplifier do NOT invent these echo on many human voices in recording studio, because.)
     (our QUIET valve . tube amplifer SELDOM produce any echo on musical instruments in RECORDING STUDIOS)
     (The typical 'Class B' transistor amplifer produce huge amount of 'Class B crossover distortion' at VERY LOW VOLUME)
     (which drowns out these BLATANTLY OBVIOUS ECHO !)
      Leak Stereo 20 was built to a cost (low) and to save money
     and they left out a choke / inductor in the power supply
     + the values of the capacitors for the power supply is very very very small, by modern standards,
      so there is a hum in the power supply,
      that gets into the speaker.
      (There is a choke / inductor for the power supply hidden inside our valve amplifiers that sells for GBP £450 to GBP £1400)
      (Unless you put your ear 6 inches from the speakers or mains power transformer, our valve / tube amplifer does NOT hum,)
      (unless the customer has damages our amplifer by putting in unreliable valves, 
      (hyped up in Hi Fi magazines and Internet Forums, by dealers pretending to be innocent members of the public. )
      (The cheaper GBP £250 Audio Institute / Dynaudio VR-70 does NOT have a choke / inductor , to save money)
3.   Leak Stereo 20 was built to a cost (low) and to save money
      and the chassis look crude by the best Chinese standards.
      Please look at how the front panel does NOT join the left panel nor the right panel.
     ( There is a gap ! )
      Please look at the T shaped hole punched in the top of the amplifer.
      The T shape hole produces a little prong inside the amplifer.
      The little prong is used to mount 'tag board' inside the Leak Stereo 20.
      Our best Chinese standards drills a small discreet 'countersunk' hole at the top of our black painted amplifer,
      for a small discreet bolt, with black painted 'countersunk' head, to look even more discrete,
      so our best Chinese standard looks 100 tines more professional..
4.  By the best Chinese standards, the Leak Stereo 20 is VERY DANGEROUS,
    because many Leak Stereo 20 do NOT have a bottom cover !
     The amplifer has HUNDREDS OF VOLTS that is NOT COVERED.
     If somebody tries to move a dangerous Leak Stereo 20, whilst it is switch on,
     the dangerous Leak Stereo 20 could kill you or your wife or children, with hundreds of volts !
5.  Our BIG EL34 and BIG KT88 valves are about twice the size and twice the power
     of the SMALL EL84 valves used in the Leak Stereo 20
6. Our fixed / adjustable bias is much better than automatic bias of the Leak Stereo 20.
    Automatic bias is a silly idea, that GREATLY reduces the power + DEEP bass,
    and then uses negative feedback to get back the bass !
    No, you CANNOT increase the value of the 'by pass' capacitor attached to the cathode resistor,
    which will cause the 'automatic bias' amplifer to be biased into Class B,
    whenever the amplifer overloads.
       (Pleas read about the many problems of 'automatic bias' in Mr Morgan Jones analysis of Mullard 5-20 design.)
7. Leak Stereo 20 does have bigger 10 watt output transformer than some of the GBP £100 valve amplifiers sold on eBay
    buy they are quite small ,
    when compared to Affordable Valve Company output transformer, designed for 40 watts RMS or more.
    The small output transformer of the  Leak Stereo 20 is only designed to produce about 10 watts.
8. The main power transformer of the Leak Stereo 20 is very small,
    compared to our GBP £450 to GBP £1400 valves amplifier MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes)
    Leak Stereo 20 mains power transformer might be o.k. in a cool room in England,
    but the small power transformer will get a bit hot in hot Malaysia.
    Bigger power transformer can use thicker copper wire,
    with lower resistance, and will run cooler.
    Also a bigger transformer will have a larger surface area to lose heat,
    and will run cooler.
     This is why we have BIG main power transformer on our
    GBP £450 to GBP £1400 valves amplifier MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes)
     THIS IS NEEDED FOR LONG TERM RELIABILITY, 
     ESPECIALLY  IN HOT COUNTRIES LIKE MALAYSIA , AUSTRALIA , PARTS OF NEW ZEALAND , ETC
9.. About 75 percent of our customer
    prefer our range of 'El34 or KT88 Triode Connection' or '300B Triode' valve amplifer
   to our range of 'EL34 Ultra Linear' valve amplifiers.
   So, I would expect that our range
    'El34 or KT88 Triode Connection' or '300B Triode' valve amplifer
    will EASILY EASILY EASILY EASILY sound MUCH BETTER
    the 'Ultra Linear connection' of
   SMALLER, LOWER POWERED EL84 valve of Leak Stereo 20
   SMALLER, LOWER POWERED output transformer of Leak Stereo 20
   SMALLER, LOWER POWERED main power transformer of Leak Stereo 20
   SMALLER, LOWER POWERED cathode bias of Leak Stereo 20 (with inferior bass, compared to our fixed / adjustable bias)
   +
   HUM of  Leak Stereo 20, that does not have a choke / inductor in the power supply
10. Epos usually make speaker with one piece of small 5 inch or small 6 inch drive units.
   One piece of small 5 inch or 6 inch drive units are MUCH TOO SMALL for your BIG 15 feet by 15 feet room
   (unless you sit 6 feet from the speakers)
  MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
  that our eBay listing of our 'starter amplifer' called
  Audio Institute GBP £450 amplifier + GBP £50 upgraded with 2 pieces of silver mica capacitors
 + GBP £30 shipping (to Britain and many part of Europe)
  + our eBay listing of Affordable Valve Company GBP £750 or GBP £1250 or GBP £2500 'ultra high end' speaker
  with EXPENSIVE REAL CHERRY VENEER + EXPENSIVE PIANO FINISH (like old fashioned expensive French Polish)
  with 2 pieces of 'high end' 8 woofer with HUGE POWERFUL EXPENSIVE magnet
  + 4 inch or 5 inch superb coated paper EXPENSIVE 'High End' midrange
  + 1 inch EXPENSIVE "High End' tweeter
  will sound
  3 times to 100 times (depending on how fussy you are) better
  any Epos , B&W , ProAc , Living Voice Avatar , Zingali , etc , GBP £200 to GBP £6000 speakers with 1 or 2 pieces of  5 inch or 6 inch drive unit
  driven by ANY amplifer selling for GBP £100 to GBP £100000000 with power from 1 watt to 500 watts
  for
  1. Much much louder , needed for realistic 'life size' music in 15 feet rooms to 30 feet rooms
  2. far superior bass, much more realistic bass drum, and bass instruments
  3. far superior human voices, when there is a bass drum or loud bass instruments
         (that will quickly overload small 5 inch or small 6 inch speakers,)
         (and human voices becomes blur, congested, like the singer has a cold and blocked up nose.)
     Turn up the volume even more, and the bass drum and bass instrument will overload the small 6 inch speaker so badly,
     that you CANNOT even understand the lyrics of the songs.
    What is the point of Hi Fi magazines going on and on, with fancy prose of timing, speed, imaging, etc,
     when you CANNOT even understand the lyrics of the song, after
     a HUGE 22 inch bass drum overload the SMALL 6 inch speaker ?
The most important sound on the recording on your favorite singer,
is the voice of your favorite singer.
If you CANNOT understand the words, your favorite singer is singing,
after a HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum has overloaded the SMALL 6 inch speaker,
you might as well switch off your HIgh FIdelity (or LOw Fidelity) system , and watch television !
Please forget the nonsensical hype about good bass from SMALL 5 inch or SMALL 6 inch speaker,
if you read the review of Epos ELS-3 (which is NOT an electrostatic speaker) in
http://stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/104epos/
you will find the reviewer 'covering his back' with
  'But don't expect deep bass performance from these tiny puppies (Epos ELS-3)  '
  'timpani sounded timbrally correct but not dramatic, and orchestral bass drums didn't shake the room.'
Hummm............ what does the Hi Fi reviewer mean ?
HUGE 32 inch or HUGE 22 inch bass drums in pop music or classical music
are probably the most exciting instrument,
because of the LOUD dramatic impact !
It is like somebody hitting you, in the chest and ears, with a balloon !
What on earth is a 'not dramatic' bass drum ???
Why can't Hi Fi reviewers say that
one or two pieces of SMALL 5 inch or SMALL 6 inch speaker
produces lousy bass,
when compared to
BIG cabinets with 'High End' BIG 10 inch woofer with HUGE EXPENSIVE magnets
+ Xmax of 5 millimetres or more
or
BIG cabinets with 2 pieces of 'High End' BIG 8 inch speakers with HUGE EXPENSIVE magnets
+ Xmax of 4.5 millimetres or even 6 millimetres !
Is the bass of SMALL 5 inch or SMALL 6 inch speaker good or bad ?
Please go and listen to a REAL bass drum,
and you will find that SMALL 5 inch or SMALL 6 inch speakers
do NOT sound anything like a REAL HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum !
You should be able to find a REAL band playing in some pubs / bars or night clubs.
SMALL 5 inch or SMALL 6 inch speakers
sounds like 10 percent to 20 percent like a REAL HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum or REAL HUGE 32 inch Kettle Drum.
Our 2 pieces of EXPENSIVE 'High End' 8 inch woofer with HUGE EXPENSIVE MAGNETS
in our GBP £2500 speakers
sounds like 70 percent to 80 percent like a REAL HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum or REAL HUGE 32 inch Timpani / Kettle Drum.
Our 2 pieces of EXPENSIVE 'High End' 8 inch woofer with HUGE EXPENSIVE MAGNETS
in our GBP £1250 speakers 'Chinatown + Extra Bass Tuning'
sounds like 50 percent to 60 percent like a REAL HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum or REAL HUGE 32 inch Timpani / Kettle Drum.
 
Please spend a moment to admire
the beautiful REAL Cheery wood veneer
+ beautiful expensive piano finish
and then .........

Compare the size of our
2 pieces of 8 inch woofer
+ 5 inch coated paper midrange
+ 1 i nch dome tweeter
               against
an Epos ELS-3 speaker
with SMALL 5 inch cone
               against
HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum.

How can a SMALL 5 inch speaker
imitate / reproduce
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum ?

Which speaker do you think
stand a better chance of
imitating / reproducing 
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum ?

Your answer is probably
a HUGE 22 inch speaker !

 
Question on 3 January 2008 = I have a Shanling MC-30 'Music Centre' that outputs 3w per channel in Class A.
Sounds great but I need more volume.
Can you advise which of your amps can be used as a power amp connected to my pre amp out sockets?
Answer = Answer = All of our 'loosely disguised' integrated amplifiers are
actually POWER AMPLIFIERS
+
'passive selector switch' you CANNOT hear any colouration from a 'passive selector switch'
I challenge any 'Hi Fi reviewer / princess who CLAIMS to feel a pea under 10 mattress'
(the story teller was being sarcastic about some rich people who complain all the time)
to stake their reputation in a 'blind' listening test, moderated by an INDEPENDENT Hi Fi magazines, and not their gang of friend.
+
'passive volume control' you CANNOT hear any colouration from a 'passive selector switch' of the SAME VALUE,
if there is reasonable balance between left and right channel at VERY VERY LOW VOLUME.
(You might be able the hear difference between 10 thousand ohm volume control)
(versus 100 thousand ohms volume control,)
(because the horrible op amp IC output stage)
(might be a bit more 'Class A' biased' into 100 thousand ohms volume control,)
(have lower distortion at VERY LOW VOLUME OF ECHOES, ETC, and should sound better,)
( if you do not get a problem with hum and noise ! )
I challenge any 'Hi Fi reviewer / princess who CLAIMS to feel a pea under 10 mattress'
(the story teller was being sarcastic about some rich people who complain all the time)
to stake their reputation in a 'blind' listening test of volume control of the SAME VALUE
at a MODERATE VOLUME (to avoid problems with channel imbalance at VERY LOW VOLUME,
moderated by an INDEPENDENT Hi Fi magazines, and not their gang of friend.
You simply connect our GBP £450 + GBP £30 shipping
POWERFUL 40 watts + 40 watts EL34 valve amplifer
WITH BIG TRANSFORMER THAT LOOKS AS BIG AS GBP £3000 AUDIO RESEARCH VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS
to the almost any music centre that has a 'tape out out' or 'preamp out put' or 'CD output'
and use the 100 thousand ohm volume control on on amplifier.
Our GBP £450 valve amplifer
POWERFUL 40 watts + 40 watts EL34 valve amplifer
WITH BIG TRANSFORMER THAT LOOKS AS BIG AS GBP £3000 AUDIO RESEARCH VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS
will be MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE THAN ADEQUATE
for your Shanling MC-30 'Music Centre' that outputs 3w per channel in Class A.
-------- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING ----------
If you have Shanling MC-30 'Music Centre' that outputs 3w per channel in Class A,
you probably also got small 5 inch or small 6 inch speaker.
Small 5 inch or small 6 inch speaker CANNOT COPE with 10 watts of deep bass
(The loudest sound, on most recording, are usually the bass drums or bass instrument)
even though the Hi Fi industry are make nonsensical misleading claims that their small speaker can handle 100 watts.
(If you believe the claims of second hand car sales man and Hi Fi dealers, you will get conned !)
SMALL 6 inch speakers are TOO SMALL to imitate / reproduce
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum or HUGE 32 inch Timpani
SMALL 6 inch speakers are TOO SMALL
to fill HUGE 20 foot room with LOUD music,
unless you sit 6 feet from small 6 inch speakers
If you want a much much much better reproduction / imitation of 
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum or HUGE 32 inch Timpani
or  fill HUGE 20 foot room with LOUD music,
please take out 1 month home trail on our
GBP £750 or GBP £1500 + £30 shipping for floorstanding speaker with
2 pieces of 8 inch woofers + separate dedicated 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter
with REAL cherry wood veneer
+ superb piano finish , looks like old fashion expensive ' 'French Polish' 
When buying valve amplifiers for HUGE (bigger than 6 inch speaker) 'difficult to drive' speaker,
you must IGNORE the CLAIMED WATTAGE of the valve amplifier !
Some 'automatic bias' valve / tube amplifier claim to be 35 watts amplifier,
but can only produce about 3 watt of bass at 20 Hertz with 2 percent distortion
Please see figure 7 at http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/205prima/index3.html
                    ( 5 volts x 5 volts divided by 8 ohms equals about 3 watts )
-------- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING ----------
I guess it is a bit late now,
but you should have bought a serious Hi Fi system like
GBP £450 + £30 shipping  POWERFUL 40 watts + 40 watts EL34 valve amplifer
WITH BIG TRANSFORMER THAT LOOKS AS BIG AS GBP £3000 AUDIO RESEARCH VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS
+
GBP £750 or GBP £1500 + £30 shipping for floorstanding speaker with
2 pieces of 8 inch woofers + separate dedicated 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter
with REAL cherry wood veneer superb piano finish , looks like old fashion expensive ' 'French Polish'
+
hilariously priced GBP 180 to GBP 270 Sony CDP-CX355 with jukebox to play 300 CD,
which is VERY RELIABLE for me and a few of my customer,
just as long as, you do NOT turn the jukebox by hand. Use the big control knob !
Please ignore any nonsensical UNPROVEN prejudice about WELL DESIGNED (that need not be insanely expensive) CD changers
with buffering and phase locked loop.
Sony + Phillips invented the CD player.
Sony is at the forefront of SACD , DAT , minidisk , etc
What does Shanling know about CD players compared to Sony ?
How can anybody be impressed with
Shanling MC-30 'Music Centre' that outputs 3w per channel in Class A ?????
How can anybody be impressed with
Shanling CD players that has more integrated circuits than valves ?????
What is the point of shoving a few valves into a CD player,
after passing / damaging the audio signal through many IC Integrated Circuits ?
What does Shanling know about CD players compared to Sony ?

 
 
Question on 3 January 2008 = I visit Sittingbourne in Kent on a frequent basis
                    and was wondering if it is possible to view the amps that you sell?
Answer = Sorry, no.
1 month home trial.  Mail order only.
We have some serious customer, but we also have some time wasters who spend half a day listening to
our superb 40 watts + 40 watts valve amplifer,
likes the sound, but do not have the money to buy GBP £450 40 watts + 40 watts powerful amplifer with superb sound.
If you are selling GBP £450 valve amplifier that look like GBP £750 valve amplifer in shops,
there is no 'profit margin' for half day demonstration.
If the customer do not have enough limits on their credit card for GBP £450 deposit for 1 month home trial,
the customer do not have enough money to buy GBP £450 + GBP £30 shipping 40 watts +  40 watts valve amplifer.
Please email your address,
and we will send you a brochure.
Thank you

 
Message from Affordable Valve Company on 14 November 2007 = 

Why EL34 'Triode Connection' and KT88 'Triode Connection' sound better 
( to three quarter of experienced valve enthusiasts )
 
I forgot to say.
Whilst your four year old amplifier is with me,
I recommend that
I do the GBP £50 modification 'Triode Connection'.
' Triode connection' make ..................
human voices (especially from CD)
sound about 50 percent to three times (depending on how fussy you are) more realistic
Treble and treble details
sound about 20 percent to three times (depending on how fussy you are) sweeter / nicer
'Triode connection' improvement is about three times to 100 times bigger (depending on how fussy you are)
than changing different brands of El 34 valves
like RUSSIAN Mullard EL34 valve / tubes or BRITISH Mullard EL34 valve / tube..
'Triode connection' improvement is about three times to 10 times bigger (depending on how fussy you are) than
changing El 34 valves to KT 88 valves (and adjusting the bias and adding ultrasonic filters to make sure the KT 88 valves work reliably.)
To many people have been conned, by hi-fi dealers shoving expensive KT 88 valves into a mediocre amplifier,
and the customer thinks that he has a bargain KT 88 amplifier !
If you are the 'typical' customer playing CD .......
About three quarter of my customers refer the sound of triode connection,
especially customers playing CD.
If you are playing 40 year old vinyl record,
that has been played 2000 times,
and the needle stylus have ground away a lot of the treble,
and the 40 year old buying record sounds a bit muffled
(that is the difference between)
(the treble is not irritating because)
(the frequency response is flat, the waterfall the shows superb transient response,)
(there is no high frequency 'class B' crossover distortion)
(versus)
(the treble is not irritating because)
(after treble has been ground away by the stylus/needle, over 2000 playing)
you might or might not like 'Triode Connection'.
Note to audio engineers .........
all of the claims above might be explained by .........
1. If you look at the valve characteristic curve of KT 88 ' Triode connected' versus KT 88 'ultralinear'
you will see that the KT 88 'Triode connected' curves are very evenly spaced,
meaning low distortion WITHOUT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
The curves of the KT 88 ultralinear is not so even,
and the spacing of the 'ultralinear' curves is a bit unpredictable,
meaning higher distortion !
2. The typical' Ultralinear connection' is a unusual form of negative feedback.
      Negative feedback usually makes 10 kilohertz square wave worse.
    You remove this unusual form of negative feedback,
     when you change the 'ultralinear connection' to 'Triode connection'.
    ' Triode Connection' were usually improve 10 kilohertz square wave performance.
3. Louder deeper bass + better damping because

'Triode connection' can reduce output impedance/plate resistance by half
meaning better damping of bass notes.
'Triode connection' can reduce output impedance/plate resistance by half
meaning plays the should go twice as deep.
Output transformers have limited inductance.

If you halve the output impedance / plate resistance
the frequency response will go down to ABOUT twice as deep.
4. You lose half the power,
  but EL 34 or KT 88 Triode connected + big output transformers
+ fixed/adjustable bias
 will be MORE THAN POWERFUL ENOUGH for 6 inch to 15 inch woofers in the 20 foot room.
Most 6 inch to 15 inch woofers CANNOT COPE with 10 watts of deep bass
between 40 hertz to 80 hertz at 1 per cent distortion.
(if you do not believe me look at B&W website and Spendor website
(and do a bit of calculation with the 90 decibel distortion figure + sensitivity)
(90 decibels is about 12 four watts into a typical modern speaker)
(If modern speakers can handle hundreds of watts,)
(why do they measured distortion at about 1 watt to 4 watts ? )
Nonsensical CLAIMS that 6 inch loudspeaker can handle 100 watts of deep bass are silly and misleading,
and should be investigated by 'trading standards' officers

 
 
 
Message from Affordable Valve Company on 14 November 2007 = 

Do not tamper with our valve / tube amplifier

Do not break the anti tamper labels on the bottom of the amplifier and safety cage

Only use our SUPERIOR RELIABLE CHINESE VALVE (with 1 year guarantee)
matched on our unique computer controlled valve tester

Do not use unreliable valves (with the disappointing and today's guarantee)
 
I apologise for the delay in returning your repaired amplifier.
I wanted to make 100 percent sure that
your repaired amplifier is 100 percent reliable,
by using your repaired amplifier for many many days.
Somebody has been tampering with your valve amplifier,
and removed the bottom of the amplifier.
Both the 'anti tamper' labels have been broken.
Do not tamper with your valve amplifier.
Do not allow anybody to tamper with your valve amplifier.
Your 4 year old amplifier has 3 faults.

1.  There is a fuse, hidden in the main inputs socket, that has blown.
         In our telephone conversations, I did suggest that you check this fuse.
         Labour cost of finding fault + fixing fault   GBP £10
2. One of the Russian 4 year old Svetlana EL34 valve has stopped working.
        This is fair enough, because nothing last forever.
        The other seven valve are working,
       but the valves are four years old,
        and it would be sensible to replace the modestly priced valves,
       whilst I have the amplifier.
       Cost of 4 pieces of SUPERIOR RELIABLE 6N3  (Reliable valves guaranteed for one year. 
Guarantee does not apply to your 4 year old amplifier)
     + 4 pieces of SUPERIOR RELIABLE CHINESE EL 34 (Reliable valves guaranteed for one year. 
Guarantee does not apply to your 4 year old amplifier)
      is GBP £50
Please do not use UNRELIABLE valves (with a disappointing 90 days guarantee.)
that can cause hundreds of pounds to your amplifier,
if the UNRELIABLE valve damages the output transformers.
Labour cost to adjust the bias voltage + measure distortion, square wave performance is FREE
Three.  Our SUPERIOR RELIABLE CHINESE EL 34 valves are accurately measured
on our unique computer controlled valve tester.
After adjusting the bias voltage,
all 4 of the EL34 valve should have almost the same electrical current.
One valve was consistently showing an odd reading
that was different to the other three valves.
It took me some time to figure out that
something odd must have happened to
one of the huge, heavy duty, five watt metal film resistor,
that is almost indestructible.
1 of the huge, heavy duty, five watt metal film resistor,
that is almost indestructible,
measured 20 percent more than the other three resistors.
Labour cost to find fault GBP £ 10

Labour cost + part to fix fault GBP £10
(I managed to 'borrow' an identical looking resistor from an old amplifier,)
(so that all 4 of the resistors looks the same.)
(You cannot get a better looking repair job !.)
Long complicated story, but we normally offer free shipping to customers with very old amplifiers,
with very old Russian Svetlana valves,
when we adjust the bias to suit 
SUPERIOR RELIABLE CHINESE valves  (with about half the measure distortion of Russian Svetlana valves)

( NEW CUSTOMERS WITH SUPERIOR, LOW DISTORTION, RELIABLE CHINESE VALVES       )
( CAN EASILY EASILY REPLACE THE CHINESE VALVE THEMSELVES,  )
( WITHOUT SENDING THE AMPLIFIER BACK TO US                                )
In this case, somebody has been tampering with the amplifier,
taken the bottom off the amplifier,
and broken both the 'anti tamper' label.
The fuse was blown.  One resistor was damaged.
This is a bit more complicated than replacing 4 year old Russian valves with superior low distortion Chinese valves.
Cost (including admin cost) of collecting the heavy amplifier GBP £25
Cost (including admin cost) of returning the heavy amplifier GBP £25
Our comprehensive packing materials are designed to be almost 'courier proof'.
Our comprehensive packing materials are expensive,
so we expect our customers to keep the expensive packing material.
Unfortunately, you did not keep the packing material
and we had to send you our expensive comprehensive packing material of
2 HUGE block of specially shape foam
1 HUGE cardboard box
6 HUGE pieces of flat foam.
Another HUGE cardboard box
Cost of some new and some used comprehensive packing material GBP £10
Cost (including admin cost) of sending the HUGE packing material GBP £25
( The HUGE packing material takes up a lot of room in the courier's van, )
( so the courier charges a lot of money.                                                Press any key to continue ... )
Summary of cost

Cost of repairing fuse + resistor equals GBP £30

Replace your 4 year old valve with 8 new valves = GBP £50
 (with 1 year guarantee.  Guarantee does not apply to amplifier)
I hope that you can agree with me that
GBP £80 for eight new valve + some repairs
is very cheap.
Unfortunately,
the expensive packing materials, that you threw away,
resulted in one extra journey for the expensive courier
+ collecting the heavy amplifier
+ delivering the amplifier
+ admin cost to organise 2 deliveries and 1 collection
adds up to another GBP £85.
The total cost a GBP £165.
I apologise for the total cost of GBP £165,
but as you can see from the breakdown of the cost,
the packing and shipping cost is the major culprit for the GBP £165 bill.
If you can telephone us with a credit card number
before the weekend,
we can dispatch the repaired, 100 percent tested, amplifier on Monday,
and there is a 95 percent chance that the courier will deliver your repaired amplifier on Tuesday.

 
 
 
Question from customer on 14th September 2007 = Hi
About 3 years ago I bought an EL34 amplifier from. I know consider that it is due a new set of valves.
How do I go about getting a set and what would be the cost?.
I bought the amplifier when I lived in the UK I now live in Cyprus (attached to the British Forces here)
and to return the amplifier to you would be very costly.
Hoping you can help
Best Regards
PS: The amplifier has been brilliant and I'm very happy with 
Answer = Sorry for the delay in replying.  Very busy.
Thank you for your kind comments.
It is not a coincidence that
you have years of trouble free service from our reliable amplifer.
Unlike some of our competitors,
we are obsessed with reliability.
Please do NOT shove any unreliable valve (with a mediocre 90 days guarantee)
into our amplifer.
Unreliable valves (with 90 days guarantee) can produce fireworks display
and cause hundred of pound of damages.
Our reliable superb Chinese valves are guaranteed for 1 years.
Most Russian , British , American valves / tubes  are only guarantee for 90 days.
Which valves do you think are more reliable and better made ?
If we put in the replacement valve / tube and
put an anti tamper label on the safety cage,
we can guarantee the valve / tube AND AMPLIFER for 1 year.
If you put in the replacement valve yourself,
the 1 year guarantee only applies to the valves / tube
and NOT the amplifier.
I apologize but about 5 customers who broke the 'anti tamper labels',
and have put in
UNRELIABLE VALVES, WHICH DAMAGED THE AMPLIFER.
The 5 customers then sheepishly put back our RELIABLE valve / tube
and ask me to repair the amplifer (with broken 'anti tamper' labels)
I know that that this is the case because our
RELIABLE VALVES WERE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.
The damage to the amplifer was so severe,
that the valves / tube would be damaged VERY BADLY.
Cost of the valve is GBP £50.
Please could you contribute GBP £5
towards the 'Registered Postage' to Cyprus
(which will cost more than GBP £5.)
The total cost is GBP £55 for your Cyprus order
There should be numbers written on the
BROWN plastic at the bottom of the valves.
Please tell me the numbers.
Thank you.
Question on 30 August 2007 = Hi, I would like to purchase one of your
GBP £250 Audio Institute VR-70 valve amps at the start of next week.
Is there any way that I can pay cash for it ? Thanks
Answer = Do you have a 'close relative' with a credit card or a debit card ?
Your 'close relative' can pay for the amplifer,
and you can give them GBP £250 + GBP £30 shipping.
Do you have an account with a Building Society ?
With some Building Society account,
the Building Society can give you a 'Bank Draft'
NEVER send cash through the post.
Royal Mail admits to losing 15 million letters / parcel a year,
and has been fined HUGE sums of money for losing 15 million letters / parcel !
It was probably more reliable in Queen Victoria days,
when it was treason to tamper with the Royal Mail.
NEVER send cash through the post.
I looked up Postal Order at the Post Office Website at
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content2?mediaId=19900224&catId=19400177
Post Office web page give you a lot of information,
but it does NOT tell you
'What happen if your Postal Order is one of the 15 MILLION of letter and parcel,
that the Post Office / Royal Mail admits to losing every year !"
If you can get some SENSIBLE WRITTEN ASSURANCE about
'What happen if your Postal Order is one of the 15 MILLION of letter and parcel,
that the Post Office / Royal Mail admits to losing every year !"
I apologise, but I have no confidence in
Royal Mail admitting to losing million of Parcels a year
nor
Royal Mail previous 'sister company' called Parcel Force.
Parcel Force CLAIMED to have tried to deliver a parcel 3 times over 7 days.
There was NO card that said 'attempted delivery, please telephone Parcel Force at .......'
If Parcel Force tried to deliver, there should have been 3 cards for 'attempted delivery, please telephone ....'
We were in, and waiting for Parcel Force to deliver on ALL 3 days
(We were waiting because, we tracked the parcel on the tracking web page of German GLS Courier, )
(who wrongly chose Parcel Force for their British delivery)
Finally, we had to go and collect the Parcel from Parcel Force depot.
We have deliveries from UPS , DHL , FedEx , Business Link,. City Link,
and ALL of Parcel Force competitors could all find our address.
'Agency drivers' from Parcel Force could not find our address, after 3 attempts , over 3 days !
Why is the German GLS courier paying Parcel Force to DELIVER to British address,
if we had to go and COLLECT the parcel !
Parcel Force excuse was they were using 'Agency Drivers' who did not know the area.
If Parcel Force cannot TRAIN and KEEP enough RELIABLE KNOWLEDGEABLE drivers,
and Parcel Force have to use EXPENSIVE 'agency drivers' WITHOUT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE of LOCAL ROADS then
Parcel Force might as will give up, close shop and go home.
Parcel Force is the DELIVERY service,
where you have to go and COLLECT the parcel !
Needless to say, we do NOT use Parcel Force, with their appalling service,
and your amplifer will be delivered by UPS who are VERY VERY VERY reliable
who MIGHT (or might not) deliver 1 working date late
if you live far away from a large town.
So, if you will have to get WRITTEN ASSURANCE
about what happens if your
Postal Order is lost by Royal Mail or Parcel Force.
Yours Sincerely,
Lim

 
 
Question from eBay member on 18 August 2007 = Dear Affordable I would be very grateful for your assistance on a matter - the amp you are displaying as your competitor is really nice it looks good cute almost I am very serious to obtain this amp PLEASE could you help me in locating this model and make of amp pictured by you on the left Many Thanks for your kind time and help in this matter Simon Admin
Answer = The amplifier on the left, is our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND amplifier, that we are trying to sell on the eBay listing.
Our competitors amplifier is on the 'right' ,
with small transformer and lousy bass.
You need HUGE transformer for superb bass
Based on your eBay name,
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that
our SUPERB BASS
+ realistic human voices
+ sweetest treble WITHOUT LOSING THE TREBLE DETAILS
will sound 
2 times to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than 'Class A' Krell 
+
3 to 100 times better (depending how how fussy you are) than GBP £3000 'Class B' Krell like KAV
Do you know that KAV stand for Krell Audio Visual ?
'Class B' Audio Visual amplifier
       versus
'Ultra High End' valve / tube amplifier with HUGE HUGE POTTED output transformers.
Who do you think will win ?
Just because you pay GBP £3000 for a 'Class B' Audio Visual amplifier,
it still does not change the fact that
it is still a 'Class B' Audio Visual amplifier !

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Question on 3rd August 2007 = which amp can i buy for ?250?
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our amplifier.
Please tell us your postal address and we will send you a FREE 60 page colour brochure.
NOTICE = More stocks of Audio Institute VR-70E arriving in middle of August 2007.
                   Please visit our eBay shop in middle of August 2007 for our eBay listing of Audio Institute VR-70E
For GBP £250 + GBP £30 packing and shipping cost to UK or Western Europe
you can buy RELIABLE RELIABLE RELIABLE Audio Institute VR-70E
that sound 2 times to 30 times better than any 'Class B' transistor amplifier selling for GBP £200 to an absurd GBP £10000
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
This sound unbelievable until I explain that
our GBP £250 valve amplifier uses
GBP £15 valves / tube matched on our specially designed computer controlled valve tester
whereas most GBP £300 to GBP £1000000 transistor amplifier
uses GBP £2 to GBP £3 power transistor made in China, Korea , Malaysia, etc.
(Most modern day designers are too lazy to match power transistors, like the older transistor designs,)
(and rely too heavily on excessive negative feedback, to TRY and reduce distortion)
Which do you think sound better ?
GBP £15 valves / tube matched on our specially designed computer controlled valve tester
or
GBP £2 to GBP £3 power transistor made in China, Korea , Malaysia, etc.
(Most modern day designers are too lazy to match power transistors, like the older transistor designs,)
(and rely too heavily on excessive negative feedback, to TRY and reduce distortion)
If you buy the Audio Institute VR-70E from us or our eBay listings (and NOT from our competitors)
you also get
EL34 valves / tube matched on our specially designed computer controlled valve tester
1 year guarantee one EVERYTHING , INCLUDING THE VALVES
 ( Most GBP £3000 valve / tube amplifier only offer 90 days guarantee on valves.)
 ( Whose amplifier do you think are more reliable ? )
CE safety cage (keeps young children and pets away from the HOT valves)
(You must NOT remove the safety cage and break the 'anti tamper' label)
1 demonstration CD (to prove that our GBP £250 is much much much better at reproducing REALISTIC human voice
1 high quality METAL SHIELDED switching box + 1 high quality gold plated connecting cable for the switching box
(so that you can connect 3 items like CD player , tuner or phono stage /phono preamplifier,
but you will need extra connection cables
(only GBP £15 for our high quality gold plated , double shielded with copper braiding and metal coated foil, connecting cable)
Please note that you only get the 'extra' list above 
if you buy from us or our eBay listing.
You probably will NOT get the 'extra' listed above
if you buy from our competitors.
We are probably the only people in the world,
whose valve / tube equipment are so reliable that
we offer 1 year guarantee on GBP £250 amplifier AND VALVES / TUBES
+ GBP £30 packing and shipping to UK or Western Europe
PUBLIC WARNING TO INNOCENT CUSTOMERS
THINKING OF BUYING USED EQUIPMENT

PUBLIC WARNING TO INNOCENT CUSTOMERS
THINKING OF BUYING USED EQUIPMENT

Question on 4th August 2007 = I have become the owner of a LINN Systems LK 1 Pre
Amp, and a LK 2 Power amp, with 2 power cords and 4 connector cables.
Unfortunately, the Turn Table, Tape Player and Speakers are missing.
However, it's very obvious that these units have never been
connected to a power source.  It's also obvious, after visiting the LINN site, 
that this model is no longer in production. So my question is, before I
offer them on EBAY, is there any interest on your part?
PUBLIC WARNING TO INNOCENT CUSTOMERS
THINKING OF BUYING USED EQUIPMENT
PUBLIC WARNING TO INNOCENT CUSTOMERS
THINKING OF BUYING USED EQUIPMENT
Answer = Either you are taking the Mickey ..........
or
you have never heard a
WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) valve amplifier
with LARGISH output transformers.
Our GBP £250 valve / tube amplifier
will sound 2 TIMES to 20 TIME BETTER (depending on how fussy you are)
than Linn pre / power amplifier or any 'Class B' transistor amplifier
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial).
This sound unbelievable until I explain that
our GBP £250 valve amplifier uses
GBP £15 valves / tube matched on our specially designed computer controlled valve tester
whereas most GBP £300 to GBP £1000000 transistor amplifier
uses GBP £2 to GBP £3 power transistor made in China, Korea , Malaysia, etc.
(Most modern day designers are too lazy to match power transistors, like the older transistor designs,)
(and rely too heavily on excessive negative feedback, to TRY and reduce distortion)
Which do you think sound better ?
GBP £15 valves / tube matched on our specially designed computer controlled valve tester
or
GBP £2 to GBP £3 power transistor made in China, Korea , Malaysia, etc.
(Most modern day designers are too lazy to match power transistors, like the older transistor designs,)
(and rely too heavily on excessive negative feedback, to TRY and reduce distortion)

 
Sorry, but I find it hard to believe your comment of
'these units have never been connected to a power source'
You are telling me that
Linn LK 1 preamplifier and LK 2 Power amplifier
which would cost about GBP £3000+ (in today's prices)
have NEVER been connected to a power source.
So, you want me to believe that
somebody bought
some VERY EXPENSIVE equipment,
which would cost about GBP £3000+ (in today's prices)
and NEVER USED THE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT ONCE !
Come on !  No intelligent person is going to believe you !
Just because you have 2 new unused power cords
does NOT mean that
'these units have never been connected to a power source'
Either you are jumping to the wrong conclusion
              or
you are trying to mislead the buyer.
So, no experienced intelligent buyer is going to buy your
'these units have never been connected to a power source'
As I said .....
Are you trying to take the Mickey ..........
As for you selling on eBay,
I wonder how long it will be
before eBay bans you
or
have eBay already banned you ?
(That might explain why you have not offered it for sale on eBay)
For goodness sake,
you have NOT even said if the
Linn LK 1 preamplifier and LK 2 Power amplifier
are in GOOD WORKING ORDER.
And if I asked you,
is the
Linn LK 1 preamplifier and LK 2 Power amplifier
are in GOOD WORKING ORDER,
you will say
'Oh ! I do not have the turntable and speaker to test the amplifier !'
So, you want me to buy equipment
that might or might not work ?
Do you think that I am stupid ?
PUBLIC WARNING TO INNOCENT CUSTOMERS
THINKING OF BUYING USED EQUIPMENT 
Question on 31 July 2007 = Hi Affordable Valve Company:
I am interested in buying your lowest price valve amplifier, is that EL34?
provided that your company ships to the Philippines,
I will need your bank account number
where I could deposit the payment in the prevailing exchange rates
and will fax you the copy of the deposit slip, 
I am sorry, I don't have a credit card yet but I am a serious buyer. 
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifiers.
When buying equipment from halfway across the world,
the customer must check up on the seller,
using the methods describe below.
First of all,
let us send you a FREE 60 page colour catalogue.
That will show you that we are serious about doing business with you.
Please allow 2 week for the slow air mail to reach you.
There are thousands of crooks / con man on the Internet.
It is a bad idea to give
important details about bank accounts
to strangers on the Internet.
If you do not have a credit card,
please pay us by using a
bank draft (you can ask your bank for a Bank Draft)
or
PayPal , WHICH IS A SISTER COMPANY OF THE HUGE EBAY COMPANY
The advantage of using PayPal
is you get some protection from PayPal
in some circumstances
AND YOU PAY THE SAME PRICE.
PayPal is at 
www.paypal.com
You make make 100 percent sure that you have typed in www.paypal.com correctly.
do NOT click on 'links' that are SUPPOSED to go to PayPal.
It is very easy to produce 'links' that send you to a fake site set up by crooks and criminals.
I cannot figure out an easy way for you to check my 'feedback' on PayPal.
but my PayPal feedback is 24,
My Paypal feedback of 24 is quite low
because only customer who pay by PayPal are included in the 24.
If the customer pay me by cheque or credit card,
then their feedback will NOT be included in the PayPal feedback of 24.
My Pay Pal feedback at 1 August 2007 is 
About Affordable Valve Company:
To protect your security, PayPal offers information on the status of this member.
Seller Reputation:  (24) Verified Buyers
               Only customer who pay by PayPal are included in the 24.
               If the customer pay me by cheque or credit card,
               then their feedback will NOT be included in the PayPal feedback of 24.
Account Status:   Verified 
Account Type:   GB Business 
Account Creation Date:   16 Jun. 2002 
PayPal Member For:   5 years 1 month 15 days
You can visit our eBay shop , by clicking on
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Affordable-Valve-Company
You can also check our 'feedback' from eBay customers,
to see if you can trust us to send you high quality audio equipment,
by clicking on
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=affordablevalvecompany
If you buy from our eBay listing,
you also get some protection
in some circumstances
AND YOU PAY THE SAME PRICE
Question on 27 July 2007 = Hi, How much does your ?250 valve amp weigh and what are the dimensions? Thanks
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier
Please tell us your postal address,
and we will send you our FREE 60 page colour catalogue.
Sorry, but it is not as simple as that.
Our GBP £250 EL34 valve / tube amplifier will EASILY sound much much better than
any GBP £1000+ Musical Fidelity
or GBP £4000+  Naim with Hicap power supply, flatcap power supply
(or if they built the amplifier with a HUGE POWERFUL POWER SUPPLY,)
(you will not need 'improve' the amplifier with a separate power supply)
GBP £600 to GBP £900 Icon Audio Valve amplifier (transformers are quite small on their GBP £900 Icon Audio amplifier.)
GBP £800 PrimaLuna valve / tube amplifiers (claimed 35 watts but only got 3 watts of bass , see stereophile review)
GBP £275 to GBP £400 Sepora KT88 valve amplifier, without 1 month home trail, without any guarantee on their Sepora valves
+ with a disappointing 90 days guarantee on the rest amplifier 
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
IF I AM LYING !
But it is NOT as simple as shoving our GBP £250 valve / tube amplifier into a Hi Fi rack
you need
12 inch of ventilation ABOVE the amplifier
+
6 inch to left , right , rear + front
The weight is mainly concentrated onto the rear feet.
The specification for shelves says weight EVENLY distributed.
So, you CANNOT use glass shelves !
Please ignore the nonsense that you have to use special shelve for valve amplifier.
Anything strong, with good ventilation will do.
During the 1 month hole trails,
I recommend that you put a piece of wood on top of our empty cardboard box,
and put our valve amplifier on top of it.
( Please do NOT put the valve / tube amplifier on a carpet. )
( The carpet will block the ventilation holes, at the bottom of the amplifier )
The improvement that
our GBP £250 valve /. tube amplifier will make
when compared to Naim 'Class B' amplifier , Musical Fidelity 'Class B' or 'Class A' amplifiers , digital amplifiers , etc
is 1000 times bigger that any real of imaginary difference
caused by the our suggestion of
a pieces of wood on top of the empty cardboard box
versus
any GBP £200 to GBP £2000 Hi Fi stands / rack
+ GBP £30 to GBP £2000 main cable
+ GBP £30 to GBP £2000 interconnect
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
IF I AM LYING !
I am sorry, but I am fed up with
the nonsensical claims that people make about
GBP £200 to GBP £2000 Hi Fi stands / rack
+ GBP £100 to GBP £2000 main cable
+ GBP £100 to GBP £2000 interconnect
I challenge  these people (especially Hi Fi reviewer like Richard Black) to prove
that they can hear the difference with 'not cost effective' products
with a 'blind' listening test (moderated by an independent Hi Fi magazine, and not their gang of friends) !
If you are trying to estimate the size of the IMPORTANT output transformers by the weight,
you CANNOT relay on the weight CLAIMED by our competitors,
which can sound too unbelievable to be true.
Sorry, but I do NOT believe Icon Audio CLAIMS for weight.
Please tell Icon Audio that if you weight their amplifier,
and if Icon Audio amplifier do NOT weigh like what they claim,
you will be complaining to the trading standards officer.
Affordable Valve Company
Best valve / tube amplifiers in the world
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges)

David Stephens of www.hifiandaudio.com
wanted to be a distributor of Affordable Valve Company amplifiers.
I explained that we sell directly to customers in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Europe, America, etc
so there was no need to give British distributor 35 percent to 50 percent trade discount.
(This is why our prices are so low)
(If it was a GENUINE distributor, and not somebody trying to buy 1 amplifier,)
(who is based thousands of miles away, then it would be a different matter.)
Unfortunately, David Stephens of www.hifiandaudio.com will not take no for an answer
and is slanging me off on his website.

I would recommend that you consider the following points
before buying Sepora valve amplifiers  from www.hifiandaudio.com

1. www.hifiandaudio.com is an Internet company without any feedback.

    If you buy from eBay you can check the 'feedback' of the seller
    and make up your own mind if the products are good or bad,
    and if the seller can be trusted to deliver the goods.

2. Most Internet experts would advice you to get a 'land line' telephone number,
    before you pay any money.
    www.hifiandaudio.com only gives a mobile number.

3. I cannot find David Stephens name on http://www.hifiandaudio.com/contact.html
    So, you do not know the person's name, and all you get is a mobile number !

4. www.hifiandaudio.com wants a cheque made out to a .com 'Limited Company'
   and NOT David Stephens

   Why does this matter ?

   A 'Limited Company' protect the assets of the shareholders / directors.

   If the .com 'Limited Company' does not have any money to refund your money,
   you CANNOT get money from the shareholders / directors,
   even if you are 100 percent in the right !
   ( unless you can prove 'Fraudulent trading' ,which is an onerous task ! )

   If the cheque is made out to David Stephens,
   and if the valve amplifier is badly damaged by the courier
   or not delivered because the courier lost the amplifier,
   and you cannot reach an amicable solution with David Stephens,
   you CAN get money out of David Stephens in a Small Claims Court,
   if the Judge agrees with you.

   In our case, you can make the cheque out to 'A L Lim' or 'Affordable Valve company'
   or both names, if you want !

   There is one thing that most people are not aware of,
   that it is really a huge amount of paperwork being a small 'Limited Company'.
   It takes a lot of paper work and some money to form a 'Limited Company'
   If you want to take out a salary each week, you have to do weekly PAYE calculation,
   fill in PAYE forms, pay PAYE to taxman regularly + Tax form P60 + Tax Form P11D , etc.
   If you want to take out a monthly dividend, you have to prepare monthly accounts to prove
   that the 'Limited Company' has enough money to pay a dividend,
  and have documented 'Board meetings' to approve the dividends,
  then calculate the ACT, fill in the ACT forms, pay the ACT ....
  You have to file 'Year End Accounts' with the 'Company House'
  and competitors can get a copy of your 'Year End Account' for a few pounds,
  and find out your profit , profit margin, total sales, etc !

   To make matter worse, you have to pay employEE National Insurance
   and the Limited company has to pay employER national Insurance,
   so overall
   you (and the Limited company) pays MUCH MORE NATIONAL INSURANCE !

   If there is so much paper work,
   and the NATIONAL INSURANCE PAYMENT IS MUCH MORE for a reasonable salary,
   why do people become small Limited Company ?
   The main advantage is the 'Limited Company' protect the assets of the shareholder / director.
   If the 'Limited Company' has taken deposits from customer, and went bust before delivering the good,
   it is nearly impossible for the customer to get at the assets of the shareholder / director
     ( Unless you can prove 'Fraudulent Trading' which is an onerous task. )
   So, a shareholder / director can carry on living in his million pound house,
   even though his Limited Company has taken thousands of pounds from customers ,
   without delivering the goods.
 

5, How reliable are Sepora valve / tube amplifiers ?

   http://www.hifiandaudio.com/guarantee.html for Sepora says
  Products sold by www.hifiandaudio.com or its authorised dealers are covered by a ninety (90) day labour   and parts warranty, excluding vacuum tubes. Should your Sepora product fail to operate within 90 days from the receipt date, www.hifiandaudio.com will repair it at no charge to you. You will, however, be responsible for round trip shipping and insurance

   If I understand www.hifiandaudio.com guarantee,
   the vacuum valve / tubes are NOT guaranteed for 1 hour !

   So, if valves in Sepora valve / tube amplifiers fail in the first 5 minutes,
   are you supposed to pay for a new set of valves ?

   This is utter nonsense !

   If Sepora valve / tube amplifiers breaks down after 91 days
   are you supposed to pay for a new amplifier  ?

   If Sepora valve amplifier breaks down in the first day,
   are you supposed to for the EXPENSIVE SHIPPING cost to and from www.hifiandaudio.com

   This must be the worst guarantee that
   I have seen for a products that cost over GBP £200 !

   I have seen better guarantees on GBP £10 radios !

   www.hifiandaudio.com guarantee for Sepora amplifiers is so bad that it is probably illegal !
   British law states that 'Goods must be of a merchantable quality'
   GBP £275 goods will be expected to last more than 90 days !
   If your Sepora amplifier breaks down in the first year,
   and www.hifiandaudio.com and David Stephens refuses to fix it,
   take them to 'Small Claims Court', and you will probably win,
   and www.hifiandaudio.com will have to repair the amplifier and pay 'court cost'

   To be fair to the Hi Fi Enthusiast and Hifi dealer ,
   I think that the cheaper GBP £250 valve amplifier should have
   guarantee of 1 year for everything, INCLUDING THE VALVES
   (like Affordable Valve Company Guarantee on our GBP £250 valve / tube amplifier )

    I think that more expensive amplifier, say GBP £400 and above
    should have
    guarantee of 2 year for everything, INCLUDING THE VALVES.
   (like Affordable Valve Company Guarantee on our GBP £408 valve / tube amplifier )

    Affordable Valve Company is not perfect,
    no human is perfect,
    but Affordable Valve Company try to look after their customers.

----------------------------------------

Pay by Credit Card to get some protection and reasonable guarantee

------------------

Since ....... , David  Stephens has not received any good feedback for SELLING anything on eBay
                                      David Stephens recently a good feedback for BUYING speakers on eBay

---------------

5. Does Sepora amplifiers have CE safety markings ?
    It is illegal to sell valve amplifiers, etc in Britain and most of Europe ,
    unless the valve amplifiers have CE safety markings.
 
 

6. As I keep telling everybody,
   you need HUGE HUGE HUGE output transformer from 'Single Ended' valve amplifiers.
   (You can get away with medium size 'output transformers' for 'Push Pull' valve amplifiers)

   The output transformers of the GBP 275 Sepora KT88 Single Ended valve amplifier
   is much too small for a 'Single Ended' valve amplifier.
   The transformers rae so small that I doubt
   if you can get 3 watts of bass at 20 Hertz for 2 percent distortion.

   MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges)
   that our GBP £250 40 watts + 40 watts VR-70E 'EL34 Ultra Linear'  valve amplifier
   or our GBP £408 20 watts + 20 watts VR-70E 'EL34 Triode Connection Lim Aik Leong Signature'
   valve amplifier
   will have 3 time to 20 times better bass (depending on the size of your speakers) than
    GBP 275 Sepora KT88 Single Ended valve amplifier
   + 2 time to 20 times more realistic human voices (depending on how fussy you are)
   (WHEN THERE IS A LOUD BASS DRUM) than
   GBP 275 Sepora KT88 Single Ended valve amplifier

   You also need to check if the GBP 275 Sepora KT88 Single Ended valve amplifier hums.
   Many Single End amplifier hums !
   Our GBP £1100 Affordable Valve Company 300B Parallel Single Ended amplifier does NOT hum,
   because there is
    choke / inductor in the power supply
    DC heating
    Humdinger (some of our competitors do not know what a Humdinger is !)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 
 
 
How to get good superb bass
Question from eBay member in May 2007 = I am buying a 40 plus 40 watt stereo amplifier
what speakers do you sell that i can match for reasonable bass
not just clarity and sweet treble and mid??
Answer = I am different to the 'typical' valve amplifier designer with their 
small cutesy 5 inch or 6 inch speaker ins mall cutesy 'standee mount' cabinet with LOUSY BASS
or Quad ESL 57 electrostatic speakers with lousy bass.
If I cannot get good bass to superb bass from 
our BIG 12 inch woofers in Yamaha NS1000M studio monitors
and our own design of 10 inch woofer in big cabinets,
I will NOT sell cute-sy valve amplifier
with SMALL OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS and LOUSY BASS !
If you want good bass,
buy PUSH PULL valve / tube amplifier
with HUGE OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS
Some of our competitors valve / tube amplifiers have lousy bass.
If you have one of our competitors valve / tube amplifier with lousy bass,
then you should have bought our valve / tube amplifier !
In order to get GOOD BASS, at a sensible price,
you need a PUSH PULL valve amplifier with BIG TRANSFORMERS.
The CLAIMS power rating of valve amplifiers can be misleading.
Some 'automatic bias' valve / tube amplifier claim to be 35 watts amplifier,
but can only produce about 3 watt of bass at 20 Hertz with 2 percent distortion
Please see figure 7 at http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/205prima/index3.html
                    ( 5 volts x 5 volts divided by 8 ohms equals about 3 watts )
So, if you bought a PrimaLuna 35 watt amplifier,
you can forget about good powerful bass.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
Our 20 watt + 20 watt GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode connected Lim AIk Leong signature
will have MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better bass
than the PrimaLuna CLAIMED 35 watt amplifier
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
Our 20 watt + 20 watt GBP £1050 EL34 Triode connected Chinatown
will have MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better bass
than the PrimaLuna CLAIMED 70 watts + 70 watts KT88 valve monoblocks amplifier
PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven monoblock valve amplifier CLAIMS 70 watts but
it is struggling for bass below 100 Hertz at ABOUT 1 WATT
(1 watt = 2.83 volt x 2.83 volt divided by 8 ohms),
and you can see HUGE increase in distortion below 100 hertz
Please see figure 17 at
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/1206luna/index4.html
70 watts PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven monoblock valve amplifier is having so much problem with
ABOUT 1 WATT of deep bass (1 watt = 2.83 volt x 2.83 volt divided by 8 ohms),
I do not know how can PrimaLuna CLAIM 70 watts, with 100 percent honesty !
Please ask PrimaLuna if their 70 watt monoblock can produce 70 watts at 20 Hertz with 2 percent distortion.
Please do NOT expect a reply !
Likewise, there is a limit to how much bass you can get out of the Icon Audio CLAIMED 37 watt amplifier.
Please compare the size of the hidden Icon Audio output transformer against our valve / tube amplifier.
The 300B valve / tube amplifier with HUGE transformer is our amplifier.


 

The amplifier with BIG transformer is our amplifier.


The amplifier with BIGGER transformer is our amplifier.

 


 

The amplifier with BIGGER transformer is our amplifier.
If you want good bass,
do NOT NOT NOT buy small 6 inch speaker
in small cabinets,
regardless of the nonsensical hype / lies
in some Internet Forums and some Hi Fi magazines
If you want good bass, please forget about small 6 inch speaker in small cabinets.
You really need something like big 10 inch woofer or big 12 inch woofer in BIG CABINETS.
Shoving a big 10 inch into a SMALL 'Stand mount' cabinet CANNOT produce DEEP bass.
Instead of using big 10 inch, we have speakers with 2 pieces of 8 inch woofers. Please see photograph below.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that
our 2 pieces of 8 inch speakers will have
10 time to 100 times better (depend in how fussy you are) bass
+
10 time to 100 times better (depend in how fussy you are) human voices (when there is
a LOUD BASS DRUM or LOUD BASS INSTRUMENT
than 
GBP £

 
The medium brown speaker is beautiful Piano finish on Cherry veneer

 
If you want different wood veneer, please tell us,
and if there is a demand, we will stock other wood veneer.
Customers who supported us and bought valve / tube amplifier from us
can buy these beautiful speakers at a discounted price.
Other customer will have to pay the full price.
Of course, we prefer our customers to buy our big speaker,
but we get customers who absolutely refuse to have big speaker in their living room.
If you are one of those customers who absolutely refuse to have big speakers in their living room,
we sell beautiful small speaker.
But please do NOT expect small 6 inch speaker to imitate / reproduce
HUGE 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE 32 inch kettle drum.
The medium brown speaker is beautiful Piano finish on Cheery wood veneer.
Customers who who have supported us and bought valve / tube amplifier from us
can buy these beautiful speakers at a discounted price.
Other customers will have to pay the full price.
The light coloured speaker is beautiful Piano finish on Maple wood veneer
If you want good bass,
stop using vinyl records
There is a limit to how much LOUD DEEP bass you can put on the record,
before one wiggly groove 'overflows' into the new wiggly grove.
This is a well know fact, and Audio engineers have tried to solve this problem with RIAA equalization,
that greatly reduce the bass when the record company make the record.
When you play the record,
the phono stage / phono preamplifier will boost the bass.
RIAA equalisation has help to solve / reduce the limited bass,
bt there is no such lamination on CD.
When using SERIOUS SPEAKERS (big 10 inch woofer or 2 pieces of 8 inch woofer in BIG CABINETS),
it is blatantly obvious that the LOUD DEEP BASS from Mr Bob Marley CD
is 3 time to 5 time more than my record (using high end moving coil cartridge + high end valve / tube phono stage)
I am not like the Wannabe and Hi Fi reviewers who go on and on and on about how marvellous vinyl; records are
with their cheap Wannabe small 6 inch speaker
+ GBP £500 phono stage that has a 'heart' of
GBP 0.50 (that is right, 50 pence) horrible op amp IC integrated circuit made in China Korea Taiwan Malaysia, etc
+ GBP £0.01 (1 pence) resistor made in China
+ GBP £0.10 (10 pence) capacitor made in China.
Just because the Wannabe and Hi Fi reviewer paid GBP £500 for a transistorized phono stage / phono preamp
with about GBP £20 of component made in China, Korean , Malaysia, etc.
I am Chinese, please could somebody explain this Cryptic English proverb of
'A fool and his money are soon parted'
I do not understand why the English and Americans are always complaining that 
Charlie Chan's Chinese proverbs are inscrutable !
Wannabe who go no and on and on about how marvellous records are 
with their wannabe small 6 in speakers in small cutesy 'stand mount' cabinet
will NOT notice the lousy bass from vinyl records because
IT IS A WASTE OF TIME TESTING THE LOUD DEEP BASS
WITH SMALL 6 INCH SPEAKER IN SMALL CUTESY CABINETS.
If you want good bass,
check that the valves are in good working order
Our valve amplifier with ULTRASONIC FILTERS ADDED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
have superb treble and superb realistic human voices
with greatly controlled, greatly reduced sibilance (when a woman say 'his' it sound like 'hissssssk") 
and have big to huge transformers for good to excellent bass.
But like all valve /tube amplifiers, the valves / tube will wear out.
If you switch on the valve / tube amplifier for 3 hours a day,
the tube / valve should last 2 years to 3 years or more.
You do NOT have to leave the valve amplifier switch on continuously,
like some transistor amplifiers, that still sound mediocre, irritating cymbals, exaggerated sibilance
(when compared to our superb MODIFIED IN ENGLAND VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIER)
even though you have left the transistor amplifier switched on for 1 month or 1 year !
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that 2 minutes after switch on
our 20 watt + 20 watt GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode connected Lim AIk Leong signature
will sound 5 times to 1000 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than
ANY GBP £100 to GBP £1000000000 'class B' or 'Class A' transistor amplifier ,
digital amplifier, 'class D' amplifier, hybrid amplifier
that has been switched on for 1 month !
Customers who who have supported us and bought valve / tube amplifier from us, can buy
a complete set of 4 big EL34 valve + 2 or 4 small valve for GBP £50
a complete set of 4 big KT88 valve + 3 or 4 small valve for GBP £160
a complete set of 4 big 300B valves + 3 or 4 small valve for GBP £400
( If GBP £400 is too much for you, )
( please buy our EL34 valve / tube amplifier with GBP £50 replacement valves)
When the valves wear out, the bass will suddenly disappear,
and female voice voices sound very irritating,
as though the woman is angry with you
(probably for spending too much time and money on your Hi Fi hobby. )

 
 
 
 
 
April 2007 = Nonsensical Hype about the Quad 22L speaker with small 6 inch speaker
I am having problems convincing a customer that
our valve amplifier is 5 times too good for his 'so so' Quad 22L with small 6 inch speaker.
Take away the pretty cabinet, and you have
2 pieces of 6 inch speakers MADE IN CHINA
BY A HONG KONG OWNED COMPANY
THAT SELLS FOR AN INCREDIBLE GBP £900 ! !
Unfortunately, the customer believes the silly nonsensical hype
by Wannabe and dealers (pretending to innocent members of the public)
and 'spiced up' reviews in some Hi Fi magazines.
('Spiced up' reviews makes Hi Fi magazines more interesting,
and increase magazine sales,
and tricks thousands of Hi Fi enthusiast to waste million of pounds every year.)
If I put down my explanation in writing, maybe he will believe me.
I am fed up of the silly absurd hype by 
Wannabe (who have never heard a 'HIGH END' SERIOUS BIG 12 IN WOOFER)
and dealers in Internet forums hyping up the Quad 22L.
QUAD 22L ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR BIG ROOMS
First of all, QUAD 22L use small 6 inch speaker, that are NOT suitable for HUGE room.
Occasionally, you get some sense (and not dealers' hype) in some Interest Forums.
So, please read 'QUAD 22L in a large 25'x30' w/ 10' ceilings?' at
 http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/speakers/messages/218442.html
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that 
our superior '3 way' (better than '2 way' and '2.5 way') speakers
with 10 inch woofer
+ superb 'Ultra High End' 4 inch or 5 inch or 6 inch coated paper cone 
+ 1 inch dome tweeter
with sophisticated Lim Aik Leong notch filter, to help keep human voice out of the 1 inch tweeter
+ Affordable Valve Company 20 WATT TRIODE CONNECTED VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIER 
with big transformer for superb bass, push pull, 
superior fixed / adjustable bias (better than automatic bias) for superb bass
will be 10 TIMES TO 100 TIMES LOUDER AND BETTER (depending on how fussy you are) than
Quad 22L with 6 inch speaker + 500 watt transistor amplifier,
if you have 20 feet to 30 feet room 
QUALITY OF BASS
There are stupid claims by Wannabe and dealers that the Quad 22L has good bass extension.
This is absolute nonsense, and will be BLATANTLY OBVIOUS to anybody
who has heard 'High End' HUGE speaker (the size of a fridge) with 10 inch woofers and 2 pieces of 8 inch woofers
that has been tuned to be 100 percent boom free.
(Most commercial transmission line speaker do NOT have enough 'sound absorbent', so they boom badly)
Yeah, Quad 22L will have better bass than 6 inch stand mount speaker but .......
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that
the bass of our 10 inch woofer, in 3 foot tall cabinet TUNED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
to be 100 percent boom free,
+ Affordable Valve Company 20 WATT TRIODE CONNECTED VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIER 
with big transformer for superb bass, push pull, 
superior fixed / adjustable bias (better than automatic bias) for superb bass
will produce BASS THAT IS 10 TIMES TO 100 TIMES BETTER (depending on how fussy you are) than
Quad 22L + 500 watt transistor amplifier
HUMAN VOICES
Quad (and B&W and ......) use 6 inch Kevlar or carbon fibre or metal cones, for midrange.
It is VERY difficult to prevent cone break up / resonance at about 5000 to 10000 hertz
for 6 inch Kevlar or carbon fibre or metal cone.
This cause HUGE peaks in the frequency resonance at about 5000 to 10000 (without crossover)
and LONG LINGERING RESONANCE at about 5000 to 10000 that takes a VERY LONG TIME
to dies away in waterfall curves (cumulative spectral decay).
This cause a slightly bright, irritating 'lower treble',
that is wrongly blamed on the tweeter !
Wannabe and some Hi Fi reviewers like this effect,
because it give a better imaging
(too much high frequency = better imaging)
and sounds faster
(LOUD DEEP BASS slow down the music)
(conversely, too much high frequency SEEM to speeded up the music ARTIFICIALLY).
Most sane Hi Fi enthusiast, who listen with their ears,
without silly fancy prose of timing, speed, and imaging,
will find that 'too much treble' gets irritating, after an hour,
so they give up on their irritating 'fast, timing, imaging' Hi Fi (or Low Fidelity) system,
and watch television !
Most 6 inch Kevlar or Carbon Fibre or aluminium cones have this problem.
That is why Acoustic Energy, Ted Jordan, Bandor, 
try to use 2 inch or 4 inch or 5 inch metal cones for the midrange.
(It is easier to solve this problem with a small cone)
Some (but not all) 'coated paper' had go this problem under control,
so we use superior 'coated paper' cones for midrange  .
The crossover at about 3000 to 4000 can only PARTLY reduces
the VERY AUDIBLE effect of 6 inch Carbon Fibre or Kevlar or metal cones.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that
human voice of our 'Ultra High End' superb 'coated paper' midrange will produce 
2 times to 20 times (depending on how fussy you are)
more realistic human voice with much less sibilance (when a woman say his' , it sound like 'hissssssk')
than Quad 22L Kevlar cones.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that
human voice of our 'Ultra High End' superb 'coated paper' midrange will 
match or beat (depending on how fussy you are)
realistic human voice than Quad electrostatic speaker.
CYMBALS AND TREBLE
The Ferrofluid in the tweeter might work well when it is cold.
When you play LOUD music, the voice coil and Ferro fluid (iron filling + viscous oil) warms up
so the 'damping' effect of the Ferrofluid reduces WHEN YOU NEED IT THE MOST !
Quad 22L only has a simple 8 component crossover,
which is NOT enough to keep LOUD human voice from OVERLOADING the tiny 1 inch dome tweeter.
Our complicated sophisticated crossover with about twice as many components,
and Lim Aik Leong notch filter tuned to the about 1000 hertz resonant frequency of the tweeter,
will do a much better job of keeping
LOUD human voice from OVERLOADING the small 1 inch dome tweeter.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) that
our treble (because of the sophisticated crossover)
will be MUCH sweeter, and DOES NOT GET HARSH (at most sane loud listening level)
2 time to 20 time better (depending on how fussy you are)
when playing LOUD music.
The SLIGHT brightness around 1000 hertz problem in most tweeter
(including tweeter with Ferrofluid (which is NOT a miracle cure))
is 2 time to 20 time less (depending on how fussy you are)
This 'Ferrofluid' warming up problem is barely noticeable
on the 'typical' frequency response at 1 watt for a brief few second,
but you can hear the slight extra 'brightness' around 1000 Hertz, at a realistic life size volume. 

 
 
Interesting comment and link from customer (I think, did not give name) in 24 April 2007 = 
Lim - for your amusement i would refer you to this link -- > http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C
i think it re-enforces your points about complete bulls@it in the marketplace
Answer = The link suggest that you replace the plastic knob on your volume control,
                     with a wooden knob that cost USD 485 (about £250).
                                       What a stupid idea !
The seller claims that ...............
The beech wood is coated several times with C37 lacquer
for best sound as pointed out by Dieter Ennemoser.
How can this make a difference???
Well, hearing is believing as we always say.
The sound becomes much more open and free flowing with a nice improvement in resolution.
Dynamics are better and overall naturalness is improved.
I would like to add that ..... 
   You cannot buy a USD 2 (about GBP £1) wooden knob from your local DIY (do it yourself) shop,
   and paint on the C37 lacquer yourself.
   You have the buy the wooden knob from the supplier at USD 485 (about GBP £250)
    because the wooden knob has to be painted with C37 lacquer
    on a full moon night, by a naked virgin (male, unfortunately)
    This ritual is essential for the best sound.
    (   Sorry, I was just kidding, I wanted to see                                       )
    (  if some Hi Fi Enthusiast believe EVERYTHING that they read ! )
Anybody who is stupid enough to believe the absolute nonsensical bull,
is a 'silly knob'.
Just in case, there are some wannabe who actually believe the absolute nonsensical bull,
I can safely say IT DOES NOT MAKE THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF AUDIBLE DIFFERENCE !
I challenge the Hi Fi dealer 
writing his biggest load of bulls@it to 
audition the USD £2 plastic knob against the silly USD 485 knob
and prove that he can hear the difference in a 'blind listening test'
WITH FAMOUS MODERATORS (and not his gang of friend.)
An old English saying is ..........
"The fool and his money are soon parted"
WARNING      WARNING        WARNING
Please do NOT put C37 lacquer (or any lacquer, paint, etc)
on the cone / dome of any serious 'High End' speaker
or our 'Ultra High End' GBP £650 to GBP £3000 speakers
( which already has been CORRECTLY coated by
PROFESSIONAL CHINESE AUDIO ENGINEER
/ MANUFACTURER
using VERY EXPENSIVE PRECISE CHINESE MACHINES,
and not a wannabe Western amateur, with a flipping paint brush ! )
(     Gordon Bennett , Western Hi Fi ?technology?     )
(              is going back to the 'dark age',                  )
( whilst Chinese Hi Fi technology is zooming ahead. )
( Western wannabe coating speaker cones with paint brushes, in this day and age, sigh ! )
You can SERIOUSLY DAMAGE your GBP £3000 speaker
BEYOND ECONOMICAL REPAIR
with C37 lacquer (or any other lacquer, paint, etc)
WARNING      WARNING        WARNING

 
 
April 2007 , eMail questions from an Audio Enthusiast who like bass !  =

Comments : i am buying ns1000m's soon and don't want to buy subwoofers
would a simple 40 watt valve amp from you suffice my greedy needs??
i want good bass for lovers rock reggae

Comments : i have 400 pounds what is the best amp for the money 
with tape and cd and vinyl and tuner to plug in??
i have a Yamaha tranny amp 55 watts per channel and has no bass
Answer = Bass of most 'active' subwoofer is lousy
(with a lot of 'bass doubling' or 'frequency doubling',
which is an POLITE old fashion tern for 2nd harmonic distortion !)

Many Hi Fi reviewer who cannot hear the difference
between a DEEP 40 Hertz test signal (BUY OUR TEST CD) 
on BIG 12 inch woofer in BIG cabinet 
                      versus
'active' subwoofer in much smaller boxes,
should give up writing about Hi Fi and write cookery articles.
If you want to check if 'Bigger speaker are better' look at
 http://cgi.stereophile.com/cgi-bin/showvote.cgi?475
The CLAIMED power of valve amplifier is totally meaningless and is misleading.
For example, Primaluna 'automatic bias' valve / tube amplifier claim to be 35 watts amplifier,
but can only produce about 3 watt of bass at 20 Hertz with 2 percent distortion
Please see figure 7 at http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/205prima/index3.html
                    ( 5 volts x 5 volts divided by 8 ohms equals about 3 watts )
What Hi Fi review said that Primaluna valve amplifier did NOT have enough bass.
Our 20 watt + 20 watt 'Triode Connection' valve amplifier,
that uses BIG OUTPUT TRANSFORMER DESIGNED FOR 40 WATTS + 40 WATTS
will have MUCH BETTER BASS than Primal Luna GBP £600 to GBP £1200 monoblock 
(Stereophile review that show Primaluna monoblocks
show large increase in distortion at 1 watt of bass below 100 hertz)
or Icon Audio GBP £600 to GBP £1800 300B valve amplifier
( Hi Fi World magazine was not happy with the bass of  the GBP £1800 Icon Audio 300B valve amplifier)
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
IF YOU HAVE BIG OUTPUT TRANSFORMER, like our superb valve amplifier,
our GBP £750 or  GBP £850 or GBP £1050 or GBP £1250 or GBP £1400
'Triode Connection' 'Chinatown' or 'Lim Aik Leong Signature' valve amplifier
will have about
20 percent to 50 percent MORE BASS THAN MOST TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER,
when used with the Yamaha NS-1000M
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
This sound unbelievable, until I explain that
our GBP £850 (and above)  valve amplifier uses 8 kilogram main power transformer
+ a small choke / inductor (and no, Musical Fidelity did NOT invent choke / inductor for amplifiers).
The weight of a 'typical' transistor amplifier is about 8 kilogram COMPLETE, metal box and all,
(which is a bit of a sad joke, compared to our SERIOUS valve amplifier.)
If money is tight,
IF YOU HAVE BIG ish OUTPUT TRANSFORMER, like our superb valve amplifier,
our GBP £408 MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
'EL34 Triode Connection' VR-70E Lim Aik Leong Signature,
will match (or beat) the bass of most transistor amplifier
when used with the Yamaha NS-1000M.
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
If money is tight,
IF YOU HAVE BIG OUTPUT TRANSFORMER, like our superb valve amplifier,
our GBP £410 Audio Institute VR-110 (with silver front, like the TAC GBP £600 amplifier)
have about 20 percent to 50 percent MORE BASS THAN MOST TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER,
when used with the Yamaha NS-1000M.
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
Our GBP £750 or GBP £850 MODIFIED IN ENGLAND AMPLIFIER
(which look similar to the GBP £410 Audio Institute VR-110 and TAC GBP £600 amplifier)
will have sweeter treble, and more realistic human voice,
but our MODIFIED BY IN ENGLAND LIM AIK LEONG version cost twice as much
If you are SERIOUS about Hi Fi and you are fed up with
the lousy bass of small 5 inch or 6 inch stand mount speaker
(that some Hi Fi reviewers go on and on about)
and the lousy midrange (WHEN YOU ARE LISTENING LOUD, and human voice are so bad,
that you CANNOT even understand the lyric of the song )
of small 5 inch or 6 inch stand mount speaker
(that some Hi Fi reviewers go on and on about)
then your Hi Fi World will be turned upside down when you hear
Yamaha NS-1000M has 10 time to 100 time better bass (depending on how fussy you are)
 (IF YOU ARE USING A OUR WELL DESIGNED 'TRIODE CONNECTION' VALVE AMPLIFIER)
and
10 times to 100 times better human voices (IF YOU ARE USING A OUR WELL DESIGNED 'TRIODE CONNECTION' VALVE AMPLIFIER)
and superb treble  (IF YOU ARE USING A OUR WELL DESIGNED 'TRIODE CONNECTION' VALVE AMPLIFIER)
Yamaha NS-1000M are VERY REVEALING SPEAKER,
and will ruthlessly expose the 'class B crossover' distortion of transistor amplifiers,
and the poor stability (lousy 10 kilohertz square wave into a difficult capacitive / inductive load)
of many modern transistor amplifier.
Yamaha NS-1000M are VERY REVEALING SPEAKERS + 'class B' transistor amplifier + CD player
will give you VERY VERY irritating, harsh treble
VERY VERY irritating sibilance (when a woman say 'his' it sound like 'hissssssk'
Shockingly,
Yamaha NS-1000M are VERY REVEALING SPEAKER
+ our WELL DESIGNED 'Triode connection' valve amplifier' with BIG or HUGE OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS
even the GBP £408 valve amplifier (or even our GBP £250 valve amplifier)  + CD player
will give you SUPERB treble (100 percent NOT irritating)
and SUPERB, REALISTIC, believable  human voice
with greatly reduced (at least 50 percent) sibilance (when a woman say 'his' it sound like 'hissssssk')
This sound unbelievable, but MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned 
during 1 month home trial) that
our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG GBP £650 Chinese speaker
are better than our LEGENDARY Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors, 
bought from new for GBP £900, which was an insane amount of money, about 20 years ago)
I better explain that I own Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors with 12 inch woofer + 3 and half inch EXOTIC BERYLLIUM METAL DOME MIDRANGE + 1 inch EXOTIC BERYLLIUM METAL DOME TWEETER , 
Yamaha NS10M nearfield studio monitor (the distinctive 7 inch WHITE CONE in a BLACK CABINET
                                                                           seen in MANY music video of a studio) , 
Quad ESL 57 electrostatic speaker, 
OLD Kef Concerto with Kef Kef T27 1 inch tweeter + B110 5 inch drive unit used in BBC design LS3/5a ) , 
IMF transmission line TLS 50 mark II with 8 inch woofer + midrange + tweeter,
SERIOUSLY 'High End' stand mounts like Veritas with 
6 inch woofer with TWO VOICE COILS (for deeper controlled bass in the 'typical' smallish stand mount cabinet)
+ 2 inch ALUMINIUM MIDRANGE DOME 
+ 1 inch aluminium tweeter
to older designs like Wharfedale Glendale with the unique 4 inch WHITE midrange ,
that look as if there are hole poked in the WHITE cone, DESIGNED BY LASER HOLOGRAPHY, etc , etc !
-----     SO I CAN COMPARE MANY HIGH END SPEAKER
           + I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT !        -------
I am not a 'Wannabe' so is so proud of his one pare of OVERPRICED hyped 6 inch speaker, 
who goes on an on about how fantastic his 6 inch speaker is
BECAUSE HE HAS NOT HEARD SERIOUSLY BIG SPEAKERS,
that are WELL DESIGNED (that is NOT the same as silly GBP £6000 price)  !
( Just because it is expensive, it does NOT mean that it is good !)
( Fable of Jack and the Beans stalk teaches children                        )
( NOT to trade an EXPENSIVE cow for a CHEAP handful of 'magic' beans,)
( or you will get a clot around the lug hole from Jack's mother or your wife.    )
( In fairy tales, the beans are magic, to make the fairy tale more interesting. )
( In fairy tales, 'spiced up' Hi Fi reviews,       )
( make some Hi Fi reviews more interesting, )
( and sell more Hi Fi magazines.                   )
( In real life, you have been conned by a cheap handful of bean, and you will get a clout from your wife ! )
How can eBay listing of
our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG GBP £650 Chinese speaker
or Affordable Valve Company GBP £2000 British speakers
be better than our LEGENDARY Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors ?
First of all, please forget about the fancy prose of timing , speed, imaging, depth, etc
Let us go back to the basic .....
The most important sound on the recording of your favourite singer is the voice of your favorite singer.
Our GBP £650 to GBP £3000 superior '3 way' speakers + our triode connected valve amplifiers
will EASILY trick you into believing that your favorite singer is in your living room (eerie !)
for most 'live' recording 
+ 20 percent to 80 percent (depending on which of our speaker you are using) of studio recording.
The Hi Fi reviewers typical set up of 
inferior '2 way' or inferior '2 and half way' 6 inch speaker
+ transistor amplifier (with a 'heart' of GBP £2 power transistor made in China, Korean, Malaysia, etc)
is 5 time to 100 times worst than 
our £650 speaker + triode connected valve amplifier 
when reproducing human voice AND LOUD BASS DRUM, AT THE SAME TIME.
One design weakness of most studio monitors with 3 inch or 3 and a half inch dome midrange,
is the 3 inch dome midrange CANNOT cope with any bass power.
Since SERIOUS studio monitor must go so loud
that it can PERMANENTLY damage the hearing of MANY studio engineers 
(which happened, time and time again),
and the 3 inch or 3 and half inch dome midrange cannot cope with loud bass power,
you have to crossover at about 500 Hertz
This means that
HALF the human voice comes out of the 3 inch or 3 and half inch dome midrange, which is excellent.
but unfortunately .....
HALF the human voice come out of the 12 inch woofer (typically un coated paper), 
WHICH IS LOUSY FOR HUMAN VOICES !
Most Audio engineer will agree that it is a terrible idea
to use 12 inch woofer or 10 inch woofer, as a midrange to reproduce human voices !
There is also the problem of ...
If the human voice come out of 2 VERY DIFFERENT speaker
(3 inch or 3 and half inch dome versus 12 inch cone)
you are are going to get some pretty odd effect.
The Crossover network is a necessary evil,
and
crossover will produce 'phase problems', etc around the crossover point.
Crossing over at 500 hertz,
right in the 'middle' of human voices,
where our human ears are VERY VERY VERY VERY fussy about (human voices),
is a bad idea.
How do the Chinese Designer and I get around this problem
of half the human voice coming out of the 10 inch or 12 inch woofer (which is bad idea) ?
The answer is so simple, that I am surprised that most Western designer have not done it !
(even though it requires HUGE EXPENSIVE 'IRON CORED' INDUCTORS,)
(and not the tiny toy inductors in most British speakers, e.g. OLD Kef Concerto.)
Just look at the photograph, and shake your head in despair.
The simple answer is .....
                'Do not crossover at 500 Hertz.'
Crossover at 150 Hertz to 250 Hertz,
so that MOST of the human voice come out of the
SEPARATE DEDICATED 5 inch SUPERB COATED PAPER CONE MIDRANGE.
(coated paper cones can range from 'Ultra High End' superb to music centre quality.
They might look similar, but they sound 100 percent different,
and the different in frequency response curve is HUGE HUGE HUGE !)
Much much much less of the human voice come out of the 10 inch or 12 inch woofer,
so this problem of 'lousy human voices from 12 inch woofers'
is greatly reduced.
I am saying that .............

Our SEPARATE DEDICATED  4 inch or 5 inch or 6 inch SUPER COATED PAPER CONE MIDRANGE
WHEN REPRODUCING HUMAN VOICES.
 (coated paper cones can range from 'Ultra High End' superb to music centre quality
. They might look similar, but they sound 100 percent different,
and the different in frequency response curve is HUGE HUGE HUGE !)
is far superior to 10 inch or 12 inch speaker
Of course, 10 inch and 12 inch woofer are far superior
for reproducing 22 inch kick bass drums or 32 inch kettle drums.
April 2007 = How do Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 valve amplifier sound with
Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors with 12 inch woofers
+ 3 and half inch exotic BERYLLIUM METAL DOME MIDRANGE
+ 1 inch exotic BERYLLIUM METAL DOME TWEETER
Answer = 
There are many dealers (pretending to be innocent members of the public) in internet forum
hyping up their products.
Many Hi Fi enthusiasts are too trusting 'babes in the wood'
and believe nonsense that these dealers say.
Please read what I write,
question what I write,
question what other dealers write (pretending to be innocent members of the public)
in Internet Forums
question the 'spiced up' reviews in many Hi Fi magazines
('spiced up' reviews make the magazine exciting + sell thousand more Hi Fi magazines.)
and
THINK FOR YOURSELF, 
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY
THAT YOU WILL NOT BE CONNED
BY ME , OTHER HI FI DEALER OR 'SPICED UP' REVIEWS IN HI FI MAGAZINES .

Hum .......... Ha Ha , very funny , pull the other leg !
We have somebody saying that Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 valve amplifier at
http://www.soundscapehifi.com/leben-integrated.htm
sound great with Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors.
Please be reasonable.
Leben CS-300 EL84 valve is half the power of our EL34 , 6550 and KT88 valves,
and Leben can only claim 12 watts
( when our GBP £250 valve amplifier is 3 times cheaper, )
(          has bigger EL34 valves, and is much heavier        )
(                and produces 40 watts + 40 watts                 )
Leben output transformer must be pretty small.
The entire amplifier weight only 10 kilogram,
which is half the weight of a SERIOUS valve amplifier (with good bass).
Our GBP £850+ models uses
main power transformer (not the output transformer) that weight more than 8 kilograms !
Then, there is also the weight of the TWO output transformer 
+ choke / inductor (inside the metal box)
+ EXPENSIVE stainless steel metal box.
So the 10 kilogram weight of the Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 valve amplifier
sound like a joke to me, because the price is just so high for a 10 kilogram valve amplifier.
If it was GBP £200 (Hong Kong price) to GBP £400 (British price),
then I will say it is a competitive price, but not the kind of price that British Leben dealers want.
As I keep saying,
small output transformer = lousy inadequate bass
so there are controls on the Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 amplifier
actually has dreaded 'bass boost controls' to boost the bass by +3 dB or + 6 dB.
This cheap and nasty trick might work with a cheap 'walkman' and headphone,
but for SERIOUS 12 inch woofer like the Yamaha NS-1000M,
it is a stupid idea, and it make bass sound unnatural and terrible
(I know, I have tried this trick before,)
( and it does NOT work with SERIOUS 12 inch speaker.)
(It might work with SMALL 6 inch speaker, if you are listening VERY SOFTLY,)
(and you do NOT overload the SMALL 6 inch speaker with loud boosted bass.)
Most EXPERIENCED VALVE ENTHUSIAST prefer our 'EL34 Triode Connection'
to 'Ultra Linear Connection' used in the Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 amplifier.
About 75 percent of EXPERIENCED valve enthusiast prefer our 'Triode Connection' for
more realistic voices, even sweeter treble, better bass (for our cheapest VR-70E).
About 25 percent of EXPERIENCED valve enthusiast prefer our 'Ultra Linear Connection'
with BIG output transformers.
You will notice that the 'typical' valve amplifier
has the HOT valve and HOT main power transformer stuck on the top of the amplifier.
And the electrolytic capacitors, that hate heat is stock INSIDE the amplifier,
AWAY from the HOT valves.
There is a layer of metal, that tries to keep the heat of the HOT valves
away from the electrolytic capacitors.;
It is a bad idea to shove the HOT valves + HOT mains power transformer
into the SAME box as the electrolytic capacitor that hate heat.
At 85 degrees centigrade, the 'typical' electrolytic capacitor will only last 2000 hours
(about 2 years at 3 hours a day)
(Electrolytic capacitors will last much longer at lower temperature.)
The BIG valve can easily exceed 200 degrees centigrade !
SMALL main power transformer can easily exceed 60 degrees centigrade.
So, it is a BAD IDEA to shove HOT valve + HOT mains power transformer
+ heat hating electrolytic capacitor into a SMALL box.
THAT IS WHY MOST SERIOUS VALVE AMPLIFIER MANUFACTURER
DO NOT SHOVE EVERYTHING INTO A SMALL BOX !
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our starter GBP £250 superior 40 watts + 40 watts EL34 'Ultra Linear' VR-70E valve ampler
will sound 2 time to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than 
the Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 valve amplifier (that only weighs 10 kilogram)
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG GBP £408
superior 20 watts + 20 watts EL34 'Triode Connection' VR-70E valve ampler
will sound 3 time to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are) than 
the Leben CS300 CS-300 EL84 valve amplifier (that only weighs 10 kilogram)
Leben claims that 
"but they (Leben) do have a very modern frequency response,  from 15 hz to 100 kHz".
This give you the impression that 
Leben 10 kilogram (lightweight for a SERIOUS valve amplifier) CS300 CS-300 valve amplifier
has bass down to 15 Hertz.
Leben CS300 might go down to 15 Hertz at the 'typical' measurement of 1 WATT.
But it is doubtful, that any 10 kilogram valve 'stereo' amplifier (Leben or any brand)
can produce 3 watts at 20 Hertz at 2 percent distortion (or less).
Primaluna CLAIMED 35 watts amplifier (that CLAIMS to weighs more than 10 kilogram)
can only produce about 3 watt of bass at 20 Hertz with 2 percent distortion
Please see figure 7 at http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/205prima/index3.html
                    ( 5 volts x 5 volts divided by 8 ohms equals about 3 watts )
Even our cheapest GBP £250 40 watts + 40 watts EL34 valve amplifier
weighs much more than 10 kilograms.

 
 
 
 

                                  12th March 2007
 

Dear Mr Adams,

When I spoke to you over the telephone, you gave me the impression that
OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR VALVES in your 6 year old amplifier was worn out,
and needed to be replaced.

When I unpacked your 6 year old amplifier, from the polythene bag
there was a VERY STRONG burnt smell.
The burnt smell quickly disappear, once the amplifier was out of the polythene bag.

I thought that I better have a good look at the amplifier,
BEFORE I did anything to the amplifier.

I took the bottom off the amplifier, and had a good look around
and I found that one component was totally burnt out,
and the smoke / heat have discoloured other components (what was very close to the heat)
.
Fortunately,
OUR AMPLIFIER WAS DESIGNED FOR SAFETY (AS WELL AS SOUND QUALITY),
and the heat from the burn out component only affect a few nearby component,
and the heat did not 'escape' from the 'fire proof' METAL BOX
                                      + 'fire proof' CERAMIC VALVE SOCKET.

Our RELIABLE VALVES should NOT have caused these 'burnt out' component.
Our RELIABLE VALVES should simply 'fade away' and the 'bass' will fade away,
and the human voice become irritating,
but our RELIABLE VALVE should NOT 'burn out component'

I marked the valves with RR (right rear), RF (right front), etc
and put OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR OLD VALVES into ANOTHER amplifier,
and OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR OLD VALVES
were in GOOD WORKING ORDER and sounded great,
and could not have burnt out the component.
 

      THE DAMAGE TO THE 'BURNT OUT' COMPONENT WERE SO BAD,
                  THAT THE VALVE CAUSING THE PROBLEM,
                         WILL ALSO BE 'BURNT OUT'

 THE DAMAGE TO THE 'BURNT OUT' COMPONENT WERE SO BAD,
                 THAT THE VALVE CAUSING THE PROBLEM,
                         WILL ALSO BE 'BURNT OUT'

SO OUR 6 YEAR OLD VALVES COULD NOT HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM,
BECAUSE OUR 6 YEARS VALVES WERE STILL IN GOOD WORKING ORDER !
( Please note that we only expect valve to last 2 to 3 years, )
( if you switch on the valve amplifier for 3 hours a day.)
( Please do NOT expect POWER valve like EL34 , 6550 or KT88 to last 6 years.)
( It might last 6 years if you are lucky ! )
 

One possible scenario is ...........

OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR OLD VALVE were getting old.

You or an UNAUTHORISED repairman took out OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR OLD VALVES,
and put in COMPETITORS UNRELIABLE VALVES.

COMPETITORS UNRELIABLE VALVE went haywire and burnt out the component.

Then, you or an UNAUTHORISED REPAIRMAN tried to hide the problem
by taking out COMPETITORS UNRELIABLE VALVES (THAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE),
and put in OUR RELIABLE 6 YEAR OLD VALVES.

When COMPETITOR UNRELIABLE VALVE brunt the component,
there would be a STRONG HORRIBLE SMELL.

I expected you to have smelt the STRONG horrible burnt smell,
and you should have told me about the strong horrible burnt smell.

It is extremely odd that you never mention the STRONG horrible burnt smell, at all !

In odd situations, I document everything,
and put everything in writing.
 

At this stage, I can only offer you 2 choice.
 

Choice 1 = you pay œ50 for the courier collection + courier delivery,
                 and we send you back your faulty 6 year old amplifier.
                  ( You can try and ask the person            )
                  ( who sold the COMPETITOR UNRELIABLE VALVES )
                  ( to repair your amplifier.                 )
 

Choice 2 = you pay œ50 for the courier collection and courier delivery
                 + another œ20 for an estimate of how much it will cost to repair your amplifier.

                 The œ20 is NOT for the repair of the amplifier.

                 The œ20 is labour charges to
                               dismantle the amplifier
                            + examine your amplifier
                            + estimate how much it will the repair cost.
                            + assemble your amplifier
 
 
 

                                                    Yours sincerely,


 
 
 

>> I have an EL34 valve amplifier that I bought from
> you a couple of years
>> ago.  It stopped working two weeks ago.  The
> problem does not seem to be
>> the fuse.  In any event, I would like to upgrade
> it to KT88.  Can you tell
>> me what I need to do to get the upgrade and how
> much it would cost?
>> Regards
 

Our amplifier are so reliable and 'trouble free'
that many customers do not realise
how long they had our amplifiers !

You bought the amplifier in November 2003,
so the amplifier has been working reliably for over 3 years
(ignoring the minor problem that the amplifier blow a fuse, some time ago)

Our amplifiers are VERY VERY reliable (especially when you hear the horror stories of the   reliability of some of our competitors valve / tube amplifiers)
just as long as the customer do NOT mess about with our SUPERIOR RELIABLE CHINESE valves / tubes, with 1 year or 2 year guarantee (whereas most Russian, British or American valves are only guaranteed for a disappointing 90 days)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I apologise for the problem,
in most cases, the problem is simply the fuse
(and maybe some replacement valves)

I spoke to your wife for about half an hour,
and it is puzzling that the green light does not even come on.
The green light SHOULD come on, just as long as the fuse is working,
and the mains cable is supplying power.
( This section of the amplifier is VERY VERY VERY VERY robust, )
( because of our VERY VERY reliable main power transformer, which is bigger, so it is runs cooler than many of our competitors, and is more reliable than a VERY VERY HOT mains power transformer, like some of our competitors)
( IN 7 YEARS, NONE OF OUR MAINS POWER TRANSFORMER HAS FAILED ! )
( Unlike the TINY, VERY VERY HOT  mains power transformer in satellite receiver + TV set top boxes that have a terrible reputation for failing)

-------------------------------------------------------------

The price of the upgrade is
the difference
between the price of the KT88 amplifier
and the GBP £700 that you paid.

There is also small charge of GBP £50 because you have used up 8 pieces of valves (over the last 3 years).

If the valves in the amplifier are Svetlana valves,
we will NOT change GBP £50 for the courier to collect + return the amplifier
(so you MIGHT get FREE courier collection + FREE courier delivery)

----------------------------------------------------------

If that is too expensive, I can suggest that I can simply 'triode connect' the valves.
This can be as low as GBP £50 for labour.
.
There is also small charge of GBP £50 for a set of 4 big EL34 valves + 4 small valves

------------------------------------------------------------

THE AMPLIFIER IS MORE THAN 3 YEARS OLD,
SO THERE WILL ALSO BE EXTRA CHARGES TO FIX THE PROBLEM
(which might be a cheap simple job of replacing the main switch
or a tedious expensive job of replacing the big expensive VERY SOPHISTICATED mains power transformer,
which has about 4 times more wires than ordinary main power transformer.)

MY SUGGESTION IS ............

LET US START BY GIVING YOU AN ESTIMATE FOR FIXING THE FAULT.
YOU WILL BE CHARGED GBP 50 FOR COURIER COLLECTION + COURIER DELIVERY
+ GBP 20 FOR LABOUR (dismantling the amplifier and finding the fault).

PLEASE BE CAREFUL THAT ...........
MOST experts who CLAIM to know valve / tube amplifiers
have appalling knowledge of valve / tube amplifiers.
The rubbish that these experts say when I talk to them over the telephone,
or read the utter rubbish in Internet website or Internet Forum
is unbelievable !
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
Question from eBay member in February 2007 = Comments : Hello. I have been using an Icon Stereo 40 amplifier 
for about 3 years and have been
pleased with the results. However, I wonder if I could do better with KT88 valves rather than
the valves in my Stereo 40. I was going to change my Icon for a KT88 [Stereo 60] version
but I notice that the upgraded model is remote controlled. Your amplifiers do not have
remote controls. Should this make them sound better? I am entirely non technical, so please do not baffle me with science! Also my listening room is quite small, so I have to sit near to my Revolver speakers [RW45s]. Do your comments about deep bass from speakers still apply? Best Wishes. JF, Cumbria 
Answer = Most people who have audition the GBP £900 Icon Audio Stereo 40 prefer our 
GBP £600 to GBP £850 valve amplifier because our output transformer are bigger and better,
and the COMBINED TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE of our Chinese designer (living in China) and I is probably the best in the world.
There is a lot of boosting that Icon Audio amplifier is designed in England.  Hum......
Have you tried asking Icon Audio some VERY technical question about valves amplifiers ?
Try this ...... What are the disadvantages of 'Automatic Bias' of the Prima Luna valve amplifiers and Quad II valve amplifiers ?
Please concentrate on human voice when you play it LOUD. 
You hear the difference as a clearer voice WITHOUT HARSHNESS (when there is a LOUD BASS DRUM)
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges.
equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that most people (except for dealers in internet forum,
pretending to be innocent members of the public)
that our
GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature (beware of fakes)
or
GBP £850 'High End' EL34 Triode Connection - Chinatown (beware of fakes)
will sound 50 percent to 5 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than
GBP £900 Icon Audio Stereo 40 EL34 valve amplifier
A few months ago, Hi Fi World reviewed £1800 Icon Audio GBP 300B valve amplifier,
that looks similar to £1500 Icon Audion KT88 Stereo 60
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT you contact Hi Fi World and try to buy an old copy of Hi Fi World review
BEFORE you commit yourself to Icon Audio Stereo 60 KT88 valve amplifier.
If you read Hi Fi World review of Icon Audio GBP 1800 300B valve amplifier,
you will understand why I can offer ........
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges.
equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that most people (except for dealers in internet forum,
pretending to be innocent members of the public)
that our
GBP £850 'High End' EL34 Triode Connection - Chinatown (beware of fakes)
or
GBP £1450 'Ultra High End' KT88 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature 
(beware of fakes)
will sound 50 percent to 5 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than
GBP £1400 Icon Audio Stereo 60 KT88 valve amplifier
or
GBP £1800 Icon Audio 300B
Our superb computer matched KT88 valves are guarantee for 2 years (when you buy our valve amplifier).
I believe Icon Audio Guarantee their valves for 1 year.
Whose KT88 valves do you think is more reliable and better made.
Please clarify what Icon Audio mean when they say GEC 1957 KT88 vales.
Do they mean the KT88 valves are produce by GEC company in 1957 ?
(There is a VERY small possibility that somebody found a few thousand of the ancient valves.)
It could also be possible that somebody has stuck on GEC name to Russian or Chinese valves.
Is it a REPRODUCTION of a GEC KT88 valve ?
So, it is 100 percent genuine GEC and Icon Audio can prove that it is genuine GEC and NOT a counterfeit
or it it a REPRODUCTION ?
Please ask Icon Audio to confirm the fantasic weight of these amplifiers.
Please tell Icon Audio that you will be weighing their amplifier,
and complaining to the 'trading standards' if the their fantastic CLAIMED weight is wrong.
If you look at MeiXing website, whose product looks similar to Icon Audio, at 
http://www.meixingaudio.com/ENGLISH/products/index.htm
you will find 'typical' weights of 
13 kilograms at
http://www.meixingaudio.com/ENGLISH/products/mc34-a.htm
to 25 kilograms at
http://www.meixingaudio.com/ENGLISH/products/mc368-b90.htm
Please ask Icon Audio to confirm that their amplifier can produce
60 watts at 20 Hertz at a reasonable distortion
or you will complain to the 'trading standards'.
Yes, remote control spoils the sound.  (Sorry for short answer, but you asked me not to baffle you with science !)
That is another reason why we offer money back guarantee (less shipping cost, equipment returned during 1 month home trial) that most people will prefer the sound of our GBP 850 High End EL34 Triode Connection Chinatown (beware of fake) to GBP £1500 Icon Audio Stereo 60 KT88 valve amplifier.
This sound unbelievable, until you read Hi Fi World review of GBP 1800 Icon Audio 300B valve amplifier.
Customers question = Also my listening room is quite small, so I have to sit near to my Revolver speakers [RW45s].
Do your comments about deep bass from speakers still apply? 
You did not tell me the actual size of the room, or how far you sit from the speaker.
Some of my customer describe 15 feet room as small !
Depending on customers, 'near' could mean anything from 5 feet to 10 feet.
The most expensive part of a HIgh FIdelity system is not the amplifier, not the speaker.
It is the cost of the living room !
The size of the listening room is CRUCIAL to DEEP BASS !
If your living room is 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet,
then the air in the room will vibrate VIOLENTLY at about 50 Hertz
(like a pipe organ).
This will BOOST THE BASS AT ABOUT 50 HERTZ (by a HUGE 12 decibel)  !
So, in a nut shell.
10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet listening room (or many dealers demonstration room) are NOT NOT NOT NOT suitable for VERY DEEP BASS.
Mr Martin Colloms excellent book called 'High Performance speaker suggest that the
IEC organization recommendation for 
a minimum size listen room is about 20 feet by ...feet  by .... feet
and
the maximum size listening room is about ..... feet by ... feet by ... feet
You can expect may experts to have long drawn out argument about the 'optimal' size of the room.
But most Audio Engineer will agree that 'cube' shaped rooms of 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet room are NOT suitable for SERIOUS listening..

 
Question in February 2007 = Dear Affordable Valve Company,
I have purchased on two occasions valve amplifiers from Hong Kong.
They cost virtually nothing, came on time and sound superb.
Have I been lucky or is there something wrong with my ears?
Best regards, Jack
Answer = No, there is nothing wrong with your ears.
The sound of VERY CHEAP Chinese valve amplifiers are pretty good 
Please read below for what you can (and cannot) expect from VERY Cheap Chinese valve amplifier.
The output transformers on these VERY cheap amplifier are VERY SMALL.

Our more expensive valve amplifier has 
BIGGER OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS 
+ SILVER MICA CAPACITORS ultrasonic filter
+ BETTER DESIGN (for sound and RELIABILITY)
sound 50 percent to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
and is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE RELIABLE
so I can offer you
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that most people (except for dealers in internet forum pretending to be innocent members of the public
that our
GBP £250 VR-70E 40 watts + 40 watts with CE safely markings & CE safety cage
or
GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode Connection with CE safely markings & CE safety cage
will sound 50 percent to 20 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than
VERY CHEAP amplifier (with SMALL output transformers) from China.
Also our amplifier are the proper 240 volts + - 10 percent version,
which will work VERY RELIABLY in England or Europe.
Many of the VERY CHEAP Chinese amplifier are the 220 volts + - 10 version, 
which should be unreliable OR EVEN DANGEROUS
if you plug it into British 240 mains power supply.
( My main voltage is about 235 volts during the day.  In the early hours of the morning, it is about 245 volts.)
( It will be a pretty silly idea to plug 220 volts Chinese valve amplifiers into my main power supply.)
I have had one person from America complain that his VERY CHEAP Mr Liang KT88 valve amplifier (NOT OURS)
has broken down (I think within 6 months)
I had another customer who was trying to be to clever
and bought a Melody Angel KT88 valve amplifier (or something like that)
instead of of our amplifier. (I think about a year ago.)
About 2 month ago, his Melody Angel KT88 valve amplifier broken down,
and he phone me up and ask if I can fix his Melody Angel KT88 valve amplifier.
I explained that I would have to charge a COMMERCIAL RATE GBP 60 AN HOUR
(he said that was roughly what another repair man quoted him), 
and it will be cheaper for him to buy our GBP 250 VR-70E 
that has largish transformer and pumps out 40 watts + 49 watts with CE safety cage + CE safety marking + 1 year guarantee.
So, the customer said, yes that is a good idea.
Can he trade in his FAULTY , NOT WORKING Melody Angel KT88 valve amplifier
for our CHEAPEST GBP 250 valve amplifier (where we only make a small profit) ?
And I said, what do I do with a FAULTY , NOT WORKING Chinese amplifier with small transformer, that is unreliable ?
Sigh !  You hear a lot about bad dealers, but some customers are just too much.
Hum...... I notice that you are buying 2 very cheap amplifiers from China / Hong Kong.
Is it because you need 2 amplifiers for your living room and bedroom ?
Is it because the 1st amplifier (designed for 220 volts) broken down
when connected to British 240 volts + - 10 percent mains power supply ? 
Are you hoping that the 2nd VERY CHEAP 220 volt amplifier will not break down ?
Is it because the sound (ESPECIALLY THE BASS) of the 1st amplifier was not enough,
and you are hoping to get better bass rom the 2nd Chinese amplifier ?
When there is a LOUD BASS note, the VERY SMALL TRANSFORMERS OVERLOAD
+ human voices become very blur, as though the singer has a cold and a blocked up nose.
(This problem is much more noticeable on serious '3 way speakers' 
(e.g. speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter)
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that most people (except for dealers in internet forum pretending to be innocent members of the public
that our
GBP £250 VR-70E 40 watts + 40 watts with CE safety markings & CE safety cage
or
GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode Connection with CE safely markings & CE safety cage
will sound 50 percent to 20 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than
VERY CHEAP amplifier (with SMALL output transformers) from China
and MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE RELIABLE.
I agree that they are cheap,
but I disagree that they cost virtually nothing.
You have to pay about GBP 100 shipping.

You have to pay about 5 percent 'import duty' and
17.5 percent 'VAT' on the amplifier AND THE SHIPPING COST AND 'IMPORT DUTY'
( You have to pay VAT on the 'import duty'. What a con ! )
If the seller fills in a fraudulent custom declaration,
you risk you amplifier being sized by the customers.
You do NOT have any guarantee (unless you pay huge shipping cost to and from Hong Kong)
Most of them do NOT have CE safety marking or CE safety cage,
and valves get VERY HOT and uses HUNDREDS OF VOLTS,
so YOU ARE RISKING YOUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF YOUR FAMILY.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is nothing wrong with your ears because .......

HUMAN VOICES
The most important sound on the CD of your favorite singer is the voice of your favorite singer.
Almost any valve amplifier in GOOD WORKING ORDER
will sound MUCH MUCH MUCH better than any 'Class B' transistor amplifier for human voices (where is NO loud bas note)
CYMBALS AND TREBLE
Any half decent valve amplifier (with the CORRECT valve of ultra sonic filter and good square wave performance)
in GOOD WORKING ORDER will sound MUCH MUCH MUCH better than any 'Class B' transistor amplifier for cymbals
BASS DRUMS
However, one of the weakness of the VERY cheap valve amplifier is 
the MOST EXPENSIVE PART of most valve amplifiers is the transformers 
(there are usually 3 black heavy lump of metal on the rear of your amplifier).
So, the Hong Kong seller put in VERY SMALL 'output transformers'.
This means the bass is lousy (if you are using big 10 inch or 12 inch speaker.)
The lousy bass of SMALL output transformers
might be acceptable if you have 6 inch speaker in a small 10 feet room.
Even if you are NOT interested in bass ....
When there is a LOUD bass drum, the SMALL output transformer of MOST cheap GBP £100 to GBP £200 valve amplifier will be overloaded and cause MANY PERCENT of 3rd harmonic distortion (not 2nd harmonic distortion).
Human voice will also get MANY PERCENT of 3rd harmonic distortion
and human voice will become blur and congested, as though the singer has a bad cold and a blocked up nose.
(This effect is VERY noticeable with SERIOUS WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) superior '3 way' speaker, where the bass drum is kept away from from the separate dedicated midrange speaker.
(If you are using the 'typical' '2 way' or '2 and half way' speaker, bass drum will overload the 6 inch speaker,
so human voices will sound blur and congested, as though the singer has a bad cold and a blocked up nose,
so you might NOT notice the problem of SMALL output transformer on GBP £100 to GBP £200 valve amplifiers.)
The output transformer on our GBP £250 valve amplifier is larger
than many of our competitor's GBP £600 to GBP £2000 valve amplifiers
(High price because 'High Street' shops have to make huge amount of gross profit)
(to pay absurdly high rent and business rates, sales assistant wages, etc.)
and that is why we can offer
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that our GBP £250 valve amplifier will sound better than your cheap valve amplifiers,
or anything you can buy in 'High Street' shop for GBP £600 to GBP £2000.

Hi,

Just like to say i am very impressed from what i have read so far. Maybe in a couple of months i will treat myself to a nice valve amp, i'll add you to my favourite sellers listing.

P.s

Change your wording in your adverts, a little more concise would probably help

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your email.
-------------------------------
I hope that you do a 1 month home trail on our valve amplifiers, in the future.

We are one of the few sellers, who are so confident of our superb sound,
that we dare to offer 1 month home trail (less shipping cost).

We have been offer 1 month home trail for the last 7 years,
and about 90 percent of customer keep our valve amplifiers.

Many Hi Fi companies dare not offer 1 month home trial. --- I wonder why ---
-----------------------
And SUPERB BASS, beats or match most transistor amplifiers.
Some valve amplifiers (even some expensive £2,000 valve amplifier) have lousy bass !

(But please remember that small 6 inch speaker is too small to imitate / reproduce huge 22 inch kick bass drum)
(But please remember that electrostatic or other form of panel speaker need to be 14 feet in diameter to get bass down to 20 Hertz)
(Our valve amplifier + good quality 10 inch speaker will do quite a good impersonation of huge 22 inch kick bass drum)
-------------------
And 'no hum' for 'all practical intent and purpose'
(unless you put your ear 2 inches from the speaker or the mains power transformer).

Some valve amplifiers (even some expensive £3,000 valve amplifier)
have irritating hum, from the speaker or main power transformer
(when it get hot after being left on for a few days --
That is how we test the reliability and durability of our valve amplifiers ! )
-------------------
Plus 7 years of proven reliability on many of our 'standard' range
+ 2 years guarantee on amplifier and valves (most competitor only offer a disappointing 90 days guarantee on valves.)
--------------
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Lim.

Question from Portugal

thank you my loudspeakers is acoustic energy aegis one

I apologize for the delay in replying.

Acoustic Energy Aegis one is a small speaker with 12 centimetre metal cone.

If you have a 3 metre room,
and you have a carpet on the floor,
and your door and windows are closed,
and you sit 2 meter from the speaker,
then
our GBP £250 valve amplifier will make
Acoustic Energy Aegis One
many time better
than any transistor amplifier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Small speaker like
Acoustic Energy Aegis One
are too small for big 7 metre room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have big 7 metre room,
and you do not have a carpet on the floor,
and your door and widow are open
and you sit 4 meter from the speaker,
then

1.  Acoustic Energy Aegis One is too small for big 7 metre room

2. You must sit 2 metre from small Acoustic Energy Aegis One

3. Please try to save some money and
    buy bigger speaker
    like our GBP 650 (about 1000 Euro) big speaker
    with 20 centimetre speaker + 12 centre speaker + 3 centimetre speaker

    Please click on
http://www.affordablevalvecompany.com/10_5_1.htm
  for more information
    about our big speaker with 20 centimetre speaker + 12 centimetre speaker + 3 centimetre speaker
 


Comments : I have spoken to you before. I have progressed from Quad 303 to 606 just recently bought a pair of quad 11's
a pair of quad 11's and the difference is astounding I like the sound on vocal and play Frank sinatra
frank sinatra a lot . The only downside is if I push them they give in but on low levels its great
i bought just the other week a music angel kt88 for ?100 . Its got the power but the vocals
are not as clean as the 11's and the positioning is not as good. Im serious now about yours

I agree entirely with you.

It is possible to produce small speakers like Quad 11 that will give very good vocals, when listening softly.

I am an honest dealer,
who is trying to warn customer that

Small 5 inch or 6 inch speakers are NOT suitable for LOUD music

Small 5 inch or 6 inch speakers are NOT suitable for BIG 20 feet rooms,
unless you sit 6 feet from the small speakers.

I hope that your email will encourage

Hi Fi enthusiast to try LOUD MUSIC on small 5 inch or 6 inch speakers
in their BIG 20 FEET ROOMS before buying small speakers.
( Testing small 5 inch or 6 inch speaker in the dealers small 10 feet room is a waste of time, )
( if you have big 20 feet living room. )


 

Hi, Would this amp be suitable to use with sonus faber grand piano speakers? Will you ship to Australia? What would cost be? Regards wt.

Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier
----- Our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes) valve amplifier sound different to the original Chinese version of the amplifier.  We should have eBay listing of the original Chinese version, and we will try our best to BEAT OUR COMPETITORS PRICE for the original Chinese version. -------

----- Please could you tell us which amplifier ? ---

Almost all of our valve amplifiers are suitable for Sonus Faber Grand Piano speaker,
because our valve amplifier have BIG output transformer (bigger than many of our competitors)
and superior fixed/ adjustable bias (better than 'automatic bias')
to give lot of bass (beat or match most transistor amplifiers)
--------------
whilst giving the renown realistic human voice
and sweet treble , cymbal
from a WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive valve amplifier).
----------
Shipping cost to Australia is GBP 100 by RELIABLE INSURED UPS COURIER.
We have already shipped at least 3 (maybe 4) valve amplifiers to Australia.
One Australia customer bought 2, because he was so happy with 1st one,
and he wanted another amplifier for another room !

WE EVEN FIT THE CORRECT AUSTRALIAN PLUG
fitted to a mains cable with a 'ferrite block' 'mains filter'.

AFTER 7 YEARS OF EXPORTING VALVE AMPLIFIERS,
WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING !
------
Amplifier packed in 2 pieces of HUGE shaped sponge / foam blocks + cardboard box
+ surrounded by half in foam
+ packed into ANOTHER cardboard box.

And it that isn't safe enough, we insure the shipment with famous UPS courier.

AFTER 7 YEARS OF EXPORTING VALVE AMPLIFIERS,
WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING !


Q:  Hi there, you mention £650 speakers for sale but I can't see any apart from the much more expensive ones. I'm running second hand Audion valve gear (premier pre-amp and silver night 300b parallel single ended monoblocks) - in part because I couldn't get any sense out of you when I tried to buy valve gear from you. However my Ruark speakers are struggling with the 18 watts they put out and I'm looking for more sensitive speakers - perhaps yours might be the right thing? BTW if you want to write in Chinese I speak some Mandarin myself and read pin-yin, while my wife is from Taiwan and a native Chinese speaker, so communication shouldn't be an issue!. best regards Tom
 25-Jan-07

 A:  I find it offensive that your email say 'I couldn't get any sense out of you when I tried to buy valve gear from you.'
----------------
My explanations make sense, if customers are prepared to keep an 'open mind'
and ignore the nonsensical myth written in Hi Fi magazines and internet Forums.

Unfortunately, you choose to keep a 'closed mind'
and believe the nonsensical Hi Fi Myths in Hi Fi magazines and Internet Forum
, and IGNORE MY TECHNICALLY CORRECT ADVICE.
-----------
So, you spend thousands of pounds on our competitors products,
and now you are NOT happy with your Audion valve amplifier and your Ruark speakers.

I am sorry, but it is difficult for me to be sympathetic to you, wasting thousands of pounds,
when you are NOT showing me any respect.

I find it offensive that your email say 'I couldn't get any sense out of you when I tried to buy valve gear from you.'
------------
Now you want to spend more money with me.
To be frank, I am not sure if I want to do business with disrespectful people.
--------
It is pointless for me to write you a long reply, if you are going to IGNORE MY TECHNICALLY CORRECT ADVICE AGAIN
. -----
I am prepared to spend half a day writing you a long reply,
explaining WHY you are not happy with your Audion amplifier and Ruark speaker
if YOU PROMISE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SHOW ME SOME RESPECT
AND LISTEN CAREFULLY TO MY EXPLANATIONS AND
--- F O L L O W        M Y        T E C H N I C A L L Y        C O R R E C T        A D V I C E ----,
AND IGNORE WHAT HI FI MAGAZINES AND INTERNET FORUM SAY READ

------ OR -------
YOU CAN LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE
AND SPEND A FEW MORE THOUSAND POUND
AND STILL BE UNHAPPY WITH YOUR AMPLIFIER AND SPEAKER.

---------------------------------

If you actually believe the nonsensical Hi Fi Myth that you can make your Audion
premier pre-amp and Audion silver night 300b parallel single ended monoblocks
sound great by changing speaker,
you will spend thousand of pounds on MANY different 'high efficiency' speakers.
before you realise that you are a 'wild goose chase'.

In order to get 'no compromise' 'Ultra High End' sound out of (Parallel) Single Ended amplifier,
you need HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE output transformers
with an 'air gap'.

Just look at size of our eBay listing of 'Ultra High End' Parallel Single Ended amplifier
and you will see that our output transformer are so HUGE HUGE HUGE (please look at photograph),
that it makes our big 300B valves look small.
(It is like standing beside a 6 foot man.)

Just look at 'hidden' output transformer of your NICE SLIM Audion silver night 300b parallel single ended monoblocks
compared with the 'SUMO WRESTLER' output transformers of eBay listing of our '300B Parallel Single Ended' Integrated amplifier.
Which do you think is the more SERIOUS valve amplifier.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail.)
that our eBay listing of our GBP £1100 'Ultra High End' 300B Parallel Single Ended integrated amplifier
+ upgraded with Silver Mica capacitors (ultrasonic filters)
will sound 3 times to 10 times better than your
your Audion premier pre-amp and Audion silver night 300b parallel single ended monoblocks,
so I strongly suggest that you change your Audion monoblocks to our HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE output transformers,
in the phonograph
 


example of our 'Ultra High End' amplifier with HUGE transformer


example of Audion 300B amplifier, with hidden transformer, which might be smaller than our output transformer.

Please ask Audion one simple question.

Can you get 4 watts of bass at 20 Hertz (at 5 percent distortion or less) from your Audion monoblocks,
because Audion 'hidden' output transformer are probably quite small
(when compared to our HUGE HUGE HUGE 5 inch by 4 inch by 4 inch output transformers ) ?

Please do NOT expect an answer !

You will be on a 'wild goose chase' to upgrade your speaker,
until you get some SERIOUSLY HUGE output transformers.
(Due to various technical reasons, )
('Push Pull' amplifiers can use slightly smaller transformer, )
(like our eBay listing for our GBP 850 valve amplifiers.)

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trail.)
that our eBay listing of our GBP £850 'High End' EL34 Triode Connection - Chinatown (beware of fakes)
or GBP £408 VR-70E EL34 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature (beware of fakes)
will sound 3 times to 10 times better than your
your Audion premier pre-amp and Audion silver night 300b parallel single ended monoblocks,
so I strongly suggest that you change your Audio monoblocks to our BIG BIG BIG output transformers.

Yeah, that is another nonsensical Hi Fi myth that monoblocks amplifier sound better than Integrated amplifiers.

Just look at the SIZE OF THE OUTPUT TRANSFORMER,
and decide for yourself,
which is the more SERIOUS valve amplifier ?

And no,
there isn't some magical myth that
small transformers will have better bass (and clarity of midrange, when there is a LOUD bass note)

You need HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE output transformers
with 'air gap'
for Single Ended valve / tube amplifier or Parallel Single Ended valve / tube amplifier
to get 'no compromise' sound.


 

 
 
 
Question on 18 January 2007 = Sir - quite tempted by one of your Amps
- probably the EL34 - so one quick question.
I have a moving coil cartridge (I believe an Ortofon MC 15)
what do I need in terms of a step up Amp?.
Many Thanks - reply by email will be fine.
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our amplifier
This recommendation is for  MOVING COIL cartridge
(usually cost GBP £100 or more, just for the cartridge, NOT the turntable)
If you have the more common 'moving magnet' cartridge, 
the recommendations are different.
At a sane price
GBP £55 ProJect phono stage (suitable for Moving Coil + Moving Magnet)
( If you are buying a valve amplifier from us, )
( we will give you 1 month home trail on Project Phono stages )
( + we will match the lowest price that you can find.)
GBP £150 ProJect phono stage
We do NOT recommend GBP £300 to GBP £3000 solid state 'phono stages
      It is a waste of money buying GBP £3000 phono stage with a 'heart' of
      GBP £0.50 (which is 50 pence) IC Integrated circuit (made in China, Korea, Malaysia, etc)
      or 10 pence transistors (made in China, Korea, Malaysia, etc )
      + 2 pence resistor (probably made in China)
      + 10 pence capacitors (probably made in China)
We CANNOT recommend GBP £300 ProJect tube box
(which is powered by a LOW VOLTAGE main adapter,)
(when popular audio valves perform best with HIGH VOLTAGE of 200 volts or more)
(which is more solid state (transistors integrated circuits, etc) than tube / valve,)
(so the name is rather misleading.)
(we have an ex-demo, but looks like new, 1 year guarantee, with box, etc
that you can buy for a reasonable price. Please make us a REASONABLE OFFER)
Please buy the about GBP £700 EAR phono stage,
even though it is twice the price of the ProJect tube box.
If you have a lot of money,
ABOUT GBP £700 EAR phono stage
( We will match the lowest price that you can find.          )
( we will give you 1 month home trail on EAR phono stages      )
( But we charge GBP £100 if you return EAR phono stage
for shipping, admin, restocking fee, etc. )
( because somebody will take out a 1 month home trial with us,  )
( and then try to say some money by buying a used EAR phono stage from eBay. )
( Sorry, there are people like that. )
Notice for other readers
If you have a HUGE record collection,
and you own about 6 CD,
and you want to get the best out of your record collection,
then you can buy expensive equipment get the best out of your record collection.
Please please remember that 50 year old record played 2000 times,
will have a lot of the treble ground away by the stylus,
and is NOT HIgh FIdelity.
Before you complain, please buy a NEW UNPLAYED record,
and you will HATE the ?excessive? treble of the NEW UNPLAYED record
( Can the used record dealer PROVE that           )
( the record is NEW and UNPLAYED ?            )
( If no, do NOT believe used record dealers that )
( the record is mint, because it looks like new.    )
There is a difference between
the treble is not irritating because the frequency response is flat,
the sound dies away very quickly, the distortion is low, etc
versus 
The treble is not irritating because there is NO treble.
Notice for other readers
If you do NOT have any vinyl records,
then do NOT buy a turntable, phono stage.
Please do NOT listen to the nonsense that turntable sound better
form people using GBP £300 phono stage with GBP 0.50 IC op amp,
and 'Class B transistor' amplifiers and 6 inch stand mount speaker with lousy bass.
Before anybody complain, please listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE speakers
like GBP £13000 B&W Nautilus 802 with 2 pieces of 10 inch woofers + 6 inch woofer + tweeter
or our BIG GBP £1000 or GBP £650 speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + tweeter.
Hilarious priced GBP £180 Sony CD player that has a jukebox for 300 CD has
3 times more DEEP bass 
+ 2 times more treble (which is correct) and sweet treble (with our valve amplifiers)
+ about 5 time better dynamic range
(the difference been the loudest part of the human voice, and the silence between the words)
than our EXPENSIVE MOVING COIL CARTRIDGE 
+ EXPENSIVE VALVE phono stage
when using EXPENSIVE VALVE amplifier 
+ EXPENSIVE SUPERIOR '3 way' speaker with 10 inch woofer + 6 inch midrange + tweeter.
Turntable might make 
hyped up cheap (but over priced) Hi Fi equipment (that are actually mediocre) sound better.
Yeah, like the competition for
how much can I charge for a phono stage with a 'heart' of
GBP 0.50 (50 pence) IC op amp( made in China, Korea, Malaysia).
Yeah, many people are gullible enough to think that High Prices means better quality,
so they pay GBP £300 phono stage for GBP £5 of Chinese components !
But ........................
Turntable make a GENUINE 'no comprise' High End equipment with 
SERIOUS bass from SERIOUS 10 inch or 12 inch woofers
(like GBP £2900 High End BIG speaker with 12 inch woofer
+ 6 inch midrange + 1.5 inch dome tweeter + ribbon tweeter)
 sound worse !
For a start, the LOUD DEEP bass from vinyl records is 3 times softer.
Assuming that you do not have HUGE UNCONTROLLED resonance
cause by tone arm + suspension of cartridge stylus.
(If Hi Fi World magazines measurements are correct,)
(this is getting to be a common problem with MODERN 'moving coil cartridges)
(I keep complaining that the 'Western' Hi Fi Industry is going backwards, instead of forward)
(Fortunately Chinese Hi Fi industry is going forward,
and makes most of the Hi Fi equipment fro the WHOLE WORLD,
even though they might be  sold under Western brand name.
Please ask Quad, Wharfedale, Kef, Celestion, cheaper Arcam, etc
where their equipment is made.
What is the point of owning our
GBP £2900 'Ultra High End' speaker with 12 inch woofer in a HUGE Piano Finished box
+ ANOTHER smaller Piano Finish box with 6 inch midrange
+ 1.5 inch dome tweeter + EXOTIC RIBBON TWEETER
or our
GBP £1000 'High End' speaker with 10 inch woofer + superb 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter
if the vinyl record does NOT have enough bass.

(There is a limit to how much bass you can put on vinyl record, 
before one wiggly groove overflows into another wiggly groove)

 
Question from eBay member on 19 January 2007
about out GBP £250 valve / tube amplifier =
Hi - looking for 6, mono, valve amps - can you help?
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (Less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month 
home trail.) that our superb GBP £250 Integrated valve amplifier with
LARGE - ISH output transformers (bigger than many of our competitors)
+ superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (2 times more powerful and better 'automatic bias')
will sound 2 TIMES TO 100 TIMES (depending on how fussy you are)
BETTER THAN MONOBLOCK VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS.
This sound unbelievable until I explain that .............
many (but not all) monoblock amplifiers have smaller output transformer
and technically inferior, less powerful 'automatic bias'.
This sounds unbelievable until I explain that ...................
Quad II monoblock have small-ish transformer and 'automatic bias'
and CLAIMS to produce 15 watts.  This is not really true.
The small-ish output transformer and 'automatic bias' means that
it cannot produce 10 watts in the deep bass at 20 Hertz
and it sound a bit 'woolly'.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (Less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month
home trail.) that 
our superb GBP £250 (and the upgrade GBP £ 408 version) Integrated valve amplifier with
LARGE - ISH output transformers (bigger than many of our competitors)
+ superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (2 times more powerful and better 'automatic bias')
will sound 2 TIMES TO 10 TIMES BETTER (depending on how fussy you are)
THAN QUAD II  MONOBLOCK VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS.

Our eBay listing of the Upgraded GBP 408 Triode Connection version with
6 SIlver Mica capacitor (ultra sonic filters, etc)
called 'Lim Aik Leong Signature' (beware of fakes)
of our GBP £250 valve amplifier
will sound 3 TIMES TO 100 TIMES BETTER (depending on how fussy you are)
THAN QUAD II MONOBLOCK VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIERS.
There are some old British or new Chinese monoblock amplifiers for VERY LOW prices,
that look very cute and TINY with TINY transformers for iPod etc..
This might be o.k. for the TINY 4 inch speaker.
But if you are using 6 inch speaker or 10 inch speakers ..........
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (Less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month
home trail.) that
our superb GBP £250 (and the upgraded £408 version) Integrated valve amplifier with 
LARGE - ISH output transformers (bigger than many of our competitors)
+ superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (2 times more powerful and better 'automatic bias')
will sound 10 TIMES TO 100 TIMES BETTER (depending on how fussy you are)
THAN THESE TINY MONOBLOCK VALVE / TUBE
There are dealers in Internet Forums 
(pretending to be innocent members of the public) 
sabotaging our eBay sales (and eBay sales commission)
and probably other eBay sellers of valve amplifiers,
by making absurd claims that 
Prima Luna sound better than our valve amplifiers.
This is NOT TRUE. 
In order to refute these absurd claims, 
and to protect my eBay sales (and eBay sales commission) .................
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (Less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month
home trail.) that eBay Listing for our superb GBP £250 (or upgraded GBP £408 version)
Integrated valve amplifier with
LARGE - ISH output transformers (bigger than many of our competitors)
+ superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (2 times more powerful and better 'automatic bias')
will sound 2 TIMES TO 10 TIMES BETTER (depending on how fussy you are)
THAN GBP £1100 Prima Luna MONOBLOCK VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIER.
This sound unbelievable until I ask you to .................. 
Please read the review of Prima Luna Monoblocks
in Hi Fi Choice magazine.
Ask the dealer to remove the cover hiding the transformer
to show you the size (big or small)
of the output transformers of GBP £1100 Prima Luna monoblocks
Please look at figure 15 , figure 16 and figure 17 of 
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/1206luna/index4.html
which show the HUGE rise in distortion for
ABOUT 1 watt , 2 watt, 4 watts, etc of bass below 100 Hertz
(2.83 volt tines 2.83 volt divided by 8 ohms = 1 watt)
If the output transformer of the Prima Luna Monoblocks are 
starting to struggling with 1 watt, 2 watts, 4 watts of bass.
What is the Prima Luna monoblock going to do 
when it is trying to produce the CLAIMED 70 watts !
I challenge Prima Luna to prove that
Prima Luna MONOBLOCK can produce
70 watts at 20 Hertz, with less than 1 percent distortion

 
 
Question from eBay member in January 2007 = 
Hello,
I've been reading all I can about your valve amplifiers. I have just purchased a pair of
Kef 107 speakers and have found my Rotel amps seriously lacking in clarity.
I am interested in your amps but am confused about which one would be best for my speakers
as clearly they are large and demanding loads. I do like my music loud on occasions,
but also demand clarity and quality. Which model of amp would you recommend? Many thanks, .
Hello, I emailed you a couple of days ago but have not received an answer.
I would like to know what model you would recommend for Kef 107 speakers
(and my friends Kef 105/3 speakers). I like my music loud sometimes. 
Both myself and my friend are in pursuit of better sound and would very much
like to audition your amps. Do you have a demo room where we could bring our speakers and listen?
I have never heard a valve amp so would rather audition first. Thanks, 
Reply from Affordable Valve Company Thank you for your email
, about which of model in our eBay listing to recommend..
Please tell me roughly how much you are thinking of spending.
We sell valve amplifiers from GBP £250 (which easily beat any transistor amplifier)
to GBP £1450 (easily beat any amplifier, valve or transistor, or digital, or the latest class fad ! ).
Reply from eBay member = Hello. Thanks for your reply - reference the best model for
Kef 107 speakers. I am willing to pay anything from your £250 to your £1450 options.
My speakers are terrific and I want to get the very best out of them. My priority is not price. 
It is quality and power as I do like my music loud on occasions. I also like clear, controlled 
and weighty bass at all volumes - hence I like what I am reading about your amps. A friend 
of mine is also interested as he has Kef 105/3 speakers. Is it possible to come and audition the amps?
Thanking you in advance. Richard.
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier, and reading the many articles
that I have written.
I agree that Kef 107 are big, but they are NOT demanding loads.
It is strange that I am trying to defend my competitors transistor amplifier,
but your email blaming the Rotel amplifier with
'my Rotel amps seriously lacking in clarity'
'I do like my music loud on occasions, but also demand clarity and quality.'
is not entirely justified.
To be blunt,
there are some problems with your 35 year old Kef 107 + KUBE
that needs to be sorted out before your 35 year old Kef 107 can go loud.
If you want to upgrade and refurbish
your 35 year old Kef 107 + KUBE,
so that your 35 year old Kef 107 can go loud and clear,
please read the bottom half of this article.
We are one of the few valve / tube amplifier people who can claim that
Our valve amplifier will
DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY drive KEF 107 ,
which is a HUGE speaker (by modern standards),
which the owner describes as being difficult to drive.
You can see an older version of our 20 watts + 20 watts 
GBP £1450 'Ultra High End' KT88 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature
valve amplifier (to the right to the television)
driving HUGE Kef 107 in the
photograph at http://www.theanalogdept.com/images/spp6_pics/VIC/Image4.jpg
If you look at the web site at http://www.theanalogdept.com/vic.htm
you will see a marvellous review of ......
Amplifier is from Affordable Valve Company ( http://www.affordablevalvecompany.com )
which uses KT88’s in triode connection and is rated at 20 W / channel.
This amplifier brought the system to life in terms of sweetness, soundstage, dynamics and bass.
If you want to upgrade and refurbish
your 35 year old Kef 107 + KUBE,
so that Kef 107 can go louder and clearer,
please read the bottom half of this article.
The older version of our amplifier uses Russian Svetlana valves.
Unfortunately, when the former USSR split up,
things have been going badly for many parts of the former USSR, and 
we were extremely unhappy with the quality of the current production of some Russian valves.
The new version of our amplifier uses superior RELIABLE Chinese KT88 valves
that are GUARANTEED FOR 2 YEARS.
(Most of our competitor only guarantee their valves for 90 days.)
Our RELIABLE Chinese KT88 , matched on our unique computer controlled valve / tube tester ,
gives about 2 to 3 times lower distortion (at a sane listening level of 1 watt)
Because there is less ?nice?warm? second harmonic distortion,
the Chinese KT88 sound SLIGHTLY colder.
Then, we correct this SLIGHTLY colder sound, 
by upgrading / changing the ultra sonic filter,
so the tone is NOT even the slightest bit cold.
The end result is ........
2 to 3 times less second harmonic distortion (at a sane listening level of 1 watt)
equals
clear sound , greater clarity WITHOUT HARNESS , WITHOUT COLDNESS.
According to my golden ears, 
our latest version with superior reliable Chinese KT88 sound 10 percent to 80 percent better
(depending on how fussy you are) than the old version with Russian Svetlana valves.
If you already bought one of our superb KT88 Triode Connection amplifier,
many years ago, and you have worn out the KT88 valves, by years of playing music,
please visit our eBay shop for
   GBP £160 new valves
+ GBP £50 upgrade to ultrasonic filer
+ FREE UPS collection + FREE UPS deliver of upgrade amplifier.
I hope that you can agree that we try to look after our customers
(except for customers who refuse to pay for GBP £100 or GBP £530 phono stages,)
(delivered many years ago.)
How to upgrade and refurbish
your 35 year old Kef 107 + KUBE,
The designers of Kef 107 sacrificed power handling and LOUD music
for 'spec man ship' and bass down to 20 Hertz
If you want to get LOUD music with KEF 107,
you have to do the exact opposite
and sacrifice the DEEPEST bass ,
to get KEF 107 to go louder.
'How to sacrifice the DEEPEST bass, to get KEF 107 to go louder'
Most Audio Engineers think that
it is a bad idea to boost the bass at 10 Hertz
( Generally accepted that human CANNOT hear 10 Hertz.)
( Generally accepted that human can only hear down to 20 Hertz)
The IEC organization, even went so far to try and force a 20 Hertz filter for vinyl records,
to PREVENT RECORD WARPS , RUMBLE, SUBSONIC ARM RESONANCE, 
DEEP BASS FROM SYNTHESIZER, UNDERGROUND TRAIN NOISE,
ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE, ETC
FROM OVERLOADING THE SPEAKERS.
DEEP bass like 20 Hertz will EASILY OVERLOAD small or big speaker.
The IEC 20 Hertz filter will reduce the bass by half (-3 dB) at 20 Hertz.
The IEC 20 Hertz filter will reduce the bass by about 10 times ( about -9 dB) at 10 Hertz.
What did Kef do ? 
Did Kef REDUCE the bass by about 10 times at 10 Hertz ?
No, Kef KUBE did the EXACT OPPOSITE and
INCREASE the bass by as much about 50 times at 10 Hertz !
The designers of Kef 107 + KUBE sacrificed power handling and LOUD music
for 'spec man ship' and bass down to 20 Hertz
Bass down to 20 Hertz (- 3 dB) sounds VERY impressive on the sales literature,
but it GREATLY REDUCES THE POWER HANDLING.
( That is why most loudspeaker manufacturers do NOT do it ! )
If you want Kef 107 + KUBE to go LOUD,
you have to reverse what the Kef engineers did
to get impressive 'sales spec(ification)' for the sale literature + Hi Fi reviews
How to upgrade / refurbish your Kef 107
If you said that
your Rotel amplifier + Kef 107 is crystal clear, but sound a bit harsh, with too much treble,
and too much sibilance (when a woman say 'his' , it sound like 'hissssssk')
then your problem might be 'Class B' cross over distortion from most transistor amplifiers
and / or poor square wave performance from the 'op amp' in many transistor amplifiers.
But your comments of
"my Rotel amps seriously lacking in clarity."
"I do like my music loud on occasions, but also demand clarity and quality."
sound like there are major problems with your second hand or third hand, 35 year old Kef 107.
Please check you Kef 107 for the following points .............
1. A damaged tweeter will make your 35 year old Kef 107 sound dull, and lack clarity.
    The tweeter is the smallest speaker in the black 'head' on top of the wooden cabinet.
    Has the tweeter been overloaded and damaged ?
    Is there any sound coming from your tweeter ?
    Some used 35 year old speaker have damaged
    or replacement tweeter (usually NOT the 'proper' manufacturers part)
2. There are 2 pieces of 10 inch speaker 'hidden' in the wooden cabinet.
    The 'cone surround' is the 9 inch 'ring'
    between the metal frame of the 10 inch speaker
    + the paper cone of the 10 inch speaker.
    The 'cone surround' of the hidden 10 inch 35 year old woofers,
    might have deteriorated / perished, and needs replacing.
    Some speaker like our Yamaha NS-10M studio monitor 
    and Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors have cone surround that seem to last forever.
    Some speaker like 35 year old KEF 107
    have a reputation for damaged / deteriorated / perished 'cone surround'.
    Have the 'cone surround' been replaced / repaired by a professional company ?
    Have the seller replace the 10 inch speaker,
    with another 10 inch speaker (that is NOT the 'proper' manufacturer original part) ?
3. Please assume that the '35 year old' electrolytic capacitors
     in the 'passive' crossover (probably hidden in the speaker)
    + 'active' KUBE (a separate small-ish box) (reduce treble by about 3 dB and boost the bass)
     have perished + replace the electrolytic capacitors.
    Each electrolytic capacitor will only cost 10 pence to GBP £2.
    But a 'proper' knowledgeable professional repair shop
    will probably charge GBP £60 an hour for labour.
     You must use 'non polarized' electrolytic capacitor for the 'passive crossover'
     If possible, please replace the 35 year old 'non polarized' electrolytic capacitors
     with plastic film capacitors like polypropylene capacitors.
     (The Chinese factory use a lot of plastic film capacitors in our valve amplifier + our speakers.)
    You CANNOT check '35 year old' electrolytic capacitors
     with ordinary multi meters / capacitance meter,
     which will give misleading results.
                          (Please read book called .................)
    You cannot check the electrolytic capacitors by saying
                'Oh, the speaker sound fine !'
    If human ears are so good, why do Audio Engineer
    waste thousand of pound buying measuring equipment ?
    If you look at electronic catalogues,
    you will see the ''ordinary' polarized capacitor has
    an 'expected life' of 2000 hour (which is 3 months)
    at 85 degrees centigrade.
    Electrolytic capacitor will last much longer,
    if it is keep cool and REGULARLY USED.
    ( Electrolytic capacitors will deteriorate much faster,  if you do NOT switch on the )
    ( amplifier (transistor or valves),  tuner, CD player, etc for many many months. )
    But keeping electrolytic capacitors cool,
    is NOT going to stretch 2000 hours (3 month) 'expected life'
    to 35 years !
     Maybe I have a suspicious mind, but most 
     'non polarized' electrolytic capacitor do NOT tell you the 'expected life'.
     If the expected life of 'non polarized' capacitor is 10 years,
     I would expect that the manufacturer will be
     boosting about their 'ultra long life' electrolytic capacitors.
     If the manufacturer has omitted ALL details of the 'expected life'
     then my suspicious mind thinks ..............
3. Do you have the KEF KUBE to go along with the KEF 107 ?
    Did the seller include the 'proper' KEF KUBE (a separate small-ish box)
         (reduces treble by about 3 dB and boost the bass) ?
    Kef 107 has 2 pieces of 10 inch woofer in a smallish (for 2 pieces of 10 inch woofer)
    72 litre bass cabinet,
    which bump up the resonance frequency to too high a frequency.
    and then use Kef KUBE to boost the bass, to go down to 20 Hertz.
    To be frank, this is a bad idea, 'active bass boost' like modern subwoofer
    will EASILY OVERLOAD THE 2 PIECES OF 10 INCH WOOFER
    (This is why most modern GBP £5000 to GBP £100000 'High End' speaker
                 do NOT use 'active bass boost')
    To be frank, this is a bad idea, 'active bass boost' like modern subwoofer
    ( below the 'system resonance' )
    will produce huge amounts of second harmonic distortion + third harmonic distortion
    (This is why most modern GBP £5000 to GBP £100000 'High End' speaker
                  do NOT use 'active bass boost')
    In the past, many Hi Fi magazines did not like quality of the Kef KUBE
    and asked 'Will the speaker sound better with an 'audiophile' version of the KEF KUBE.'
4. Can you use the Kef 107 without the KUBE ?
    If you want HIgh FIdelity and accuracy,
    NO,
    the KUBE reduce the treble by about 3 decibels.
    The 107 has excessive bass resonance / hump at 50 Hertz,
    and the KUBE can reduce the excessive bass resonance / hump
    at certain settings.
MORE UPGRADE TIPS TO COME ............... .... 
Question on January 2007 = 
Answer = Thank you for trying our amplifier on 1 month home trail
Our GBP 1450 Ultra High End KT88 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong Signature
(beware of fakes)
is the BEST AMPLIFIER IN THE WORLD or money refunded (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
and will easily beat GBP 60000 'proper' Japanese Audio note Ongaku Single Ended amplifier
+ GBP 10000 Naim , Musical Fidelity, Classe, Krell, 'Class A' Sugden, etc.
It is a 'no compromise' design,
with a HUGE 'no compromise' output transformer (for superb , VERY deep, controlled bass,
and is designed to be connected to 'no compromise' huge monitors
with 10 inch , 12 inch or 15 inch woofers + midrange + tweeter,
where you will hear very loud, VERY deep bass,
that you never thought existed on your CD,
and the bass will be MUCH MUCH MUCH DEEPER and LOUDER and much better controlled than your median amplifier (or money refunded (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)
(It is a waste of time testing bass with your 6 inch woofers or vinyl. 6 inch woofer struggle with 3 watts (about 90 db at 1 metre) of deep bass below 100 Hertz, producing a fair amount of distortion + the bass disappear compresses. Please ignore J M Lab misleading claim of 1027 Be being able to go down to 38 Hertz and 30 Hertz.
It might be true that J M Lab 1027 Be can go down to 30 Hertz IF YOU MEASURE IT AT 1 WATT.
If you measure it at 20 watts or the absurd 200 watt claimed by J M Lab, you will find that the bass disappear / compresses, and it is extremely unlikely that the frequency response will even reach 100 Hertz..
It is a waste of time testing bass with vinyl. There is a limit to how much bass you can put on a record until one wiggly groove overflow into the next wiggly groove.)
One of our customer uses our
GBP 1450 Ultra High End KT88 Triode Connection - Lim Aik Leong SIgnature with GBP 8000 J M Lab Mezzo Utopia (the old version) with 10 inch woofer + midrange + tweeter and you can see his marvellous review at .............................
I would be most grateful, if you could try out our 'no comprise' valve amplifier with
bigger and more expensive J M Lab speaker,
and you will find that our bass is much cleaner and much deeper than your meridian amplifier,
and you will hear VERY deep bass on your CD, that you never though existed.
(Please try 'Unbreak my heart' on the Toni Braxton demo CD that we sent you, and you will be shocked at the very loud, very deep, that is NOT reproduced on 6 inch speakers)
To be frank, the bass and power handling from small 6 inch speaker is so bad,
that it is impossible to make any meaningful comparison for bass or power handling.
Even our Yamaha NS-10M, near field Studio Monitors
(which is total different to our Yamaha NS-1000M studio monitors with 12 inch woofer + 3.5 inch exotic Beryllium metal cone + 1 inch
exotic beryllium metal cone) , used by thousands of studios, and that is seen in many videos of studios, with 7 inch WHITE paper cone and a black cabinet, has absolutely lousy bass, but good midrange and human voices.
Surprisingly, Yamaha NS-10M treble is very good, and absolutely not harsh, just as long as you use a good valve amplifier, and use it as a near field monitor and sit 6 feet from them. Studio Engineer who complain about the treble of Yamaha NS10M near field studio monitors are probably sitting 10 feet from then and turing up the volume (or PERMANENTLY damaging their hearing. please read my article on 'how 100 watts transistor amplifier can damage your hearing' and OVERLOADING the poor tweeter.)
Please take out a 1 month on our 'no compromise' speakers like our GBP  2900 speaker with 12 inch woofer in one huge cabinet (curved side + superb piano finish)
+ another smaller piano finish cabinet with 6 inch midrange
+ 1.5 inch (or 1,5 inch to our European customers) dome tweeter (for increased power handling
+ exotic RIBBON tweeter
(more details at .....................).
I hope that you can agree with me that our GBP 2900 'no compromise' speaker are quite different to your speaker with 3 pieces of 6 inch speakers + beryllium tweeter.
At a more sane price, please try our GBP 1000 'High End' speaker MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG (beware of fakes) with wood veneer + curve sides + 10 inch woofer + superb 5 inch coated paper cone + 1 inch dome tweeter,
which will be 5 time to 100 times better than your speaker (depending on how fussy you are) because 6 inch speakers are much too small, for your huge room.
If small 6 inch speakers have excellent bass, and are suitable for huge room,
why do J M Labs make GBP 8000 huge speaker like Mezzo Utopia with 10 inch woofer + midrange + tweeter ?  Please see ...... for our customer review of GBP 8000 J M Lab Mezzo Utopias + our amplifier.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the reason why I keep asking Hi Fi enthusiast to
use human voices to evaluate Hi Fi system
is because 
most humans are exposed to human voices everyday, 
and most human know how human voice sound like.
It is difficult for Hi Fi enthusiast and Hi Fi reviewer to
try and evaluate Hi Fi set with musical instruments,
because most Hi Fi enthusiast and most Hi Fi enthusiast
do NOT know how musical instrument sound like.
Unless you have been listen to a REAL massed violin,
everyday for the last 6 months,
AND the recording was done in the SAME concert hall,
with a 'cross pair' of microphone in the seat next to you,
how can you be absolutely sure that the reproduced sound is correct,
and your 'mental picture' of how massed violins should sound is wrong ?
(It does NOT count if you are a violinist playing in an orchestra,
because the audience will hear the string section,
totally different to you,
because the audience will hear less of the 'direct' sound and more of the reverberation of the concert hall.
Besides, a violin stuck 1 inch from your ear,
will sound totally different to a violin 20 feet away !
Likewise,
if the recording engineer puts a 'cross pair' of microphone, where the audience sits,
he will record the reverberation / echoes of the concert hall.
However,
if the recording engineer 'close mike' each section of the orchestra,
the 'direct' sound from the string section,
becomes much more prominent than the reverberation / echoes,
so the sound become more 'dry'
Where the microphone is sited is absolutely critical because ................
(One of our musician customer said that he wanted louder bass from our 10 inch woofer,)
He agreed that the reproduction of the timpani was accurate.
He agreed that the reproduction of the double bass was accurate.
He agreed that he could hear the difference between double bass plucked and double bass bowed.
But he want the bass to be louder.
It took us some time to figure out that his seat in the orchestra, was next to the double bass player !
So, from where he was sitting, the Double Bass should be much more prominent.
The Double Bass player will sound much softer to a member of the audience sitting in a good central position.
I am too Westernized, and my father went a bit over the top and 
we had a Steinway Baby Grand + Gibson guitar
+ both my sisters had many piano lesson + my father is an excellent violin players.
Violins are very popular instrument,
because REAL violins sound sweet and mellow.
and that is how violins sound like on our superb valve amplifier.
Violins sound absolute horrible on 'Class B' transistor amplifier,
and it sound like the violin is being played with wood rasp.
For years, you have been listening to the horrible 'class B' transistor amplifier
travesty of ?reproduction? / murder of the sweet violin sound.
You ears have got used to the ghastly unreal reproduction of villains.
Please allow your ear and brains a few week to get us to the REAL violin sound,
as reproduced by our valve amplifier.
Have you attend a concert recently ?
If you have not attend a concert recently, please try to attend a local amateur concert.
There might be a local amateur orchestra who have regular performance in sport hall of schools, etc. Please ask your local library, etc who might have more detail.
Listen particular to the violins, timpani, double bass which will sound 100 percent different to your small 6 inch speaker + 'Class B' transistor amplifier..
Fortunately, most of the other instruments are more easily imitated / reproduced by Hi Fi systems..
Violins cause a lot of problem because violins produce a small amount of the fundamental note, and a lot of harmonics at high frequency.  This seems to upset 'class B' transistor amplifier, so violins sound disgusting on 'class B' transistor amplifier. Unfortunately, some Hi Fi reviewer are so used to the horrible reproduction of violins of transistor amplifier, that they write the most stupid nonsense in Hi Fi reviews.
Assuming that you are 100 percent correct, and the violin is wrong,
then you should take another look at the Beryllium domes of J M Lab and glass fibre W cones midrange of J M Lab,
(which I suspect has substantial problem, please see long explanation below)
because three is nothing wrong with our valve amplifier, other than Richard Black of Hi Fi Choice does not seem to know how a REAL violin should sound like.
A number of regular concert go er and professional classic musician have confirmed that our reproduction of violin , viola and the string section is correct (when compared with the ghastly violin reproduction from 'class B' transistor amplifier)

 

Please forget about the price of J M Lab Beryllium domes and W midrange cone,
and read Hi Fi News extremely rude review of the Beryllium tweeter in the new-ish version of GBP 10000 J M L Mezzo Utopia.  In my opinion, it was an extremely viscous attack on J M Lab beryllium dome.
There are 3 possibility for Hi Fi News vicious attack on J M Lab Beryllium dome.
One possibility is that the reviewer MIGHT have been using CD players + 'Class B biased' transistor amplifier, which usually make metal domes sound too bright.
The second possibility is that the reviewer might be used to electrostatic speaker which seldom reach up to 20000 hertz, so a beryllium metal dome that reaches 20000 Hertz might be a 'culture shock'
The third possibility is that J M Lab beryllium 'inverted' dome (technically wrong, see below for reason) + usually steep 36 decibel per decibel crossover , etc sound as bad as the reviewers description.
If you want to know why the violin sound wrong,
please read Hi Fi News review of the newish GBP 10000 J M Lab Mezzo Utopia
Please forget about the price of J M Lab Beryllium domes and J M Lab multi layer glass fibre + foam W cone.
Just because it is expensive, it does not necessary mean that it is percent and flawless.
The reason, why some loudspeaker manufacturers make cones and domes out of all sorts of material from paper, Bextrene, Kevlar, glass fibre, aluminium, titanium, silk, etc is to reduce and dampen cone / dome  break up.
What is cone break up ?
Imagine you are holding a corner of piece of paper.
Move you hand up and down SLOWLY, and the piece of paper follow the motion of your hand.
MOve your up and down faster and faster,
and eventually the piece of paper is flapping out of control, and NOT following the motion of your hand.
That is cone break up.
You hand is like the voice coil. The paper is the cone or dome.
At high frequency, when the voice coil is moving very fast, parts of the cone or dome is flapping out of control, this is cone break up / resonance, and you will see a huge peak in the frequency response curve. This cone break up / resonance can linger and linger in waterfall curve (cumulative spectral decay.
The best way that the audio engineer can prove that his cone or dome has managed to reduce / control / dampen cone break up is to publish a frequency response curve ( 'naked' , without crossover to hide the problem) + waterfall curve , without any sound that lingers and lingers.
I suspect (but I cannot prove) that the glass fibre and foam W cone of J M lab and J M Lab Beryllium dome has substantial problems with cone break up because
1. I found a fair amount of information about the glass fibre and foam W cone,
    but I cannot find the important frequency response curve (without crossover) + important water fall curve (cumulative spectral decay)
2. J M Lab unusually low crossover point of 2000 Hertz and unusually steep 36 decibel per octave crossover would be one way of TRYING to reduce the problem of any huge peaks (and sound lingering n and on ) between 2000 Hertz to 10000 Hertz of the 6 inch midrange. 
It would be nice if I could find a frequency response curve (without crossover) + water fall curve (without crossover) of J M Lab 6 inch glass fibre and foam cone to prove if my suspicion were right or wrong.
3.J M Lab web site show a 'heavily rounded /averaged' frequency response curve of J M Lab Beryllium dome that show the frequency falling off at 10000 hertz. Then the  frequency response recovers because of what look like a dome break up / resonance at 25000 Hertz. If it is a cone break / resonance at 25000 Hertz, you will see the sound lingering an d lingering in a waterfall curve. Unfortunately, I cannot find a waterfall curve in J M Lab web site, even though they are using MLSSA measuring tools, which I think can produce waterfall curves.
4. Sorry, but .....
    You make cones and domes out of all sort of material to control / reduce / dampen cone break up.
     The best way to prove that your success (or failure) in solving the problem of cone break up / resonance,
is to publish frequency response curves (without crossover) + waterfall curves (cumulative spectral decay) (without crossover)
I cannot find all of this important proof on J M Lab web site.
It could be possible, that it is somewhere on J M Lab web site.
If this important proof of success (or failure) it is not on J M Lab web site,
then I have to ask the question of ........ Why does not J M Lab publish this important proof of success (or failure)
and I do not like J M Lab snide remarks like
'Its only limitation, the price; more than ten time the price of a quality paper cone'
because some makers of drive units with quality paper cone
have the guts to publish proof (frequency response curve + waterfall curve)
,in a prominent location on their web site,
that a WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) coated paper
can control / reduce / dampen cone break up.
Until I see some proof of the superiority J M Lab W cone,
I (and hundreds of audio engineers for the last 50 years, who designed the millions of paper cone sold every year, who design speaker system / cabinets for paper cone speaker,  for the last 50 years)
think that WELL DESIGNED paper cone is superior to J M Lab glass fibre and foam W cone,
quaintly made by hand
(in insignificant quality, when compared to the million of Chinese paper cones made every ear),
because J M Lab cannot afford the VERY EXPENSIVE modern computer controlled machines in HUGE Chinese factories.
Likewise, until I see some proof of the superiority J M Lab Beryllium dome,
I (and hundreds of audio engineers for the last 40 years, who designed the hundreds of thousand of soft dome tweeter sold every year, who design speaker system / cabinets for soft dome tweeter,  for the last 40 years)
think that WELL DESIGNED soft dome tweeter is superior to J M Lab Beryllium dome tweeter,
(made in insignificant quality, when compared to the hundred of thousand of Chinese soft dome tweeter made every year).
For a start, a well designed (that need not be expensive) soft dome tweeter will have a far superior frequency response curve to the mediocre frequency response curve of J M Lab beryllium dome tweeter !
At the end of the day, an expensive 'high end' 'no compromise' tweeter, in the year 2006
should have an almost flat frequency response.
The download of the J M Lab PDF file for their IAL Beryllium tweeter
shows a mediocre frequency response curve
with the treble falling at 10000 Hertz,
losing 3 decibels at 15000 Hertz,.
The frequency response then increases by 3 decibel to peak at 25000 Hertz,
because of what looks like a cone break up / resonance,
then it falls again to 40000 Hertz.
(but bear in mind, that it is unusually for measuring microphone to be accurate to 40000 Hertz.)
(You will be lucky, if the measuring microphone is accurate to 18000 Hertz !)
These BROAD dips and BROAD peaks in the frequency response WOULD BE VERY AUDIBLE.
The curve looks as thought it has been heavily 'rounded' with maybe 'half octave averaging',
and it still look pretty bad (for an 'ultimate' 'no compromise' 'high end' tweeter)
To be frank, the frequency response curve of the J M Lab Beryllium tweeter is so bad,
that I would NOT use it in our best GBP 3000 speaker.
If you want to know why violins sound wrong, please look at the frequency response curve of the J M Lab Beryllium dome tweeter
To be fair to J M Labs, they try their best to do a lot of research into new material + techniques for loudspeaker.
Unfortunately, most of the technology that J M Lab introduce, has been done before (30 to 50 year ago) , and rejected by thousand of other audio engineers.
1. J M Lab Inverted dome technology (called IAL Infinite Acoustic Loading) is wrong because ........40 years to 50 years ago, tweeters might be a 2 inch cone speaker or ordinary 3 inch cone speaker like the Wharfedale Super 3.
About 40 year ago, tweeter became the familiar modern 1 inch dome tweeter.
About 40 years ago, almost all the 1 inch dome tweeter manufacturers decide that the 1 inch dome should be facing outwards, the opposite way to the previous generation of 2 inch cone speaker.
The reason for this is that
1 inch dome tweeter were reaching up to 20000 Hertz.
The wavelength of 20000 hertz sound wave is VERY VERY SMALL
If you had an inverted dome (like J M Lab) the edge of the dome is nearer to the listener, than the centre of the dome.
This small difference of about half an inch, is enough to cause 'destructive interference' and 'constructive interference' at different frequency, and if the listener move their head a few inches.
The wavelength of 20000 hertz sound wave is VERY VERY SMALL
After a lot of calculation, almost all of the audio Engineer decided that the problem of 'destructive interference' and constructive interference' can be reduced by
making the dome jut out, the OPPOSITE of the previous generation 2 inch cone tweeter.
40 years later, J M Labs decide that
almost all the Audio Engineer for the last 40 years were wrong,
and inverted the tweeter dome.
Sorry, but in my opinion, J M Lab is wrong, and almost all the Audio Engineer for the last 40 years were correct.  If you want more technical explanation + calculation + a 'second opinion' , please read page ... of the ... edition of Mr Martin Colloms excellent book called 'High Performance Loudspeaker' which is probably 1 of the 2 most important modern reference book on loudspeaker design.
2. Most Audio Engineer agree that
    the human hearing is most sensitive around, 1000 hertz.
    If you must have a crossover, you try to avoid the most sensitive hearing range of the ear, which is around 1000 Hertz.
So, most audio engineer crossover 1 inch tweeter at around 3000 to 4500 hertz (to try and avoid the most sensitive hearing range of the ear, around 1000 hertz.).
Since the tiny 1 inch dome tweeter cannot handle power,
crossing over at 3000 hertz to 4500 Hertz,
reduces the power going to the tiny delicate 1 inch dome tweeter
Unfortunately , J M Lab has decided that most of the audio engineers are wrong,
and made the crossover of Electra 1027 Be at 2000 Hertz.
So, if you think the violin sound wrong, please ask other audio engineers, if it is a good or bad idea to crossover, near the most sensitive region of our hearing range.
3. Why did J M Lab lower the crossover frequency of the tweeter, against the generally accepted 'best practise' of 3000 to 4500 Hertz.
The only technical reason I can think of, why any audio engineer would do this, is the midrange CANNOT go up to 3000 Hertz (and above) in a SMOOTH MANNER.
If possible, we really want the midrange to go up SMOOTHLY to TWICE THE CROSSOVER FREQUENCY (i.e. as high as 6000 to 9000 Hertz).
This is difficult to achieve for 6 inch cones.
Most 6 inch cones made from glass fibre, Kevlar, Carbon Fibre, Metal USUALLY have vicious cone break up / resonance in the lower treble, causing HUGE peaks in the frequency response, that lingers and lingers, in the waterfall curve (cumulative spectral decay) between 5000 to 10000 hertz.
A crossover of 4000 Hertz does NOT mean that ALL sound from 4001 hertz is directed to the tweeter.  The crossover will allow a lot of sound at 4000 Hertz, 5000 Hertz, .... etc and a fair amount of sound at 8000 Hertz to reach the midrange, and cause problems with the 'typical' 6 inch cone break up / resonance between 5000 and 10000 hertz (especially with water fall curves (cumulative spectral decay).
So, if you think the violin sound wrong, please ask J M Lab for a frequency response curve of their expensive W Cone midrange WITHOUT ANY CROSSOVER, from 200 Hertz to 20000 Hertz,
and check if there is (or isn't) and huge peaks in the frequency response between 5000 Hertz and 10000 Hertz
+ a waterfall curve (cumulative spectral delay) to check for any W cone break up / resonance that lingers and lingers.
4. Maybe I am suspicious, but when J M lab crossovers the midrange / tweeter at an unusually low frequency, I would suspect that the midrange have a terrible frequency response between 2000 hertz to 10000 hertz.
J M Lab has a PDF file telling us that their sandwich cone 'provides now a true optimization of the frequency response'.  The are 5 diagrams / photo in the PDF file , but there isn't a frequency response curve from 100 Hertz to 20000 Hertz to prove that J M Lab sandwich cone (without crossover)
'provides now a true optimization of the frequency response'.
Hum..... If you think violin sound wrong, please ask J M lab for the missing frequency response curve for the W cone midrange WITHOUT CROSSOVER for 100 Hertz to 20000 Hertz.
5. Most Audio Engineers agree that excessive sharp roll off filters cause all sort of phase problem, time delay, etc.  It is a bit more complicated than a flat frequency response curve, using the modern equivalent of CONSTANT sine wave. Music is NOT a CONSTANT sound wave.
GBP 13000 B&W nautilus 800 is one extreme, and has 6 decibel per octave filter (which I think is NOT steep enough to keep human voice out of the tweeter).
40 year ago Kef and Celestion might 'typically' have a 18 decibel per Octave filer for the tweeter.
For the last 50 years, most audio Engineer would agree that it would be a bad idea to roll off much steeper than 18 decibel per octave. Although the textbook and some amateur design shows 24 decibel per octave crossover filter, they seem to be quite rare in commercial mass produced loudspeakers.
So, J M Lab ignore most of the other audio engineer for last 50 years,
and claims to use 36 decibel per octave 'acoustic filter'.
Most audio engineer would agree that 36 decibel per octave filter is excessive and a bad idea.
If you think that the violin sound wrong,
please ask other audio engineers (especially B&W GBP 13000 Nautilus 800 audio Engineer) , if 36 decibel per octave crossover will cause phasing problems, timing problem etc. It is a bit more complicated that J M Lab showing a frequency response curve , using the modern equivalent of a CONSTANT REPETITIVE sine wave, because music is NOT a CONSTANT REPETITIVE sine wave
6. J M Lab is very proud of their 'pure beryllium' dome,
and dismiss other manufacturers beryllium domes as being beryllium coated on another materials.
Please could J M Lab explain to me why
beryllium coated on another material (forming a multi layer dome) is bad,
but their W cone which is foam coated with glass fibre (forming a multi layer cone) is good ?
7. How about J M Lab idea of W cone of sandwich construction.

About 50 to 60 years ago, Leak (the valve amplifier people) made multi layer / sandwich cones, that were quite successful.
    About 40 years ago, Kef B139, 13 inch by 9 inch, which was probably the best British woofers for decades has a cone, that  is foam, coated with aluminium foil (forming a multi layer cone).
About 40 years ago, Kef B200 which dominated the British market was Bextrene coated with a damping compound (forming a multi layer cone)
About 30 years ago, some paper cone coated with damping compound (forming a multi layer cone) received some excellent reviews.
Most of our superb Chinese midrange + our superb European midrange are paper coated with plastic (forming a multi layer cones)
J M Lab will give many reader, who do not know about the history of Hi Fi speaker,
the wrong impression that J M Lab invented 'multi layer cones'.
In a nutshell,
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trail)
that our MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG GBP 2900 speaker (12 inch woofer in one big 'piano finish' cabinet with curved sides + another 'piano finish' cabinet with 'curved side' + superb 6 inch coated paper / multi layer cone midrange + 1.5 inch dome tweeter with huge magnet big enough for 6 inch speaker + EXOTIC RIBBON TWEETER),
GBP 1250 speaker (superb piano finish cabinet with 'curved side' + 8 inch woofer + 2 pieces of 4 inch superb coated paper / multi layer cone midrange + tweeter ), GBP 1000 speaker (10 inch woofer + superb 5 inch superb coated paper / multi layer cone midrange + tweeter + superb cheery veneer cabinet, curved side, matt black piano finish in front)
will not have any problems with violins or human voices
and reproduces human voice that is 50 percent to 10 times more realistic (depending on how fussy you are)
and the 10 inch or 12 inch woofer will have 2 to 5 times better bass.

  .... 

 
 
 
 
 


 

Question on  January 2007 = Hello!
I am really keen to audition one of your amplifiers and need
you to help me choose one on the basis of the possible range
of speakers it may encounter. I am sorry to be long-winded
but the following info may give you a sense of my general
taste in sound.
Over the past 40 years I have never had much ability to get
rid of equipment and therefore have 3 working systems around
the house. They are mainly based on Quad ( II/Consonant,
405s, 606, 44 & 34) and Meridian 502/559.
The speakers are Focal Electra Be1027, ATC10, Celestion
SL600 & Castle Richmond 3i ( I have had Quad 57 & 63, KEF
Concerto &Proac 3.8)
Source material is mostly classical & some jazz on CD and
vinyl.
The rooms vary in size but are mostly a little larger
than "average".
Incidentally do you offer a balanced connection or at least
socketry as an option? ( I have some rather expensive ....
YES, Yes, I Know! ! .... interconnects that I would wish to
retain)
My regards and thanks
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our Valve amplifiers
 Please forget about fancy interconnect, balanced connection, etc.
Please go back to basics of .....................
SERIOUS HIgh Fidelity system must have
good treble, good midrange and good bass.
The bass of most British Hi Fi system is lousy !
Before any body complain, please listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE speakers
like GBP £13000 B&W Nautilus 800 with 2 pieces of 10 inch woofers + 6 inch woofer + tweeter
or our BIG GBP £1000 or GBP £650 speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + tweeter.
I am NOT impressed by Hi Fi reviewers recommendation of
SMALL 6 inch speaker in SMALL stand mount boxes,
with non existent LOUD DEEP bass.
Before any body complain, please listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE speakers
like GBP £13000 B&W Nautilus 802 with 2 pieces of 10 inch woofers + 6 inch woofer + tweeter
or our BIG GBP £1000 or GBP £650 speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + tweeter.
Needless to say, some of the more technical Hi Fi enthusiast will say .............
   'But the frequency response curve of my small 6 inch speaker say it goes down to 30 Hertz.'
   'So my 6 inch speaker should have excellent LOUD DEEP BASS'
SORRY, YOU HAVE BEEN CONNED BY THE HI FI INDUSTRY, AGAIN !
The Hi Fi industry have given you a
FREQUENCY RESPONSE CURVE MEASURED AT 1 WATT
which are ?deliberately? misleading and useless, unless you have a 1 watt amplifier ! 
Please email the loudspeaker manufacturer for a 
frequency response curve taken at 20 watt
and you will find that the bass below 100 hertz disappears !
Please do NOT expect the Loudspeaker manufacturer to reply ! 
The most exciting musical instrument in pop(ular) music
is probably the HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum
(If you stood 6 feet from a REAL drum. And not the ghastly non nondescript pale imitation
from 6 inch stand mount speaker, favoured by many Hi Fi reviewers.)
Tiny toys like ATC 10 Celestion , SL600 & Castle Richmond 3i
are a waste of time, for imitating HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum,
and even worst for imitating / reproducing HUGE 32 inch kettle drums !
Before any body complain, please listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE speakers
like GBP £13000 B&W Nautilus 800 with 2 pieces of 10 inch woofers + 6 inch woofer + tweeter
or our BIG GBP £1000 or GBP £650 speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + tweeter.
Please go back to basics of .....................
SERIOUS HIgh Fidelity system must have
good treble, good midrange and good bass.
Question = 'What about Quad 57 and Quad 63 electrostatic speaker.'
                  ' They are bigger than HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum.'
You will notice that HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum is also a very wide 'rim',
so bass drums look like a round 'box'.
This very wide 'rim' and the round 'box' shape is needed,
to make the bass drum louder and deeper.
Unfortunately, the diaphragm /membrane of electrostatic speaker are VERY light,
so you CANNOT put it in a box
(or the resonant frequency will be VERY high, and you will NOT get any bass)
Electrostatic speaker are a flat panel
If you want 20 Hertz bass from a flat panel,
you need a 14 feet by 14 feet panel !
(14 feet is a quarter of the 56 feet length of a 20 Hertz sound wave.)
So, 3 feet wide electrostatic speaker too have lousy bass.
The other thing is you also need BRUTE FORCE to reproduce a 'Kick Bass Drum'
Look at how the drum player push down on the pedal,
which smashes against the Kick Bass drum.
Try doing that to the flimsy electrostatic membrane (which are prone to failure by arcing, etc)
inside the electrostatic speaker !
So, it is a waste of time trying to reproduce Kick Bass drums on electrostatic speaker.
Before anybody complain, please listen to a REAL 22 inch Kick Bass drum or HUGE speakers
like GBP £13000 B&W Nautilus 802 with 2 pieces of 10 inch woofers + 6 inch woofer + tweeter
or our BIG GBP £1000 or GBP £650 speaker with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + tweeter.
Question = 'What about the latest GBP £6000 Quad electrostatic speaker
                               reviewed in Hi Fi News magazine,
                               where the Hi Fi reviewer said has good bass !"
Please read the review again. 
Yeah, the reviewer say that the GBP £6000 Quad electrostatic bass is better
than other electrostatic speaker (which are known to have lousy bass)
It is like saying that a Reliable Robin car is better than a moped !
Look at the measurements at the end of the Hi Fi News review,
which implies that the GBP £6000 Quad electrostatic rolls off at 200 Hertz.
which implies that there is no bass below 200 Hertz.
I wish that Hi Fi News published a Frequency Response curve
(taken at 15 feet or whatever you would consider a 'normal' listening distance.)
so we would know for sure.
The bass Frequency response curve of a panel speaker will be VERY different,
if you measured it at 6 inches or 3 feet or 15 feet.
Proac 3.8 (about GBP £2000) speaker tries to get a bit more bass power
by using 2 pieces of 7 inch woofers,
but unfortunately http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/297/index6.html
shows a HUGE prominent, VERY audible (to most people) 8 decibel peak at 60 Hertz.
Some people might like huge prominent 8 decibel peak at 60 Hertz
Some people will hate huge prominent 8 decibel peak at Hertz.
Sorry but GOOD bass means the CORRECT amount of bass.
So, if you have 8 decibel peak at 60 Hertz, ProAc 3.8 is not HIgh FIdelity.
Please could I remind HIgh FIdelity enthusiast what Fidelity means.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fidelity say that Fidelity means
     1. Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances.
     2. Exact correspondence with fact or with a given quality, condition, or event; accuracy.
     3. The degree to which an electronic system
             accurately reproduces the sound or image of its input signal.
Thus, technically, Proac 3.8 (about GBP £2000) CANNOT be called HIgh FIdelity.
Technically, it does not matter if you like or hate the HUGE prominent,
                         VERY audible 8 decibel peak at 60 Hertz.
I am sorry, but I ask the question again.
Why are we worried about interconnect, balance connect, etc,
when the speaker has a huge, prominent, VERY audible 8 decibel peak at 60 Hertz.
So, out of the expensive, well reviewed speaker that you have / had,
you only have / had 2 speaker (J M Lab Electra 1027 + KEF Concerto)
that meet the basic criteria of
'SERIOUS HIgh FIdelity system must have good treble, good midrange and good bass'
After reading what I have written,
can anybody be surprised that
the Hi Fi industry is in such a shambles
and many famous British Hi Fi company like KEF, Quad, Celestion, Wharfedale, Mission (recently)
are owned by the Chinese,
and many British branded speakers are made in China.
But the way, was the latest GBP £6000 Quad electrostatic speaker made in England or China ?
Telephone on 17 January 2007 = Somebody phone up and said
he need more powerful amplifier
because he had Jamo 507 speaker (which are SMALL stand mount speakers)
Answer = He does NOT need more powerful amplifier, because
SMALL stand mount speaker CANNOT cope with 3 watts of deep bass (below 100 Hertz).
Based on my research,
SMALL stand mount speaker struggle with about 3 watts of deep bass
(below 100 Hertz) (for 1 percent distortion)
The loudest sound on most recording are the bass drums and bass instruments.
 
SMALL 6 inch speakers are TOO SMALL to imitate / reproduce
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum or HUGE 32 inch Timpani
SMALL 6 inch speakers are TOO SMALL
to fill HUGE 20 foot room with LOUD music,
unless you sit 6 feet from small 6 inch speakers
But I can understand why he was confused.
He has been misinformed ?constantly? ?deliberately? by the Hi Fi industry
(and Hi Fi magazines, which is part of the Hi Fi industry, and rely on)
(hundreds of thousands of pound of advertisement revenue from the Hi Fi industry)
( It would be naive to think that Hi Fi magazine are 100 percent 'neutral' and honest.)
( Do you think Hi Fi magazines will give a bad review to a company )
( that pay them GBP 2000 a month for advertising ? )
trying to get Hi Fi Enthusiasts to upgrade to 100 watts and 400 watts amplifier,
which are a total waste of 'upgrade' money.
Hi Fi enthusiast will be better off, spending the money on some CD or DVD,
or buying something nice for the wife and children.
I found this snippet, to prove that 400 watts amplifiers are a waste of 'upgrade' money .......
The mc402 is capable to put out 400 watts / channel,
but when I watch the meter it only move 4.0 watts is the peak, 
and normal it does at 4 mm watts 
  (maybe it should read 4 m watt , which is 250 TIMES LESS THAN 1 WATT ).
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-7709.html 
I read unbelievable Hi Fi reviews like .......
Being a nominal 4 ohm load, the Jamo 507 are a more demanding loudspeaker 
than many receivers would handle without complaint. 
( I challenge the person who wrote this,)
(to test Jamo 507 with 100 receivers,)
(WHILST MEASURING THE DISTORTION FROM THE JAMO 507 )
(and distortion from the reviewer)
( and find one receiver that has any trouble driving the Jamo 507  )
( to 5 percent distortion for deep bass, below 100 Hertz. )
( The loudest sound on most recording is the bass drums, explosion, etc.)
However, the MCA 5 easily drove the Jamo 507s beyond loud
( Oh, give me a break ! What do the reviewer mean when he say 'beyond loud' ? )
( SMALL stand mount speaker going 'beyond loud', don't make me laugh. )
( We have 12 inch woofers, 10 inch woofers, 13 inch by 9 inch woofers, )
( in cabinets, the size of a fridges.)
( Yesterday, I was talking to a customer with 18 inch woofer. ) 
( Now, that is what I call loud ! )
Why am I so worked up about this ?
I have to waste about 10 man hours a week, explaining to customers that
SMALL stand mount speaker CANNOT handle 3 watts of deep bass, below 100 Hertz !
If you have to waste 10 hours a week, you too will be worked up !
There is no way that Jamo 507 can cope with 20 watts (below 100 hertz) 
that any half decent transistor amplifier or valve amplifier
(with big output transformer + superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (better than 'automatic bias' ))
can pump out.
WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) BIG speaker
will ALWAYS be 5 times to 100 times louder
than SMALL stand mount speaker
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned
during 1 month home trial)
that our GBP £650 High End
WELL DESIGNED BIG speaker with 
10 inch woofer + superb 5 inch midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter
will sound 5 TIMES LOUDER
and 5 TIMES TO 100 TIMES BETTER 
(better bass, more realistic voice, when there is aloud bass, etc)
than ANY SMALL stand mount speaker
when using any half decent amplifier (valve or transistor)
To read another article on
SMALL 6 inch speaker cannot cope with 3 watts of deep bass, below 100 Hertz
please click on  #powerneeded2
Question from eBay member on 15 January 2007 =
Hi, I am wondering how long the amp can be powered on in a single session? 
Also how long should the tubes last before needing replacement? Many Thanks - Simon
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier
How long can you leave the amplifier on ? (part 1)
There is no need to leave the amplifier on continuously,
because this superb GBP £250 valve / tube amplifier with
    good sized output transformer (much bigger than many competitors)
+ superior 'fixed / adjustable bias' (much better than 'automatic bias')
+ good size mains power transformer (much bigger than many competitors)
will sound 2 times to 10 times better (depending on how fussy you are)
than GBP £100 to GBP £1000000 "Class A' or 'Class B' transistor amplifiers
(that has been left on for days)
2 MINUTES AFTER YOU SWITCH ON OUR GBP £250 VALVE / TUBE AMPLIFIER
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 1 month home trail) 
Then, the quality of the sound improves even more, after 15 minutes.
A few customer say that the sound improves even more after another 45 minutes,
if you are very fussy, have 'golden ears' and SERIOUS SPEAKERS
( most people with the 'typical' '2 way' or '2 and half way' small 6 inch speakers )
( will NOT hear the improvement )
How long can you leave the amplifier on ? (part 2)
Our valve amplifier uses bigger mains power transformer than many of our competitors.
Our bigger mains transformer runs cooler than many of our competitors.
Just as long as you follow our instruction manual
+ our 'tie on' instruction labels (some customer do not read instruction manuals)
+ do NOT position our valve amplifier next to a radiator, gas fire or other hot things
+ allow 12 inch ventilation above the amplifier
+ 6 inch ventilation to the rear, front and side,
you can leave our valve amplifiers on for days and days or weeks,
but please read 'part 3' below about electrical + gas safety procedures.
How long can you leave the amplifier on ? (part 3)
Please remember that 
it is ALWAYS dangerous to switch on and leave UNATTENDED
any electrical appliance, gas appliance, electric fire, cars,
lawn mowers, toaster, iron, television, transistor amplifiers, CD players, etc
Please ask any RESPONSIBLE amplifier manufacturer (transistor or valve) in WRITING,
if it is 100 percent safe to leave television, transistor amplifier, transistor CD player, gas fire,
iron, etc on, for 24 hours a day, when you are not at home,
and can you sue the transistor amplifier or transistor CD player manufacturer,
if there is an electrical  fire ?
Please switch off television, transistor amplifier, transistor CD player, valve amplifier,
gas fire, iron, etc when you go to bed or leave your house.
Please do NOT listen to Hi Fi magazines and internet forums
who suggest that
you leave your transistor amplifier, transistor CD player, etc
on for 24 hours a day continuously, when you are not at home or sleeping.
Please ask Hi Fi magazines and Internet Forums,
if you can sue them if you left on your
transistor amplifier, transistor CD player, etc
on for 24 hours a day continuously,
and it caught fire, or stared a fire in your speaker
One disadvantage of most modern 'DC coupled' transistor amplifier is that
if the power transistor fails, there is
no safety 'output capacitor' ,
no safety 'output transformer' (like some McIntosh transistor amplifier)
to stop the 50 volt to 100 volt DC power supply burning up your speakers
or shocking you.
This problem have damaged many speakers.  This is such a common problem,
you can buy 'speaker protection module' for TRANSISTOR amplifiers
from many electronic catalogue !
Fortunately, in MOST case IF YOU ARE LUCKY,
the voice coil melts and break down and breaks the electrical circuit,
without starting a big fire.
Even then, you might still have 
50 volts to 100 volts on the loudspeaker connections
of the 'typical' TRANSISTOR amplifiers with faulty power transistors,
which is dangerous for people with heart problem, pacemakers, etc.
Oh ! there is no sound from the Hi Fi set,
I will check the wires ......
Ironically, most (but not all) valve amplifier have an safety 'output transformer'
to prevent this problem !
Sometimes, modern transistor innovations are NOT safer ! 
How long can you leave the amplifier on ? (part 4)
How long do the valve last ?
If you are going to bed or leaving the house, please switch the valve amplifier off.
Please do NOT leave the amplifier on for days on end, because you will wear out the valves.
If you switch on the amplifier for 3 house a day, the valves should last 2 years to 3 years.
Our superior Chinese valves and design of the amplifier are of such good quality that
we are probably the only seller in the world that
will guarantee our superior Chinese valves FOR 1 YEAR
in a modestly priced GBP £250 amplifier !
Many of our competitors only
guarantee their valves in GBP £800 to GBP £10000 valve amplifier
for a disappointing 90 days.
Whose valves are better made and more reliable ?
Please buy replacement valves (GBP £50 for a set of 4 big valves + 2 small valves) from us.
Please do NOT replace our superb reliable Chinese valves
with unreliable valves, that only have 90 days guarantee.

 
 

Question from Portugal in January 2007 = i am interest in the purchase of the v70
i want to know the price thank you
Answer = Amplificador Valvulado
Obrigado para seu interesse em nosso Amplificador Valvulado
Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier.
Você tem que pagar GBP 300, que é aproximadamente 450 euro.
You have to pay GBP 300 , which is about 450 Euro.
Você pode pagar pelo esboço de PayPal ou de banco ou pelo cartão de crédito portuguese.
You can pay by PayPal or Bank draft or Portuguese credit card..
O preço de VR-70E Amplificador Valvulado é GBP 250.
The price of VR-70E valve amplifier is GBP 250.
O custo do transporte e do seguro a Portugal e da garantia do português de 1 ano é GBP 50
The cost of shipping and insurance to Portugal and 1 year Portuguese guarantee  is GBP 50
Se o amplificador Valvulado quebrar para baixo no primeiro ano,
nós pagaremos pelo correio do UPS para coletar o amplificador Valvulado quebrado.
nós repararemos o amplificador Valvulado,
nós pagaremos o UPS para emitir-lhe para trás o amplificador Valvulado reparado.
If the amplifier breaks down in the first year,
we will pay for UPS courier to collect the broken valve amplifier.
we will repair the valve amplifier,
we will pay UPS to send the repaired valve amplifier back to you.
Você deve ter o amplificador Valvulado da qualidade boa
e o altofalante da qualidade boa para começar o som bom.
You must have good quality valve amplifier
and good quality speaker to get good sound.
Se você tiver o loudspeaker pequeno, então o cilindro baixo será mau.
If you have small loudspeaker, then bass drum will be bad.
O loudspeaker pequeno não pode fazer a música alta.
Small loudspeaker cannot make loud music.
Diga-me por favor que loudspeaker o tem começado.
Please tell me what loudspeaker have you got.
Obrigado.
Thank you.
Nós emiti-lo-emos PARA LIVRAR o catálogo da cor de 60 páginas para 
o amplificador Valvulado e o loudspeaker
We will send you FREE 60 page colour catalogue for valve amplifier and loudspeaker.
Diga-nos por favor seu endereço postal.
Please tell us your postal address.
Obrigado.
Thank you.
Question from America in January 2007 = I own an Audio Institute VR-110S
Integrated Amplifier - I know the larger tubes are EL34,
but I can't quite detect any obvious number on the smaller
tubes. Any help as to what size they are? 
Answer = We sell Audio Institute VR-110 'Ultra Linear' tube amplifier 
for about GBP £410 (about USD 800)
with 1 year guarantee + support like repairs, spare parts, spare matched tubes, etc.
(and we export to America)
(About USD 200 extra for shipping to America + 1 year American Guarantee with
FREE UPS collection + FREE UPS deliver for any repaired amplifier)
(More expensive model have 2 year American Guarantee with 
(FREE UPS collection + FREE UPS deliver for any repaired amplifier)
We sell MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG versions
(beware of fakes and UNAUTHORISED UNRELIABLE MODIFICATIONS)
with RELIABLE modifications for Triode Connection, 
Silver Mica capacitors (ultra sonic filters),
lower distortion due to better balance due of the 'push pull' , 
lower distortion due to valves / tubes matched on a computerized valve tester,
that sounds much much much better.
I am not going to waste my time modifying the tube amplifiers,
and charge the customer
hundreds of dollars for my time and years of technical knowledge,
unless there is a huge huge huge improvement in sound.
Please do NOT be conned that changing
a piece of GBP £10 (that is worth GBP £0.50) wire or connector
or GBP £20 volume control 
or GBP £1 resistor (that is worth £0.05. Probably made in China)
or GBP £20 capacitors (that is worth £1. probably made in China)
for a capacitor of the SAME VALUE in GOOD WORKING ORDER
will make any audible difference, in a 'blind' panel testing.
I challenge these people who talk such nonsense to organizes a 'blind' panel testing.
If you do not believe me,
we will sell you the 'unmodified' model for GBP £410 (about USD 800) + shipping.
We did NOT sell the Audio Institute VR-110S to you.
Your model number is
slightly different to our Audio Institute VR-110,
so the tubes might be slightly different.
Just as we expect our customers
to ask us for help, servicing, upgrades, spare tubes,
you should ask the shop that sold you
your Audio Institute VR-110S for help, servicing, upgrades, spare tubes.

 
Question from eBay member on 11 January 2007 = Hi, I don't understand
why you're selling your amp on e bay for a 'buy now' price of £600 
when it is sold for £250? Please explain. Regards, J
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier.
I am trying to make the point that
our GBP £250 valve amplifier sounds better than our competitors
GBP £600 valve amplifiers
and GBP £6000 valve / transistor hybrid amplifier
(usually with 'Class B' transistor output stages.)
and GBP £600000 'Class B' transistor amplifier
and GBP £600000 digital or class D amplifier
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned
during 1 month home trial.)
I am trying to make the point that
the Hi Fi industry and Fashion industry have managed to brainwash many consumer that .....
if it is more expensive, it must be better !
This is marvellous and extremely profitable
for the Hi Fi Industry and the Fashion Industry,
but not so good for the Hi Fi enthusiast wallet.
There is a difference between
'High Price' and 'High Class'
If you wear GBP £150 'designer' blue denim jean
(usually made in China, India, etc)
and GBP £150 'designer' canvas shoe / sneakers
(usually made in China, India, etc)
to a 'proper' posh restaurant, the waiters will NOT serve you !
There is a difference between
'High Price' and 'High Class'
Please can anyone explain to me why
Hi Fi enthusiast pay GBP £800 for a ?British? transistor amplifier
or GBP £3000 for an ?American? transistor amplifier
that has a 'heart' of
GBP £2 power transistor (made in China, Korea, Malaysia, etc) ,
GBP £0.02 (which is 2 pence) for resistors (usually made in China) ,
GBP £0.10 to GBP £2 for capacitors (usually made in China).
Did I say GBP £800 ???British??? or GBP £3000 ???American??? transistor amplifier.

11dec2006
Question on December 2006 = Hi. I am intrigued by your adverts for your valve amps 
and have a few questions. Firstly, where are you amps designed and assembled?
Secondly, what would you recommend for use with proac Studio 140 Loudspeakers?
My source components are high quality and my listening room 19 feet by 12
many Thanks. 
Answer = Regardless of what What Hi Fi magazine says about the ProAc Studio 140.
Regardless of how many awards What Hi Fi magazine gives to small 6 inch speakers.
There is a limit to what you can do with
small cars, small engines, small power tool, small 6 inch speakers.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A BIG 19 FEET ROOM.
SMALL 6 inch speaker are NOT big enough and NOT powerful enough for BIG 19 feet room
( unless you sit 6 feet from 6 inch speakers.)
even if you use 500 watts transistor amplifiers.
For more advice on small 6 inch speakers please click on 10sep06
SMALL 6 inch speaker are too small to imitate HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum
or HUGE 32 inch kettle drums
even if you use 500 watts transistor amplifiers.
For more advice on small 6 inch speakers please click on 10sep06
Please look at what you are getting,
and ignore the price tag.
I hope that you can agree with me that
GBP £1,440 is a lot of money
for 2 pieces of 6 inch '2 and a half way' speaker
(ignoring the pretty wood veneer)
when similar plastic covered '2 and half way' speakers from B&W sells for GBP £600.
So, for '2 and a half way' speakers with 2 pieces of small 6 inch speakers,
regardless of prices from GBP £600 to GBP £4000 , unbelievable 'spiced up' reviews, nonsensical hype.
I think the winner of 'How much can I charge for 2 piece of 6 inch speaker' is GBP £4000
If you think the Hi Fi award for 'How much can I charge for 2 piece of 6 inch speaker"
should go to somebody who charges more than GBP £4000, please tell me.
I recommend our cheaper, more than adequate, 'Triode Connection' amplifiers like 
GBP £408 EL34 Triode Connection - VR-70E Lim Aik Leong Signature
GBP £488 KT88 Triode Connection - VR-70E Lim Aik Leong Signature
GBP £750 High End EL34 Triode Connection - ChinaTown 
(BIG output transformers + BIG main power transformer + black painted chassis)
GBP £850 High End EL34 Triode Connection - ChinaTown 
(BIG output transformers + HUGE mains power transformers + non magnetic stainless steel chassis )
If you have GBP £1000 (or more to spend),
and since YOUR ROOM IS A BIG 19 FEET 
(about the IEC minimum room size for serious audio) ........
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment returned during 30 days home trial)
that our
GBP £408 EL34 Triode Connection - VR-70E Lim Aik Leong Signature
           +
GBP £650 speaker with
POWERFUL 10 inch woofer for superb bass
+ 5 inch separate dedicated 'high end' superb coated paper midrange
+ 1 inch good quality tweeter
(and it is a 'proper' 3 way speaker like GBP £6000 B&W Nautilus 802 )
(rather than '2 and half way' speakers, which are usually cheaper. )
( Low £650 price because it covered in plastic, rather than a pretty wood veneer.)
(                   Nicer looking model, with pretty cherrywood veneer                      )
(        + 'high class' MATT BLACK PIANO FINISH cost GBP £350 extra      )
will sound 2 times to 100 times (depending on how fussy you are)
than
any '2 and half way' speakers with 2 pieces of 6 inch speaker
regardless of price GBP £600 to GBP £10000 , Hi Fi magazine unbelievable reviews,
nonsensical hype in Internet Forums ( by Hi Fi dealers pretending to be innocent member of the public )
          +
any GBP £1000 to GBP £100000 amplifier.
( Is there a difference between 'High Price' audio and 'High End' audio ? )
Do you want to know why WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) 
'3 way speaker' with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch coated paper midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter
+ unusually low crossover point of about 150 Hertz for the 10 inch woofer
will ALWAYS and EASILY beat
any '2 and half way' speaker with 2 pieces of 6 inch speaker ?
Please click on 10_5_1.htm
4dec2006
4 December 2006 = Please make sure that there really is a fault with our amplifier,
                                  before asking us to repair a amplifier, that is in good working order.
Letter to customer asking us to repair an amplifier, that is in good working order
Dear Mr ......
We try our best to give good service to our customers.
This is the second time that you are sending back your amplifier for repair,
when there is nothing wrong with your amplifier,
other than a little bit of perfectly normal 'wear and tear'.
I have checked the amplifier MANY MANY TIMES for the noise
that you claim the amplifier make
There is NO noise. The amplifier works perfectly.
Since the amplifier works perfectly,
it must be your CD player, radio tuner, etc that was making the noise.
Before you sent back the amplifier,
I asked you to unplug your CD player, DVD player / recorder, radio tuner, etc
from the amplifier, and test the amplifier thoroughly before sending back the amplifier.
If you had done this thoroughly,
you would have found that our amplifier was NOT making the noise,
and it was your CD player, DVD player / recorder, radio tuner, etc.
Over the last 7 years, I have found that for MOST of the time, when there is a fault,
it is usually the CD player, DVD player / Recorder, radio tuner , etc.
Unfortunately, the customer will AUTOMATICALLY blame the valve amplifier,
WITHOUT checking his unreliable TRANSISTOR equipment.
Based on my 7 years experience dealing with the occasional repair,
most transistor equipment are more unreliable than our valve amplifier,
because we have Quality Control checks in China,
as well as, some more Quality Control check in England.
( That is one reason, why we take about 3 weeks to deliver a valve amplifier.)
and our valve amplifier are designed for reliability (e.g. bigger power transformer
which runs cooler, and should last longer than many of our competitors.
Small components are mounted on a tidy, robust, fire resistant fibreglass PCB board,
instead of the 'spaghetti junction' wiring of many of our valve competitors and
money back guarantee (less shipping charges, equipment returned during 1 month home trial)
that our amplifier sound much much much better than most of our competitors valve
amplifier, especially 'hard wired' 'automatic bias' or 'single ended' valve amplifiers ! )
Since this is the second time that you are sending back the amplifier for repair,
when there is nothing wrong with the amplifier,
we must insist that you pay for the courier to collect the amplifier,
courier to return your amplifier, our time in unpacking the amplifier,
our time in checking the amplifier, our time in repacking the amplifier,
cost of writing and posting this letter, etc.
Please send us a cheque for GBP œ50, which is only a small fraction of the total cost.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
If you insist that the amplifier is making a noise, that I cannot hear,
I can send the amplifier off to an independent expert.
If the independent expert say that there is no noise,
you will have to pay for the fees of the independent expert,
and the the shipping cost to and fro to the expert.
If the expert say that the amplifier is making unacceptable noises,
I will apologise, and repair everything for free, and pay for all the courier cost.
I cannot hear any of the noise that you say your amplifier makes.
                                                                     Your sincerely,
                                                                               Lim
1dec2006
Question from American eBay member on 1 December 2006 = HELLO AFFORDABLEVALVECOMPANY, I JUST CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE, IM IMPRESSED AM A CONSUMER NOT A SELLER. TUBE AMPLIFIERS ARE NEW TO ME SO BY SAYING THAT. I WANT YOUR OPINION ON THE MR' LIUNG KT88 TUBE .LIKE I SAID IM ONLY A PERSON WANTING A TRUE ANSWER. BEST REGARDS
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our tube / valve amplifiers.
Probably the best thing for you to do is ask the seller,
how many watts of bass at 20 Hertz for 2 percent distortion ?
Unless the tube / valve amplifier are 'Push Pull' with HUGE output transformer,
the bass slam is not good.
(assuming that you are using BIG SERIOUS SPEAKER with 10 inch or 12 inch woofers/ bass speakers)
For example, please look at Stereophile review of a 35 watt 'automatic bias' amplifier
that produce about 3 watt (yes, 3 watts, not a typing error) for 20 Hertz bass at 2 percent distortion.
Please see figure 7 at
http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/205prima/index3.html
(5 volts times 5 volts divided by 8 ohms = 3.125 watts)
(Please note that we use 'fixed / adjustable bias' used in ALL of our amplifier)
(because it is much better than 'automatic cathode bias')
Please let me try to explain that
The difference in sound between
a WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) USD 500 TRANSISTOR 'Class B' amplifier
and a WELL DESIGNED USD 50000 'Class B' transistor amplifier is SMALL.
Any LARGE difference in sound of 'class B' TRANSISTOR amplifier is usually due to poor design of the amplifier
(usually the expensive amplifier, which is 'tuned by ear', with total disregard to any scientific measurements ! )
(The cheaper TRANSISTOR amplifier is usually mass produced by huge company,)
(with technicians and 'proper' measuring equipment, so there are less chances of SEVERELY BAD measurements.)
(SLIGHTLY bad measurements might be o.k. but SEVERELY BAD measurement should be audible to my 'Golden Ears')
Just connect a few capacitor and inductors to simulate a loudspeaker and crossover network,
and look at the 10 kilohertz square wave measurement !
However,
there is a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference in the sound between tube/valve amplifiers.
The first question that you need to ask is ....
Is the valve amplifier safe ?  Does it have any European or America or Canadian safety marking ?
Does the amplifier have a CE safety cage. The big HOT valve is hotter than the INSIDE of an oven.
The second question that you need to ask is ....
Does the tube / valve amplifier hum ? Makes a humming noise that you can hear from 6 feet away !.
Many 'Single Ended' makes a humming sound from the speakers. (assuming you have serious speaker that are bigger than 6 inch speaker in s small cabinet)
Some main power transformer also produce a MECHANICAL hum / buss from the main transformer itself.
You CANNOT hear any hum from our valve amplifier, from the speakers or main transformer from 2 feet away..
The third question is ..........
Does the amplifier have any bass ?
'Push Pull' amplifier with large output transformer like ours have SUPERB BASS,
and will beat most transistor amplifier for bass.
(Assuming that the valve are not 4 years old and worn out ! )
Whereas 'Single Ended' amplifier WITHOUT FEEDBACK do not have enough bass, even though you use large transformers.
( I managed to get superb bass from our 300B Parallel Single ended amplifier (prototype, NOT the same as the 300B amplifier that we sell)
( with HUGE transformer that was about an absurd 8 inches long !)
( But the huge about 8 inch output transformer did not have enough 'inter leaved windings', so there was no treble ! )
If your answer ti the 3rd question is lousy bass,
then you will already know the answer to the 4th question, which is ...........
Does human voice remain crystal clear (without harshness) when there is a LOUD bass drum ?
If a LOUD bass drum overload a small-ish output transformer,
then the OVERLOAD output transformer will produce a very blur / congested (sound as though your favorite singer has cold and a block up nose) human voice.
(Assuming that you are using a SERIOUS '3 way' speaker,)
(so that the LOUD bass drum do not overload the SEPARATE DEDICATED MIDRANGE speaker)
(like our eBay listing for our SERIOUS Ultra High End GBP £650 MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
speakers with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch coated paper cone midrange + 1 inch dome tweeter)
(It is a waste of time trying this test with small '2 way' 6 inch speakers.)
(LOUD bass drum will overload the 6 inch speaker, so badly, that you cannot even understand the lyric of the song.)
THE MOST IMPORTANT SOUND ON THE CD OF YOUR FAVORITE SINGER IS THE VOICE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SINGER.
If you cannot understand the words spoke by your favorite singer when there is a LOUD bass drum,
what is the point of the fancy prose of timing , musical, imaging, soundstage, foot tapping ?
What is also surprising that
our eBay listing for our GBP £750 MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG tube / valve amplifier
looks VERY similar to
our ebay listing of the GBP £410 original Chinese version,
but they sound VERY DIFFERENT,
even though both amplifiers are using the same output transformers , etc !
If you live in England, and you are prepared to pay for the extra shipping cost,
we can lend you both the GBP £410 and GBP £750,
and you can make up your mind
if the BRITISH MODIFICATION is worth the extra hundreds of pounds.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less HUGE shipping cost to USA. equipment must be returned during the 1 month home trial)
that our eBay listing for our GBP £750 , GBP £850 , GBP £1150 , GBP £1400
TRIODE CONNECTED tube / valve amplifiers with LARGE output transformer
are the BEST AMPLIFIERS that you have ever heard (regardless of price from USD 100 ti USD 100000 or hype or 'spiced up' Hi Fi reviews or absurd claims in Internet Forums) (including famous American and British and French tube / valve amplifiers)

 
10sep2006
Question from eBay members in 10 September 2006 = Hello,
I owned one of these ( VR-70E ) before and regret selling it. It sounded brilliant.
I still have 4 nos EL34s mullard, would these work ok if i bought the amp?.
I also have some ecf 82s as well. 
I have a audiolab 8000P while being powerful it does not have the same quality.
Just upgraded to B&W 603 s3 speakers would these go ok with the valve amp, Thanks
John 
Answer = 
Affordable Valve Company
Are your valve / tube amplifier suitable for 6 inch speakers ?
( PART 1 )
Can your valve / tube amplifier make my 6 inch speaker sound better ?
Yes, ALL of our valve / tube amplifier (even our affordable GBP 250 'starter' amplifier)
can make your 6 inch speaker sound MUCH MUCH MUCH better,
but ....You MUST follow
Lim's rule for 6 inch bass / midrange speaker
and SIT ABOUT 6 FEET FROM 6 INCH BASS / MIDRANGE SPEAKERS
It does not matter if you are using 500 watts transistor amplifier or valve amplifier
because there is a limit to what you can do with
small 6 inch speaker, small car, small engines, small power tools, etc.
It does not matter if you paid GBP 300 or GBP 4000 for SMALL 6 inch speakers
because there is a limit to what you can do with
small 6 inch speaker, small car, small engines, small power tools, etc.
You MUST follow
Lim's rule for 6 inch bass / midrange speaker
and SIT ABOUT 6 FEET FROM 6 INCH BASS / MIDRANGE SPEAKERS
so that we can offer you
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping cost. equipment must be returned during the
1 month home trial) that  ...........
1. Music sounds 2 to 10 times (depending on how fussy you are) better than transistor amplifiers
    or your money refunded ! ( Less shipping charge. Good returned during 1 month home trial.)
2  Music sounds 50 percent to 5 times (depending on how fussy you are)
    better than most of our competitors valve / tube amplifier, 
    including most 'hyped up' valve power amplifier and most 'hyped up' valve monoblocks
      ( because most of our competitors output transformers are smaller )
      ( and overload too easily with LOUD DEEP bass from CD player.)
      ( There is a limit to how much LOUD DEEP bass you can put on an vinyl record )
      ( before one wiggly groove overflows into the nest wiggly groove.)
( If you are serious about bass, )
( buy a CD player + BIG 10 inch or 12 inch woofer in BIG cabinets  )
    Please ignore the bad marketing ploy of valve power amplifier or valve monoblocks with
    SMALLER output transformer or SMALLER power valve than
    our very affordable GBP 250 'starter' valve tube amplifier !
3. 'Push Pull' operation with largish output transformers mean that
     bass will match (or beat) most serious transistor and most valve amplifier
     This guarantee exclude some budget transistor amplifier or valve amplifier
     with 'hidden' loudness controls that ARTIFICIALLY BOOST the bass + treble
     to impress some Hi Fi enthusiast and some Hi Fi reviewers,
     but sound EXTREMELY IRRITATING to 'Golden Ears' Hi Fi enthusiast. 
4. Treble is 2 time to 10 times less irritating (depending on easily irritated your ears are.)
    than most transistor amplifiers WITHOUT LOSING TREBLE DETAIL.
    You actually get MORE TREBLE DETAILS, because most transistor amplifiers produces
     'Class B crossover distortion' that mask the SOFT treble details.
    This is really crucial if you are using metal dome tweeters
    + CD player + 'essentially Class B biased' transistor amplifiers.
     WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) soft dome tweeters
     with reasonably flat frequency response and sophisticated COMPLICATED crossover
     (described bellow) suffer less from problems with irritating treble.
5. Irritating sibilance (when a woman says 'his' it sound like hissssssk')
    is greatly reduced by 2 to 4 times
    (depending on how fussy you are + what speakers you are using.) 
    when compared with transistor amplifiers.
     This is really crucial, if you are using 'essentially Class B Biased' transistor amplifier
     CD players + metal dome tweeter with metal or Kevlar fibre or glass fibre 
     or carbon fibre midranges (or bass / midranges)
     Coated paper cones or SOFT plastic cone midrange (or bass/midrange) + soft dome tweeters 
     suffer less from problems with excessive exaggerated sibilance.
6. Human voices is 50 percent to 3 times more realistic (depending on how fussy you are)
    with our 'Ultra Linear' 40 watts + 40 watts valve / tube amplifiers
    (when compared with most transistor amplifiers)
    Human voices is 2 to 10 times more realistic (depending on how fussy you are) with 
    our 'EL34 or KT88 Triode Connection' or 300B Triode 'Push Pull'
     20 watts + 20 watts valve / tube amplifiers
    (when compared with most transistor amplifiers)
     Please forget about the meaningless fancy prose of timing, speed, imaging, height, etc.
     THE MOST IMPORTANT SOUND ON THE CD OF YOUR FAVOURITE SINGER
     IS THE VOICE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SINGER.
( PART 2 )
Can your valve / tube amplifier make SMALL 6 inch speaker sound like
........ BIG 10 inch woofer + 5 inch midrange + 1 inch tweeter 
........  imitate HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum
........  fill BIG 20 feet rooms with LOUD party music ?
NOTHING IN THE WORLD can make
SMALL 6 inch speaker sound like
insanely expensive GBP 6000 to GBP 20000
in HUGE (the size of a fridge) cabinets
with BIG 10 inch woofer or HUGE 12 inch woofers
+ 5 inch or 6 inch midrange
+ 1 inch tweeters.
NOTHING IN THE WORLD can make
SMALL 6 inch speaker imitate HUGE 22 inch kick bass drums
or fill HUGE 20 feet room with LOUD party music.
Please do NOT believe 'spiced up' Hi Fi reviews making
absurd unbelievable claims that 6 inch speaker have fantastic bass
and can fill 20 feet room with loud party music.
If 6 inch speaker have fantastic bass and can fill 20 feet room with loud party music,
why do many famous manufacturers produce
insanely expensive GBP 6000 to GBP 20000
'3 way' HUGE (the size of a fridge) speakers
with BIG 10 inch or HUGE 12 inch woofers
+ typical 5 inch or 6 inch midrange
+ 1 inch tweeter ?
It does not matter if you are using 500 watts transistor amplifier or valve amplifier
because there is a limit to what you can do with 
small 6 inch speaker, small car, small engines, small power tool, small anything.
It does not matter if you paid GBP 300 or GBP 4000 for SMALL 6 inch speakers
because there is a limit to what you can do with 
small 6 inch speaker, small car, small engines, small power tool, small anything.
( Part 3 )
How do the Hi Fi industry persuade you that 
6 inch speakers have fantastic bass + can go loud ?
Many experienced Hi Fi dealer will NOT demonstrate small 6 inch speaker in 30 feet shops.
The dealer will say that the speaker are not connected up,
and he will connected up the speakers for you in their special demonstration room.
Sound impressive, does it ? Special demonstration room, helpful dealer, great service !
Many Hi Fi dealers will demonstrate SMALL 6 inch speakers
in 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet demonstration room.
The sofa has been pulled 3 feet away from the wall.
The dealer will put a shelve behind the sofa, so it does not look too odd.
The dealer will pull the speakers 2 feet away from the rear wall.
So, you are sitting 5 feet from the 6 inch speaker !
6 inch speaker are loud enough if you sit 5 feet from the speakers.
If you sit 15 feet from the speaker, you need 9 times more power
(ignoring reflections from the wall and floor)
(15 feet is 3 times bigger than 5 feet.  3 times 3 = 9 )
The air in the 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet room
will boom / resonate (eigentone) at about 50 hertz. 
This will create a HUGE bass boost of 12 decibels (or more) at about 50 Hertz.
So, you will be impressed with the bass !
Put the speaker in a NON CUBIC room like a 20 feet by 15 feet by 10 feet room,
and the HUGE bass boom at 50 hertz disappears,
(to be replaced by many smaller bass boom at many different frequencies (which might be less irritating)
and you will spend the rest of your life trying to find an amplifier
that will give you the same bass as a 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet room !
The 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet demonstration room doe NOT have any windows.
There is only one door. The salesman will close the door and say that
he does not want the noise in the shop to disturb your auditioning.
You are sitting in a SMALL PRESSURE CHAMBER, which will boost the bass.
Small pressure chambers like headphones that covers your ears with 'air tight cups'
usually have much more bass
than headphone with foam pad that rest gently on your ears.
Open the door and windows in a 20 feet room, sit 15 feet from small 6 inch speaker,
and you wonder why you cannot find an amplifier, CD player, cartridge, turntable, etc
to get the bass, the loud volume,
the clarity + low distortion (because the speaker is playing at a reasonably soft volume,
because you are sitting NEAR the NEARFIELD 6 inch speaker)
like the demonstration you heard in the dealer 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet demonstration room.
I would also like to add that some VERY serious Hi Fi enthusiast have got it wrong,
because they have a ?special? listening room that is 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet,
with a HUGE bass boom (12 decibels or more) at about 50 Hertz.
If you are serious about having a special Hi Fi listening room,
please look at page 439 of the 4th edition of Mr Martin Colloms excellent book
called High Performance Loudspeakers that say that the
minimum recommended IEC room is 20 feet by 13 feet by 8 feet tall
maximum recommended IEC room is 23 feet by 16 feet by 10 feet tall
( PART 4 )
If you want to sit 15 feet from your speakers .........
If you want to sit 15 feet from from your speaker
you need '3 way' speaker with design features that
TRIES to prevent HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum
from overloading the 'typical' SMALL 5 inch or 6 inch midrange.
The crossover of  '2 way' speakers or '2 and a half way' speaker does NOT stop
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum OVERLOADING the SMALL 6 inch bass / midrange.
(It does matter if you paid GBP 300 or GBP 4000 for your speakers.)
(It does not matter if you are using 500 watts transistor amplifier or valve amplifier.)
The 'typical' sub woofer does NOT stop
HUGE 22 inch kick bass drum OVERLOADING the SMALL 6 inch bass / midrange.
(It does matter if you paid GBP 300 or GBP 4000 for your speakers.)
(It does not matter if you are using 500 watts transistor amplifier or valve amplifier.)
6 inch bass / midrange speaker
are found in the typical '2 way speaker' and typical '2 and half way' speaker
with 1 or 2 pieces of 6 inch speakers + 1 piece of 1 inch tweeter.
( Adding the 'typical' sub woofer does NOT cure this particular problem. )
( PART 5 )
If you want to sit 15 feet from your speakers .........
If you want LOUD rock music or LOUD orchestral pieces .........
If you want to sit 15 feet from from your speaker
you also need complicated sophisticated crossover (described below) for the tweeter
If you want to sit 15 feet from your speakers
or LOUD party music or LOUD rock music or LOUD orchestral pieces
in BIG 20 FEET ROOMS,
you need BIGGER '3 way' speakers
with
8 inch or BIG 10 inch or HUGE 12 inch woofers
+ 'typical' 5 inch or 6 inch SEPARATE DEDICATED midrange
+ 1 inch tweeter
(ONE piece of 12 inch woofer is as big as about FOUR pieces of 6 inch woofers)
(ONE piece of 10 inch woofer is as big as about THREE pieces of 6 inch woofers)
(ONE piece of 8 inch woofer is as big as
about ONE AND TWO THIRD pieces of 6 inch woofers)
(when you calculate the moving area, without the 'useless' metal frame
and part of the 'useless' cone surround)
You also need more complicated sophisticated crossover with special features
to keep 22 inch kick bass drum and human voices (around 1000 hertz)
out of the TINY 1 inch dome tweeters,
that are tiny and EASILY OVERLOADED.
You need complicated sophisticated crossover for the tweeter like
(a) 18 decibels per octave filter , using at least 2 capacitors + 1 inductor for the tweeter
or
(b) 12 decibels per octave filter AND 'L pad' TURNED OWN LOW , 
using at least 1 capacitor + 1 inductor + 2 resistors for the tweeter
or
(c) 12 decibels per octave filter 
    AND 'Lim Aik Leong' notch filter tuned to fundamental resonance frequency of the tweeter,
    to reduce the huge impedance at the resonance frequency.
    Cheap solution like ferro fluid (thick viscous oil + iron filing) does not work, 
     because the thick vicious oil become think and runny, once you turn up the volume, 
     and the voice coil and oil become hot.
     'Lim Aik Leong' notch filter is called 'Lim Aik Leong' notch filter because 
     'Lim Aik Leong' is trying to popularize
      complicated sophisticated notch filter tuned to the fundamental frequency of the tweeter,
      whist most manufacturers are doing the exact opposite, and trying to simplify the crossover
      and using a simple 1 capacitor 6 decibel per octave filter for the tweeter !
      Many modern manufacturer use simple 6 decibel crossover (using 1 capacitor)
      or 12 decibels per octave crossover (using at least 1 capacitor + 1 inductor),
                 WITHOUT 'notch filter, WITHOUT 'L pads' TURN DOWN LOW,
           so
      the portion of human voice and musical instrument (around 1 kilohertz)
       will EASILY OVERLOAD the TINY 1 inch tweeter
      and the treble get VERY HARSH
       when playing music at realistic life size volume in 20 feet room
                                         (and sitting 12 feet from the speakers)
       (It does not matter if you are using 500 watts transistor amplifier or valve amplifier.)
       (It does not matter if you paid GBP 300 or GBP 13000 for your speakers)
       So, we CANNOT recommend
      many Western speaker costing from GBP 2000 to GBP 20000
       for LOUD MUSIC in BIG 20 feet rooms,
       because many Western crossovers are not complicated or sophisticated enough
        for TINY 1 inch dome tweeters, that are EASILY OVERLOADED.
       A famous Western brand proudly boost that
       they only use 1 capacitor for a simple 6 decibel per octave crossover for the tweeter.
       (It does NOT matter if your speaker cost GBP 2000 or GBP 10000 or GBP 1000000.
       If uses 1 capacitor for a simple 6 decibel per octave filter for the tweeter,
        it is NOT suitable for LOUD MUSIC in BIG 20 feet room,
        (unless, the manufacturer can claim that their tweeter has Xmax that
       is MUCH MUCH larger than the Xmax of the typical tweeter.
       But most manufacturer do NOT tell you the Xmax of tweeter.
        Is the Xmax of most tweeter that bad  ? )
The BEST VALVE / TUBE amplifier in the world
CANNOT make the treble sound 'sweet'
if the tweeter is OVERLOADED (in 20 feet rooms)
by the part of the human voice (around 1000 Hertz)
or musical instruments (around 1000 Hertz).
You need complicated sophisticated crossover (described above)
to prevent the TINY 1 inch tweeter from being OVERLOADED
( PART 6 )
If you want LOUD music in 20 feet room ....................
Probably the cheapest NEW (not used) POWERFUL loudspeaker
suitable for LOUD MUSIC in BIG 20 feet room is our eBay GBP 650 listing
for MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG GBP 650 powerful '3 way' speakers with
8 inch or BIG 10 inch woofer (tuned for deeper, boom free bass)
+ 5 inch midrange or 6 inch midrange
+ 1 inch tweeter
+ sophisticated 12 decibel pe octave filter for the tweeter
+ 'Lim Aik Leong' notch filter tuned to the fundamental resonance of the tweeter
+ Zobel network
using a total of 3 capacitors + 2 inductor + 2 resistor.
Surely, even the most cynical Hi Fi enthusiast, who are fed up with
unbelievable Hi Fi reviews about ?fantastic? GBP 4000 cables (money for old rope)
might give me the 'benefit of a doubt' that
3 capacitors + 2 inductor + 2 resistor for the tweeter crossover
might sound different to
some of our VERY EXPENSIVE competitors using
1 capacitor for the tweeter crossover for LOUD MUSIC in BIG 20 feet rooms.
(1 capacitor for the tweeter crossover for SOFT MUSIC in SMALL 10 feet rooms
MIGHT be o.k.)
(It is all about REAL REALISTIC power handling of 1 watt or less,
with LOWISH DISTORTION,)
(and NOT the absurd misleading claims that TINY 1 inch tweeters can handle 100 watts.)
(If you pump 40 watts through a tweeter,
the tweeter will become almost as hot as a 40 watt light bulb.
Your tweeter does NOT even get warm, because your tweeter is typically using less than 1 watt.)
(Wherever the difference is for the better or the worse,)
(you will have to audition the 2 VERY different approach to crossover design.)
(and make up your own mind)
( PART 7 )
If you want to better , louder deeper bass .........
If you want louder deeper bass,
you need bigger speaker with BIG 10 inch or HUGE 12 inch woofers
in HUGE (the size of fridge) cabinets.
Sub woofer can produce LOUD bass.
But the QUALITY of the bass of sub woofer in SMALLish cabinet is very poor
and full of 'bass doubling' or 'frequency doubling'.
These are 'Old timers' terminology for HUGE amounts of second harmonic distortion !
Professionals in the Hi Fi industry have know about this problem for 50 years (or more) !
When you shove 10 inch woofers into SMALLish cabinets,
the resonance frequency increase greatly.
The 'typical' sub woofer has a 'built in' amplifier that
will TRY to SEVERELY FORCE the poor 10 inch woofer to
produce bass BELOW the system NATURAL resonance frequency.
The poor 10 inch woofer has SEVERE DIFFICULTY in producing bass
BELOW the system NATURAL resonance frequency, 
so the only thing the poor SEVERELY FORCED AND ABUSED 10 inch woofer can do,
is to produce frequencies that is
TWICE the original frequency (we call this 2nd harmonic distortion)
or THREE TIMES the original frequency (we call this third harmonic distortion) , etc
Buy our ebay listing for our 'Sound Check 2' test CD, and you will find that
LOUD 30 hertz or 40 Hertz from most 10 inch sub woofers in smallish cabinets
does NOT sound much  deeper than a LOUD 60 Hertz or 80 Hertz
BECAUSE YOU ARE LISTENING  TO HUGE AMOUNTS
OF 2ND HARMONIC DISTORTION AND 3RD HARMONIC DISTORTION !
Please ignore the 'smoke screen' that the 'built in' amplifier produces 0.001 percent distortion.
Ask the subwoofer manufacturer 'Is it 1 percent distortion or 20 percent distortion
or 50 percent distortion for 20 watts of 40 hertz
into the 10 inch or 12 inch sub woofer (and NOT the 'built in' amplifier).'
The distortion is so bad, that you will NOT get a reply !
Yes, when you put 30 Hertz into the typical sub woofer,
you can get loud bass,
but it is NOT 30 Hertz,
it is mostly 60 Hertz, 90 Hertz, 120 Hertz, etc
The bass from our BIG 10 inch woofers or HUGE 12 inch woofer
in LARGISH cabinets
TUNED BY LIM AIK LEONG IN ENGLAND
for 100 percent boom free and deeper bass
is 5 times to 100 times better (depending on how fussy you are)

 
sm774
Question from eBay member in October 2006 = hi ,at the moment i have a cyrus 3 amp
and cyrus cd dad3Q with mission 774 speakers .i have never had or heard a valve amp before
but a fellow ebayer told me that was the way to go .do you think your amp would fit my system
and would it be much of an improvement? many thanks phil.
Answer = Thank you for your interest in our valve amplifier.
Yes, I think that our amplifier will suit your system.
Our valves amplifier with large-ish (when compared to High Street shops GBP £600
to GBP £2000 valve amplifiers) output transformers
will drive almost any speaker (Tested with our VERY difficult speakers like
Yamaha NS-1000M with 12 inch woofers, Quad electrostatic ESL 57,'
'typical' 6 inch Kevlar cone + metal dome tweeter + many other speaker used by satisfied customers).
Any CD player will work fine.
The difference between CD players are 100 times smaller
than the difference between
transistor amplifiers versus WELL DESIGNED (that need not be expensive) 
valve amplifiers with largish output transformers
Yes, it will be a huge improvement,
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. Equipment must be returned during 1 month
home trial).
I am that confident in the superb sound of our GBP £250 valve amplifier,
because of our large-ish (when compared to many valve amplifiers) superb output transformers !
If your budget allow, please buy our eBay listing for our slightly more expensive GBP £408
VR-70E EL34 Triode Connection amplifier MODIFIED IN ENGLAND BY LIM AIK LEONG
with 6 pieces of Silver Mica Capacitors of the CORRECT VALVE in the CORRECT LOCATION.
Our GBP £250 amplifier is superb
(please audition it against ANY transistor pre / power amplifier in the most expensive Hi Fi shops),
but our eBay listing of our GBP £408 valve amplifier is even better
(please audition it against ANY valve pre / power amplifier in the most expensive Hi Fi shops).
WARNING - Sold a lot. Very busy. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery. Sorry.
Please do NOT pay until your amplifier is ready for despatch.
If you sit 10 feet (or further) from your speaker
or you have 15 feet to 30 feet room
please keep an eye out for our future eBay listing for
our 'High End' GBP £650 '3 way' speakers
with 10 inch woofer + 5 inch superb 'coated paper' midrange + 1 inch tweeter
(with 1 month home trial) (more stocks in 2 months time)
vel84
Question from in October 2006 =
"There are "High End" amplifiers using 8 pieces of EL84 valves,
to double the minuscule power of the small EL84 valve.
But I do not see the point of this exercise."
Well, I am sure that if you listen to a Beard BB100, for example, or a
Lectron, you would probably changed your mind... between EL34 and EL84, the
sound of the later is definitely, for me, more refined,
Interesting website, anyway...
Answer = Thank you for your email.
I apologise, but I have to disagree with you
because you are not comparing 'like with like'.
You need to compare EL34 and EL84 amplifier with
SAME SIZE output transformers
SIMILAR input circuits + driver circuits
SIMILAR ultrasonic filters,
giving SIMILAR square wave performance
The Beard has LARGISH ish output transformers like our GBP £410 to GBP £1000 range.
The Bread output transformers are probably larger than 
Audio Innovation EL34 output transformers.
Hi Fi Choice reviews can only measure about 3 to 5 watts ( I forgot the exact figures) of DEEP bass
for many Audio Innovation EL34 amplifiers,
so I am NOT impressed with Audio Innovation output transformer !
So, if you are comparing the Beard BB100 (with LARGE ish output transformers)
with British Audio Innovation EL34 (with SMALL output transformers),
or Maplin DIY version of EL34 (with SMALL output transformers)
then the larger transformer of the Beard BB100 will make the Beard BB100  sound much more refined..
If you are comparing the Beard BB100 (with LARGE ish output transformer)
with Affordable Valve Company GBP £1150 to GBP £1400 EL34 TRIODE CONNECTED or KT88 TRIODE CONNECTED
valve amplifier with HUGE POTTED transformer (Modified in England, beware of fakes)
then our EL34 or KT88 amplifier will sound 2 to 10 times more refined than Beard BB100 (depending on how fussy you are),
because of our larger output  transformers + triode Connection + up to 17 pieces of ultrasonic filters for our GBP £ 1400 amplifier
(Modified in England, beware of fakes)
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment must be returned in the 1st month)
If you are comparing the Beard BB100 (with LARGE ish output transformer)
with Affordable Valve Company GBP £408 to GBP £750 EL34 TRIODE CONNECTED
valve amplifier with SIMILAR SIZE output transformers (Amplifier modified in England, beware of fakes)
then our EL34 triode connected amplifier will sound
2 to 5 times more refined than Beard BB100 (depending on how fussy you are),
because of our SIMILAR SIZE WELL DESIGNED SUPERB output  transformers
+ triode Connection + up to 4 or 5 pieces of ultrasonic filters
(Modified in England, beware of fakes)
or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping cost. equipment must be returned in the 1st month)
Beside, please try to find some EL84 valves that can match
the reliability of our Chinese RELIABLE EL34 valves with 2 YEAR GUARANTEE
against the 12 pieces of EL84 valves in is used Beard BB100.
You will be lucky to get 90 days guarantee for 12 pieces of EL84 valves for the Beard !

When it comes to the Lectron with hidden output transformers
(so I do not know how big or how small the transformers are)
with a rather disappointing 30 watts out of 8 pieces of EL84
( Surely, you must be able to get more than 30 watts for so many pieces of EL84 valves. )
+ FET for input stages ( urggh ! Please be serious ! )
( How can FET input stage sound half or a quarter as good as a triode valve input stages ?)
I apologize, but I find it difficult to be polite about FET input stages in a ?proper? valve amplifier.
SMALL triode valves are quite cheap and 100 times better than FET !
(Please look at the Valve Characteristic curves versus the FET characteristic curve,
and the MUCH MUCH LOWER DISTORTION
+ Innocuous 2nd harmonic for Triode
+ Irritating higher order distortion of FET)
+ MUCH MUCH lower plate resistance / output resistance
is so blatantly obvious !)
So, I will put my money where my mouth is .....................
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less shipping charges. equipment must be returned in the 1st month)
that our
with Affordable Valve Company GBP £408 to GBP £750 EL34 TRIODE CONNECTED
(Amplifier modified in England, beware of fakes)
will sound 3 to 50 times more refined than Lectron (depending on how fussy you are),
because of our WELL DESIGNED SUPERB output  transformers
+ triode Connection + up to 4 or 5 pieces of ultrasonic filters
(Modified in England, beware of fakes)

 
 
 

Affordable Valve Company
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or MONEY REFUNDED (less shipping charges. equipment returned during 1 month home trial.)

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