Buying from China?

simon ess

simon ess

Just call me Roxanne.
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I have bought through sites like Aliexpress a number of times and never had customs charges, unlike say buying from America or Japan, and the service has always been good, the only downside is that it typically takes several weeks for the goods to arrive. If you do get hit with a customs charge the killer is the bloody Royal Mail "administration" fee, I wouldn't mind so much but there is no choice, the goods always go to the Royal Mail and they stick on a ransom of around £12 to release them.
 
Cluster said:
It's fine to buy directly from China if you are able to write it off if it doesn't work/is faulty. The cost of posting to return is very high.
After a very short search, I found one that claims to be shipped from the UK. In the event of a problem that requires its return, it needs only to go within the UK.
You would have Ebay's support in this (not the same as a warranty, a DOA sort of problem).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HiFi-Val...931465&hash=item3ff549506c:g:lm4AAOSwwlVgOFgL
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That will probably be drop shipped.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, valve driven amplification equipment works at a very high voltage... high enough to stop someone's heart and kill them stone dead if it all goes wrong. I love the warm, glassy sound valve amplification gives, having once owned a Fender 4 x 10 inch speaker (USA built Hot Rod DeVille) valve driven guitar amp. Would I buy a valve driven amp from a manufacturer I'd never heard of, or buy a used valve amp and not have it safety checked and serviced by a suitably experienced and qualified specialist technician before plugging it in? No chance!
 
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Mr Badger said:
Unless I'm mistaken, valve driven amplification equipment works at a very high voltage... high enough to stop someone's heart and kill them stone dead if it all goes wrong. I love the warm, glassy sound valve amplification gives, having once owned a Fender 4 x 10 inch speaker (USA built Hot Rod DeVille) valve driven guitar amp. Would I buy a valve driven amp from a manufacturer I'd never heard of, or buy a used valve amp and not have it safety checked and serviced by a suitably experienced and qualified specialist technician before plugging it in? No chance!
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Mr B, Little Dot are a well known brand, at least in audiophile circles. They've been going for many years and their products are generally well respected as well as certified.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Mr B, Little Dot are a well known brand, at least in audiophile circles. They've been going for many years and their products are generally well respected as well as certified.
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Which is all well and good, but how do you know it is a genuine Little Dot and not some knock off replica when buying direct from an unknown (to oneself) Chinese seller? Take rechargeable Lithium 18650 type batteries for instance, the internet sales sites are awash with fake batteries from Chinese sellers. Caveat emptor.
 
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yea little dot been arround for a while nearly bought a headphone amp myself.
problem with ordereding from china is warranty
you aint got one but if thats the deal, try ebay as at least you get a warranty with paypal.
 
Also there was a brand called FatMan that made valve amps. They're worth finding. Also Audion. I borrowed an audion for a while. It was quite good.

www.ebay.co.uk

Fatman Home Audio Amplifiers & Pre-Amps for sale | eBay

Buy Fatman Home Audio Amplifiers & Pre-Amps and get the best deals at the lowest prices on eBay! Great Savings & Free Delivery / Collection on many items
www.ebay.co.uk

HiFi collective did have kits but they're not cheap.
 
why the reason for valves though?
I am a big headphone fan and mobile music
I own a few pairs of high end phones and a few Astell and Kern mobile DAPs
to be honest valves are not that great unless you are looking for a certain sound.
for me they are a bit "plummy" with sometimes a woolly mid range
most people i know tray valve pre/amps at some times then move back to solid state.
are you also teaming it with a high end DAC?

look at s.m.s.l stuff
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I've been looking into this for a while and am certain to go with either Little Dot or Musical Fidelity X-cans.

If valves sound plummy and woolly, there's something wrong. My phono pre is valve.

I shall be pairing this headphone amp with my class a Sugden.
 
simon ess said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I've been looking into this for a while and am certain to go with either Little Dot or Musical Fidelity X-cans.

If valves sound plummy and woolly, there's something wrong. My phono pre is valve.

I shall be pairing this headphone amp with my class a Sugden.
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like i said some folk like the valve sound, i suspect you are one of them :)

my bent is towards high end digital audio FLAC files and the bit of valve i have tried lowered the dynamic ceiling quite noticably.
 
Mr Bump said:
yea little dot been arround for a while nearly bought a headphone amp myself.
problem with ordereding from china is warranty
you aint got one but if thats the deal, try ebay as at least you get a warranty with paypal.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I’ve found that when I tried to claim on eBay and PayPal didn’t get anywhere
I had an aquarium heater that failed after about 6 weeks , just past the time that you can return stuff
Next time I buy electricals I’ll look on amazon they are excellent for returning things
 
Mr Bump said:
like i said some folk like the valve sound, i suspect you are one of them :)

my bent is towards high end digital audio FLAC files and the bit of valve i have tried lowered the dynamic ceiling quite noticably.
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A lot also depends on what you listen too.
Valves generally have more realistic voices and acoustics, but solid state would be considered better for heavier/faster stuff.
 
Mr Badger said:
Which is all well and good, but how do you know it is a genuine Little Dot and not some knock off replica when buying direct from an unknown (to oneself) Chinese seller? Take rechargeable Lithium 18650 type batteries for instance, the internet sales sites are awash with fake batteries from Chinese sellers. Caveat emptor.
Click to expand...

Because he's also talking about ordering it from a well known reputable seller.
 
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