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How can our £700 valve amplifier sound better
than £3,000 transistor amplifiers ?
Many people have been brainwashed into believing that
expensive goods must be better than cheap goods.
Needless to say, some businessmen have taken advantage of this "brainwashing" fact
and sell "blue jean" and "sneaker / canvas shoes" made in the Far East for a few dollars,
for a hundred pounds.
Likewise, some businessmen have taken advantage of this "brainwashing" fact
and sell "Class B" transistor amplifiers that uses £2 transistors and £30 transformer in a pretty box
for a few thousand pounds.
If you believe that 
"expensive equipment must be better than cheap equipment",
I will explain it in a way that will make sense to you !
Do you think that £15 Svetlana EL34 valve
will sound better than £2 transistors ?
Do you think that £40 Svetlana KT88 valve
will sound better than £4 transistor ?
The typical £1,000 or £10,000 transistor amplifier will probably use transistors that retail for £2 to £4 !
I think than £10,000 "Class B" transistor amplifiers are grossly overpriced.  What do you think ?
Do you think that cheap "integrated circuits" like the 
          £ 0.99  NE5534AN op-amp (containing dozens of transistors)
      or £ 0.59 NE5532N op-amp (containing dozens of transistors)
which are used in thousands of "high end" CD players and amplifiers
will sound better than our
£5 American Military grade GEC 5670 small valves ?
I am serious, there are MANY CD players selling for £1,000 OR MORE
that uses the NE5532N op-amp which cost 59 pence !
It is amazing that the manufacturer could not even stretch their manufacturing budget
to the better quality 99 pence NE5534AN, even though their CD player retails for £1,000 ore more !
Your question should not be
"How can our £700 valve amplifier sound better than £3,000 transistor amplifiers ?"
Your question should be
"How can honest businessmen sell "Class B" transistor amplifiers that uses
£2 transistors and 59 pence op-amp (containing dozens of transistors)
and £30 transformer in a pretty box
for a few thousand pounds ?"
Transistor amplifiers manufacturers will tell you a lot of "cock & bull" stories
about the cost of their ?extensive? research and development.
Their ?extensive? research and development is a waste of time and money,
unless it produces "Class B" transistor amplifiers that sounds better
than our well designed "Class A" valve amplifiers !
I doubt if that will ever happen, because more than 90% of our customers prefer the sound
of our valve amplifier to very expensive "high end" transistors preamplifier & power amplifier
Most of the 10% who return our amplifier usually have DIY speakers or "non-standard" cheap speakers.
The quality of the sound is the only thing that matter !
The price tag is totally irrelevant,
unless you are the kind of person who leave the price tag on the equipment,
so that you can brag to your friends,
that your "class B" transistor amplifier cost £3,000 !
But do not tell your friends that your £3,000 "Class B" transistor amplifier uses £2 transistors !
Do you believe that transistors and op-amp cost 59 pence to £4 ?
If the reader do not believe that BIG POWER transistors cost about £2 to £4,
he or she can go to W H Smith and buy a Maplin Catalogue for £3.99
or go to www.maplin.co.uk on the Internet.
Prices of BIG POWER transistors
All the page number refer to in Maplin Catalogue for September 2002 to August 2003.
"Standard Bipolar NPN (or PNP) power transistor" cost UKP 0.29 to UKP 3.99
(on right hand side of page 84)
Even the "exotic" MOSFET power transistor cost UKP 0.79 to UKP 1.99
(on left hand side of page 85)
It is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that your UKP 3,000 transistor amplifier will use the
latest complementary pair of £9.99 MOSFET power transistors (in the center of page 85).
If your £3,000 transistor amplifier uses these expensive MOSFET power transistor,
the manufacturer would bragged about it in theirs sale literature !
We use £15 and £40 valves, and our sales literature brags about it !
Besides, MOSFET was in fashion some years ago, but they have fallen out of fashion,
because some MOSFET in some design would be unstable at very high frequency !
It is sad that HIgh FIdelity has degenerated into "what is fashionable"
rather "what sounds better".
Prices of BIG POWER valves
If you look in Maplin Catalogue for September 2002 to August 2003, you will find that
If you turn to page 120, you will find our "famous brand" Svetlana EL34 valves that sells for £14.99
Maplin also sell an unknown brand of KT88 for £17.99
We use a "famous brand" Svetlana KT88 which sells at £40 each.
Please note that our special price of £50 for 4 pieces of £15 Svetlana EL34 valves + 4 pieces of £5 5670 valves is a "service" for the convenience of customer who buy our valve amplifier.
(Offer valid for 3 years after the purchase of amplifier.)
Please note that our special price of £160 for 4 pieces of £40 Svetlana KT88 valves + 4 pieces of £5 5670 valves is a "service" for the convenience of customer who buy our valve amplifier.
(Offer valid for 3 years after the purchase of amplifier.)
 
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