(18 votes, average: 3.72 out of 5)
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“New to tube sound, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but had an idea in all the research and comments on tubes. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED AT ALL. In fact I was somewhat blown away at first ” light up “. Maybe it was just the song, but WOW everything was better from top to bottom. The difference was night and day in comparison to the Onk which wasn’t bad, but the Yaqin was better/different in all categories.” Read
“Turned the map on, waited for 20 seconds for it to come alive. And started playback…. What can I say. The whole music scene came alive – I felt the band in the room – incredibly realistic, incredibly warm – complete sonic nirvana. Superb reproduction of Vocal Jazz!!! It’s still burning in and I can hear harsh notes, but overall very impressive. “
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The Yaqin MS-20L served as my initial, though brief, foray into the world of vacuum tubes. While my time with it was short—eventually moving up to a McIntosh 275—it was the very piece of gear that sparked my obsession with the hobby. At its current price point, the value is undeniable.
The out-of-the-box experience has one major caveat: the stock tubes are subpar. To truly hear what this amplifier is capable of, a tube upgrade is essential. In its base configuration, the amp shines beautifully with vocal jazz, offering that signature warmth and realism. However, it does struggle with complex rock compositions, where the soundstage can feel a bit congested; though, in fairness, a dedicated tube rolling session might resolve this.
Regarding the low end, if you are looking for bone-shaking, solid-state bass, you won’t find it here. That said, I’ve always found the “tubes lack bass” argument to be a moot point. When paired with a quality subwoofer to handle the heavy lifting, this amplifier provides a lush, immersive listening experience that solid-state simply cannot replicate.
Final Verdict: An excellent entry-level gateway for those looking to explore “tube magic” without breaking the bank, provided you are willing to invest in better glass and a subwoofer.
Yeh. I got the amp to run with Yaqin phono stage and it sounds good. Like the warmth. I still use the original tubes, but plan to buy something like Tung-sol to give it a bit more sparkle. I’ve red that rolling power tubes doesn’t change sound as much, so I’ll stay away from that
I rolled output tubes in my MC and couldn’t hear a difference. NOS KT88 are crazy expensive, so I’ll keep Pentas for now, but rolling input stage tubes (in Yaqin case all 8 should be rolled – but front 4 for sure) could make a huge difference. You can try different brands for first 2 tubes in each section and for the second 2 tubes. I wouldn’t recommend mixing tubes inside section.