@@morganst.pierre I haven't used any tactile transducers so I can't speak to them. I am using a Jamo 808 off the mono sub output on the amplifier. This is due to space and aesthetic concerns. If I had my way I would have two 10" subs with the crossovers set as high as they can go. One final note on the DML exciters. I highly recommend soldering them to the wires as there is no other way to secure them fully.
I bought the HTA200 from Dayton Audio after watching this review for about $100 more then the reveiwed model and it has a remote......very happy with sound because its making my 1987 classic British Celestion SL6si's pur like little kittens. These Celestion's have never sounded this beautiful before then with tubes. Its like they were made for each other.
When I was a teenager (in the '80s) I was crazy about hi-fi and of late I've been thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a decent sound system as I never quite got there. When I saw this and the word 'affordable' alongside 'audiophiliac' I was thinking ten times that price. We'll be seeing each other again! 😃
Eh. I was a 7th-grader in 1979 and bought an entry-level Technics SA-200 receiver with my newspaper-delivery money. I still have it, and bought this HTA100 for my wife. The Technics outperforms it, even after all these years.
@@eljoanthonynj6817 Yeah but ... the Dayton HTA 100 needs its own kind of speakers. Take for example ... the Lanzar OPTI 6MI 6.5 inch Car Speaker of 400 watts handling and only $10.50 price tag. We can get just as good in a scrap yard and a whole system, the wires too, but always use their system wires, don't use other speaker wire, it's all engineered.
Wow, knocked it out of the park, ... Dayton leveraging their relationships with essentially every mfr out there, brings forth killer, performance to price ratios ... Love Dayton and Parts Express
Steve doesn't know what these meters are for in front of the Dayton HTA-100 but they look cool and you know, they'll do for folks that didn't have much to spare. Who would buy one of these? Well ... who indeed? There were always some buyers of Yorx and Wintec stuff, you know?
@@keplermission York and company sold low price-point audio products in the 1980s with no expectation of good sound quality. The question is, does this unit put out decent sound for the money, considering that those $200 could instead buy a respectable used performer, say, a 0.04 THD, 50+ watts per channel old-school receiver like a Technics SA-500? Is there bang for the buck? If you don't trust the judgment of this reviewer, then you must hear it for yourself. He, unlike you, has al least heard it before rendering judgement.
@@paulh6591 Well ... the No.1 Dale Carnegie tip for success in sales is never to claim anything for the product being sold and yet ... you're asking me to do just that and you know, not being very nice. So you know, I'd answer your question but why bother? Would you buy it? If not, you know, many people liked Yorx and they could be tinkered with and they'd many friends, but you weren't among them, obviously. How do you know I never heard it? An old school receiver you know, needs new power caps, that's going to be $200 on top of a Technics SA-500's auction price. I mean you're a novice who thinks he's a genius, but don't give up the day job.
@@keplermission You've evaluated it, then? I bought an SA-200 in '79 new, and my SA-500 which I bought 15 years ago are both working fine on the original caps, which test good. I'm a retired photographer but took a few years of electro0nics classes. My Dad was an engineer and hand-wired a 1959 Eico HF-81 which I still have and did re-cap.
Hi Steve, Based on your review I purchased one of these and could not be happier. It drives my Heresy II's just fine. Such a nice sound. Have done nothing since I got it two days ago except listen to music. It's a lot of fun. Many thanks.
Stoked for this review. Things like this help get more people into becoming an audiophile. Especially since they can drive somewhat lesser efficient speakers.
I just bought one two weeks ago. If you ask customer service, they'll give you 10% off ! I love sitting in the garage, smoking while listening and gazing at the amp. BTW, I'm driving Infinity RS-5 speakers. The sound is very nice.
Wow, sitting here vacillating over whether or not to pull the trigger on the HTA200 and you drop this video. Very well timed for Dayton, maybe not so much for my wallet. But, at $350 it's pretty hard not to. Great review, as always, thanks. I think it's going to sound great on my deck speakers.
I bought one of these when they first came out was even less on introductory price. No problems and if you have an old pair of high efficient speakers it is a mind blower. I hooked it to a huge pair of 4 way Wharfdales! I was stunned
I have the Emotiva A100. Use mostly as headfone amp. It works well. This Dayton amp looks impressive. I might bite that bullit. Tubes with ab power. Nice !
Just got my first turntable and stereo setup from End Of An Ear in Austin and got this amp. Super happy to see this amp featured on here as I’m a huge fan of the channel!
Hurrah for the special guest appearance by the Emotiva BasX A-100, which also cost $229 before it was discontinued. It's a good amp. I have one in my bedroom setup.
Awesome viewer system! Dayton tube amp looks like a good deal. I have $300 - 150 wpc @ 4 ohm, class a/b, previous gen, Emotiva 2 channel BasX that has high pass switch (100 hz) and sub line out (100 hz). I run Danish MTMs off the Emotiva and run the line out to Marantz SR7500 to power four 15 inch woofers.
After your review I couldn’t resist ordering one! When it arrived, I did some listening tests with my planar magnetic headphones. I did not like the sound of the HTA100 using the Bluetooth connection at all. The internal DAC was okay, but the amplifier really excelled after bypassing the Dayton DAC and using my SCHIIT Modi 3 DAC. Compared to the $1000 tube amp and DAC I bought to power my Audeze headphones I was very impressed with the sound.
I have a really cheap desktop tube preamp. The soundstage is incredible and the sound is so smooth and linear. I can listen all day with no fatigue and I’m really susceptible to listening fatigue. I’m very much a believer in tube preamps. Also, tone controls are a necessity for me, I regularly listen to a wide range of music. I’d say about a quarter of my music is poorly mixed/mastered indie music. “How the artist intended” isn’t always what the engineers accomplish and it’s often very obvious when listening. I have a feeling a lot of studios probably “phone it in” when working with a smaller band with a smaller budget.
@@WardoUSA Aiyima A3, there’s dozens of different brands that use the same Phillips/Texas Instraments circuit board. Many of them have Bluetooth, DAC’s, Headphone jacks, etc and likely sound just as good.
@@richardbixler I tried intergrading I think their T7 preamp with my main theater/stereo. Loved it. Ended up removing it because I can’t depend on 4 kids turning it on and off. Wish it had a trigger or something so it could turn on and off with every else.
@@WardoUSA I actually have the T7 also. I liked my a3 so much I bought the T7 for my living room. My living room has an outlet connected to a wall switch. I was worried the tubes would blow if my wife or kids turned it off. It’s happened a few dozen times, and no issues so far 🤞
@@richardbixler I think you’re fine if that happens. I need to figure out how to get that thing back in the mix. It really did make a difference for the good
Whoa..your shirt sensitivity levels is intense..it goes against the wall treatments...but it is a nice shirt . It's you totally. ..awesome ..love this post it's a beautiful piece of equipment. What would we do without Steve Guttenberg...stay safe be safe Steve !!!!
If this little beauty sounded like it looks I would still have it. Initially it sounded like I was holding empty toilet paper rolls up to my ears. After giving it several hours to burn in the highs and upper mids emerged but the bass end never resolved from "muddy" so I sadly had to return it. In a dark room late at night this is probably the most aesthetically pleasing tube amp I have ever owned. It was like having a little fireplace on my dresser. I couldn't tell if they were reflecting the tube's light back up into the tubes or added amber lights in the cabinet below them, but it was nothing short of gorgeous. And I almost kept it just for the ambiance it created.
I just bought 3 HTA 200s. I own audiophile type tube amps and this one. It's on backorder anywhere in the US. I found the 3rd one in Quebec, Canada at SOLENS , yes the Solens capacitor manufacturer they have still one available as of this time (28 Nov 23). I gave 1 to my brother. one for my brother -in-law, and 1 for myself to add on my collection. Nice-sounding amp for a great ffordable price.
Thank you so much for this review, I was looking for an amplifier to use with the computer and was hoping someone with a good ear could comment. You pretty much cemented the purchase
Well I listened to the DAYTON HTA100 and the sound says it uses a car audio amplifier, very nasal but punchy and lively 50 watt sound like we'd hear in a big mall. Okay ... so how to get the best possible sound? Well ... we go to a car scrap yard and find the biggest door or shelf 4 ohm speakers and put them ob two large, thin baffles made of plywood and wrapped with some nice covering.
These tube types are basically Chinese copies of Soviet models. I live in Russia, and I love those Chinese amps with copies of Soviet tubes -- very affortable and lots of tube rolling opportunities
Tube rolling the 6f2 the 6u8 ecf82 open a lot of great sounding tubes. 6u1 less chooses ecf81 . A very interesting different tube compliments. Looks to be a fine little amp for the desktop at a good price really.
Well ... I should add for all the ... low wage earner, you know evil locals, that using old car speakers with the HTA-100 is best because they're designed to flatter the distortions of car audio 4 ohm amplifiers that we see here cooled by a crummy fan. Best sound but also cheap and these speakers are very often never even used when they go for scrap. Ideally we want the ones with the tiny, new know-how, neodymium magnets and we'll find these in the big Honda and other cars. We get an old car sub-woofer and there are loads of new, old stock sub woofer amplifiers that we're able to reuse in a very miserly way so as to keep the total price down to a sad, sorry little minimum. Using just a rear parcel shelf with two speakers in it will give amazing sound, or some door panels, a couple of whole car doors might get us in trouble with wives but you know?
I just purchased the HTA100, and Steve's review is right on. It does need a sub, but the highs are great. Sting's "Soul Cages" sounds amazing on my old AR's'. But, the clear and crisp doesn't translate to other types of music- this amp get's overwhelmed with guitars and drums crashing around. I got this for something fun to play around with (and cheap) while my Outlaw Audio receiver gets repaired.
Hi Steve. I'm learning so much about audio from watching your channel. Thank you. We are moving to the Netherlands and I hope you or your followers can help me decide which current adaptor to use for my turntable and whatever new amp I settle on buying. I have a limited budget. To me this amp might be the ticket for the apartment we are moving to. Nice review. Thanks for thinking of those with limited means.
Hi. As a resident of the Netherlands maybe I can shed some light on this. Maybe your turntable is allready suitable for 230V/50Hz which is the standard for wall socket current overhere. Do the specs of your turntable state anything on this subject? The same might apply to your amplifier. Sometimes there is a switch on the back somewhere near to the powersocket. Like on the Dayton HTA100 by the way.
vitamin C by Can is an amazing track which seems like it dropped today! So it ain't bad for headphones eh? how can we resist the VA meters :o cheers, Steve!
Had to return the first on that was producing humm/fuzz through the speakers without any amplifications - preamp issues. The tubes on the far left or right were marked USSR but not the right tube designation; middle tubes had no discernable markings - looked like Chinese rip offs of a Russian tube. I returned it (painless in returns and Parts express is 10min from my home) the support is great so if you are not happy they make it right. Got the replacement and upgraded the tubes. Really enjoying it.
I've had one of these for about a week. It is hooked up to a pair of DCM CX-27 speakers (nothing fancy) and has a Sony PS-LX310BT record player (line out to the aux input), a Sony CDP-507ESD CD Player (Coax digital out to the coax input), and also using BT via the Plex client on my phone playing .flac files. SO FAR I think this little amp is fantastic. I have been listening to all kinds of stuff every chance I get. It has a great clean sound. Would love to know if there are any tube upgrades that would be worthwhile, but for what I've heard so far I won't worry too much about that idea.
Excellent review...!!! Great audio equipment that I can purchase and use without my wife raising an eyebrow when price is being discussed...!!! DAYTON HTA100 Integrated Amp + iFi Zen DAC V2 + Klipsch RP600M speakers + WiiM Mini streamer - and you're Rockin' It for around $1000US total...!!! Throw in an extra $300US for a good sub-woofer and look out...!!! The price to performance ratio of stereo gear these days is off the charts, when compared to the 70's, 80's and 90's ...!!! Good times to be a music lover...!!!
I imagine it’s already been said, but the HTA200 solves all of the problems you mention, and the BT model currently on sale for $350 on Parts Express still fits in the ‘budget’ category and deserves to be yelled about from rooftops. For $120 extra you get: - Double the output power at 100watts x 2 channels -I would love to see the HTA200 push those Magnesuns - Full remote control including a motorized volume knob that still feels like a million bucks using manually (it very well may be the same knob without the ir input and pcb for remote control) - An additional Cold Cathode Regulator Tube (WY-3P) - This may solve the Phono input issue you mention? -Bluetooth input - AAC Codec compatibility; not HiFi, but the tubes squish that all out anyways - Full Bt 5.0 functionality Truly. If you are reading this and you have not bought either, or if you just want to upgrade and solve all the HTA100 issues, get an HTA200.
I bought it when it first came out for under $200. killer little unit for the price. Only minor down fall is the tube cage which is very difficult to clean. I'm considering removing it.
I have the BT model. Have used it to run La Scalas and Heresy. It truly rocks. I love that the new model has a few changes, namely the light on the volume control. I put a dot of nail polish on mine. I'm running it with Heresy now in a gameroom and spending any more money on amplification would be a waste.
Was hoping to hear from somebody with speakers I'm familiar with! Used to demo a lot of McIntosh, Klipsch, NAD, B&O, Carver, etc. in the late 80s. Think this would drive a pair of Jamo 707s?
@@razorone2299 Thanks a million. exactly the kind of real-world review I'm looking for. I like great surf, but often find it's better to buy the best of the last generation. Beolab 5 here I come 🤣😂😐😐
Just picked up this amp. Warm sound. Plenty of power for my Klipsch Heresy speakers. Decent base. The highs seem a little distorted. Will these tubes have a break in period? I wonder if it’ll sound better after I break it in.
Steve, I think you hit the nail on the head. This little amp is a great bang for the buck. Maggies, a lot of high end amps have problems driving those speakers. I know you were just pushing the envelope. Well done.
@James Trower Well funny you say that as Rogers of England had made a tube amplifier that was the E40A from the year 1997 and it wasn't meant to sound anything like a tube amplifier because KEF speakers are toned for Silicon Wafer semiconductors. So the Prima Luna EVO ... is probably a similar product. BUT VERY IMPORTANT is the matching quality of a speaker and amplifier. You know, don't judge tube amplifiers by your KEF speaker choice. Tubes as a rule, don't suit KEF.
oh, now this is interesting. Get the HTA200 and see if that will run the maggies? I'd be tempted to get the maggies, if i could find an affordable way to run them. They might be inexpensive, but when building a system...have to look at total costs.
I found the big brother hta 200 on a open box special and memorial day discount for 220 . I have a pair of big beasts diy speakers I made that has a 10" woofer my I made my speakers 4 ohms and they are 92 SPL and the big brother drives my speakers with authority I get up around 75 % and they have pressurizing my room at that point and you can feel the sound through the whole building. Which brought my hot neighbor up to visit and dance for me but that's another story. Anyway you should do a review for the 200 maybe it will bring a little hottie to you 😂
Bought two of these a couple of years ago. Output through early eighties Klipsch Cornwalls. Sound was great, but the fans failed and they began to overheat. Parts Express did allow me to return them and I received a full refund.
Why we didn't have this before. I bought the Reisong A1O and 6wpc really is weak,(I don't use it to often). This has more power and more features for the half price.
Hands down, Willsenton R300B at $1,281.04 shipped. "2" 274B for high-voltage rectification, "1" 6SL7 and "2" 6SN7 vacuum tubes are used for the voltage amplifier and preamp stage. Made in the Cayin factory. I have 2 and my 2nd unit is getting a Parts Upgrade (thread on Audiokarma) just for the fun of it.
I wonder if the built-in phono pre-amp just needed to burn in. When I got a Schiit Mani before, it sounded terrible at first - very harsh and bright. I was going to return it, but after about 10 hours of use, it sounded very good.
I own this. I have it hooked to DML speakers I made and one sub. It is sublime.
I was considering same, about How loud does this system go? Also your thoughts on DML bass tactile transducers and or what subwoofer did you use?
@@morganst.pierre I haven't used any tactile transducers so I can't speak to them. I am using a Jamo 808 off the mono sub output on the amplifier. This is due to space and aesthetic concerns. If I had my way I would have two 10" subs with the crossovers set as high as they can go. One final note on the DML exciters. I highly recommend soldering them to the wires as there is no other way to secure them fully.
the best thing is to see a person with years of experience get excited, and not just for fancy things!
never been in a store with saleman#?
@@sega62s not just salesman, i can feel his passion and i m so glad that he share
I bought the HTA200 from Dayton Audio after watching this review for about $100 more then the reveiwed model and it has a remote......very happy with sound because its making my 1987 classic British Celestion SL6si's pur like little kittens. These Celestion's have never sounded this beautiful before then with tubes. Its like they were made for each other.
I cannot recommend the HTA200 enough.
Would the HTA-200 work on my Elac B6 speakers
When I was a teenager (in the '80s) I was crazy about hi-fi and of late I've been thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a decent sound system as I never quite got there. When I saw this and the word 'affordable' alongside 'audiophiliac' I was thinking ten times that price. We'll be seeing each other again! 😃
Eh. I was a 7th-grader in 1979 and bought an entry-level Technics SA-200 receiver with my newspaper-delivery money. I still have it, and bought this HTA100 for my wife. The Technics outperforms it, even after all these years.
ive never watched youtube longer than with the he-1
Love affordable stuff. Please do more.
Absolutely. It's really hard to justify spending big bucks in audio especially now.
@@eljoanthonynj6817 Yeah but ... the Dayton HTA 100 needs its own kind of speakers. Take for example ... the Lanzar OPTI 6MI 6.5 inch Car Speaker of 400 watts handling and only $10.50 price tag. We can get just as good in a scrap yard and a whole system, the wires too, but always use their system wires, don't use other speaker wire, it's all engineered.
Wow, knocked it out of the park, ... Dayton leveraging their relationships with essentially every mfr out there, brings forth killer, performance to price ratios ...
Love Dayton and Parts Express
Steve doesn't know what these meters are for in front of the Dayton HTA-100 but they look cool and you know, they'll do for folks that didn't have much to spare. Who would buy one of these? Well ... who indeed? There were always some buyers of Yorx and Wintec stuff, you know?
@@keplermission
d'Arsonval would be proud ...
@@keplermission York and company sold low price-point audio products in the 1980s with no expectation of good sound quality. The question is, does this unit put out decent sound for the money, considering that those $200 could instead buy a respectable used performer, say, a 0.04 THD, 50+ watts per channel old-school receiver like a Technics SA-500? Is there bang for the buck? If you don't trust the judgment of this reviewer, then you must hear it for yourself. He, unlike you, has al least heard it before rendering judgement.
@@paulh6591 Well ... the No.1 Dale Carnegie tip for success in sales is never to claim anything for the product being sold and yet ... you're asking me to do just that and you know, not being very nice. So you know, I'd answer your question but why bother? Would you buy it? If not, you know, many people liked Yorx and they could be tinkered with and they'd many friends, but you weren't among them, obviously. How do you know I never heard it? An old school receiver you know, needs new power caps, that's going to be $200 on top of a Technics SA-500's auction price. I mean you're a novice who thinks he's a genius, but don't give up the day job.
@@keplermission You've evaluated it, then? I bought an SA-200 in '79 new, and my SA-500 which I bought 15 years ago are both working fine on the original caps, which test good. I'm a retired photographer but took a few years of electro0nics classes. My Dad was an engineer and hand-wired a 1959 Eico HF-81 which I still have and did re-cap.
Hi Steve, Based on your review I purchased one of these and could not be happier. It drives my Heresy II's just fine. Such a nice sound. Have done nothing since I got it two days ago except listen to music. It's a lot of fun. Many thanks.
I just did the same for my Cornwall IVs. Speakers arrive in 2 days and I'm pretty psyched.
I had owned this amp for a couple years and it powers a set of Klipsch KM4 (KG3.5). It absolutely rocks!!! Love it as a second system.
I am looking at a pair of klipsch rp600 to run with this, think it would be sufficient?
Just purchased the hta 200. Can't wait to receive it. It is the big brother of this amp and this one has a remote with motorized volume control.
Stoked for this review. Things like this help get more people into becoming an audiophile. Especially since they can drive somewhat lesser efficient speakers.
I just bought one two weeks ago. If you ask customer service, they'll give you 10% off ! I love sitting in the garage, smoking while listening and gazing at the amp. BTW, I'm driving Infinity RS-5 speakers. The sound is very nice.
Wow, sitting here vacillating over whether or not to pull the trigger on the HTA200 and you drop this video. Very well timed for Dayton, maybe not so much for my wallet. But, at $350 it's pretty hard not to. Great review, as always, thanks. I think it's going to sound great on my deck speakers.
I love Dayton Audio! I have bought A LOT of equipment from them! 👍🏻
I bought one of these when they first came out was even less on introductory price. No problems and if you have an old pair of high efficient speakers it is a mind blower. I hooked it to a huge pair of 4 way Wharfdales! I was stunned
Ordered the HTA100. Thanks for the awesome review, Steve,
Just got this a few months ago. I love it. I swapped the tubes for some Telefunkens. Sounds amazing.
I have the Emotiva A100.
Use mostly as headfone amp. It works well.
This Dayton amp looks impressive. I might bite that bullit. Tubes with ab power. Nice !
It seems absolutely impossible to sell this at that price. Budget hi-fi continues to amaze.
Just got my first turntable and stereo setup from End Of An Ear in Austin and got this amp. Super happy to see this amp featured on here as I’m a huge fan of the channel!
Are you happy with how your records sound with this amp?
Bought this two years ago for one of my girlfriends for 160$. It’s absolutely adequate and lots of fun. And I mean the electronics.
😂
'absolutely adequate'
A ringing endorsement :)
@@rowgli lol
😂
What an incredibly cringey comment. Thanks so much for sharing, Steve!
Hurrah for the special guest appearance by the Emotiva BasX A-100, which also cost $229 before it was discontinued. It's a good amp. I have one in my bedroom setup.
I have the original X A-100 going strong for over 12 years now.
And to top it off I live in the Springboro Dayton area so I can actually drive over and pick one up in an hour or two! WHEEEE !
For those of you interested - but you require a remote - you might consider the HTA200, which is $350 and 100W/ch @ 4ohms with 1.5% THD distortion.
Or buy the Juson JTA50, which is identical (made at same factory) but has a remote as well.
Awesome viewer system! Dayton tube amp looks like a good deal. I have $300 - 150 wpc @ 4 ohm, class a/b, previous gen, Emotiva 2 channel BasX that has high pass switch (100 hz) and sub line out (100 hz). I run Danish MTMs off the Emotiva and run the line out to Marantz SR7500 to power four 15 inch woofers.
After your review I couldn’t resist ordering one! When it arrived, I did some listening tests with my planar magnetic headphones. I did not like the sound of the HTA100 using the Bluetooth connection at all. The internal DAC was okay, but the amplifier really excelled after bypassing the Dayton DAC and using my SCHIIT Modi 3 DAC. Compared to the
$1000 tube amp and DAC I bought to power my Audeze headphones I was very impressed with the sound.
I have a really cheap desktop tube preamp. The soundstage is incredible and the sound is so smooth and linear. I can listen all day with no fatigue and I’m really susceptible to listening fatigue. I’m very much a believer in tube preamps. Also, tone controls are a necessity for me, I regularly listen to a wide range of music. I’d say about a quarter of my music is poorly mixed/mastered indie music. “How the artist intended” isn’t always what the engineers accomplish and it’s often very obvious when listening. I have a feeling a lot of studios probably “phone it in” when working with a smaller band with a smaller budget.
What preamp do you have
@@WardoUSA Aiyima A3, there’s dozens of different brands that use the same Phillips/Texas Instraments circuit board. Many of them have Bluetooth, DAC’s, Headphone jacks, etc and likely sound just as good.
@@richardbixler I tried intergrading I think their T7 preamp with my main theater/stereo. Loved it. Ended up removing it because I can’t depend on 4 kids turning it on and off. Wish it had a trigger or something so it could turn on and off with every else.
@@WardoUSA I actually have the T7 also. I liked my a3 so much I bought the T7 for my living room. My living room has an outlet connected to a wall switch. I was worried the tubes would blow if my wife or kids turned it off. It’s happened a few dozen times, and no issues so far 🤞
@@richardbixler I think you’re fine if that happens.
I need to figure out how to get that thing back in the mix. It really did make a difference for the good
Whoa..your shirt sensitivity levels is intense..it goes against the wall treatments...but it is a nice shirt . It's you totally. ..awesome ..love this post it's a beautiful piece of equipment. What would we do without Steve Guttenberg...stay safe be safe Steve !!!!
thnx for The lost tapes, amazing sound, the freshness that we are constantly looking for
Dear Seve, I bought the Dayton HTA100, i was flabbergasted 🙂 , what a sweet sound ,just excellent for playing my vinyl collection greets Johnny
So turntables sound okay? I thought he said something about moving magnets sounding very thin with this amp?
Steve , you are a Cruel beast for putting a 25 W amp with a pair of maganpans😅😅😅
I understand this remark! 😂🙌🏼
Indeed! 😂
If this little beauty sounded like it looks I would still have it. Initially it sounded like I was holding empty toilet paper rolls up to my ears. After giving it several hours to burn in the highs and upper mids emerged but the bass end never resolved from "muddy" so I sadly had to return it. In a dark room late at night this is probably the most aesthetically pleasing tube amp I have ever owned. It was like having a little fireplace on my dresser. I couldn't tell if they were reflecting the tube's light back up into the tubes or added amber lights in the cabinet below them, but it was nothing short of gorgeous. And I almost kept it just for the ambiance it created.
I just bought 3 HTA 200s. I own audiophile type tube amps and this one. It's on backorder anywhere in the US. I found the 3rd one in Quebec, Canada at SOLENS , yes the Solens capacitor manufacturer they have still one available as of this time (28 Nov 23). I gave 1 to my brother. one for my brother -in-law, and 1 for myself to add on my collection. Nice-sounding amp for a great ffordable price.
I can confirm they do not have the 200 in stock now -_-
Thank you so much for this review, I was looking for an amplifier to use with the computer and was hoping someone with a good ear could comment. You pretty much cemented the purchase
sounds like a great starter tube amp with probably a wide variety of bookshelf speakers :)
It has subwoofer out
Well I listened to the DAYTON HTA100 and the sound says it uses a car audio amplifier, very nasal but punchy and lively 50 watt sound like we'd hear in a big mall. Okay ... so how to get the best possible sound? Well ... we go to a car scrap yard and find the biggest door or shelf 4 ohm speakers and put them ob two large, thin baffles made of plywood and wrapped with some nice covering.
@@keplermissionHave you got some sort of mental health issue? You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with car speakers.
These tube types are basically Chinese copies of Soviet models.
I live in Russia, and I love those Chinese amps with copies of Soviet tubes -- very affortable and lots of tube rolling opportunities
Did you understood you are dominated by a dictator?
Tube rolling the 6f2 the 6u8 ecf82 open a lot of great sounding tubes. 6u1 less chooses ecf81 . A very interesting different tube compliments. Looks to be a fine little amp for the desktop at a good price really.
Thanks Steve! Just ordered one. Excited! My first tube amp. :)
great review, always wanted to to hear those tube amps from Dayton
Well ... I should add for all the ... low wage earner, you know evil locals, that using old car speakers with the HTA-100 is best because they're designed to flatter the distortions of car audio 4 ohm amplifiers that we see here cooled by a crummy fan. Best sound but also cheap and these speakers are very often never even used when they go for scrap. Ideally we want the ones with the tiny, new know-how, neodymium magnets and we'll find these in the big Honda and other cars. We get an old car sub-woofer and there are loads of new, old stock sub woofer amplifiers that we're able to reuse in a very miserly way so as to keep the total price down to a sad, sorry little minimum. Using just a rear parcel shelf with two speakers in it will give amazing sound, or some door panels, a couple of whole car doors might get us in trouble with wives but you know?
I just purchased the HTA100, and Steve's review is right on. It does need a sub, but the highs are great. Sting's "Soul Cages" sounds amazing on my old AR's'. But, the clear and crisp doesn't translate to other types of music- this amp get's overwhelmed with guitars and drums crashing around. I got this for something fun to play around with (and cheap) while my Outlaw Audio receiver gets repaired.
Just pulled the trigger on getting this, super exited!
Hey this is the unit I have connected to my Andrew Jones Pioneers!!!
I love what you do Steve…but I also tune on for the shirts. ;).
Hi Steve. I'm learning so much about audio from watching your channel. Thank you. We are moving to the Netherlands and I hope you or your followers can help me decide which current adaptor to use for my turntable and whatever new amp I settle on buying. I have a limited budget. To me this amp might be the ticket for the apartment we are moving to. Nice review. Thanks for thinking of those with limited means.
Thanks for watching!
Ελληνική
Ελληνική
Hi. As a resident of the Netherlands maybe I can shed some light on this. Maybe your turntable is allready suitable for 230V/50Hz which is the standard for wall socket current overhere. Do the specs of your turntable state anything on this subject? The same might apply to your amplifier. Sometimes there is a switch on the back somewhere near to the powersocket. Like on the Dayton HTA100 by the way.
CAN.......You're a good man Steve! Those that never heard them are in for....
I just got the hta200 ($399) and I couldn't be happier. I replaced my Sansui G5500 (it's going to another system), the difference is very noticeable.
Love the enthusiasm
Thank you for another great video. I always learn something interesting, and I love your attitude. Say hello to Mrs. Audiophiliac. She's great too.
vitamin C by Can is an amazing track which seems like it dropped today!
So it ain't bad for headphones eh?
how can we resist the VA meters :o
cheers, Steve!
Rockville makes the same exact amp at 179 bucks. Sounds great!!
1/5/2024 I just ordered one. Thanks for the information. Best Regards.
This guy∆∆. I like this guy. Great honest reviews without a hint of pretence.
I have the HTH 100B
Bluetooth it's pushing my Sony cs5,s.thanks Steve 👍🏻
Very cool that they chose not to go with the usual 12ax7/12au7/6922 type tubes for the preamp section. Curious to hear this very budget amp!
Had to return the first on that was producing humm/fuzz through the speakers without any amplifications - preamp issues. The tubes on the far left or right were marked USSR but not the right tube designation; middle tubes had no discernable markings - looked like Chinese rip offs of a Russian tube. I returned it (painless in returns and Parts express is 10min from my home) the support is great so if you are not happy they make it right. Got the replacement and upgraded the tubes. Really enjoying it.
I've had one of these for about a week. It is hooked up to a pair of DCM CX-27 speakers (nothing fancy) and has a Sony PS-LX310BT record player (line out to the aux input), a Sony CDP-507ESD CD Player (Coax digital out to the coax input), and also using BT via the Plex client on my phone playing .flac files. SO FAR I think this little amp is fantastic. I have been listening to all kinds of stuff every chance I get. It has a great clean sound. Would love to know if there are any tube upgrades that would be worthwhile, but for what I've heard so far I won't worry too much about that idea.
Dayton Electronics does design some great sounding units.
Crazy affordable and high quality that what I like
Excellent review...!!! Great audio equipment that I can purchase and use without my wife raising an eyebrow when price is being discussed...!!! DAYTON HTA100 Integrated Amp + iFi Zen DAC V2 + Klipsch RP600M speakers + WiiM Mini streamer - and you're Rockin' It for around $1000US total...!!! Throw in an extra $300US for a good sub-woofer and look out...!!! The price to performance ratio of stereo gear these days is off the charts, when compared to the 70's, 80's and 90's ...!!! Good times to be a music lover...!!!
Just got this , with klipich KLF 10 and yamaha yst-sw515 and its so goood like soooo goood!
I imagine it’s already been said, but the HTA200 solves all of the problems you mention, and the BT model currently on sale for $350 on Parts Express still fits in the ‘budget’ category and deserves to be yelled about from rooftops.
For $120 extra you get:
- Double the output power at 100watts x 2 channels
-I would love to see the HTA200 push those Magnesuns
- Full remote control including a motorized volume knob that still feels like a million bucks using manually (it very well may be the same knob without the ir input and pcb for remote control)
- An additional Cold Cathode Regulator Tube (WY-3P)
- This may solve the Phono input issue you mention?
-Bluetooth input
- AAC Codec compatibility; not HiFi, but the tubes squish that all out anyways
- Full Bt 5.0 functionality
Truly. If you are reading this and you have not bought either, or if you just want to upgrade and solve all the HTA100 issues, get an HTA200.
I bought it when it first came out for under $200. killer little unit for the price. Only minor down fall is the tube cage which is very difficult to clean. I'm considering removing it.
Awesome amp and an awesome shirt!
I have the BT model. Have used it to run La Scalas and Heresy. It truly rocks. I love that the new model has a few changes, namely the light on the volume control. I put a dot of nail polish on mine. I'm running it with Heresy now in a gameroom and spending any more money on amplification would be a waste.
Was hoping to hear from somebody with speakers I'm familiar with! Used to demo a lot of McIntosh, Klipsch, NAD, B&O, Carver, etc. in the late 80s. Think this would drive a pair of Jamo 707s?
@@razorone2299 Thanks a million. exactly the kind of real-world review I'm looking for. I like great surf, but often find it's better to buy the best of the last generation. Beolab 5 here I come 🤣😂😐😐
Whats the difference between the HTA100BT and this Hta100?
@@joeymimekos Blutooth vs non Blutooth
Just picked up this amp. Warm sound. Plenty of power for my Klipsch Heresy speakers. Decent base. The highs seem a little distorted. Will these tubes have a break in period? I wonder if it’ll sound better after I break it in.
Can't believe the quality of this amp for this bargain basement integrated amp.
Fantastic system of the day!
Steve, I think you hit the nail on the head. This little amp is a great bang for the buck. Maggies, a lot of high end amps have problems driving those speakers. I know you were just pushing the envelope. Well done.
@James Trower Well funny you say that as Rogers of England had made a tube amplifier that was the E40A from the year 1997 and it wasn't meant to sound anything like a tube amplifier because KEF speakers are toned for Silicon Wafer semiconductors. So the Prima Luna EVO ... is probably a similar product. BUT VERY IMPORTANT is the matching quality of a speaker and amplifier. You know, don't judge tube amplifiers by your KEF speaker choice. Tubes as a rule, don't suit KEF.
oh, now this is interesting. Get the HTA200 and see if that will run the maggies? I'd be tempted to get the maggies, if i could find an affordable way to run them. They might be inexpensive, but when building a system...have to look at total costs.
I own one of it I got Martin Logan. And 8” sub sounds great love it
A fun review of a product I’ll never see, living north of your border
I'm waiting for the Wharfedale Dovedale review!
I want them so bad. Wish I could justify the price.
Thank you Steve
I found the big brother hta 200 on a open box special and memorial day discount for 220 . I have a pair of big beasts diy speakers I made that has a 10" woofer my I made my speakers 4 ohms and they are 92 SPL and the big brother drives my speakers with authority I get up around 75 % and they have pressurizing my room at that point and you can feel the sound through the whole building. Which brought my hot neighbor up to visit and dance for me but that's another story. Anyway you should do a review for the 200 maybe it will bring a little hottie to you 😂
If the Dayton can handle the complex Aphex Twin like buttah, then I’m sold. Now Barbra wants her buttah.
... I can't quite make Steve out, ... His shirt makes him blend in with the wall decorations !!! 😶😅
Thank you Steve great video terrific shirt right on.
I think I am going to purchase this amp. I have Dayton 10" sub and Vanatoo T0 in office..
Bought two of these a couple of years ago. Output through early eighties Klipsch Cornwalls.
Sound was great, but the fans failed and they began to overheat.
Parts Express did allow me to return them and I received a full refund.
tubes are back!
Great shirt STEVE!!! LOL...
Good review! I'm thinking about trying them newer bigger one they offer. Never had anything but solid state.
Thanks Much! Steve
I loved you in the police Academy films !
I bought one of these amps, love the sound
Wish it had preamp outputs so it could grow a little more flexibly with one's system.
Why we didn't have this before. I bought the Reisong A1O and 6wpc really is weak,(I don't use it to often). This has more power and more features for the half price.
Thanks for reviewing such a sweet piece of affordable equipment. What would your recommended brand be for upgrading the Tubes on this ?
For cheap they have nice stuff you should review one of the 15" subs.
Parts Express has great stuff. Dayton Audio is one of their brands
Thanks for the great review. BTW love, love, love the shirt. Where did you get it?
Thank you for watching. Bought the shirt on Amazon, the brand is Allegra K
Steve how about a review on the Dayton HTA 200 with the LRS+ …thanks👍
Thank you!
Funny I was just looking at the 200 version I wonder how they compares?
Is there something I can add to this amp that would make vinyl sound better, at reasonable cost? And, BTW, my favorite audio channel.
Sure, an external phono preamp. The Schiit Mani
No remote deal breaker for me. Aphex Twin awesome
Thanks for the CAN music. I like it.
Love the shirt👍👍
Hands down, Willsenton R300B at $1,281.04 shipped. "2" 274B for high-voltage rectification, "1" 6SL7 and "2" 6SN7 vacuum tubes are used for the voltage amplifier and preamp stage. Made in the Cayin factory. I have 2 and my 2nd unit is getting a Parts Upgrade (thread on Audiokarma) just for the fun of it.
I agree with you, the Willsenton R300 is a wonder !
Oh huh, think I could slap some Sylvania 6SN7 GTA tubes in this?
New to tubes and found myself having a couple of these guys
And it looks great ..
Great entertainment after an exhausting working day. :)
I wonder if the built-in phono pre-amp just needed to burn in. When I got a Schiit Mani before, it sounded terrible at first - very harsh and bright. I was going to return it, but after about 10 hours of use, it sounded very good.