NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

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Byakhee00

New member
So, my new Monoprice 5W tube amp arrived today... Totally impulse purchased with a gift certificate from the holidays figuring it would be an inexpensive project to blow up and mod up.
Gotta say, my expectations were pretty low... I mean how good can this cheapo thing be? but... the little thing is actually pretty darn good for what it is. It basically sounds like a modded Fender champ that can crank out a bit more grit and sparkle and is plenty responsive... A steal considering it basically cost me a gift certificate I would normally waste on their cheapo cables. The hand full of YouTube videos I could find for the 5W version really don't do it justice.
http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=115&cp_id=11501&cs_id=1150102&p_id=611705

Speaker is pretty meh for a Celestion but it's only an 8" speaker, no effects loop (but there is a jack for an external cab). 12AX7 Preamp tube, with a 6V6GT power tube. 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob, 1 power switch, no frills... Low and High input jacks - Low jack is attenuated down 50% so cleaner sounds vs the High input. Both of which are surprisingly usable and break up nicely (for what everything is) when cranked.

Lots of room for improvement should I want to tinker with it and make a project out of it. 10/10 would use gift certificate to purchase over boring un-fun cables again... provided the (inevitably) cheap Chinese wiring and crap components hold up. I'll open it up tomorrow and see what's all going on inside. If it's not a complete disaster inside, I might actually... recommend this thing. We'll see... more to come.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

I would like to see gut shots if you ever pull it apart.
Maybe an "improved" version of a Epi Valve Junior.?
I can think of 999 other things that would be a much bigger "waste" of money.
Well Done i say...and good luck with it. Those types of amps are what most electric players need for a (sorry for all of the quotes) "home" or "studio" amp. They are invaluable IMHO. :bigthumb:
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

zzmoore said:
I would like to see gut shots if you ever pull it apart.
Click to expand...
That's the plan for tomorrow hopefully. I would have done it tonight but... not gonna lie, I was itching to play it.
Rumor has it, the Monoprice Tube amps are rebadged Laney Cubs (cub8 and cub12r)... FWIW. Control plate/layouts look identical for both, graphics aside.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

LO vs High inputs make much diff with it?? curious to see your findings.. :opcorn:
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

I am sure there will eventually be pages about people modding these things (if they can). I wonder what it would sound like with a 12" speaker.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

BloodRose said:
LO vs High inputs make much diff with it?? curious to see your findings.. :opcorn:
Click to expand...
Playing with an Stock HSS Strat > Wire > Amp
It's a pretty noticeable difference. The low channel input being attenuated 50% has a pretty darn nice clean sound. If i crank the volume all the way up to 10, it will break up enough to add a touch of grit for a nice-ish classic rock/bluesy sound. If I have one complaint about the low input is that it's definitely better on the lower "bedroom" volumes and doesn't sound quite as nice as the high input when cranked. More muddy than anything, and a touch ratty sounding, but the rattyness might just the cheap speaker. Dialed back, it's just louder clean. If i wanted much more than the faintest hint of breakup, I'd probably just use the high input.
The High input also sounds pretty good clean, but starts breaking up quite a bit earlier. Fully cranked on the high input, it *ALMOST* gets you into that AC/DC Angus range. With a half-decent OD pedal you could almost certainly get in that range. The high input is also a little more friendly when using the volume knob on the guitar to dial back the amount of grit.
The single tone knob works well and is what it is.
Thankfully there isn't a huge volume difference between the High and Low inputs despite the attenuation. Still gets fairly loud, although if you were doing much more than playing a quiet gig in a coffee shop with a quiet drummer, you'd be hard pressed to gig with it. Definitely a bedroom/practice/recording type of amp.
I'm sure if I were to run it into a 1X12 or 2X12 with decent speakers, it would sound substantially better. That being said, it's got enough "flaws" where if i was being nitpicky, I wouldn't have to look too terribly hard for reasons to dislike it. It's a one-trick pony for sure, but most champ-like amps are.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

After a few Mods (especially with the older amps that had the wrong OT) your post sounds Exactly Like my experience with the Epiphone V Jr.

As you say...not a "Gigging Amp", but when it is run through a 2x12 or 4x12, the results put a smile on your face. :)
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

$112, can't even buy the op and pwr xfmrs for that. throw in loaded PCB, tubes, speaker, cabinet, assy cost and overhead...how can they do it???
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

RogerMexiko said:
$112, can't even buy the op and pwr xfmrs for that. throw in loaded PCB, tubes, speaker, cabinet, assy cost and overhead...how can they do it???
Click to expand...
That's why I'm gonna open it up and post some gut shots. I want to make sure this thing isn't going to pull a Galaxy Note 7 and burn my house down.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

Alright - link to the gut shots: http://imgur.com/a/hz1MS
Sorry for the quality/lighting. I only opened it up enough to get a few decent shots, and didn't tear everything apart.
On the plus side, it doesn't look like you'll burn your house down with it.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

Looks pretty clean from the pics.. I assume there is no line out to run to a cab..? Not to derail, but crazy little thing about the little smokey amp I bought years ago. It can be run to a cab and sounds pretty good . I only wish it had a volume and or gain control.

Thanks for the answer to my prev question!
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

There is a jack for an external cab, but it disables the little 8" speaker inside. It sounds quite a bit better when hooked up to an external cab with some decent speakers.

It wouldn't be too difficult to swap in an actual champ turret/eyelet board. I bought the thing figuring I'd do just that at some point in time. For right now, I'm enjoying this little thing.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

Byakhee00 said:
Alright - link to the gut shots: http://imgur.com/a/hz1MS
Sorry for the quality/lighting. I only opened it up enough to get a few decent shots, and didn't tear everything apart.
On the plus side, it doesn't look like you'll burn your house down with it.
Click to expand...
Nice :)
I don't know.....unless it is fighting headroom, or the tone circuit is Super Shrill or Bass Heavy, something like that.....i do not think i would be in any big hurry to abandon what is there right now. :cool: :dunno:
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

It seems to have plenty of headroom for what it is, and the tone circuit is pretty usable as well. I'm not currently planning on replacing anything with it.

I'm willing to recommend it with the caveat being you need to understand what it is exactly you're buying.
1. It's in the family of a Fender Champ. Not a clone per se... Think more "modded champ". So... forget the death metal with this bad boy?
2. Build quality is firmly in what I would consider "Entry Level". It would make a great amp for someone learning to play, needing something that just doesn't get terribly loud, or even just looking to get that "champ sound on the cheap". In my mind, the big question is how well will it hold up over time?
3. I think it sounds pretty darn good, but we all know how much that opinion can vary. I'm curious to see how I'll feel about it once I've really broken in the speaker.
 
Re: NAD Monoprice 5W Tube Amplifier

OP or anyone else have any additional feedback on these? I'm looking at this for ~$100 vs a Panama Conqueror 5w head for ~$200.

Monoprice 5W 8" Combo
PROs: dirt cheap, seems to be a good value and decent enough quality. Supposedly a much better platform with an external speaker cab
CONs: might be more of a novelty / toy once the honeymoon is over

Panama 5w Head
PROs: looks to be an accurate Champ circuit and tone, hand wired, nice looking amp
CONs: reviews/info VERY sparse (why so unpopular?), some reports of early quality issues, maybe since addressed, (but good cust. service), double the price of the Monoprice (does that make this the Biprice or Duoprice? ;))

So I am able to come up with more pros and cons on the Panama, while the Monoprice does not lead me to any real positive or negative observations. In a way, the quintessential, "you get what you pay for" kind of bargain.
 
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