A Leap of Faith, sort of, thanks to Paul Yoo - The MISHO MYRONOV TUBE WOODENAMP and PREAMP!

**joeinid** · April 3, 2019, 09:33 PM

Paul turned me onto the MISHO MYRONOV TUBE WOODENAMP for my Avantgarde Duo XD.

https://www.monoandstereo.com/2018/0...woodenamp.html

I bought both the preamp and amp from Misho in Bulgaria.

All I can say is wow.The combo is incredible. Dead silent, ZERO hum, wonderful vocals, huge 3D and big sound stage size.

So far, I dare say the best tube combo for my AG Duo and "only" 3.5 wpc.

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**Mike** · April 3, 2019, 09:37 PM

Awesome Joe! Wood amps!

What tubes are those?

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**joeinid** · April 3, 2019, 09:39 PM

I've got a woody!

Mike, you know how incredible the speakers sound, and you were oh so right. The Wooden combo just elevates my music listening sessions even more. I just can not believe how happy my system makes me. OMG! Awesome!

**Mr Peabody** · April 3, 2019, 09:56 PM

Joe went full on SET

Happy for you, in audio nirvana.

Are the chassis all wood? Bulgaria is where Thrax is from. Interesting to see great gear pop up in undiscovered areas.

**joeinid** · April 3, 2019, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

Joe went full on SET

Happy for you, in audio nirvana.

Are the chassis all wood? Bulgaria is where Thrax is from. Interesting to see great gear pop up in undiscovered areas.

Yes, I think so because top and bottom are full wood and the insides seem like they are routed out of the middle as necessary. These are not the syrupy sweet SET of other typical gear but it's just over to the slightly warmer side of neutral.

**Paul** · April 3, 2019, 11:24 PM

They are simply breath taking. Amazing combo I ever heard. It’s stupid good. I’m still shaking my head. How does he do it ???!!!

I’m so glad you are loving them much as I do. Happy for you Joe.

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**Sean** · April 3, 2019, 11:45 PM

Sweet!

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**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 12:41 AM

Thank you Sean. I wish you could hear them.

Paul,

Thank you for pushing me over the edge. I know you and Mike were concerned about my love for Avantgarde but deep down, I think I knew what to expect. I just didn’t realize how much my expectations would be exceeded. Same goes for the Misho gear. Sure we knew several people making the switch but you and I could not have known how great the combo would be and once on our Avantgarde speakers, they are truly a revelation.

**Billion$Baby** · April 4, 2019, 07:46 AM

Have either of you tried different Pre-Amps with the Misho Amp?? Just wondering if one could save some dough and just use the Misho Amp with their current fave (Like GAT2) or is there compatibility issues. I know with some brands mixing and matching doesn't fare well. Any input greatly appreciated as always!

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 08:00 AM

Hi,

Yes, the amp matches superbly with other preamps and the preamp is absolutely outstanding on other amps. I received the amp first and started using it with the GAT2 and I was ecstatic. I have to be honest, I don’t know which preamp I prefer - the Misho Wooden preamp is that good. Here’s a quick photo I took when the combo was up and running when I first got it. After some warm up and break in, I sent Misho (Michael) an email telling him how happy I was with his gear.

Just remember, the Wooden combo are pretty much low gain pieces. The GAT2 specifically and Conrad Johnson in general are pretty high gain across the board.

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I’m positive that with your preamps, Ref 10 and C900u, the Wooden amp would be awesome.

**UltraFast69** · April 4, 2019, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by joeinid

I've got a woody!

Mike, you know how incredible the speakers sound, and you were oh so right. The Wooden combo just elevates my music listening sessions even more. I just can not believe how happy my system makes me. OMG! Awesome!

Does the wood in the amps and pre allow the electronics to resonate, like an instrument? If so, is that one of major differences?

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**Billion$Baby** · April 4, 2019, 08:15 AM

For the last 10 years I have been worried that I would have to come out of retirement and get a job due to a woman's spending habits. I couldn't foresee that Audiophile GREED would be my retirement undoing!! Misho whats your Paypal address and do I have to send this thing back to Bulgaria if something implodes down the road??? That's probably my biggest concern.

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 08:17 AM

I’m sure Misho factored the resonance/insulation into the design. Whatever else he’s doing is absolutely working wonderfully.

**aKnyght** · April 4, 2019, 08:20 AM

wow! beautiful! there is a special place in audio heaven for handmade amps.

wonder how the 3.5wpc would be with my 97db speakers - unfortunately, probably not sensitive enough.

congratz on finding this wonderful piece of gear and glad the leap-of-faith worked out.

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by Billion$Baby

For the last 10 years I have been worried that I would have to come out of retirement and get a job due to a woman's spending habits. I couldn't foresee that Audiophile GREED would be my retirement undoing!! Misho whats your Paypal address and do I have to send this thing back to Bulgaria if something implodes down the road??? That's probably my biggest concern.

Ha!

As far as repair goes, ultimately yes, a trip back to Bulgaria could be be necessary. However, I feel confident in knowing a few technicians either in Connecticut or Brooklyn (?) that maybe in concert with Misho would be able to fix any issues that come up. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a ton of money so I’ll do my best to deal with a repair should something happen.

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by aKnyght

wow! beautiful! there is a special place in audio heaven for handmade amps.

wonder how the 3.5wpc would be with my 97db speakers - unfortunately, probably not sensitive enough.

congratz on finding this wonderful piece of gear and glad the leap-of-faith worked out.

I’m sure your speakers could work fine. Misho was dying for me to get his gear going, even on my JBL 4367 or Klipsch speaker’s. I was using my Luxman MQ300 on my 4367 for a little while with 8 wpc and damn, thought that was great too.

He said go ahead, you might be surprised. I chickened out, sadly.

**Sean** · April 4, 2019, 09:02 AM

Trading punches with CJ, that’s awesome. I’m glad you are loving the new tube gear.

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**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 09:06 AM

Thank you Sean. I’ve always been one to go for lesser known companies and give them a shot. I’ve been highly rewarded with Job, Nord, Misho and others that I cannot remember right now. There’s a lot of superb talent out there and they need to be supported.

**rrwmd** · April 4, 2019, 11:27 AM

Wow Joe...gorgeous!

What tubes do they use?

**Paul** · April 4, 2019, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by rrwmd

Wow Joe...gorgeous!

What tubes do they use?

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**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 12:36 PM

Thank you for responding Paul.

That’s the amp Rance.

The preamp uses an EZ80 as a rectifier and two C3m. A long life 10,000 hour rated tube from long ago.

**Paul** · April 4, 2019, 04:59 PM

In terms of pre , Signal come in, goes through a single pair of very high quality Siemens C3M tubes (not the normal 12ax7, 12at7, etc.), directly connected to some amazing output transformers, then to the volume attenuator, then RCA out. That's it, a single gain stage with some of the best valves ever made. If you can find a more transparent and dynamic pre I'd love to hear it

For the EL12 Amps. I find it very hard to go back to other amps. They don't have the dynamics, life and low level resolution of Mishos Wooden amps

**Rob181** · April 4, 2019, 06:55 PM

How does one contact Misho...

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Rob181

How does one contact Misho...

His email is as follows:

mkaybg@gmail.com

Michael is his first name. I think he might be on vacation as Paul mentioned.

**MikeCh** · April 4, 2019, 08:09 PM

Neat stuff, Joe! Enjoy as I bet they are a dream.

A Leap of Faith, sort of, thanks to Paul Yoo - The MISHO MYRONOV TUBE WOODENAMP and PREAMP!

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 09:00 PM

Thanks Mike! They are awesome.

**Boogieman** · April 4, 2019, 10:03 PM

Congrats! The output transformer may be the most critical element of tube amplifiers and contributes the most to the sound. Which one does the guy use?

**Boogieman** · April 4, 2019, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by joeinid

Paul turned me onto the MISHO MYRONOV TUBE WOODENAMP for my Avantgarde Duo XD.

https://www.monoandstereo.com/2018/0...woodenamp.html

I bought both the preamp and amp from Misho in Bulgaria.

All I can say is wow.The combo is incredible. Dead silent, ZERO hum, wonderful vocals, huge 3D and big sound stage size.

So far, I dare say the best tube combo for my AG Duo and "only" 3.5 wpc.

37387643_10216792526469624_2292248810656628736_n.png

IMG_3924.png

5a4f5744-0537-4b70-871e-fc75f7bb2031.png

Hi Joe,
So what are the amps you have tried so far on your Avantgardes?

**pdub** · April 4, 2019, 10:32 PM

Sounds awesome Joe. I knew Paul was thrilled by his -- nice to get a concurring opinion. What's the import process like?
Parker

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Boogieman

Congrats! The output transformer may be the most critical element of tube amplifiers and contributes the most to the sound. Which one does the guy use?

That is a great question. I am not sure but I think he either winds it himself or has it done specifically for him.

Originally Posted by Boogieman

Hi Joe,
So what are the amps you have tried so far on your Avantgardes?

I've tried and MC275VI, MC303, MC452, Job INTegrated, Valvet E2, Dennis Had 45 monos, Cary 300B-SE, ASL Wave monos, Job 250 monos, Jolida 3502, Luxman MQ-300B, SIT3 and Naim Supernait2 and probably a few more than I remember.

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by pdub

Sounds awesome Joe. I knew Paul was thrilled by his -- nice to get a concurring opinion. What's the import process like?
Parker

Hi Parker,

Import was a breeze. My normal mailman delivered them. Not sure if it's called EMS post or similar. The only thing was that the preamp was held up in customs for almost a week. The amp sailed right through and both packages were is awesome shape, better than I expected. No additional duty or anything to my home in NY.

**Paul** · April 4, 2019, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by joeinid

That is a great question. I am not sure but I think he either winds it himself or has it done specifically for him.

I've tried and MC275VI, MC303, MC452, Job INTegrated, Valvet E2, Dennis Had 45 monos, Cary 300B-SE, ASL Wave monos, Job 250 monos, Jolida 3502, and probably a few more than I remember.

You forgot the Luxman 300B, SIT3 and Naim

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**Jack** · April 4, 2019, 11:35 PM

And XA-25

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by joeinid

That is a great question. I am not sure but I think he either winds it himself or has it done specifically for him.

I've tried and MC275VI, MC303, MC452, Job INTegrated, Valvet E2, Dennis Had 45 monos, Cary 300B-SE, ASL Wave monos, Job 250 monos, Jolida 3502, Luxman MQ-300B, SIT3 and Naim Supernait2 and probably a few more than I remember.

Originally Posted by Paul

You forgot the Luxman 300B, SIT3 and Naim

Fixed!

**joeinid** · April 4, 2019, 11:38 PM

Originally Posted by Jack

And XA-25

Actually I can't say that I've tried the XA25 yet. Hopefully soon.

Ha!

**Jack** · April 4, 2019, 11:51 PM

Sounds like you have the perfect setup now with the Wooden's.

**Paul** · April 4, 2019, 11:51 PM

Add to your lists I can go on few myself as well.

Accuphase E650
Kondo Overture
Finale Audio 6V6 ( these 3 currently I have with Wooden set up )

Thöress F2A11
AirTight ATM3 monos
Audio Aero 211 monos
Avantgarde Int amp
McIntosh 2301’s

I may forget few as well.

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**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by Jack

Sounds like you have the perfect setup now with the Wooden's.

I absolutely do and I'm extremely lucky.

Between the Misho and GAT2 preamps, the Misho amp, Valvet E2, and SIT3, I have it all covered. The Luxman MQ300 is a wonderful 300B amp but doesn't get as much playtime these days. I'll have to think about what gets listed for sale next.

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**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by Paul

Add to your lists I can go on few myself as well.

Accuphase E650
Kondo Overture
Finale Audio 6V6 ( these 3 currently I have with Wooden set up )

Thöress F2A11
AirTight ATM3 monos
Audio Aero 211 monos
Avantgarde Int amp
McIntosh 2301’s

I may forget few as well.

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I'll have to try an E650 but I'm not sure it'll best what I have now. Having an integrated could be a wonderful thing, though. The Luxman class A integrated could be just as good

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**Audio-Antiquary** · April 5, 2019, 03:24 AM

Thank you Joe and Paul for a great words about my amps!

To answer some questions - each audio transformer used in my amps is designed and made by me. Each designed specifically for the task, and has been heavily prototyped, tested, auditioned and redesigned and again and again untill I was happy not with the sound OR measurements only, but both.

All my amps completely designed by me, the basic principles - simplicity, transformer coupled stages and transformer outputs.

The wooden chassis has a complex structure, each layer designed to accommodate corresponding parts, and after glueing together it become a "solid plywood" 3D unit

Warranty and service - I'm sure provide full service support for my amps, life long. But it will not be needed most likely - if amps used in a correct way and not abused - it will serve troubleless for decades. It was designed this way

Do not hesitate to ask questions, I will be happy to answer (if not going too deep where proprietary things are starting

And very important note - each amp is made by my own two hands, so production capability is very limited.
I'm trying to carefully plan my working schedule so there will be no dead ends in production.
I have no amps on a shelves (I wish but everything is gone immediately), so no sales as such but only making on orders.

Best regards,
Misho

**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 05:20 AM

Misho,

Thank you so much for joining. Welcome to the forum!

**Audio-Antiquary** · April 5, 2019, 05:26 AM

Thank you Joe!

**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 05:49 AM

Paul and I absolutely love the sound of your preamp and amp on our Avantgarde speakers.

I know some have asked. You are making a phono preamp now? I’m sure that will be just as awesome as everything else.

I think you will need 10 posts before you can add photos but Paul and I can help if you need any additional help here on the forum.

Thank you again. I should be sleeping but I’m loving my music too much to turn it off.

**Audio-Antiquary** · April 5, 2019, 06:04 AM

Thanks a lot for your kind and inspiring words!

I'm making phono pre amp as well, it's a bit different - while having a separate PSU made in my "classic" wooden style, the riaa pre amp psrt had brass top and botom plates, in order to provide sufficient shielding. Using some wood inside as well. The topology is a bit different from used by most, I'm using passive split correction circuitry.
I'm adjusting the riaa curve precisely for each pre amp.
Tubes used - fantastic low noise ecc808, ecc82 and 6Н6П. Power supply has independent rails for different stages.
It's a phono pre amp that I'm also happy with. The only difficulties is that it requires too much time to make, assembly and adjust...
Still have no my own phono pre, the ladt I made went to a friend in Macao....

**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 06:12 AM

Thank you for the additional information. I can imagine all the work that goes into each piece. I’m ecstatic with the end result.

**Boogieman** · April 5, 2019, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Paul

Add to your lists I can go on few myself as well.

Accuphase E650
Kondo Overture
Finale Audio 6V6 ( these 3 currently I have with Wooden set up )

Thöress F2A11
AirTight ATM3 monos
Audio Aero 211 monos
Avantgarde Int amp
McIntosh 2301’s

I may forget few as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow! That's quite a list of big names, between the two of you, to beat out!

**Boogieman** · April 5, 2019, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Audio-Antiquary

Thank you Joe and Paul for a great words about my amps!

To answer some questions - each audio transformer used in my amps is designed and made by me. Each designed specifically for the task, and has been heavily prototyped, tested, auditioned and redesigned and again and again untill I was happy not with the sound OR measurements only, but both.

All my amps completely designed by me, the basic principles - simplicity, transformer coupled stages and transformer outputs.

The wooden chassis has a complex structure, each layer designed to accommodate corresponding parts, and after glueing together it become a "solid plywood" 3D unit

Warranty and service - I'm sure provide full service support for my amps, life long. But it will not be needed most likely - if amps used in a correct way and not abused - it will serve troubleless for decades. It was designed this way

Do not hesitate to ask questions, I will be happy to answer (if not going too deep where proprietary things are starting

And very important note - each amp is made by my own two hands, so production capability is very limited.
I'm trying to carefully plan my working schedule so there will be no dead ends in production.
I have no amps on a shelves (I wish but everything is gone immediately), so no sales as such but only making on orders.

Best regards,
Misho

Thank you! Just a few basic questions:

First, why did you choose the tubes you chose? Were you after a particular design or after a particular sound? Is it the tube or is it the design that drives the sound you want?
Second, why wood? Why not just go for a metal enclosure like everyone else?
Third, what inspired you to get into this? Was there a speaker you like that you wanted to sound better?

Good Luck to You!

**joeinid** · April 5, 2019, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Boogieman

Wow! That's quite a list of big names, between the two of you, to beat out!

In Paul’s case, absolutely! He and I were talking about it and he listens in disbelief. Especially since some of the gear costs many more times the Wooden gear.

**Boogieman** · April 5, 2019, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by joeinid

In Paul’s case, absolutely! He and I were talking about it and he listens in disbelief. Especially since some of the gear costs many more times the Wooden gear.

Yes, some stuff like AirTight, Luxman, and Kondo has legendary name recognition. Most people would just settle and stop right there. Great to see you guys really go out there and find out for yourselves, instead of trusting the raves of others.

In terms of sound, where does the Wooden gear sit between the classical tube (more euphonic) tube sound vs. the more cleaner, modern tube sound?

**Paul** · April 5, 2019, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by Boogieman

Yes, some stuff like AirTight, Luxman, and Kondo has legendary name recognition. Most people would just settle and stop right there. Great to see you guys really go out there and find out for yourselves, instead of trusting the raves of others.

In terms of sound, where does the Wooden gear sit between the classical tube (more euphonic) tube sound vs. the more cleaner, modern tube sound?

The Wooden project has no tube sound. I know I know its hard to believe it and describe it. I would say they just play music ( hmmm this is just too common words ) They add nothing to the sound. Huge 3 dimensional sound. The separation is just unreal. Extraordinary sound. My Kondo has bit more fuller and warmer presentation so its bit different but I would ranking the Wooden project equal to Kondo.

Thread: A Leap of Faith, sort of, thanks to Paul Yoo - The MISHO MYRONOV TUBE WOODENAMP and PREAMP!