MiniWatt Tube Amplifier

Review from Stereophile Magazine - August Issue

Sam's Space

Extracted from Sam's Space

Review from audiovideo2day

Conclusion: For those looking for a small device to a desktop configuration and fan of a tube amplifier, provides a nice solution Miniwatt. Combined with a matching pair of speakers you get a compact set that is affordable and yet many a listener can do stand amazed. The Miniwatt N3 is well built and feels solid. You just watch those feet. The sound that comes through the tubes is very pleasant, detail-rich and fast. With some speakers you're missing some body, so you should find the perfect partner. High-efficiency speakers are of course primarily because of the small capacity of the Miniwatt N3.

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.audiovideo2day.be/index.php?page=index&id=6515&title=Miniwatt%20N3%20:%20Integrated%20Tube%20Amp&ln=NL

Review from Digital Audio Review

The Miniwatt is a triumph of simplicity:  miniaturism meets minimalism. It is a beautiful marriage of the old ways (tubes) with the new (switching power supply) and despite such a bland exterior it is paradoxically refined and delicate. Frequently, I found it to possess the sparkle of snowmelt!  To less critical listeners, it offers a first snorkel into the technicolour waters of single-ended musicality - a sweetness that is more fructose than sucrose. For those with easy-to-drive loudspeakers and who are searching for that post-thunderstorm euphoria they continually hear about from those that proudly refer to themselves as "bottle-heads", nothing comes close at the this price.

Superb clarity
Tonal sweetness
True Bonsai hi-fi

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.digitalaudioreview.com.au/index.php/audio-reviews/amplifier-reviews/item/96-miniwatt-n3-integrated-tube-amplifier

Headphonista

Review from Headphonista

At $379, the Miniwatt N3, is perhaps the best amplifier in it’s price range.....N3 is all about musicality, rich colors and gorgeous tone.  Depending on what your looking for, either one will suit your needs.  Although the Miniwatt N3 sounds good enough to be used by audio nerds, I personally found the N3 to work wonderfully in my entertainment center, together with my playstation, and cannot recommend it enough for this use.  It worked well to qwell the harshness of my tv’s internal amplifier, and quite frankly I have cycled through a lot of home theatre receivers that the Miniwatt simply crushed in terms of sound quality.  I would be more than happy to have the Miniwatt N3 paired with some John Blue JB3’s or Audio Engine P4’s as my dedicated 2-channel speaker setup.  This is a setup I have heard numerous times during my audition as well as at 32 Ohm, and for well under $1000, you can have a setup that will rival your old man’s $5000 setup.  Unfortunately I was unable to play around with any tube rolling, but 32 Ohm carries the N3, the tube upgrades for it, as well as a headphone amplifier adaptor, and all of the speakers mentioned in this review.

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.headphonista.com/miniwatt-n3/

Review from TONEAudio

MiniWatt’s Latest: The N3! The difference a watt makes...

While I’d like to rave about the extra watt, the N3 is really more about quality.  Comparing the two amplifiers side by side, you immediately notice the extra body and three dimensionality of the Mini Watt’s latest offering.  The easiest comparison will be your favorite solo vocals;  listening to some of my favorites from Johnny Cash and Anya Garbarek, the new amplifier sounds as if I moved my speakers a few more feet apart instantly.  Once the amplifier had about 100 hours on the clock, it improved a bit, with acoustic instruments having slightly more body.

MiniWatt has hit another home run with the N3.  They still make the S1 for those on a super tight budget, but if you’ve got the extra $150 in your wallet, I highly suggest stepping up to the N3.  If there’s a better sounding tube amplifier on the market at this price point, I haven’t heard it yet!

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.tonepublications.com/gear/miniwatts-latest-the-n3/

Review from AffordableAudio

The N3’s main attraction, you ask? Man, to me SET is all about t-o-n-e, and the N3 exudes a whole different caliber of cool in that department. Carlos Santana’s “Supernatural” CD makes a great demo because the songs are all over the place. A bit of Spanish jazz, a pinch of R&B, some male & female vocals, and all with that wonderful guitar in the background (foreground, side-ground and all-around-ground basically). I put this disc on specifically to listen to the last track, “The Calling,” featuring Eric Clapton. The two guitar masters’ playing has sort of a jam session feel to it and it really is a fun song played on a good system. Well, by the time I finished, I’d listened to most of the CD... twice! By then, it was way past my bedtime.

Click this link to download  the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.affordableaudio.org/aa2010-07.pdf

Review from TNT-Audio

More 'small is beautiful"

Timing is spot on and adds to the musicality of the N3. There is also a real presence with the music, with performers appearing to be in the room, rather than hiding at the back of it....it retained its quality of music and presentation. Tonally it is fairly neutral with just a hint of sweetness to make the music very enjoyable (think apple rather than chocolate). I would say that the N3 just favours classical music but in fairness, it sounded good with all types of music. I ended nearly every session with the N3 wanting more music. I love that 'just one more track' feeling you get with good equipment.

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/miniwatt_n3_e.html

Top 10 must-have audio bargains

MiniWatt N3 is in the "Top 10 must-have audio bargains" in Cnet - The Audiophiliac from Steve Guttenberg.

A lot of audiophiles love tube amps, but tube components are usually pretty expensive. The N3 is affordable and uses a single ECC83 twin-triode tube feeding a single EL84 output tube per channel, and the amp features a switching power supply. The N3 delivers a healthy 3.5 watts per channel, and matched with the right speakers, the wee amp makes a big sound.

Click this link to view N3 in the top 10 list

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20004765-47.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheAudiophiliac

Review from cnet.com

With a highly efficient speaker, like my Zu Essence, the N3 can make a big sound. Bass is seriously deep and tuneful. Granted, some tube amps have soggy bass, but the N3's low end is solid. Treble is pure and clean, which again, is not always true with tube designs. The real magic occurs in the midrange where voice, guitars, and pianos sound incredibly present and alive.

Classic jazz recordings like Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!" were even better. Fitzgerald's vocals blossomed between the Zu Essence speakers. She was all there, not just the voice; somehow the N3 brought her body and soul along for the ride.

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20003287-47.html

User Review

The Miniwatt is the star player for me in all this though; it was cheaper than the speaker cables but fractionally more than the speakers and DAC.  Those with more knowledge may criticize my seemingly random choice of components, but the whole lot plays nicely together, it sounds awesome to me.  I thank Miniwatt for putting so much quality into a small, low-cost, no BS package.  Talk about putting a capital “V” on Value. That’s heroic.

Click this link to view the full review on MiniWatt

http://zeofoto.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/miniwatt-n3-tube-amp-review/

GQ France        

miniwatt S1 and N3 at GQ France Magazine - March Issue - High Tech section.

You can download it (PDF format) in here.