Tube HiFi in Hong Kong?
JLSEM
stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
Thanks,
John
Chris Mauritz
> I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me with tube
> stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
I used to live in HK and found the availability of tube gear to be
extremely limited (at best).
C
--
Christopher Mauritz
ri...@mordor.net
Tim
Chris Mauritz <ri...@newritz.mordor.net> wrote:
> JLSEM <jl...@aol.com> wrote:
> > I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me
with tube
> > stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
>
> I used to live in HK and found the availability of tube gear to be
> extremely limited (at best).
>
> C
I hold the exact opposite view. I am convinced that Hong Kong is the
mecca of tube gear in the world and there is probably more tube gear per
capita and per square mile than any other place on earth. (I personally
have >30 vintage tube amp >400 NOS tubes and most of my friends has
just as much)
There are more tube shops in the square mile of Mongkok than maybe the
whole of NYC. One of the must-visit for tube-o-phile is Tak Fat Building
in Mongkok with 3 floors + basement of shops selling NOS tube and
vintage tube gear. There is nowhere else in the world where you can find
a shop selling nothing but vintage WE tube gear and parts, a
shop specialising in vintage mono-plate 2A3 5 feet away and another shop
with 3 pairs of Leak TL50+ on sales 20 feet away!
There are also >10 hifi and tube shops in Central and one of them has
>600,000 NOS tubes in stock.
You can find almost any NOS tube here but the only thing is that NOS
tube is very expensive in Hong Kong. Small NOS signal tubes can be more
than US$400 each and some local tube lovers buying them in dozens.
Vintage tube gear is not cheap here too and the last pair of original
Marantz 9 I saw listed for more than US$12,000 and gone in a week.
Also beware that not many local shops are 100% honest and fake tubes are
easy to find. Buy only if you know exactly what you are getting and test
the tube YOURSELF in the shop before taking your wallet out. As a
general rule, never buy any new production tube in Hong Kong as many are
reject/left-over imported from US.
So your best strategy may well be not seeking to buy any tube or tube
gear here but to get some vintage tube or tube gear in US and sell in
Hong Kong to cover your travel expenses!
Just make sure you do not try to sell any US made tube here, other than
those by Western Electric, as local tube-o-phile buy only European and
WE NOS tube. NOS WE300B (not re-issued) is most sought after here and
globe WE300A can easily sell for US$1,200 each. The general rule in the
local market is that the most expensive the tube is, the more easy to
sell.
To get a feel of the tube scene in Hong Kong. Come and take a look at
our Hong Kong Tube Audio Club webpage and forum on :
http://homestead.deja.com/hktubeaudio/index.html
Enjoy you trip!
Tim
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
DB boy
25442579 (威威).
One tube Amp Shop at Shamshipo (Kowloon Side) Name Call: (科寶) The most
famous "Made in Hong Kong' Brand shop but I don't know the English Name.
Cheers!
PS: All above shop mainly customer base are domestic.
Chris Mauritz 撰寫於文章 ...
>JLSEM <jl...@aol.com> wrote:
>> I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me with
tube
>> stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
>
>I used to live in HK and found the availability of tube gear to be
>extremely limited (at best).
>
>C
>
>--
>Christopher Mauritz
>ri...@mordor.net
reylon...@my-deja.com
The tube scene is flourishing in HK.In a back VTV issue-the same one
that has a feature on the Marantz 10B tuner-there is a report on the HK
tube scene complete with addresses and instructions how to get there.
Good luck,Raanan
Chris Mauritz <ri...@newritz.mordor.net> wrote:
> JLSEM <jl...@aol.com> wrote:
> > I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me
with tube
> > stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets,
clubs)?
>
> I used to live in HK and found the availability of tube gear to be
> extremely limited (at best).
>
> C
>
> --
> Christopher Mauritz
> ri...@mordor.net
>
DB boy
One tube shop at Sheng Wan (Hong Kong Island side) Name Call: Wi Wi TEL:
One tube Amp Shop at Shamshipo (Kowloon Side) Name Call: Top International
Electronic Ltd. "Made in Hong Kong" Brand shop. TEL: 27811687 Address: 1/F.,
151B Apliu Street, Shamshuipo, HK. (Two of ShamshipoMTR station exit can go
there directly). But one thing we have to advise you first, Apliu Street are
very crowd & dirty but most famous electronic parts market in Hong Kong!
Also have one Tube shop at Apliu Street (1/F at far left opposite side of
'Top International' ) I don't forget the english name. If need may be I post
them up tomorrow!
Cheers!
DB boy
Robert Schneider
took me to a neighborhood full of electronics stuff - it was a street
flea market of old gear and parts (pretty much all silicon based) on
the street, and lots of audio and electronics shops in the buildings.
One shop had tons of tube gear, including DIY parts and tubes, and
their own line of good sounding tube amps (called Houston, if I
remember right - built in a mainland plant). There was at least one
vintage audio shop on that street, too, but it was closed when we were
there (on a Sunday afternoon).
Unfortunately, all I remember about how to get there is that it was
three subway stops from the Tsim Sha Tsui station (going north(?),
away from the island). We just walked out of the exit from the subway
and we were in the flea market. Both the tube hi fi shop and the
vintage shop were on the second floors of buildings, and not well
marked. I apologize that these directions aren't very specific, but
maybe this is enough for someone at your hotel or a business associate
to point you in the right direction - this is definately not a tourist
location, though.
An article in Vacuum Tube Valley in 1996 said that the vintage and
tube audio area in Hong Kong was in Mong Kok. The street is Nelson
street, and the Prosperity Building is supposed to have a lot of shops
in it. Judging from the pictures in the article, this is the area I
was taken to. The article also mentions an electronics street market
in Sham Shui Po, which is near the old airport - this isn't where I
was.
BTW, Tsim Sha Tsui is the traditional tourist electronics area of Hong
Kong (it's the Kowloon end of the Star Ferry), where thousands of GIs
bought their audio gear on their way home from 'Nam. Very little
audio there these days, though, and certainly nothing with tubes in it
- I guess the tourists are looking for other things now.
Have fun in Hong Kong, and be sure to eat like a pig - it's the world
capital of Chinese food.
On 05 Jan 2000 03:04:06 GMT, jl...@aol.com (JLSEM) wrote:
>I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me with tube
>stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
>
>Thanks,
>John
Bob Schneider
bobsch...@nospam.worldnet.att.net
The views expressed are not those of my employer, my wife, or
the National Football League.
All rights reserved.
Tim
news:3873B595...@my-dejanews.com...
> > The street is Nelson
> > street, and the Prosperity Building is supposed to have a lot of shops
> > in it.
The proper English name of Tak Fat Bldg is Propsperity Bldg (which locals
hardly know) .
> The proper entrance of Properity Bldg is actuallt on Tung Choi St, very
close to
> the Nelson St junction. This is THE most fun bldg.
Get out at the "Bank Centre Exit" at the Mongkok undersground station and
ask around for the location. It is Number 61 of Tung Choi Street.
Tim
nachtmusik_sg
drop by and check out the gears?
Cheers
"Tim" <tyy...@hkstar.com> wrote in message
news:84vbsk$bh...@imsp212.netvigator.com...
Chris Mauritz
> Last time I was in Hong Kong (two months ago) a business associate
> took me to a neighborhood full of electronics stuff - it was a street
> flea market of old gear and parts (pretty much all silicon based) on
> the street, and lots of audio and electronics shops in the buildings.
> One shop had tons of tube gear, including DIY parts and tubes, and
> their own line of good sounding tube amps (called Houston, if I
> remember right - built in a mainland plant). There was at least one
> vintage audio shop on that street, too, but it was closed when we were
> there (on a Sunday afternoon).
> Unfortunately, all I remember about how to get there is that it was
> three subway stops from the Tsim Sha Tsui station (going north(?),
> away from the island). We just walked out of the exit from the subway
> and we were in the flea market. Both the tube hi fi shop and the
> vintage shop were on the second floors of buildings, and not well
> marked. I apologize that these directions aren't very specific, but
> maybe this is enough for someone at your hotel or a business associate
> to point you in the right direction - this is definately not a tourist
> location, though.
That definitely sounds like Mong Kok. There's also a thriving electronics
area in Sham Sui Bo. I don't recall ever seeing tube gear there, but
it's not the most gweilo friendly area (translation: you really need to
speak/read a bit of Cantonese to get the most out of the area or have
someone who does give you a hand). 8-)
The one person I knew in HK who had tube gear had imported it from
the UK and he said that replacement tubes cost a fortune. I remember
he ordered replacement tubes from the US as the cost differential
was something like double or triple. I believe it was a 300B-based amp.
Lastly, if you want to save money on tube gear, I suspect HK isn't
the place to do it. If you want consumer electronics or watches
or cameras (or clothes) you won't be disappointed, but I'd be
shocked if you can find a better deal on any tube equipment.
Cheers,
Chris
--
Christopher Mauritz
ri...@mordor.net
doctorjohn
supplements.
Robert Schneider wrote:
> .. a neighborhood full of electronics stuff - it was a street
> flea market of old gear and parts (pretty much all silicon based) on
> the street, and lots of audio and electronics shops in the buildings.
This is Apliu Street, mentioned in another post.
> One shop had tons of tube gear, including DIY parts and tubes, and
> their own line of good sounding tube amps (called Houston, if I
> remember right - built in a mainland plant).
Houston is correct (I wonder why the name). But their gears do not sound as good
as good old vintage! No need to go there as many tubes are fake.
> There was at least one
> vintage audio shop on that street, too, but it was closed when we were
> there (on a Sunday afternoon).
Li Shan (St #194, 1/F) sells only tubes basically. Full Range (#246, mezzanine)
sells more intersting stuff including Japanese horn enclosures.
> Unfortunately, all I remember about how to get there is that it was
> three subway stops from the Tsim Sha Tsui station (going north(?),
> away from the island). We just walked out of the exit from the subway
> and we were in the flea market.
Correct, except more stops than that. Going north, Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma
Tei, Mong Kok, Prince Edward (yeah, that's history right there), then Shum Shui
Po, which is where you get off. And you will notice directions for Apliu St.
> An article in Vacuum Tube Valley in 1996 said that the vintage and
> tube audio area in Hong Kong was in Mong Kok.
Yes. Close to the Mong Kok MTR (subway) stop.
> The street is Nelson
> street, and the Prosperity Building is supposed to have a lot of shops
> in it.
The proper entrance of Properity Bldg is actuallt on Tung Choi St, very close to
the Nelson St junction. This is THE most fun bldg.
> BTW, Tsim Sha Tsui is the traditional tourist electronics area of Hong
> Kong (it's the Kowloon end of the Star Ferry), where thousands of GIs
> bought their audio gear on their way home from 'Nam. Very little
> audio there these days, though, and certainly nothing with tubes in it
> - I guess the tourists are looking for other things now.
Beware. Shops in TST are rip-offs. Avoid like a plaque. For safety, buy at
FORTRESS chain stores everywhere.
Cheers.
Tim
nachtmusik_sg <nachtm...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:84vjr7$l72$1...@mawar.singnet.com.sg...
> Just out of curiosity ....which are the shops you guys would recommend to
> drop by and check out the gears?
> Cheers
Most of the shops in the 4 levels of Propsperity ("Tak Fat") Bldg worths a
look.
Here is a summary (turn left and go clockwise from the lift on each level) :
Level 3
----------
Shop 1 a new tube shop with some heavy duty DIY SETA on display
Shop 2 Uncle Ball's vinatge hifi shop - lot of vintage Marantz tube gear
and JBL Harfield on display
Shop 3 Mr Tsang tube hifi shop - best-buy custom made pre-amp and SE
power amp in HK or maybe the world
Shop 4 Sound Island hifi shop - lot of McIntosh and US vintage gear,
US$1,000 each Gold Lion B759 on display
Shop 5 Wai Dar tube shop - many NOS tubes and PX25 DIY SETA driving Altec
(?) horn playing Chinese opera LP
Shop 6 Mr Chu's vintage hifi shop - working WE 87B 845 PP monoblock on
demo, lots of Leak TL50/12.1 on display
Shop 7 Audiotronics tube hifi - lots of NOS tubes and vintage gears
Shop 8 I could never remember the name of this tube hifi shop but it got
a few Altec spkr and some most unusual tube OTL amp
Level 2
----------
Shop 1 Western Electric specialist shop - original and re-constructed WE
300B amp, 755 speakers, and lots of WE parts
Shop 2 Wai Yip tube shop - largest collection of monoplate 2A3, metal
base EL34 on sale and display, and many vintage gear
Shop 3 The only hifi shop in this bldg selling 1st hand new production
tube gear. Many VTL and Audio Note gear
Level 1
----------
Shop 1 A 2nd hand hifi shop with mostly SS gears and lots of modern
speakers such as Thiel or Avalon
Shop 2 WiWi Kowloon - a tube shop with make-to-order tube amp and tube
amp kits from Midland China
Basement
--------------
Shop 1 Charlie's vintage hifi shop - mint condition Fisher 50C/90C,
Marantz 1/2/5/7/8/9 and lots of Mac
Plus lot of other shops specialised on US$100 per feet hifi cables, stands,
US region1 DVD and domestic Japanese version AV gears
Easy to spend an enjoyable afternoon just looking around the different shops
there.
Tim
nachtmusik_sg
BTW, what is the street price for a Meridian 508.24 cdp(new / used)?
Cheers.
"Tim" <tyy...@hkstar.com> wrote in message
news:84vtl1$c1...@imsp212.netvigator.com...
Tim
"nachtmusik_sg" <nachtm...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thanks Tim.
> BTW, what is the street price for a Meridian 508.24 cdp(new / used)?
>
> Cheers.
I do not have an answer to that. Try to post on :
and see if the guys there can help.
Tim
DB boy
Shop 1: Tube shop at Shamshipo (Kowloon side) Name Call: Li Shan. 1/F., 194
Apliu Street, Shamshipo, Kowloon. (Shamshipo MTR exit) They have a 30%
discount sales now. (But always)
Shop 2: Tube shop at Sheng Wan (Hong Kong Island side) Name Call: Wi Wi.
TEL: 25442579 1/F., 12 Bonham stand east, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (Sheung Wan
MTR A2 exit) They have a sales event only on 29 Jan. I feel that this shop
mainly at wholesale because the list price are little bit high than shop 1.
Shop 3: Tube Amp Shop at Shamshipo (Kowloon Side) Name Call: Top
International Electronic Ltd. Tel: 27811687 1/F., 151B Apliu Street,
Shamshuipo, Kowloon. (Shamshipo MTR exit) They owns 'Houston' & ' Audio
Space' brand tube Amp.
Others Shop at Monkok. Also Shown as another email on Tak Fat Building, are
also famous on tube DIY shop at Hong Kong.
Cheers!
DB boy
David Lawrence
must have at least 20 times or more tube equipment available than any
American city. Apliu Street in Sham Shui Po and the Prosperity Building
in Mongkok are the main centers. Apliu Street has a lot of electronic
parts and a lot of recent, mostly transistor stuff in the street level
shops (including some real junk). There are several tube shops,
however, on the first or second floors of the buildings there. You can
walk up and down the street trying to figure out which staircases to
try. There are also shops with old and new tube gear and parts all over
Hong Kong, and I don't think anybody has found them all. Hong Kong Bush
in Central, phone 25243227 or 25431469 sometimes has good prices on
boutique parts such as Black Gate caps and transformers, and the
proprietor is a nice guy. Then there is Sound Explorer inYau Ma Tei,
etc., etc. I would offer to talk to you while you are here but I will
be in India.
Good luck,
David Lawrence
Tim
HIfi for HK$23,800 which is the lowest price for this machine in HK.
Tim
nachtmusik_sg <nachtm...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:850a8d$oqc$1...@violet.singnet.com.sg...
> Thanks Tim.
> BTW, what is the street price for a Meridian 508.24 cdp(new / used)?
>
> Cheers.
>
Thomas
vintage tube stuff in Hong Kong but I do not recommend you buy too much
there. I have been living in Hong Kong for over 40 years and an
electronic hobbist for over 20 years. I know all those places .. Ap Liu
Street, Tak Fat Building, Wei Wei, Lishang... etc.. very very well. My
purchases (big ones, including the Audio Innovations 800 III mentioned
in another post of mine) in Hong Kong were always filled with sad
experience. Since the invention of internet, I have been purchasing
almost everything, yes almost everything overseas by mail. After adding
shipping, the prices are still significantly, if not substantially,
cheaper than those in Hong Kong. 100% of the vintage tube stuff in Hong
Kong are imported. The shop rent in Hong Kong is so high. People doing
business in Hong Kong are usually looking for a furtune instead of a
living. How can the price be low? Being a Hong Kong people, I am so
sorry to have to make these comments but hope that with all the
consumers joining together, one day Hong Kong can become a real
shopper's heaven again.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
buck...@my-deja.com
at Yahoo. I have listed a buy price of only $450.00. Thanks.
http://auctions.yahoo.com/auction/14942665
buck...@my-deja.com
another discussion. Anyways, I have 11pcs. NOS Telefunken 12AX7/ECC83
tubes for auction on Yahoo! I have set a buy price of $450.00. Which
means the first person to bid $450.00 wins the auction! Considering
dealers sell NOS Tele 12AX7's at 70+ This is a great deal. I also have
other auctions check those out as well. Click either links below.
Thanks.
http://auctions.yahoo.com/auction/14942665
http://auctions.yahoo.com/user/tubeland?u=
Tim
buck...@my-deja.com wrote:
> I have for auction 11pcs. of NOS Telefunken 12AX7/ECC83. Now on
auction
> at Yahoo. I have listed a buy price of only $450.00. Thanks.
>
> http://auctions.yahoo.com/auction/14942665
NOS TFK 12AX7 in Hong Kong is very cheap at the moment and not much
higher than your reserve price. People want TFK ECC803S and Gold Lion
B759 instead and would not mind paying 10 times more for them. But not
from on-line auction.
Tim
jac
> I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me with tube
> stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
>
> Thanks,
> John
you should go to to the HK Tube HiFi Club!
Their forum and WebSite are linked at our WebSite
--
Best regards,
Jac p.s. please note, our new WebSite wil be:
http://elektronenroehren.de/avvt (AVVT Factory Homepage)
tannoy...@my-deja.com
This is really a good information for the tourists whom have the
interested to visit HK for vintage HiFi audio gears. Even this
information is good to our local people as I know some of the audiophile
ever put their feet inside Mongkok area, maybe this is a good chance to
let them know how large is our market.
Tim, you deserve to have a price from the HK Tourist Association.
Tim, can you please provide us some more information of shops in ApLei
Street and Hong Kong.
Thanks,
Vincent
Mark Johnson
eight years, and I doubt there are many places on the planet (Tokyo might be
one) that have this level of choice.
The caveat, as Tim pointed out, is prices. Hong Kong might best be
considered a window-shopping paradise for the tubehead on a budget.
In case anyone is interested, there are also several second-hand vinyl shops
where you can get some decent deals. Here's my (incomplete) list, some of
which was taken off of a Singapore vinylphile website. That info was a bit
outdated, so I've deleted the shops that have closed down.
Does anyone have the address for Paul's shop on Apliu Street? I know how to
get there, but don't have the address.
Hong Kong Vinyl Shops
--------------------------------
Record Specialists
Shop No. 103A, 1/F, Concord Building 60-104
Soy Street, Mongkok, Kowloon
Tel : (852) 2782 5035
* Second-hand Vinyl Shop. LPs (80%) and 12" (20%). Range from 60's to 90's.
Prices from HKG30/- . Testing and cleaning available.
Used Record Centre
B6, Sino Centre 582-592,
Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon
Tel : (852) 3843073
* Second-hand Vinyl Shop. LPs (55%) and 12"(45% incl. Indies). Mostly 80's.
Prices from HKG10/- .
Testing available.
Used Records Market
Block D, 3/F, Hang Wan Building
42 Granville Rd, T.S.T, Kowloon
Tel : (852) 2366 3342
Fax : (852) 2366 3243
* Open : 2.30pm ~ 7.30pm. Call first.
* Cheapest in town. Prices from $10. Mostly 80s in near mint condition.
Shop 347, 3/F, Ginza Plaza
Sai Yeung Choi Street, South Kowloon
Tel: (852) 2395 0797
* Open : 5.30pm ~ 9.30pm
* Poor selection; some classical
Monitor Records
Eaton Hotel, Nathan Road
Jordan
* New vinyl (all alternative/dance/techno. No classical/jazz)
Tim wrote in message <84uvvb$fhb$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>In article <zByc4.23589$W2.2...@iad-read.news.verio.net>,
> Chris Mauritz <ri...@newritz.mordor.net> wrote:
>> JLSEM <jl...@aol.com> wrote:
>> > I am going to be in Hong Kong from Jan.13 - 21. Can anyone help me
>with tube
>> > stuff sources there (shops, shows, flea markets, swap meets, clubs)?
>>
>> I used to live in HK and found the availability of tube gear to be
>> extremely limited (at best).
>>
>> C
>