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my mingda tube amp smelled of fresh paint when it first arrived. and from its transformers the smell of paint thinner was nauseating to the point where i had to stick the unit in a separate room with the tragedy of running extra long speaker cables from it. from asking around i've learned that this is the typical smell of chinese transformer varnish. so it's been almost a month now with the mingda tube amp seeing constant use and the smell is still strongly present. i've contacted the manufacturer and they assure me that ming da products are CE, CB, CCC compliant and they should not be health hazards. but my common sense has developed a habit of distrusting the chinese on such matters. and who knows how many decades behind their regulations are compared to the western guidelines? so i'd like to ask you gentlemen- the transformer varnish smells of paint thinners, hasn't baked off yet for a month, and i've just read a thread on head-fi of a user who has dry coughs when his chinese amp is on, again, with the similar smell: any guess on which chemical could be the culprit? what are the usual compositions of a transformer varnish? i'm betting my paranoia on toluene for the odor since it is the same smell of paint thinners but i'd like to hope not. can this chemical even be used in a transformer varnish?
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I used to add Toluene to my gas tank, it's nasty stuff.
Regarding the tube amp smell, the tube amps I've owned always smelled while running, each of them had a slightly different smell, the smell never went away after a few years of owning each one.SEOS 12/AE TD10M Front Stage in Progress -
Not sure we need multiple threads about this topic....https://www.htguide.com/forum/showpo...86&postcount=1
Diagnosing the cause of the smell isn't going to change the situation. FWIW Toluene is a solvent and highly volatile, so it's smell isn't likely to linger
If you missed the 30 day money back time line the options are limited. I imagine selling the amp is the best option.
Next time buy products made in a ISO 9000 certified plant.
Also it appears you're not alone, not sure if these are you with a different moniker
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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hi thomas. sorry about the mess. yes, i'm presapian at diyaudio but the others are just my unfortunate fellow grievers, i'm afraid. mingda is suppose to be iso 9000 compliant. perhaps they only apply that to their export models since their preamp i bought from pacific valve never had any funky whiff from the start. this amp i purchased directly from their factory for full assurance of its legitimacy. i'm gonna ask them tomorrow to see if i can replace the transformer (external unit) but if not, this amp will be up for grabs for $850+shipping as per your suggestion.Comment
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