Armstrong Audio.....what happened to them ?

[eggontoast]

Like the title says really, were they any good and what happened to them ?

I have seen a number of 600 series around and have been tempted to pick one up to try, I believe they also made a 700 series in the eighties (I have never seen any of these for sale though) then nothing.

 

[Anonymous]

eggontoast,

Armstrong were a British outfit manufacturing, yes can you belive it, in Holloway North London in the 70's and beyond. Their quality was pretty good in terms of reliability and their low distortion made them pretty listenable in their day.

I have no personal experience of the items you speak of.

 

[eggontoast]

Do you know if they went bust or, were they brought out ?

 

[Anonymous]

Their manufacturing base was knocked down and they didn't have the capital to get a new premise. Loads of history etc. at audiomisc.co.uk

I believe they were the first company to break below 0.1% total harmonic distortion (0.08%) if memory serves me correctly.

 

[eggontoast]

Thanks for the link, an interesting read.

Seems like a bit of a sad ending as there products looked promising.

 

[Anonymous]

Indeed.

I can remember that people turning up at the factory could have their equipment repaired while they waited.

Such was service once upon a time.

 

[nopiano]

The 500 series looked like an amplifier should back then - a rectangular box with a few knobs and buttons, with a wood surround.

The 600 series was slim-looking, because of black plastic fascia, with horrid white knobs. It was really tacky when new. I think it was trying to look modern like the Cambridge amps of the day (long before A&R Cambridge, and even longer before the current Richer Sounds' far eastern made Cambridge). They had a wooden lid, and I recall you could lift two little plastic latches at the rear and lift the lid off. Just as well as they broke down regularly.

IMO neither sounded much in their day, and though I always liked the 600 style, I felt it never delivered what the looks promised.

I don't recall any later range, but may well have existed. Not really surprised they vanished, though I imagine the designers popped up somewhere else, as per usual.

Only for the brave these days.

 

[Anonymous]

I have had an Armstrong 625 tuner amp for 37 years and it has performed well with only one visit to a local workshop over 20 years ago to replace a humming component. That is not what I would call unreliable!

FM performance is not great but the amp combined with a pair of equally ancient B&W DM4 speakers has had compliments over the years. If you find one and like the look then pair it up with right speakers for a very pleasant sound.

 

[eggontoast]

I think it was trying to look modern like the Cambridge amps of the day (long before A&R Cambridge, and even longer before the current Richer Sounds' far eastern made Cambridge).

I have one, a Stan Curtis designed Cambridge Audio P110 from 1975. Personally I like it, I think for the 70's it's not a bad sounding amplifier, the noise floor is poor due to the construction but overall it's not bad. I initially only purchased it due to the looks, I think they have now come full circle and don't look out of place today.

 

[Anonymous]

[EDITED BY MODS - please see House Rules on trading]

 

[toyota man]

Hi all I remember My dad had an armstrong tuner amp mono in the early sixtys that sounded pretty good unfortunatley I was into messing about with Electronics in my teens and I managed to blow it up no change there then:shame:

 

[CnoEvil]

My father had an Armstrong A10 Mk11 amp which gave good service during the 60s and 70s.

 

[Excitable Boy]

My father had an Armstrong A10 Mk11 amp which gave good service during the 60s and 70s.

Surely you are far too young to remember the 60s ?

 

[CnoEvil]

My father had an Armstrong A10 Mk11 amp which gave good service during the 60s and 70s.

Surely you are far too young to remember the 60s ?

Ah, so you spotted that remark!