Vintag/retro amplifier suggestions?

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I'm in the market for a new amplifier, and I like the idea of a vintage one, but I don't know which to look out for? I'm studying EE, so tinkering shouldn't be an issue if caps need replacing (or whatever).

I understand that 70s/80s Japanese build amps are worth considering, but I don't know which ones!

Any help would be much appreciated.

It'll be driving a pair of Ditton 44s.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[matthewpiano]

The 70s Sansui amps are fantastic but its not terribly easy to come by the better ones. There is a whole wealth of information about vintage gear at www.audiokarma.org which has forum sections dedicated to Sansui and Pioneer gear.

The Sansui AU-517 might be a good place to start.

 

[chebby]

Good call on the Celestion Ditton 44's.

Real bass! Get them on short, rigid, spiked stands if possible. (6" - 8" or thereabouts)

Their namesake the JVC JA-S44 amplifier would be a fine (and contemporary) match if you can find a good one.

But..
this would be the icing on the cake.

 

[matthewpiano]

Try looking also at www.classicsansui.net and www.sansui.us for more extensive information on the amplifiers the company made and tech specs etc.

The company no longer trades as a hi-fi specialist but the Hashimoto transformer subsidiary is still going strong in Japan. The Sansui name is currently used in China and India for general electrical goods that in no way resemble the company's glorious past.

 

[Anonymous]

Are A60s any cop? I could easily snap one of those up, price-wise!

At the moment I'm using a low-end Marantz of about 5 years old - would an A60 be any improvement? Visually, it would be awesome with the Ditton 44s (which are already on metal spikes - yes, big improvement sound-wise with the spikes!).

Thanks!

 

[chebby]

adamadam:Are A60s any cop? I could easily snap one of those up, price-wise! At the moment I'm using a low-end Marantz of about 5 years old - would an A60 be any improvement?

OK I had not realised that part of the 'brief' was a retro amp that would sound better than a modern one.

I have never heard any 5 year old Marantz amps and the last time I heard an A60 was around 1979 (they were excellent amplifiers back then).

Here is an article about servicing an A60 that may help you (given that you are an electrical engineer)...

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?p=690488

[Please note I am talking about an A&R Cambridge A60.]

 

[matthewpiano]

Although not prime Sansui, the A60 is a decent amp. It all depends on the sort of sound you want to go for and how much you want to pay. The earlier to mid 70s Sansui amps have a warmth to their sound which many fans love (me included). The later stuff such as the A60 is a bit brighter but still recognisably Sansui - very musical and usually plenty of punch to the sound. The beauty of vintage gear is that you can take risks on the cheaper stuff and usually sell it on again without making a loss if its not a keeper. Another amp worth looking out for is the Pioneer SA-508.

The whole vintage audio movement is big news in America but never seems to have caught on to the same extent here. There is some wonderful stuff around. A lot of it sounds less hi-fi than modern gear but more musical and engaging. At this exact moment I'm sat listening to a NAD C521BEE CD player through a 70s Sansui amp (an AU5900) and it sounds fabulous.

 

[russ74]

I have a couple of vintage receivers that get used regularly alongside my modern NAD. One is a late 70's Leak 3400 from the period when they moved production to Japan & the front layout is very similar to the mid 70's Rotel receivers which have a good reputation. In my opinion it sounds fantastic and cost £30. The other receiver is a JVC R-S55L from the early 80's - digital display, no knobs & all sliders, very 80's. This again sounds very good and cost £12. Both were bought on ebay.Haven't got any vintage speakers yet but have read that the late 70's - early 80's B&W DM range are pretty good. I do like the look of the high end sansui sp-x range of speakers from the 70's with the lattice grill covers & complement the 70's Sansui amps and receivers, which as mentioned above have a good reputation with collectors. 70's Marantz stuff also has a good reputation, especially the stuff made before the Philips takeover in 82-83.Check out AudioKarma, it's predominately American but does have lot's of useful information on vintage Hi-Fi.Good luck searching, you can't beat a couple of VU meters or led power meters glowing in low light!

 

[matthewpiano]

I assume you meant the Sansui A60 and not the Cambridge one?

 

[chebby]

matthewpiano:I assume you meant the Sansui A60 and not the Cambridge one?

I was just suggesting a good Vintage/retro amp of the same era as the Ditton 44's.

Again, I was not aware the poster only wanted feedback on Sansui amps. Sorry.

Very confusing.

 

[matthewpiano]

chebby:matthewpiano:I assume you meant the Sansui A60 and not the Cambridge one?

I was just suggesting a good Vintage/retro amp of the same era as the Ditton 44's.

Again, I was not aware the poster only wanted feedback on Sansui amps. Sorry.

Very confusing.

I was confused too becasue I wasn't sure whether he meant the Cambridge or the Sansui!! Fancy there being two amps from different manufacturers with the same model number! I only assumed he was talking about the Sansui one because he'd specifically mentioned Jap amps. Its just as likely that I'm wrong!!!! Hope fully we've both helped the OP with our suggestions even if we have confused ourselves.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't!

I fact, 'Sansui' seems an unlikely answer to my quesion given that they don't seem easy to come by.

I was asking about the arcam A60 - it looks beautiful! I just meant 'are they any good'?

Sorry, I'm new to this lark!

 

[matthewpiano]

adamadam:
I don't!

I fact, 'Sansui' seems an unlikely answer to my quesion given that they don't seem easy to come by.

I was asking about the arcam A60 - it looks beautiful! I just meant 'are they any good'?

Sorry, I'm new to this lark!



Yes they are, particularly if you like the typically warm English hi-fi sound. I don't think a low-end Marantz from 5 years ago would be hard for an A60 to beat. I think this is time for Chebby to enter!

 

[russ74]

Go for it, the A&R Cambridge/Arcam sold well so should be reasonably easy to find & they had and still have a good reputation. Also by the looks of it they are easily upgradable. I personally have never heard one but have been tempted in the past as they tend to be fairly cheap.

 

[chebby]

In a contempory A&R Cambridge A60 review (my g#d they cost £140 back then!) it was described as being an 'honest' amplifier that was quite revealing of good (and bad) recordings unlike a Sugden (A48?) which was warm and forgiving.

My instinct would be to go for the A&R Cambridge A60 and pay a little more for one that has been well looked after by an enthusiast.

The A60 servicing article - the link I gave earlier - mentioned that the A60 design does not put any of the components under any stress*. Given that the Ditton 44s are not a 'difficult' load (quite efficient too) then I think it is a combination that would work well.

*Full quote....

"There are many reasons why so many A60s remain in use today, often in completely original form - not bad for what are in some cases thirty five year old amplifiers.

Chief among the reasons has to be the stability of the original design with no part of the circuit running close to component limits, allied to over-current speaker protection and fused outputs. But this is only half the story.

The other key design feature that set the A60 apart from the herd was sensibly implemented bandwidth limiting. Now, arguments will rage over the sonic consequences of such filtering but there can be no doubt that the little A60 succeeds because the designers sensibly limited it's ultimate capability, both in terms of drive ability and bandwidth. The A60 gently rolls down outside the 20-20k band ensuring that the limited 35w of power is not wasted amplifying signals we cannot hear, or just producing waste heat."

 

[Anonymous]

I feel I need to champion the Quad kit from the 70s. Get yourself a Quad 405 power amp from ebay, perhaps a 33 pre or any pre for that matter. For an EE the design should be of great interest. Further, they're incredibly well built and can be modified in many ways.

The design was ground-breaking in the 70s but the implementation was limited by commercial factors such as costs and component quality. By reviewing parts of the design you can make a reasonable class A amp sound very good indeed, e.g. new OP amp, new resistors, new caps, new binding posts, new wiring, new toroidal PSU, etc.

There's a lot on the Web including schematics for modification, designs, servicing, etc. For about £120 off ebay it has to be the perfect fit.

 

[chebby]

igglebert:I feel I need to champion the Quad kit from the 70s. Get yourself a Quad 405 power amp....

= "Please buy my dead 405"

igglebert:For an EE the design should be of great interest.

= "It is VERY dead."

(Just joking)

 

[Anonymous]

For an amp that was built in 1976 I'd say it's done pretty well to get this far. Bet it's a minor fix too... ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

try one the higher end pioneer receievers plenty of power awsome build great sound something like an sx 1080 or even better the top of the range sx 1980

 

[plastic penguin]

Rather biased, I would bid on a Pioneer amp. I used to have the SA-706 and the sound was 'smoochable.' Although a big fan of the old Pioneer stuff, also consider JVC A-Series. . . . .wonderful.

 

[a91gti]

For info on vintage jap kit "The Vintage Audio Knob" is great.