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Vintage Audio- Amps

JamesSavik

Entry posted by JamesSavik

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One of my many hobbies is that I like to play with something called vintage audio.

 

This is the collection of old stereo components and the attempt to make it all work. It may sound expensive but it's not that bad. Speakers are expensive but you can find some REALLY neat old components on e-bay.

 

At the moment my current stereo configuration is playing and doing a great job with David Bowie's Greatest Hits.

 

 

 

So.. let's get into it.

 

The number 1 component that you need is called an amp. That's an old term but it is fairly accurate. Since the 70s most have been integrated with a am/fm receiver. Some have 5 band equalizers built in but my advice is to steer clear of them.

 

What you need out of an amp is:

 

Watts per channel: this is the power that you have to drive speakers. ~100 watts is usually powerful enough. More if you want to host events, less for a smaller room.

 

Speaker channels: speakers come in pairs with the exception of a center speaker (called a thumper or sub-woofer). Most of the time you want at least two pairs and a center speaker channel if you can find one.

 

Component channels: These are the different components that you will be using to feed your amp. Typically these are CD players, turntables, cassette decks, video/tv audio, or an am/fm receiver if your amp doesn't have one built in. Other items you might be trying to integrate with your system might be a satellite radio hook up, mp3 player, etc. This can get complicated FAST and there are big differences in amps and their capabilities.

 

ALL Digital- the very newest amps are all singing, all dancing and ALL DIGITAL. This is cool, very cool. Digital components run cooler and have a longer life. There is a drawback. All digital components leave behind some of you older components like turntables.

 

Hybrid amps- have digital and analog features. Most amps built since the eighties fall in this category. Their strength is their versatility in coping with both legacy (old) and new digital components.

 

Analog- true analog amps have tubes and transistors. There is a snobbish minority that insists that the true analog sound off vinyl is the only way to go. There's a lot to be said for that. However- the really good new analog amps costs thousands. The old ones are just as pricy and you had better know what you are doing if you go that direction. Some electronics knowledge is a must. I suggest that beginners work their way up to analog systems.

 

What components you must have for an amp:

These are most common, must have:

-CD player

-tape 1

-tape 2

-tv/video audio

-aux

You might want:

-turntable

-extra video channels

-extra aux channels

 

mitsubishi-m-vr600_zpsf70b40f9.jpg

Mitsubish M-VR600 c.1999 This is a good all around hybrid amp. You can get one from 50-120$ depending on condition. Be sure to pay attention to the sellers reputation!!!

 

m-vr600b_zps1404cae5.jpg

Detail of the front panel. Note the buttons for the component input + controls for various speaker set ups and surround sound modes.

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JamesSavik

m-vr600a_zps1df2c6dc.jpg

 

The back panel is where the action is! This is where you interface your components with the amp. Note that this amp takes audio channel from video sources! 

 

Each component connects the amp with a two channel RCA cable. Left and right channels are red and white.

 

rca-cable_zpsf763e5e1.jpg 

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JamesSavik

mv600c_zps6a56c56d.jpg

 

This is where the speakers attach. The front speakers you can consider the "main speakers". I have a pair of Base series 3 attached.

 

The "Center" speaker is where the sub-woofer attaches.

 

There is another bank for a second pair of speakers that's not in this photo.

 

Please note the bank of s-video cables. This amp has the ability to switch video signals. S-video is an older video standard and it's completely optional whether you hook it up or not.

 

 

Well- that's all I'm going to say about amps. Tune in next time for CD-players!

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joann414

I may learn something here James.  I don't even know how to hook up a dvd or anything else to my tvs. lol  someone else always has to do it.

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MikeL

I hated the day I gave up my old Marantz amplifier/tuner.  It was a great piece of equipment.  But, alas, it was obsolete.  It didn't have a single digital bone in it's body...not a single digital input.  The new set top boxes (cable/satellite) and Blu-Ray DVD players all had optical digital outputs that needed a corresponding input for sound.

 

So, I now have a Onkyo TX-SR501 AV Receiver.  It's not nearly the machine the Marantz was and didn't cost nearly as much, but it's a great piece of equipment.

 

front_large.jpg

 

 

back_large.jpg

They are hard to find now...have been replaced by newer, probably better, models, but they are great!  Used ones are about $50 at Amazon.

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rustle

I prefer the sound quality of old equipment. Most lower-end systems now go for the "thump." That takes raw power, but it's usually attained through higher THD (total harmonic distortion).

 

Mid-end standard back in the day was <.01% THD; now it's quite common to see <.1% THD, although the raw power has jumped.

 

Something I find really funny is the power spec used in manuals. When I was a kid, it was reported in watts RMS per channel, all channels driven, but now I only see total power. A Marantz 2230 stereo receiver back then would be billed as 30 watts RMS per channel, all channels driven. Today, they'd call the same power output 120 watts total power.

 

I guess a bigger number is more impressive. (shrug)

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JamesSavik

Mike- very nice. It's much newer than my Mitsubishi. I like the layout and capabilities that it has.

 

Russ- I think one of the reasons they have stopped rating watts per channel and using the total watts number is that so few people know the difference anymore. Back in the day I knew people that had the chops to to do custom rebuilds on their amps and replace the tubes and transformers. Sadly, that kind of know how just isn't out there anymore.

 

 

 

Tell you a secret. I'm trying to develop a MP3 player that plugs into an AUX port. It's not a huge leap in tech but I haven't really seen anybody else doing it as a component.

 

 

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thatboyChase
true analog amps have tubes and transistors. There is a snobbish minority that insists that the true analog sound off vinyl is the only way to go. There's a lot to be said for that.

 

 

that was a retarded statement and you know it lol

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