Old Amps that can still Kick Butt

B&K EX442/ST-140
PS Audio 200C/CX  
VSP Labs Trans Mos 150
Acoustat TNT120/200
Moscode 300
Berning EA230
Onix OA21/21s
Tandberg 3012/3012a

I don’t know how to do those fancy looking things to include ones comments, but to answer what knotscott said:

“It’s been fun reading through this thread and seeing some blasts from the past. 

I built a DH500 from a kit in 1985, then moved on to a New York Audio Labs Moscode 300 about 2 years later (that one’s a bit obscure, and was surprised to see it mentioned! I actually got to meet Harvey Rosenberg...a very colorful and interesting character, as so many of these high-end entrepreneurs are!). My next amp was a Distech LS-2 based on the B&K ST-140. Ironically, I just picked up one of the last of the B&K ST-140s for my son as a graduation gift....he’s gonna love it!”

He sure will!!! - Still one of the best sounding amps, IMHO.  I’ve owned about 3-4 ST140’s (always the early ones with silver handles) over the last 35 years & an EX442 Sonata.  I had a chance to get a rare mint dual mono EX140 but ended up not going for it because I didn’t want to drive 2.5 hours to pick it up.

I also met Harvey Rosenberg years ago, he MC’d Stereophile’s Single Ended Symposium in Philadelphia in the mid 90’s and was the first time I heard SET amps! Was completely blown away!  Met many other amp designers & magazine reviewers that day as well.

I also remember the Distech amp, never heard one, but heard they were quite special.  Back in the mid/late 80’s & 90’s, Stereo Trading Outlet in suburban Philadelphia was like a museum of high end rare audiophile gear and I purchased many things there.

I heard a VSP Labs TransMos 150 that was very special and auditioned an Acoustst TNT120 that was also pretty special.  
I read and owned tons of hi end magazines and read lots of reviews of gear that I would never have a chance to listen to.  Recently turning 60, and in this hobby almost 40 years, including selling it for a couple years @ retail in the early 90’s, my favorite era of gear is the 80’s, although, I dig it all.

The nostalgia of some of the older gear is very fun too.... a good friend recently acquired a bunch of classic tube gear as part of an estate (Dyna, Fisher, Scott, Sherwood - all museum quality, a few pieces heavily molded and done well) and this was his first introduction into tubes.  The classic gear is just super pleasing sounding, nothing like it and nothing will ever surpass it either, despite what someone above has said about class D stuff.

I’ve heard lots of class D chip amps and have owned close to a dozen different pieces and while they can be very good, to my ears, they all tend to sound a little dry and all need a tube preamp in front of them to make them shine - but it’s all about system synergy, so in the right setting, with the right gear, they definitely have their place, no doubt.

some old speaker designs, with paper woofers, alnico magnets, peerless tweeters just sound warm and extremely listenable too...

.... JUST ENJOY THE JOURNEY ...


BTW, RODMAN - I’ve never owned a Moscode 300, always wanted one though...Counterpoint & Perreaux gear too :) 

@knotscott
That’s a great story. Mr Rosenberg addressed the Phila Triode Symposium dressed in a full Native American feather headdress that sported a vacuum tube as the keystone of his feather headdress and an Irish kilt. There were many other Audio heavyweights there in the audio press as well as amp designers.

We listened to 8 different SET amps using 300Bs, 845s, 211’s, and 2A3s with a CAT SL1 preamp, the $5K Sony SACD player & 104 dB Classic Audio Reproductions horn speakers with Goertz Alpha Core IC’s & spkr wire. My favorite amp was the lowest powered & least expensive Fi 2A3 monoblocks. Other amps included a 300B SET Prototype by David Berning, Komuro 845 monoblocks, a 110 Lb 211 amp by Wyetech Labs, Caztech Audio 300B amp, Bel Canto, Cary and Audio Note 300B amps.

I took my username from that show that made such an impression on me.

Interestingly, Harvey Rosenberg years later wrote an article in Listener magazine touting 4 pin true triode tubes run in Push Pull Triode as being far superior sonically to SET Amps.

So many great amps listed in this thread.  I’m about to move overseas in just under a month so now I’m on this shoe box sided British integrated amp phase and have had an Onix OA21s & OA 20/2 which were both excellent mid 80’s amps.

Now I have an original Linn Majik I and a Meridian 551 and both are quite good.