Yes, the legendary showman Bob Carver and his studly Flame Linear 700s. Now those suckers had some meters on 'em. Pro Audio handles. Ungodly amounts of power. Fry an egg on 'em.
I want to pick up a vintage SS integrated
Hi, as a stop gap solution, as well as for enjoyment, I wanna pick up a 70's vintage integrated amp. I have been looking at the Kenwood KA 5700 as well as the KA 405. Aside from the specs, which one was the higher end model, do you guys know?
My budget is around $500, and I like VU meters. Around this range, what else could I be looking at?
My budget is around $500, and I like VU meters. Around this range, what else could I be looking at?
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There was something remarkable about the stereo culture of the late '60s/early '70s. Before that, stereos were nicely tucked away in mahogany console cabinets. Mom would play Tijuana Brass and Christmas records on them. Then along came rock 'n roll and an entitled generation of baby-boomers. Stereos went from polite furniture to raging expressions of male hormones. Girls were scared of them. That Zenith console (which probably had a tube amp) gave way to big-balled ss amps and 12" Utah speakers in giant plywood cabinets. The rich kids were doing Macs and Klipschorns. Those were the days, when you wouldn't measure a man by the size of his house or the cost of his car, but by how loud his stereo could go. |
I bought a a Kenwood KA-7100 four years ago for the same reasons you are looking, Nitewulf. I think I paid $120 for it. Except for hitting it with deoxit, I didn't do anything to it. It sounds pretty good - especially for how old it is. I think it's one of the best looking vintage amps too. It's been in a closet for years. Someday I'll use it as my first refurb project then give it to a nephew or friend. There are a lot of threads at AudioKarma about modding, repairing the 7100. Something to consider that has a vintage look with less risk and better sound would be a new Yamaha A-S301 (60wpc) for $350. They are only sold in black in the US, but you can get new silver ones from Japan on Ebay for the same price or less. A very versatile amp. The variable loudness is great for improving low volume listening. When you eventually get your higher-end amp, you could still use it for a 2 channel TV setup via the optical cable. (which is what I'm using my A-S801 for since I upgraded from that. FWIW, the kenwood hasn't been used once since I got new amps - it is gorgeous though.) https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022AS301B/Yamaha-A-S301.html Happy hunting! |
People certainly were intimidated by my KLH Model 26 compact system...Pickering cartridge with the little brush on the front, massive 16 or 20 or something watts (did a search on the specs and couldn't find anything). However, running the speaker wire (KLH system supplied) under the wood floor to stick the speakers in the corners of the rectangular living room in the cute Manoa Valley (Honolulu) "Elf Cottage" style house my band rented for most of the 70s, provided many a wild party with great sounding music. Little Feat...oh yeah, uh huh... |
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