Specs, prices of your vintage amps and record deck

[sandawa]

I just recovered today about half of my hifi magazine collection that dates back to the '70s for US hifi equipment, including vintage tube equipment, and early '80s for British gears.

Luckily, those I saved from termites that attacked our farm house were hifi annual directories of Stereo Review and Audio magazines, for US-released brands and models, and Hifi Choice, Hifi News and Record Review, What-Hifi and BADA (British Audio Distributors Association) materials for UK-issued brands.

I lost, however, a two-year file of TAS and a year's file of Stereophile, although I still have loose issues of the two, including those that bashed high-end Ongaku valve amps and Oracle record decks.

What is available with me now are hifi directories that contain specs and original retail prices, including reviews for some, of equipment issued in the market from '70s to '90s. I know these are not complete but you may never know.

I suggest that you try your luck first with the Internet and if you can't find the data on your vintage equipment - especially amps, receivers, speakers and turntables - post the brand and model here and things you want to know. Give me a little time to check the directories since I'm involved in highly pressured work. But I'd surely reply to your inquiries.

I'm not an audio guru, and unlike most of you, not an audiophile (i'm better described as an audio enthusiast). What I would provide you are neither opinions, nor personal preferences, but data culled from my collection of hifi directories. Give me the brands and models, and I'll provide you the specs, the original retail prices, and if we're lucky, Julian Hirsch's, and the other gurus', reviews.

[narayan]

ok bro, here goes:

yamaha natural sound cr2040 receiver

1978-1981 release
120 wpc
$900 srp

[sandawa]

Thanks Narayan for sharing info on your amp. That would be valuable for others that might encounter such model in the used hifi market. I'm thinking though of helping others that can't find specs of their gears that I could probably provide.

There was an inquiry yesterday at the Surplus Amp thread about Diatone DA-A610 power amp, which is available at the pier. This is apparently a Japanese domestic Mitsubishi model issued in the '80s.

It does not appear in US hifi directories but the closest model listed was Mitsubishi DA-A7DC in the 1981 Stereo Review and Audio directories. That model was rated 75wpc and priced $330.

[RU9]

Hi Nani,

Thank you for informing me about this forum.

I have a Mordaunt Short 3.10 speaker which I am really fond of. I am curious about the specs.

Hope you can help.

Louie

[sandawa]

hiniya ako niyang unit mo, sir. i checked my directories (1972 to 1995 for US-released models and 1987 to 1997 for UK-released models) but can't find the 3.1. is that the one i saw last year? i also saw MS 3.3 here in davao two years ago but couldn't find its specs even on the Net.

however, it appeared in US-based audio bluebooks: saying MS 3.1 was released in US market in 1989 to 1990. the retail price was $250 and i presume it was sold in UK at roughly 100 British pounds. i think the MS 3.1 replaced the MS 10 which was always rated Best Buy for so many years. until 1995, however, the audio directories listed the 10, 20, etc. and the 10i, 20i , etc.

i had the MS 10, quite small but good sounding, in 1988 (?) when my wife was a student at the Univ. of London. i also got to buy its tiny competitor models (less than 100 British pounds/pair): Goodmans Maxim II, B&W 100i and Wharf Diamond 4. yun ang entry models for those brands, but they did sing well and i even preferred these compared with my old Rogers LS 3/5a back then (Diamond 4 na lang ang naiwan sa akin. after that, nag- China na yata ang Wharf). you won't go wrong with value-for-money models. i'm sure your MS 3.1 performs well too.

[RU9]

sandawa said:

hiniya ako niyang unit mo, sir. i checked my directories (1972 to 1995 for US-released models and 1987 to 1997 for UK-released models) but can't find the 3.1. is that the one i saw last year?

It is OK Nani. Yes, this is the one we heard last year. I just
want to confirm the sensitivity, which I think is 84dB.

Louie

[ciis]

hi, sandawa

do you have the spec. of the ff.
ms20i & scott 370r
tnx.
isak

[sandawa]

RU9,

I think your MS 3.1's sensitivity is between 87 to 89 dB. that was the range for the MS 10s to 30s. That's highly efficient for Brit standard.

isak0411,

MS 20i was an improved version of MS 20 but the 1996 list showed it had the same specs and price as MS 20 (probably not updated yet): 89dB sensitivity, 55-20 frequency response, 8 ohms and priced at $400 in US (180 pounds in UK).

galing mo naman to have HH Scott 370R. it was rated 60wpc in 1978 which was powerful at that time with 0.05THD (the acceptable rating then was 1% THD i think). dynamic headroom was 2dB. it was retailed back then at $500 (at that price in '78, it should be in the upscale category.)

[ciis]

salamat sir,
galing sa dao yon scott, late 80s pa
salamat sa uulitin
isak ;D

[RU9]

sandawa said:

RU9,

I think your MS 3.1's sensitivity is between 87 to 89 dB. that was the range for the MS 10s to 30s. That's highly efficient for Brit standard.

Hi Nani,

Thank you for your informed opinion.


Isang hirit pa, any info on these 2 amps,

Pioneer 229D and Pioneer 201,

both are integrated.

Louie

[sandawa]

Louie,

couldn't find those Pioneer model numbers but the closest i got was A-221 in What Hifi 1987 directory. it says retail price at 100 pounds, 30 wpc, has two sets of speakers, and accepts only 8 ohms speakers.

btw, the high 80s dB SPLs as i described as highly efficient was based on the British magazines' codes used by Mordaunt Short for its speakers. MS 10 to 30 got an H instead of M (medium) and L (for low).

[sandawa]

isak0411 said:

salamat sir,
galing sa dao yon scott, late 80s pa
salamat sa uulitin
isak ;D

i got the year of the source directory wrong. it should be Stereo Review 1975 not 1978. your receiver should be a collectors' item by now. at $500 it was comparatively expensive during those days.

just to give you an idea on pricing compared with another vintage brand, Dynaco, the ST 120 (60 wpc power amp) was priced in that directory at $250. ST 70 (35 wpc power amp) at $180.

btw, a US audio bluebook i have access with says ST 120 is currently selling lower than its original price, while a used but mint-condition ST 70 is now priced at $300, roughly P18K in local currency.

[wanderlust]

of all the used items i have this is the only one am having a hard time finding the specs, sir sandawa baka meron po kayo dyan its an OTTO sx-5fd speaker.

will try to retrieve the specs for the technics sb3 and sansui and post it here.

TIA sir.

[sandawa]

sorry, sir. walang entry ng Sanyo/Otto speakers sa Stereo Review, Audio and other US magazine directories i have on my file.

ang alam ko, Sanyo supplies audio electronics for Fisher USA, which means posibleng Fisher ang brand niyan sa US. problema ST, hindi SX, ang simula ng speaker models ng Fisher at 3 numbers lang sila, walang small letters sa model name.

[wanderlust]

sandawa said:

sorry, sir. walang entry ng Sanyo/Otto speakers sa Stereo Review, Audio and other US magazine directories i have on my file.

ang alam ko, Sanyo supplies audio electronics for Fisher USA, which means posibleng Fisher ang brand niyan sa US. problema ST, hindi SX, ang simula ng speaker models ng Fisher at 3 numbers lang sila, walang small letters sa model name.

ganon ba sir...... ill try to post some pics, baka don makita na natin ;D

thnx ulit sir.

[iceman90a]

hi Sandawa,

may i ask if you have any info on the CVT2100a model amp by AMC?

all i could get from the manual is its a hybrid Mosfet, class A amp that uses 4 x 6550 (yata) tubes

QC pass on the amp says it was made in Sep 1997

thanks

[sandawa]

Sir,

what i have here is AMC CVT2100 (without the "a") which appeared on the 1995 Audio Magazine directory.

here are CVT2100's specs:

1. power amp, hybrid type, bridgeable
2. high level sensitivity - 1.2V
3. continuous ave. watts/channel (RMS) - 80 (8 ohms); 80 (4 ohms)
4. rated full power bandwith - 35 to 20 (hZ to khZ)
5. class of operation - AB1
6. input impedance - 500 (k ohms)
7. weight - 45 lbs.
8. brand new price - $999

since the amp you mentioned is a newer version, it could have better specs than this but likely not to big in difference.

[sandawa]

post script:

i got additional data from the Audiogon audio bluebook:

CVT2100a was originally priced at $1,200 and is currently selling in the US used at $550. that indicates demand for it is still high. the amp specs did not change, however - still at 80wpc RMS.

[iceman90a]

sandawa said:

post script:

i got additional data from the Audiogon audio bluebook:

CVT2100a was originally priced at $1,200 and is currently selling in the US used at $550. that indicates demand for it is still high. the amp specs did not change, however - still at 80wpc RMS.

thank you very much! if you can get any info on what tubes are used - that would be much appreciated

its either 6550's or KT-88's

[sandawa]

sir,

sorry, walang detalye ang annual directory on the tubes used in CVT2100. even the audio bluebook does not have that info. i guess, the sure way is to contact the manufacturer thru this website: www.amchome.com

i did check that website and found out AMC has a Philippine dealer:

Toyama, Inc.
31 Tendido St.,
Quezon City
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

hope these guys are okay, since in my experience, local dealers know nothing (outside of the brochures and manuals) on technical specs of their brand's products.