Amplifiers

Articles about power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, big and small amplifiers, solid-state and tube amplifiers!

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Yamaha CA-610 and CA-710 Integrated Amplifier Service & Repair

Recently, two friends with lovely vintage Yamaha CA-610 and CA-710 integrated amplifiers sought my assistance to have them repaired. One was dead, the other was not working well. The Yamaha CA-710 had blown one channel. One of the original output devices, a Sanken 2SA745, had a collector to base short and it had taken out […]

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Class-A Amplifiers and the Krell KSA-150

Regulars will know how much I love Krell’s class-A amplifier designs. The Krell KSA-150 power amplifier is a great example. In this article, I discuss the basics of class-A amplifiers, with particular reference to the gorgeous KSA-150. You may have already watched my restoration video, where I completely refurbish one of these beasts, if not,

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Music Angel Class-A 845 Tube Amplifier for Sale

Liquid Audio is very pleased to offer this glorious Music Angel Class-A 845 tube amplifier for sale, in brand new condition, with all original boxes and packaging! UPDATE – SOLD!! The Music Angel Class-A 845 is a beast. This is 28kg of pure Class-A, single-ended triode (SET) tube amplifier that sounds nothing like any solid

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Arcam Alpha 9 Integrated + Power Amp Service

Arcam makes some nice equipment, so when a customer asked me to service his Arcam Alpha 9 integrated / power amplifier setup, I was happy to assist. The Arcam Alpha 9 amplifier was a mainstay for Arcam for many years. The amplifier is fairly straightforward in design and neat in internal layout. There is nothing

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Latest Accuphase Gear in the House!

A customer of mine recently purchased some great new Accuphase gear, spurred on by me of course, and he kindly brought a couple of pieces over for me to look at. First up, we have an amazing Accuphase  C-280 preamplifier. This was Accuphase’s statement preamplifier in the 1980’s and it is an amazing piece of engineering.

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Krell KSA-200S Class-A Amplifier Repair and Restoration

I am about to embark on a Krell KSA-200S Class-A Amplifier Repair and Restoration, in this case for a very good friend of mine.    As many of you will know, the Krell KSA-200S is a beast of an amplifier, up there with the very best products Krell ever made. It is almost unliftable by one person,

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Vintage Luxman SQ-505 Integrated Amplifier for Sale

UPDATE – SOLD! One of the nicest pieces I currently have for sale is this gorgeous, vintage, one-owner from new, Luxman SQ-505 integrated amplifier. Priced to sell at $395, contact me for more details. This amp is a vintage model, made in 1968 or 69 and being a Luxman it’s a very cool piece. The

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Marantz SM-80 Amplifier Repair & Restoration

In this second article on the Marantz SC-80 and SM-80, we look at the SM-80 power amplifier and a tricky repair and restoration. The Marantz SM-80 stereo power amplifier is a reasonably powerful, well-made, mid-range consumer amplifier from around 1990. It typically sold with its companion, the Marantz SC-80 preamplifier and I have just finished

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LM3886 Gainclone Chip-Amp Project Build

In this article, I discuss the history of the LM3886/chip-amp/gaincard and run through building my own dual-mono LM3886 gainclone amplifier. The LM3886 is one of Texas Instrument’s single-chip monolithic amplifier integrated circuits. It’s almost an entire amplifier-on-a-chip, with only a few extra parts required to build a fully functional, high-performance amplifier. The LM3886 features low

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Luxman M-4000A Amplifier Repair & Restoration

I recently restored this gorgeous Luxman M-4000A power amplifier and matching C-5000A preamplifier. Let’s start with the beautiful M-4000A. Apparently, the legendary Tim De Paravicini designed the original M-4000. The improved and even rarer Luxman M-4000A probably also came from De Paravicini’s hand, but nobody seems to know for sure. UPDATE: Check out my recent

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