What Is Your Favorite Vintage Amplifier?


Category: Amplifiers

My personal favorite is Edgar Villchur's Acoustic Research "AR Amplifier" made available from 1966 through '75. Although rated at fifty watts per channel rms into 8 ohms...this classic stereo amplifier was quite dynamic and offered more bang for my buck back in 1972.

At a military discounted price of $165 w/walnut wood cabinet...it put out the most pleasing powerful sound I can ever recall hearing. I believe it would still humble some modern day types! Solid bass...punchy mids...sparkling highs....Fletcher-Munson Tone Controls that you didn't really even have to nudge much. LUV that "Null" switch too that actually balances your stereo phono cartridge perfectly!

Just curious...What Do You Say?...Peter
petsound

Showing 1 response by ferrellms

Dyna ST 70. I had that I modified with the Van Alstine upgrade which replaced the tube power supply with a transistor one and replaced all the components with better quality ones. It seemed to sound better - the power supply upgrade probably improved the dynamics and the component upgrade flattened the frequency response and probably reduced the noise and distortion.

This was my main amp for many years and sounded like lots more than 35W a channel. It also look cool glowing the dark and was a decent, if inefficient, space heater.