Marantz 2325 for roughly 30 years or so Adcom GFA-545 and GFP-565 for a couple of years Audio Research CA50 for roughly 10 years to now Rega Elicit as a solid state alternative for a few years to now Decware Torii currently in the wife’s system
70's- Sanyo receiver 80's- Yamaha CR640 receiver followed by a 1990 cheap POS Pioneer receiver. 90's- Adcom GFA-535L (still own sounds great) 90's/2000's- NAD 216 THX (DOA after multiple repairs) 2010's- Back to the Adcom 535L! 2018- Parasound New Classic 275v2
Always have a few amp/speaker setups around the house since I was a kid (early '60's) Here's my "main" amps over the years.. in the 1960's, it was a 1940's Zenith console tube "all-in-one" with FM/AM, idler-wheel turntable, tube integrated amp and 12" speaker. Ruined it by using it as a guitar amp in the late '60's. (sorry 'bout that) Sherwood S-7200, king of the hill in the 1970's Sony STR-V55, from 1980 - 2017, bulletproof, versatile wonder driving JBL 4311b Primaluna Dialogue Premium Integrated (EL34), with the Focal 936 it might be end-game for me. Rock on. Big T
Since 1989 - and I'll probably miss a few transient amps here, some used across two systems. Dynaco 70 tube stereo Scott LK48 integrated Dynaco Mark IV tube monoblocks Harmon-Kardon Citation V Eico something-or-another 6BQ5 integrated DIY push-pull 6B4G triode amplifier DIY SE 2A3 amplifier Heathkit 6BQ5 integrated amplifier Dynaco 70 - again! - completely rebuilt McIntosh 250 solid-state amplifier Heathkit UA-2 6BQ5 monoblocks Audio Alchemy (model??) integrated DIY single-ended ultralinear EL156 monoblocks Eico HF-60 monoblocks (rebuilt and modified) DIY 1625 stereo tube amplifier Threshold S/500 B&K ST-140 DIY "universal" stereo amplifier with Philips EL34s Heathkit W-2 monoblocks - rebuilt McIntosh 2100 Adcom 545 DIY First Watt Aleph J and my current Eico ST-70 "Frankenstein" modified power amp with 6AR6s
After my last big receiver the Kenwood Kr 9600 I went to separates. McIntosh C27, MC250 + MC 2205 Bryston 1b + 4B KR all tube integrated Also checked out a SS pre they had OCM Adcom 5802 SAE total system Nirvana Electronic Works SS A60 amp massively upgraded twice. Their P3 tube preamp. Had that preamplifier 3 different times then went to an SS Accustic Arts preamp. My recent acquisition: ModWright LS100 preamplifier Alluxity Power One Stereo Amplifier There’s quite a bit of other stuff. I just can’t remember all of it.
50 plus years of history here - Radio Shack Integrated (SS) Junior High School through High School Sony Integrated (SS) College through to my first apartment Carver MXR2000 Receiver (SS) my first home and the rest have been upgrades B&K EX4420 Amplifier (SS) Onix SR1 Integrated (Tube) Opera-Consonance Cyber 800SE Mono Blocks (Tube)
Didn't have a true stereo till after college. My first system, for about six months was my dad's old Japanese component system from the very early '80s. Then I moved to Japan, and used a large CD/cassette boombox with an external TT plugged in for four years. Moved back to the States and bought my first proper system. I told the neighborhood stereo shop that I had $1,000 to spend, and they set me up with a set of Sony components. Perfectly fine, but nothing special. In 2007, I started getting into vintage audio, and my first receiver was a Kenwood KR-7600. Had that for some years, and then moved on to a Yamaha C-45 preamp paired with either a Arcam SA200 (100 wpc) or Kenwood Basic M2A (220 wpc) power amp. I briefly (six months?) used a Fisher 500-C receiver, but blew something playing it too loud and too long at a party, and have yet to get it repaired, so I soon went back to the Yamaha and Arcam/Kenwood setup. For the past five or six years I've been using a Bel Canto eVo 2i Gen II and its been great.
Very simple: Technics something or other for about 35 years Outlaw Audio rr2160 for about two years now
Over the last 30 years Yamaha integrated - entry level can’t remember model Cambridge audio integrated - as above Marantz PM6005 Cyrus One Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 would like to try the Sugden A21 SE next but love the Lyngdorf so won’t be upgrading for a few years yet.
My original "stereo" was some sort of all in one receiver/turntable/tuner box with a separate pair of speakers connected by lamp cord type of wiring. No idea what brand. My first official "cool" system had a Luxman 1040 receiver. Then moved up to a Sugden A48 III integrated. Upgraded to a YBA Integre, which I later updated to the DT version. Very briefly tried a set of YBA 2 separates, but they seemed a bit too bright in my set up. Settled for a used Bryston 3B ST which I've kept in my system for quite a while, but it finally started to show its age. (Combined with a Copland CTA 301 II) Recently picked up a Moon 330A. Also, have a Unison Research Unico integrated for a second system.
I've had way too many to chronicle in detail, mostly different versions of my own designs, but some highlights ... Hitachi receiver was my first "real" stereo of my own, though I had something like an inexpensive Emerson before that. Kenwood integrated amp was next, something in the 7xxx series, very nice looking and well built, had the amp and tuner pair, sound was OK but not really what I was aspiring to at the time, it was during the Japanese distortion wars and so used tons of negative feedback and didn't convey much emotion, it was kind of a low time for sound quality from the big manufacturers, but some of the most amazing audio design art of all time in the 70s. Started experimenting with my own amp based on the Marshall Leach low TIM distortion articles, amazing sound, first real taste of what audiophile amps could do, not very reliable though, at least my versions weren't. Also had a PS Audio amp around during a lot of that time too. Moved to a custom tri-amped system using my own updated version of the Leach design and electronic crossover, that system served me for a few years, in retrospect it was a pretty amazing system, electronics and speakers. Mid 90s became involved in solid-state audio amplifier design venture and went through a series of many designs, initially based on past projects, but quickly moving to a unique design of my own that could be manufactured, built a few prototypes (see pictures below) but didn't take the next step, the design was still in flux, always finding improvements that could be made ... learned a lot about a lot of things during that period, and gained a lot of respect for those that can make a successful audio business, I wasn't one of them. Picked up a Hafler Trans-Nova 9500 at some point to use as a benchmark for comparisons. Nice amp, but was pretty easily outclassed. Continued the amp development project culminating in late 90s design with no feedback, no electrolytic capacitors, choke input power supply, shunt regulators with lithium reference voltage, all MOSFET, precision wirewound resistors, special capacitors, etc. Great sounding amplifier, really amazing and unlike anything else in the market, but a little too radical at that point for a commercial product. Got tired of the always in progress and never finished aspects of my system, so moved to a tube system from Conrad-Johnson with similar design principles ... Conrad Johnson Premier 11A using either 6550 or KT-120 output tubes Then later picked up a Conrad Johnson Premier 11-XS, which is my current amp, it's the alternate version of the 11A wired for triode output stage using EL34 tubes, and also has the Teflon capacitor upgrade, only about 35W per channel but sounds really nice The rest is a CJ Premier 15 phono stage on the analog side, to a Premier 17LS2 preamp. On the digital side is a very low jitter DAC of my own design, based on similar principles to the amp design, but that's another story
I did that, probably in 73 or 74. It was a mid 60's Magnavox. Old tube amp from console Lafayette receiver Kenwood KA-405 integrated (late 70's) NAD (big powerful amp, early 80s) Kenwood Basic M2A Proceed AMP2 (mid 90s) Proceed HPA2 Audio Research VS55 ModWright KWA100SE Audio Research VSi55 (integrated) MasterSound Due Trenta (integrated) - current Unison Research S6 (integrated) - current Right now I'm using the 2 tube integrated amps, best imaging I've ever had. I've also modified both with capacitor and other upgrades.
Nad 7240pe Arcam a65+ Nad 7240pe Rega Mira 3 Nad 7240pe Rega Elex Nad 7240pe Naim 250/42.5 (in storage) Linn DSM DSM seems to be sticking
ASL el34 Bottlehead Stereomour 2a3 monoblocks Tubelab SE45 twice Tubelab el84 Harmon Kardon Citation II x 2 Pass Lab Aleph J
I usually have two systems and a number of amps have come and gone over the past 42 years. For simplicity's sake I'll stick with the ones that were in my main system and stuck around long term. Marantz 1030 Integrated Amplifier - bought used my freshman year of college Scott 380R Receiver - bought the following summer when I wanted more power than the little Marantz NAD 3150 Integrated Amp - great value in a dual mono design Yamaha A-1000 - TOTL integrated amp from the mid-80s, great sound and versatile phono section, runs very hot on Class A mode Adcom GFA-535 - great sounding Nelson Pass design that can be had for a song
Can't remember them all . . . I got my own first stereo in 1967, but can't remember anything but the AR-XA tt and series of Shure cartridges (ending in V-15VMR) SAE integrated, mid 1970s Adcom GFA-555 (original), 1980s conrad-johnson MF-2300, ~1993 Bryston B14 ST/SST, ~2002* AVA Fet Valve 400R, 2014 Bryston 4B3, 2017* Apollon 1ET400A monoblocks, 2020-present plus Marsh A400s in 2nd system, 2014-present* * = bought used or demo I've never owned a tube amp, partly because we spent > 25 years in the South, and partly because the upkeep put me off.
Panasonic shelf system with turntable early 90's Pioneer receiver 90's model Harmon Kardon integrated Rotel RB-1070 Bryston 4BST
NAD 3140 NAD 2155/3155 Amber Series 70 Yamaha DSP-A3090 Yamaha RX-V3000 Yamaha RX-A3030 Adcom GFA-5400 Aragon 2004 MK ii I still have 'em all, except the NAD 3140, which was stolen in a move.
