How does the Phase Linear 400 compare?


I have had one for many years and fire it up regularily and think it sounds very good.What are your thoughts? Rob
rob88
I have to laugh. I found my old Phase Linear 2000 preamp I purchased when I was in college for $236.  I saw the prices on eBay and said why no sell it, but I had to test it first.  Plugged it i and laughed at how good it sounded versus what we build.  I just to the top off to clone the dam thing - no tone controls or push button, etc, just volume and balance controls point to point wired with Audio Note resistors - I'll have to see what that can do. I may be selling them commercially next year if all goes well!

Happy Listening.
I'm glad i made it through the entire thread! I was about 14 when my older brother bought a Sony STR 6055 receiver (WOW, I guess a synapse just popped), a Sony turntable, and Infinity speakers, from Interior Systems - the only high end audio store in Vegas at the time, in the early 70's! My first taste in Hi Fidelity. When i got my drivers license I'd go there and drool over the high end equipment they carried. Crown Revox B&O Sony Yamaha Nakamichi ESS Infinity Magnepan B&W etc. When the sales guys would demo any equipment it always went through the PL400! My dream system was a PL400, Nakamichi Dragon cassette, B&O turntable, ESS amt1b speakers, and don't remember what pre amp. It took me over a decade to finally find and afford a pair of the ESS speakers and the Phase Linear amp (which I had rebuilt 2 yrs ago by a great Tech - He wouldn't touch it unless i agreed to add a DC protection circuit
Sorry accidentally touched the wrong key. I'm sure there's better amps but I've always enjoyed the Phase and never thought it was the POS that evidently many "audiophiles" consider it to be! Especially when ya consider it's almost 50 years old and only 1 service for a bit over $200 !!! Still powers the AMT's with no effort, and even powers my JBL SRX700 DJ speakers to Earschplittenloudenboomer levels (though it does run out of Juice before the speakers are maxed).If it sounds good to you, enjoy what ya have. If ya have a butt-load of money to chase the "best" more power to ya!
back in the early 70's i had a pl400 with 4 bose 901's! in the late 90's the pl400 fried 3 of my 901's!!
Holy necro thread Batman. Those series I 901s sucked a lot of amps dry, that's why Bose made the 1801 amp, one of the first high power amps of the day. My Flame Linear ran fine all those years ago, even when I tried to blow it up.