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How do we remember 1970s amplifiers?

I would be curious to hear some of the memories and impressions associated with the following short list of 1970s amplifiers:

- McIntosh "first generation" SS amps, MC2105, MC2505, MC2300, MC250, MC2100
- Dynaco Stereo 400 and Stereo 120
- Phase Linear 400 and 700
- Bang & Olufsen "slide rule" receivers (i.e. especially blackface Beomaster 4000)
- Original Ampzilla (not Son of Ampzilla)

I've chosen this list mainly because they cover a wide range of approaches to solving the issues of early semiconductor technology, and they were all pretty mainstream products in the U.S. I'm excluding the Japanese receivers/amps not out of predjudice; it's simply that the circuit designs varied quite a bit with each model, and thus harder to broadly classify their characteristics.

I'm interested in impressions of both sonic and non-sonic attributes, and a preferred ranking of the above, if you like.
kirkus
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Back in the 70s, I used to own a Crown IC 150 pre and DC 300 amp. Speakers were Infinity 2000a electrostats (tweeters). TT was a Thorens TD 160 w/ Ortofon cartridge. I loved that system and had it for more years than I can remember.

The Crown gear never stopped working. I sold the IC 150 about 5 years ago. Just sold the DC 300. About 2 years ago, I bought a DC 300A for mt son. The factory rehabbed it and the amp sounds great on his system and works perfectly. His pre is an ARC SP 9 -- also immortal.

I have a D 150A II in the house as a back-up amp. One day I'll hook it up into my system to check out how it sounds compared to my ARC VS 115. I'm prepared to be surprised. :)
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 
I'm still using the the Dynaco. It was a "Quad" when I used it in the 70's. I had it mated with my "Quad" Phase Linear 4000. Since that time I converted it to stereo.

Without a doubt I thought everything I had was "hot stuff" at that time. Now, I use the still powerful Dynaco in the entertainment room where nobody listens anyway, but it bangs out that bass.

I guess your question is how we remember, as opposed to how we compare with today's amps; and I remember it as "all good".
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 
While I remember it as "all good", compared to today; that stuff would be junk.
transaudio
96 posts
 
You forgot the Audio Research D150 and D75 around that time, late 70's. I ran a high end hi fi store. We had Ampzilla's (nicer sounding than the Flame Linear) and BGW's (too harsh) or the Crowns (REALLY harsh). SAE was around then too, had some cost effective stuff that competed with the Crowns and Phase Linears well. Nothing sounded better than the Audio Research in my store. I had Magnaplanars, Dahlquist DQ10s, KEF104's (my favorite of the day) and DCM Time Windows all in my high end room. An Audio Research SP3A hooked to a AR D150 amp to a KEF104 was the best we had.....Nice Micro Seiki turntable with a Grace tonearm and a Dynavector cartridge.....
grimace
624 posts
 
This is slightly before the 70s, but my old man had a Fisher tube receiver, a Garrard Lab 80 turntable with an Empire cartridge, and AR speakers, and he ran that kit well into the mid 80s. Lamp cord for speaker wires, with the speakers just lying on the floor.

He was just here for Thanksgiving and couldn't repeat often enough how completely insane modern hi-fi is (which translates to "You may be 43, but you're still a schmuck), and he can't understand why anyone would want/need anything more than a Bose table top thingy.

Despite this bravura, he did take the time to listen to a Van Karajan Mozart CD all the way through three times. So how ridiculous was that, pop?
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