Well...the Crown was a very reliable amp that had the dubious distinction of being the first solid state amp to use an i.c for the input. It was considered a workhorse. Compared to today's solid state amps it's not very good. Semiconductors have come a long way since that amp was built as has circuit topologies. I remember people bringing them into the McIntosh clinics decades ago only to find that the amp didn't meet it's distortion specs. It's possible the amps that I saw tested were poorly maintained. Most amps like Phase Linear, S.A.E., BGW, and Harman/Kardon amps walked all over the Crown amps sonically but were certainly not as rugged or reliable as the Crown amps were. Although consumers did buy Crown amps it was mostly used professionally for sound reinforcement applications.
Vintage Crown D 150A II Amp -- How good was it?
Hi,
I was cleaning up my spare bedroom and came across my old Crown D 150A II power amp. It was checked over by Crown about a year or so ago. Typical stuff -- old caps replaced, maybe some transistors. Anyway, I remember back in the 70s, the D 150 was considered to be a very good sounding amp. Some said even better than its big brother, the DC 300A. I keep it around as a spare amp.
For any vintage old-heads out there, any comments on how the D 150 compares to modern SS amps?
I was cleaning up my spare bedroom and came across my old Crown D 150A II power amp. It was checked over by Crown about a year or so ago. Typical stuff -- old caps replaced, maybe some transistors. Anyway, I remember back in the 70s, the D 150 was considered to be a very good sounding amp. Some said even better than its big brother, the DC 300A. I keep it around as a spare amp.
For any vintage old-heads out there, any comments on how the D 150 compares to modern SS amps?
- ...
- 18 posts total
- 18 posts total