Hi-Fi World – September 2019

CLASSICS

58 HI-FI WORLD SEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

ROTEL RA-820BX 1983 £139

Lively and clean budget integrated that arguably

started the move to minimalism.

NAD 3020 1979 £69

Brilliantly smooth, sweet and punchy at the price and

even has a better phono stage than you'd expect. The

archetypal budget super-amp.

ROGERS A75 1978 £220

Lots of sensible facilities, a goodly power output

and nice sound in one box. The later A75II and

A100 versions offered improved sonics and were

seriously sweet.

A&R A60 1977 £115

Sweet and musical feature-packed integrated; the

Audiolab 8000A remains a classic.

SUGDEN C51/P51 1976 £130

Soft sounding early Sugden combo with a plethora

of facilities and filters. A sweet and endearing

performer but lacking in power and poor load driv-

ing ability.

SUGDEN A21 1969 £ N/A

Class A transistor integrated with an eminently

likeable smoothness and musicality. Limited inputs

via DIN sockets.

ROGERS CADET III 1965 £34

Sweet sounding valve integrated, uses ECL86

output valves, even has a half useable phono stage,

sweet, warm a good introduction to valves

CHAPMAN 305 1960 £40

Smooth pre/power combo with a sweet and open

sound. Not quite up to Leak/Quad standards but

considerably cheaper secondhand.

POWER AMPLIFIERS

ELECTROCOMPANIET NEMO 2009 £4,995

(EACH)

Norwegian power station as cool as a glacier ton-

ally, yet impresses with sheer physicality and fleet-

ness of foot. 600W per channel.

NUFORCE REFERENCE 9SE V2 2006 £1,750

Brilliant value for money monoblocks with massive

power and super-clean, three dimensional sound.

QUAD II-80 2005 £6,000

PER PAIR

Quad’s best ever power amplifier. Dramatic

performer with silky but dark tonality, blistering

dynamics, serious power and compellingly musi-

cal sound.

QUAD 909 2001 £900

Current-dumper has a smooth and expansive char-

acter with enough wallop to drive most loads. Not

the most musical, but superb value all the same.

NAIM NAP 500 2000 £17,950

Flagship amplifier will drive just about any speaker

with ease. Factor in the company’s trademark pace,

rhythm and timing and it all adds up to one effort-

lessly musical package.

MARANTZ MODEL 9 1997 £8000

Authentic reproduction monoblocks still more than

cut the sonic mustard. Highly expensive and highly

sought after.

MICHELL ALECTO 1997 £1989

Crisp, clean and beautifully controlled with gor-

geous styling. Partnered with the £1650 Orca this

sounds delicious!

MUSICAL FIDELITY XA200 1996 £1000

200W of sweet smooth transistor stomp in a

grooved tube! Under-rated oddity.

PIONEER M-73 1988 £1,200

Monster stomp from this seminal Japanese power

amplifier, complete with switchable Class A and

Class B operation. Clean, open and assured sound-

ing, albeit a tad behind the pace on high speed

dance music. Rosewood side cheeks and black

brushed aluminium completes the experience.

KRELL KMA100 II 1987 £5,750

Monoblock version of the giant KSA-100 is one

of the seminal 80s transistor power amplifiers.

Massive wallop allied to clean and open Class A

sound makes this one of the best amplifiers of

its type.

RADFORD STA25 RENAISSANCE

1986 £977

This reworking of Radford’s original late sixties

design was possessed of a wonderfully rich, old

school valve sound with enough power (25W) and

lots of subtlety.

QUAD 405 1978 £115

The first of the current dumpers is a capable

design with smooth, effortless power and a decent-

ly musical sound. 606 and 707 continue the theme

with greater detail and incision.

HH ELECTRONICS TPA-50D AMPLIFIERS

1973 £110

Simple design with easily available components,

solid build quality and fine sound make for a sur-

prisingly overlooked bargain

LECSON AP1 1973 £ N/A

Madcap cylindrical styling alluded to its ‘tower of

power’ pretensions, but it wasn’t. Poor build, but

decently clean sounding when working.

QUAD 303 1968 £55

Bullet proof build, but woolly sound. Off the pace,

but endearing nonetheless. Some pipe smoking

slipper wearers swear by them!

LEAK STEREO 20 1958 £31

Excellent workaday classic valve amplifier with

decent power and drive. Surprisingly modern

sounding if rebuilt sympathetically. Irrepressibly

musical and fluid.

LEAK STEREO 60 1958 £N/A

Leak's biggest valve power amp offers 35 Watts

per channel and more low end welly than the

smaller Stereo 20. Despite concerns over reliability

rarity value means high price.

QUAD II 1952 £22

The all-time classic valve amplifier, with a deli-

ciously fluid and lyrical voice. In other respects

though, it sounds hopelessly dated. Low power and

hard to partner properly

LEAK POINT ONE, TL10,

TL12.1, TL/12 PLUS 1949 £28

Early classics that are getting expensive.

Overhauling is de rigeur before use, using original

parts if possible. Surprisingly crisp and musical.

Deeply impressive in fine fettle.

PRE AMPLIFIERS

AUDIOLAB 8000C 1991 £499

Tonally grey but fine phono input and great facilities

make it an excellent general purpose tool.

CROFT MICRO 1986 £150

Budget valve pre-amp with exceptionally transpar-

ent performance.

CONRAD JOHNSON

MOTIV MC-8 1986 £2,500

Minimalist FET-based preamplifier is brilliantly

neutral and smooth with a spry, light balance in the

mould of Sugden. Something of a curio, but worth-

while nonetheless.

AUDIO RESEARCH SP-8 1982 £1,400

Beautifully designed and built high end tube pre-

amplifier with deliciously sweet and smooth sound.

Not the last word in incision or grip.

LINN LK-1 1986 £499

A brave attempt to bring remote controlled

user-friendliness to hair-shirt audiophile hi-fi.

Didn't quite work, but not bad for under £100.

NAIM NAC 32.5 1978 £ N/A

Classic high end pre. Brilliantly fast and incisive

sound that's a joy with vinyl but a tad forward for

digital.

LECSON AC-1 1973 £ N/A

Amazing styling courtesy of Allan Boothroyd can’t

disguise its rather cloudy sound, but a design clas-

sic nonetheless.

QUAD 33 1968 £43

Better than the 22, but Quad's first tranny pre isn't

outstanding. Responds well to tweaking/ rebuilding

though...

LEAK POINT ONE STEREO 1958 £ N/A

Good for their time, but way off the pace these

days. Use of EF86 pentode valve for high gain rules

out ultra performance. Not the highest-fi!

QUAD 22 1958 £25

The partner to the much vaunted Quad II mono-

blocks - cloudy and vague sound means it's for

anacrophiles only.