I recently bought a CA260 in near mint shape.
Id rate the condition 9/10 few nicks here and there.
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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Anyone ever see one of these ?
JVC KS-A150
JVC KS-A150
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Wow- I have seen the HK amp, that was a blast from the past. I don't remember much about it other than we thought it was coolest thing we had ever seen. I haven't seen a JVC amp like the one pictured, but in 1986 I bought a Sanyo (it's in the garage somewhere) from Federated, long before they closed down that had a similar screen printing on top of 50W + 50W!
I just installed 2 Proton D230s that have been sitting in my basement since the late 80s when I had a car audio shop...I think they had been refurbed since about 30% of the 230s failed while the 275 was bulletproof...long time ago. Point is they WORK. They go LOW. They are QUIET. Bulky though. I like old stuff that works. Call it nostalgia; when you're 67 you better appreciate it.
Picked up a Zapco Studio 150 yesterday locally here in Toronto area.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Dropped into an old skool stereo shop recently here in Toronto called Stereo king. They had all kinds of new old stock car amps, telephones and some stereo equipment.
Picked up a new old stock Mitsubishi CVX-3 amplifier, Made in Japan, fresh from 1986 :laugh:
Paid only $40 for it.
Here's the catalog from 1986.
Mitsubishi Car Stereo Catalog 1986 | eBay
Some pics:
Picked up a new old stock Mitsubishi CVX-3 amplifier, Made in Japan, fresh from 1986 :laugh:
Paid only $40 for it.
Here's the catalog from 1986.
Mitsubishi Car Stereo Catalog 1986 | eBay
Some pics:
I think it is like classic cars, If you find one that looks like new and was a favorite in the day it is worth something to a collector.
I do not think that they were any better in general, that is like saying that a 1965 Mustang is better then a 2013 mustang. I am sure if you drive them both today you will find that the new one looks cooler, handles better has a smoother and quieter ride and has more features that make it a better car. I would say the same about the newer amps. The fact that cheap labor and modern factories turn out a less expensive product does not mean that it is an inferior product. I am sure a well designed amp with modern architecture built in a modern factory and good quality control testing will out perform and cost less then an old school amp.
I do not think that they were any better in general, that is like saying that a 1965 Mustang is better then a 2013 mustang. I am sure if you drive them both today you will find that the new one looks cooler, handles better has a smoother and quieter ride and has more features that make it a better car. I would say the same about the newer amps. The fact that cheap labor and modern factories turn out a less expensive product does not mean that it is an inferior product. I am sure a well designed amp with modern architecture built in a modern factory and good quality control testing will out perform and cost less then an old school amp.
Hold on a sec.. that is not the case !
Materials cost alot more nowadays, labour costs are high in North America,
gas costs alot more, so things are trimmed down, quality goes down, and things are made not to last long nowadays. Companies figured out that they can stay in business if they build things not to last, but make them affordable to buy. Back in the day, things were made to last a looooong time !
Also, nowadays, its difficult to repair things, back then, you could repair anything.
That is true in some cases, but I was being more concerned with electronics, Technology has moved on and what it took to make an amplifier in the old days was large 5 and 10 % tolerance through mounted components ie. resistors, capacitors, ect.
Now days many high tech companies are using surface mount 0% tolerance components which are smaller and only use one side of the circuit board and the other side free for more stuff. That alone reduces costs and improves consistency.
I am not an engineer but I am sure one could tell you many ways that technology has improved and cost less. Not to mention that labor cost in Asia are far less then in North America. Sad as it is most of the Amplifiers are made in Asia , the companies had no choice in order to be price competitive. Designed here and built there and quality controlled here. That is the formula for todays Car Audio. Mostly.
ok old school is built for the user and sound and best amp
new school (most anyway unless your pockets run deep) are built for producer, profit and less parts, o but they sound like sh*t at twice the power
go read firstwatts motto about if it sounds bad at 1 watt why does it matter it can go to 300 watts
new school (most anyway unless your pockets run deep) are built for producer, profit and less parts, o but they sound like sh*t at twice the power
go read firstwatts motto about if it sounds bad at 1 watt why does it matter it can go to 300 watts
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Yes I know that is when they came out with the DSM amps "Discrete Surface Mount"
1993..... I betta tested 2 of them for Rockford. the DSM 40 and the DSM 200
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They look so so good while sounding so good
IDK, but I remember the late 80's when I was not long out of high school and the only thing anyone in this area (Tennessee) had that resembled an amp was the old under-dash booster-equalizer things, I got my first amp. A RF Punch 40 "slider", bought used. That thing HAD to be under-rated, as amps rated 2-3 times the power couldn't hold a candle power-wise or for cleanness. Later, I got a Punch75, some Boston 6x9's Cerwin Vega subs and a Nakamichi PA-400M. These later additions were at the beginning of the craze in this area. I still hear very little from the "new school" amps with the ILS (If Lightning Strikes) ratings that sound as nice. I used that Punch 40 in 3 or 4 more cars for the next 10 years or so, before it finally died with DCV on one channel. Now that I've found this forum I think I'll try to remember what drawer or shelf it's on and fix it. If I could find a pair of them today, reasonably priced and working, I'd toss the crap I've got now for them in a heartbeat. A slightly newer, but still old amp I've run up until recently that wasn't AS good, but still with that same spirit was a little Hifonics Hawk. Not a bad little amp for the work truck I ran it in, and sounded decent pushing some JL's in the doors. That old stuff WAS durable as hell, sounded good, and carried easily-replaced discrete components. I hate the 'disposable' era we live in now, even if some aspects are better. It is good that the craze that took off made things a bit cheaper, though. I got that Nak at a DEEP discount in the late 80's - $365 for 140 watt mono - but mind it was rated for .005% distortion AT rated power. On the other hand, the 6x9 Bostons were a couple hundred bucks back then, yet I got a pair of Focal 6x9's on sale the other day for $149, and those dollars have adjusted a LOT over the last 25 years.