I picked up a Lafayette LA 224b about six months ago for relatively cheap ($200ish). I've used it mainly for my Pro-ject Debut Carbon turntable and it's been good so far. Recently I have been doing some casual research about upgrading and I came across a shop that is selling a restored McIntosh 225 for around $2500. I realize this might be quite the leap but wanted to see what others thought. Opinions would be appreciated!
I like the 225, but not for $2500! lol Why not consider building something instead?
Note that along with the 225 comes the need to purchase a pre-amplifier..
What speakers are you using?
Note also that most people around here are building their own gear or modifying/restoring vintage stuff, and a $2500 MC225 is going to be out of scope for many of the people here.
Note that along with the 225 comes the need to purchase a pre-amplifier..
What speakers are you using?
Note also that most people around here are building their own gear or modifying/restoring vintage stuff, and a $2500 MC225 is going to be out of scope for many of the people here.
I have a pair of BIC Venturi speakers. The store I bought the Lafayette from threw them in at a discounted price. I have read mixed reviews online. They seem ok so far but if you have recommendations (for both quality bookshelf sized speakers and an affordable amp), I'm open to sell what I have and upgrade.
As far as building an amp goes, I haven't considered it due to lack of time space, and skills. I live in a two bedroom apartment in Chicago.
As far as building an amp goes, I haven't considered it due to lack of time space, and skills. I live in a two bedroom apartment in Chicago.
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If you wish to go for a McIntosh, get one of the "real" ones... MC30, 40, 60 or MC75. Or MC240, 275 if you want a stereo amp. I always thought the MC225 was put out for people that wanted a McIntosh at a lower price point. There are a lot of short cuts taken with that circuit that the others don't have. I'll probably get blasted for this opinion but... Oh well.
Look at the Lafayette amp's schematic. It's a pretty straight forward full pentode mode 6BQ5/EL84 setup. OTOH, the unity coupled circuitry McIntosh specialized in is highly sophisticated and the "iron" employed superior. Hands down, the "Mac" is better, but the asking price, as Kevin stated, is too high.
Please provide interior and exterior photos of the LA-224B. The circuitry can be tweaked and I want to get a feel for "iron" quality and physical layout.
Kevin's question about speakers is spot on. With appropriate speakers, PP 6BQ5 amps can be very satisfying.
BTW, 1 of the first tweaks is to build a DC heater supply for the phono section. In the meantime, buy a pair of culled Sovtek 12AX7LPS tubes for the phono section, from a reliable dealer. The 'LPS contains a spiral wound, hum bucking, heater.
Please provide interior and exterior photos of the LA-224B. The circuitry can be tweaked and I want to get a feel for "iron" quality and physical layout.
Kevin's question about speakers is spot on. With appropriate speakers, PP 6BQ5 amps can be very satisfying.
BTW, 1 of the first tweaks is to build a DC heater supply for the phono section. In the meantime, buy a pair of culled Sovtek 12AX7LPS tubes for the phono section, from a reliable dealer. The 'LPS contains a spiral wound, hum bucking, heater.
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I'll go as far as to say I think the 225 sounds better than the 240 in direct comparisons on a variety of speakers, but I still think that is ridiculous money.
I would probably start with the speakers, since power is limited I would look for something efficient, and I would make sure you can try before you buy.. I'd probably do a little research, but there are several smaller Klipsch speaker systems that ought to work well, and I would probably look at ZU as well. (And others)
Note that I lived in small apartments for many years and even ran my first audio business out of a one bedroom 500 sqft one bedroom place for a number of years..
I would probably start with the speakers, since power is limited I would look for something efficient, and I would make sure you can try before you buy.. I'd probably do a little research, but there are several smaller Klipsch speaker systems that ought to work well, and I would probably look at ZU as well. (And others)
Note that I lived in small apartments for many years and even ran my first audio business out of a one bedroom 500 sqft one bedroom place for a number of years..
It's unfortunate that the OEM "iron" has only 16 and 8 Ω speaker taps. Otherwise, the 4 Ω DECWARE DM945 would make a terrific match for the Lafayette amp. The OP should "never run out of steam".
I want to see some photos, even more. If they mechanically fit, Edcor CXPP25-4-7.6K O/P transformers would allow the use of the DM945 speaker. The option to use ultra-linear (UL) mode "finals" would come into play too.
I want to see some photos, even more. If they mechanically fit, Edcor CXPP25-4-7.6K O/P transformers would allow the use of the DM945 speaker. The option to use ultra-linear (UL) mode "finals" would come into play too.
I'll contradict here a little bit, the transformers in that Lafayette are actually quite good, quite possibly better than the Edcors (as much as I like Edcor stuff).
I wasn't "knocking" the Lafayette "iron". I was talking about impedance matching. Maybe Dave D. (planet10) will chime in with a reasonably efficient and reasonably small speaker that will mate well with the OEM O/P transformers.
At the asking price of $2500,this equates to $50 per watt. In my opinion,WAY overpriced for this model. And I would take the statement ''restored'' with not a grain of salt,but with an entire bag.I'm a tech,and I've seen many so-called restorations that involved nothing more than a can of chrome polish and a new power cord! Also,the choice of replacement power tubes for this model (7591) is very limited. I feel that you could do much better for that amount of money,in either vintage or modern equipment.
The Lafayette is a good,honest little machine.But don't forget,back in it's day it was an entry-level product. It probably needs some attention to get back to it's original performance. I would worry about caps,both power supply and coupling. Parts & tubes are easy to find and not expensive.And simple enough that you can do the work yourself.The internet can help🙂I would stay away from re-engineering and large investments, like upgrading transformers.
Good luck!
The Lafayette is a good,honest little machine.But don't forget,back in it's day it was an entry-level product. It probably needs some attention to get back to it's original performance. I would worry about caps,both power supply and coupling. Parts & tubes are easy to find and not expensive.And simple enough that you can do the work yourself.The internet can help🙂I would stay away from re-engineering and large investments, like upgrading transformers.
Good luck!
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