JBL SA600 Vintage Amplifier Review

[MacCali]

Oh. The spec is half that @amirm

https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Audio-IDX/IDX/60s/Audio-1968-02-OCR-Page-0011.pdf

They say 80 watts but it’s really 40W per channel.

Thought older amps were known to be underrated o.o

 

[Deleted member 50971]

This is one small step for amp, one giant leap for mankind.

The eagle has landed.

I was seven years old and probably in second grade when they landed on the moon. I asked my mom to buy me the vinyl record of the moon mission communication between NASA and Apollo. I lost it over the years, but I found one on eBay not long ago.

 

[DanielT]

This is one small step for amp, one giant leap for mankind.

..giant leap for ampkind.
If, that was the case?

 

[MacCali]

..giant leap for ampkind.
If, that was the case?

Definitely was contemplating this but amps don’t use amps

We really need to work on the emojis @amirm

 

[DanielT]

Definitely was contemplating this but amps don’t use amps

We really need to work on the emojis @amirm

He he.

I was just joking. (perhaps not such a good joke)

 

[voodooless]

Probably yes. Like putting a new engine in an otherwise fully renovated old vintage car. But okay just to test it would be interesting in itself.

It might be okay if we do a sacrificial burning of some kind though

 

[AndreaT]

It shows how great the progress has been in electronic circuits design and manufacturing. Yes, it reminds me of my youth. No, I would not waste precious time listening to it. Thank you Amir for the beautiful test!

 

[digicidal]

Hard to keep the same perspective when viewing "horrible cheap AVR results" on here in comparison to these. It's one thing to want to experience the gear you were too poor to afford as a child... it's quite another to pay a premium for significantly worse performance than a budget receiver to experience it.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

It shows how great the progress has been in electronic circuits design and manufacturing. Yes, it reminds me of my youth. No, I would not waste precious time listening to it. Thank you Amir for the beautiful test!

Hi,

Aren’t you just a little curious how it sounds?
I am, and would jump at the chance to listen to it.

My Fisher integrated tube amp from 1964 was the last model they made before they went all solid state. It really performs quite well for what it is, and will even drive my large floor standers to a room filling volume.

Having a working piece of early solid state history has an undeniable cool factor, even if it doesn’t perform like today’s integrated amps. Of course this is in my opinion

 

[pma]

My Fisher integrated tube amp from 1964 was the last model they made before they went all solid state. It really performs quite well for what it is, and will even drive my large floor standers to a room filling volume.

You know - audio systems in fact do not need distortion or sinad breaking numbers. It is just a number game here to let the show go on. With some experience, we know that 60dB is good enough and above 80dB it is really only number game. But this cannot be admitted, here.

Speakers and room acoustics are the only space for improvement, nowadays.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

You know - audio systems in fact do not need distortion or sinad breaking numbers. It is just a number game here to let the show go on. With some experience, we know that 60dB is good enough and above 80dB it is really only number game. But this cannot be admitted, here.

Speakers and room acoustics are the only space for improvement, nowadays.

I’m a little bit new to the measurement side of audio, but we always looked at the specs and then we went to audition.

I pretty much agree, and most competently engineered electronics should sound pretty similar. I also agree that speakers and our room are the biggest variables, and it seems to be a lost art to treat our rooms.

I don’t see as many audiophiles with acoustical panels, carpeting on hardwood floors, and proper speaker placement, because they know they can DSP/room correct. Granted there are people that treat their rooms and can properly set up speakers. I just believe it’s a big advantage to get the room right first.

But yeah, these older amplifiers can sound quite pleasant.

 

[JayGilb]

Amir thanks for testing it and a big thanks to the member who sent it in. I hope it's just a blown fuse, it was fun to just see it.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

By the way my last post is not a knock of new equipment and room correction, I have it in my own set up.

But I also find myself attracted to the gear of my youth, and I want a Marantz integrated amp from the mid 70s in my collection also. You know the ones that light up like a carnival, and hav the gyro wheel for FM tuning.

 

[JSmith]

Nice to see some a vintage amp being tested, even though it's been restored. Retro audio pr0n is always welcome.

Thanks to whoever sent this in and @amirm for the testing.

I truly hope the owner will be able to have the PS noise minimized and enjoy the restored amp for many years to come.


JSmith

 

[tomtoo]

I press my thumbs that it just was the fuse!

 

[Vini darko]

Thanks for the reveiw Amir. Very quirky old amp. I agree with other posters that super fast diodes and low esr caps are a potential problem.

 

[Digby]

Would it be really naughty to take one of these amplifiers, gut it, insert a newer amp board and wire up to the nice beefy controls, maybe add bluetooth + rasp pi etc. This one is somewhat aesthetically pleasing, but there are some very nice looking ones with great feeling knobs and switches, I don't know how many remain affordable though.

 

[respice finem]

Would it be really naughty to take one of these amplifiers, gut it, insert a newer amp board and wire up to the nice beefy controls, maybe add bluetooth + rasp pi etc. This one is somewhat aesthetically pleasing, but there are some very nice looking ones with great feeling knobs and switches, I don't know how many remain affordable though.

This. The space inside would allow for an amp, a streamer, even a HTPC.

 

[spigot]

It's ugly on the outside and the inside, and when you close your eyes it sounds like crap. Just kidding, it's just a faulty sample, another one would beat that Benchmark amp.

 

[respice finem]

It's ugly on the outside and the inside, and when you close your eyes it sounds like crap. Just kidding, it's just a faulty sample, another one would beat that Benchmark amp.

Haha but only after the noise and distortion is gone, which is the case, after it blew a fuse