Long awaited upgrade to office Vintage system....

[Vintage Pete]

Greetings gang.... today is a very enjoyable day for me as I am enjoying an upgrade completed last evening to my vintage office system that has been on my mind for many years.


This system is based on the system that was once my main system, going back to the mid seventies. The system is based on a Crown IC150A preamp, and a Crown DC300 amplifier. Back in 1977, this young audiophile had upgraded the IC150 preamp that was originally in the system with the redesigned IC150A preamp. At that time, the price of the redesigned DC300A amplifier was simply out of reach for me. That system now includes my McIntosh MR78 Tuner, a Soundcraftsmen RP2212 equalizer, and a Carver CD player. The speakers for this office system are JBL 4401 near field monitors, located near the ceiling in the corners of the room. There is also a JBL PB10 powered sub, which is necessary as the 4401 somply cannot produce a satisfactory low end with their 6-1/2" woofers.

One week ago, in my periodic scouring of eBay, I came across the one component that I had long felt was needed to really make this system "right". I had resisted in the past making any move, but this time around I decided to bid in the auction since the condition of the piece in question appeared to be about as pristine as one could possibly hope for.

I won the auction for an incredibly reasonable price, having seen many examples of this same component in much lesser condition sell for more than the price I ended up paying.

So, all week this last week, I sat as so many of us have, waiting for the day that the big brown truck pulls up with the goodies.


So let's begin with that moment...





What could it be? Stay tuned......


Pete

[Vintage Pete]

What an exciting moment. Let's get started unboxing and see how she looks!!



So far, so good.....no apparent damage to the box. Looks like the seller was careful.




I can see the goodies a bit through the wrappings.....















We are almost there, we will soon see!


Pete

[Vintage Pete]

Okay, let's see if this baby is as pristine as the pictures in the listing suggested!




Sweet!!!!!










Here we have the new baby and its classic predecessor.




Both were built like battleships.

Everything about the new amplifier exudes the quality Crown is famous for....the rocker switch and input level controls have a first class feel to them.




We power on for the first time.... Yeah, baby!! Rocker switch lights, the IOC indicators do the very quick lights-on status check, and the sound issues forth.

There is an immediate and very noticeable improvement over the original. It's easy to see whay, back in the day, that if you owned this amplifier, your were the king of the club.


Let's move on with installing this gorgeous creature into the system....



Pete

[Vintage Pete]

I couldn't be more pleased. This amplifier looks, works, and sounds great.


Pete

[Vintage Pete]

As soon as I turned on the amplifier, I could tell that this amplifier is superior to its predecessor. Better bass control, a smoother and more revealing sound was apparent from the start. It was nearly 1am by the time I forced myself to turn it off last night.

The amplifier came with the manual, proof of performance report, and even included 5 of the yellow Crown stickers they used to include with their new products. I've had one of these on my IC150A's front panel overlay for years. I probably won't put one on the DC300A, but I didn't mind getting a new supply.








Is this amplifier the equal of some of today's monster amps? No, but it is a very special piece to me, and a classic piece of audio history. Its construction is absolutely first-rate, right up there with my McIntosh amps, IMO. It may not have the same allure as those big blue meters do, but it is certainly very attractive, its appearance is understated but in a very elegant but no-nonsense way. I really love the way it matches the cosmetics of my IC150A preamp so perfectly. First class.

Thanks for reading guys....


Pete

[Jerome W]

My bet is for a TT Pete.

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[US Blues]

Pete- great posts, plot line and grande finale!

Very sweet system, where are you going to use this new, extra power amp?

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by US Blues

Pete- great posts, plot line and grande finale!

Very sweet system, where are you going to use this new, extra power amp?

US Blues.... thanks! At the moment I have no immediate plans for my original DC300 amp. It has been with me for a very long time, so I couldn't get rid of it. I really don't have a need for an additional amp right now, but you know how that can change....

For the moment, the extra amp will go into a retirement of sorts. It sure has served me well over the years.


Pete

[Joe]

Congratulations Pete!
It was worth the wait!
Thanks for sharing the excitement.
Wish we could all hear it!

[Jerome W]

Congrats Pete ! So the 2205 is leaving ?