Flat rate ground shipping within continental USA is $75. If less, I will refund the difference.AMPEX 6973 CUSTOM MONOBLOCKS! 15 watts per channel. I am not the original owner. The Photos are courtesy of the prior owner. Thank you. Payment via PPFF,venmo or zelle.
Made from a pair of the famous 6973 based amplifiers that were fitted in the incredibly expensive Ampex stereo consoles. They were VERY high quality. These have the original Triad transformers installed in wood cases with 1/8" copper top, 3/8" aluminum bottom and updated parts inside. I am not knowledgeable about parts used, but am informed the B+ power supply caps are not film. I don't know if the coupling caps are teflon. Hopefully someone can enlighten me from the pictures. Some original parts, like volume pot, were removed. Includes the following tubes per amp: two 6973 tubes, one EZ81 rectifier, one RCA clear top 12AU7, and one Siemens E80F. ---------------------------- The following is a portion of text from Arthur Salvatore's Hi End Audio (dot) com site about these amplifiers. "They are an absolutely INCREDIBLY audio value at this price. Website high-endaudio dot com: AMPEX VINTAGE TUBE AMPLIFIERS I received a letter from a reader regarding these amplifiers, which I barely even remember. I don't have any clear memory of ever hearing, let alone owning, a pair of any of their models. I wanted to ask if you had ever had any experience with any of the Ampex made amplifiers that were used in their high-end consoles? "NOT their industrial/theater amps NOR the amps used in the "famous" suitcase amps fitted with the JBL D216 speakers. There are 5 models that I know of. Monoblock amps running 6V6, EL34 (2 versions, one tube rectified), 6L6 and finally both stereo and mono-block amplifiers using 6973 tubes. In my own system, I was running Manley Neo Retros, and did a blind substitution with the 6973 monoblocks with 5 local audiophiles whose ears I trust.
Even though we disagree on what we LIKE, we all tend to hear similar differences in sound. It was with some sadness when I revealed to them that they had unanimously voted the Ampex monos as besting the Manley amps!
(running in both SET and PP) Frankly..... Given what I had paid for the Manleys... I didn't want to believe it! I have been a tube collector for years, and so had shuffled through DOZENS of different tubes in the Manley's Primarily the 6SN7 and 6SL7 input tubes where I had gone through about 40! "Matched pairs of different types over about 3 years of listening. But I accumulated 6-8 different quads of 300Bs, and a dozen or so 5U4 rectifer quads along the way. As you know, the input tubes can make an enormous difference, but even the best combos did not compete with the stock tubes installed in the Ampex when I received them. They were never really meant for display and so were not "finished". I now own one set of each of the other amps just for collector's sake. "At least for the 6973 based mono amps, I understand that Ampex had the iron custom wound by Triad... Which probably explains a good deal of their quality. Stacked Quad ESL's / Wyetech (prototype) Preamp / SME 10 / Musical Fidelity DAC / CD / Genesis Digital Lens / REL Tuner, Wasatch cabling, Bybee filters on the amp inputs etc. , but was curious to hear whether you had ever experienced any of them. In any case, I thought they might appeal to you as a somewhat extraordinary audio value. "Meaning I believe them able to compete FAR outside of their price range. Response from Arthur Salvatore: Personal Notes- If the above is true, these Ampex amplifiers, or at least the reader's 6973 monos, are one of the finest vintage amplifiers ever made. Even better, they are totally unknown, and/or ignored, by the vintage crowd (though for how long now). Accordingly, as the reader states, they could be one of the very best values around, outperforming many amps that are far more expensive (even after the mods). Considering this reader's and his friends! Surprising experiences, and their still reasonable initial cost, I would say these amps are well worth making the effort, time and financial investment to do a total rebuild. That means Teflon coupling caps, high quality resistors, all film B+ power supply caps, a chrome chassis, new RCA females, an AC receptacle and speaker binding posts etc."
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