Dynaco SCA 80 Q vintage Amplifier

[kuruvilajacob]

I bought this from someone in Delhi. He sold it to me after learning that I keep these stuff reverently as this was his late father's prized possession. Selling it to me was an emotional moment for him. I assured him that it will stay with me or one of my family members. My first vintage purchase was also of similar nature. It was a Quad 33 and 303. It is still with my brother and one of my eternal favorites. The Dynaco was initially disappointing as I could not get anything through the magnetic phono input though the ceramic input was working better than expected. This afternoon, I cleaned up the input terminals and wow the magnetic input started working. It's very very warm and tube like sound. I understand, it has not been used for some time and with use, it should get to sound better hopefully.

 

[AVM]

Congrats. Never heard of it though.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

Congrats. Never heard of it though.

Dynaco was one of the reputed companies in the 60's and 70's. They made some lovely Tube amps as well as pre and power. They also made speakers.

 

[IndianEars]

CONGRATS ! on you acquiring this CLASSIC !

Hope the Electrolytic Caps hold out...

 

[reubensm]

I have heard a vintage Dynaco ST70 tube amp (I think it was assembled from a kit) and a similar Vitavox Transistor solid state amp (yes, this is the same Vitavox that manufactured speakers) when I used to live in the United States. To me, they had the distinct vintage 50s and 60s sound, ideal for playing music from that period. I did notice that the low end was especially relevant when playing music accompanied by a double bass but they did not sound quite impactful on the low ends, for music accompanied by electric bass. Just my observation based on my listening tastes.

This Dynaco looks in great nics and the fact that it is personally owned and cared for is very evident. True vintage with the classic design and is definitely a great keep for vintage enthusiasts. I can visualize its preamp with old mullard-type pnp transistors. True nostalgia.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

CONGRATS ! on you acquiring this CLASSIC !

Hope the Electrolytic Caps hold out...

The caps appear to be ok. They definitely sound vintage very similar to my Quad 33 and 303 combination. They should sound better after I use them for longer periods as I understand they were used sparingly after the demise of the owner..

 

[IndianEars]

ENJOY the Dynaco.

Have you heard the QUAD 303 separately or via another pre .

IMHO the 303 power amp is Streets ahead of the 33 Pre....

Your thoughts ?

 

[kuruvilajacob]

ENJOY the Dynaco.

Have you heard the QUAD 303 separately or via another pre .

IMHO the 303 power amp is Streets ahead of the 33 Pre....

Your thoughts ?

You are 100% right. I have hooked my Yaqin tube MS 12 B to Quad 303 power amp and the combination is mind blowing. The only combination which comes close to my present combination of Prima Luna Prologue 1 and Nad PP2 and two other DIY phono stages. I agree. Quad 303 is something special.

 

[IndianEars]

The Prima Luna Prologue is another of my Favourites.... I lived with the Prologue 2 ( Uses KT88s) driving Sonus Faber Extrema Speakers.

I personally preferred ( and needed ) the extra grunt and incisive drive of the KT88s but the best sound was with the 6550.

Ofcourse the Prologue 1 EL tubes have their own charm, its all a mater of personal taste...

 

[kuruvilajacob]

The Prima Luna Prologue is another of my Favourites.... I lived with the Prologue 2 ( Uses KT88s) driving Sonus Faber Extrema Speakers.

I personally preferred ( and needed ) the extra grunt and incisive drive of the KT88s but the best sound was with the 6550.

Ofcourse the Prologue 1 EL tubes have their own charm, its all a mater of personal taste...

I found the Prologue one and KLH model 5 speakers compliment each other very well. I am using Sylvania KT 88.

 

[bmohan54]

I want to buy samsung 46F6400 or Sony 47W800a. Please suggest which is better. Can I buy these TV's from Gaffar Market. Please suggest.

 

[Kannan]

I have a dynaco st80 power amp and dynaco pat4a pre amp.
The power amp is in excellent condition but the preamp has some noise issues.

I have never heard tube amps but I find the dynaco power amp sounds more detailed than my Yamaha rxv-671. However I use the Yamaha predominantly owing to ease of connectivity to multiple sources and more importantly for the remote.