UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc)

Notices

Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 22nd Nov 2005, 6:45 pm   #1
PaulR
Dekatron
 
PaulR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Southport Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 3,221
Default Amplifier build quality.

I am starting this thread in total frustration! I bought an Armstrong 625 a while ago as I had wanted one in my youth and could never afford one. They were quite highly regarded in their day. It wasn't working due to an internal lead having dropped off.

When I first took it apart I was appalled by the awful build quality. It is all poorly pushed together plastic bits with very iffy-looking dull solder joints. I reconnected the loose wire and a few more that self destructed whilst the cover was off and it actually worked very well. In the few months since then I have had to re-solder components on several occasions and have just put it back together for the umteenth time.

It is no wonder that the British Hi-Fi manufacturing industry was swamped by the Japanese if this is typical of what we produced at the time. The Rotel 500A that I bought instead of an Armstrong has worked faultlessly ever since and has Rolls Royce build quality compared to the Armstrong!

Paul

Last edited by Darren-UK; 12th Jun 2007 at 10:45 pm. Reason: ebay reference removed and post made subject-specific.
PaulR is online now  
Old 22nd Nov 2005, 7:06 pm   #2
ppppenguin
Retired Dormant Member
 
ppppenguin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: North London, UK.
Posts: 6,168
Default Re: Armstrong 625 build quality

I still have an Armstrong 625 which I used as my main amp for a few years. It worked well and I don't think I ever took the cover off except out of curiosity.

Last edited by Darren-UK; 12th Jun 2007 at 10:46 pm. Reason: Post made more specific.
ppppenguin is offline  
Old 22nd Nov 2005, 8:35 pm   #3
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
Default Re: Armstrong 625 build quality

A lot of medium-quality British amps from this period were very poorly put together.

I mended a Sugden A48 for someone a few years ago. It was beautifully designed and weighed a ton, but the quality of the workmanship (e.g soldering) was more like what you'd expect from a schoolboy project

Nick
Nickthedentist is online now  
Old 23rd Nov 2005, 1:19 am   #4
Paul_RK
Dekatron
 
Paul_RK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 4,246
Default Re: Armstrong 625 build quality

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickthedentist
A lot of medium-quality British amps from this period were very poorly put together.

I mended a Sugden A48 for someone a few years ago. It was beautifully designed and weighed a ton, but the quality of the workmanship (e.g soldering) was more like what you'd expect from a schoolboy project

Nick
And Sugden were decidedly among the most reputable companies, whereas Armstrong tended to trade at the budget end of things, giving rather more watts per pound sterling than the Quads and Leaks of this world. I do remember Sugden advertising at the time making much of the fact that each amplifier was built from start to finish by one girl (back then, that was the term used ), who left her name inside: the implication being that pride in and quality of workmanship were thereby much enhanced. Perhaps the Friday afternoon - or Monday morning - effects were intensified too...

Paul
Paul_RK is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:34 am.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.