Amstrad Speakers. Value? - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Bazz4CQJ · 24th Jul 2020, 11:17 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hartley118

I remember that the target Amstrad customer which Sugar wanted everyone to hold constantly in mind was a 35-year old lorry driver and his family who wanted a stereo system that worked and looked 'proper'. For example, he admitted that the strobe mouldings round the turntable were non-functional, but reminded the customer of the appearance of more exotic equipment.

Right on the nail! I recall a member of the family nipping down to Comet and returning home with his nice-looking Amstrad amplifier and some nice-looking speakers made by some other company. After a couple of days, the amp failed and he called me in. He was very upset when I tried to explain to him that the Amstad had a thing called "output impedance" - a figure of 8, but the none-matching speakers had an impedance of 4, and that was a bad thing.

Just as the strobe didn't work, I suspect the LED barometric level indicators were highly suspect.

All that said, I was grateful to Lord Sugar when he brought out the PCW word processors in 1985, and I was delighted with mine for quite some time.

B

Mooly · 25th Jul 2020, 8:28 am

I remember those speakers all too well... and we used to be ordering replacement drive units like there was no tomorrow as customers 'blew' them up.

We saved old ones and connected them up in series across... well you work it

Welsh Anorak · 25th Jul 2020, 12:44 pm

Not sure if it was this system that went with these, but apparently there was an Amstrad tower that had the back screwed and the sides glued. Later versions had the sides screwed and the back glued. However there was a version 1 1/2 that had both the back AND the sides glued. Amstrad supplied a Mk2 cabinet and the instructions to smash the old one to get inside....

electronicskip · 25th Jul 2020, 2:21 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak

Not sure if it was this system that went with these, but apparently there was an Amstrad tower that had the back screwed and the sides glued. Later versions had the sides screwed and the back glued. However there was a version 1 1/2 that had both the back AND the sides glued. Amstrad supplied a Mk2 cabinet and the instructions to smash the old one to get inside....

That may well have been the TS33 single cassette version ,

Mooly · 25th Jul 2020, 2:25 pm

All glue and Sellotape was my description of many of these systems. Those tower systems did do an impressive sound to light display though with the illuminated dials and meters being fed from a weedy unregulated supply... well I say weedy, it was big enough for customers to repeatedly blow up both the speakers and the TDA chips they used in the outputs.

We did a lot of Binatones as well which were very similar.

electronicskip · 26th Jul 2020, 2:35 pm

A quick scan of ebay shows Amstrad speakers go for between £10 and £20 .

Records · 31st Jul 2020, 9:01 pm

No I had a pair of those speakers and the so called hi-fi unit to go with it. it sounded like a cheap 60's portable, awful sound and build quality, Amstrad had no idea about hi-fi

AC/HL · 31st Jul 2020, 11:36 pm

As the OP hasn't been back for a while, and has the information requested, there is little point in continuing this thread.

25th Jul 2020, 8:28 am	#22
Mooly Octode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Lancashire, UK. Posts: 1,351	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? I remember those speakers all too well... and we used to be ordering replacement drive units like there was no tomorrow as customers 'blew' them up. We saved old ones and connected them up in series across... well you work it

25th Jul 2020, 12:44 pm	#23
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,916	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? Not sure if it was this system that went with these, but apparently there was an Amstrad tower that had the back screwed and the sides glued. Later versions had the sides screwed and the back glued. However there was a version 1 1/2 that had both the back AND the sides glued. Amstrad supplied a Mk2 cabinet and the instructions to smash the old one to get inside.... __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

25th Jul 2020, 2:25 pm	#25
Mooly Octode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Lancashire, UK. Posts: 1,351	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? All glue and Sellotape was my description of many of these systems. Those tower systems did do an impressive sound to light display though with the illuminated dials and meters being fed from a weedy unregulated supply... well I say weedy, it was big enough for customers to repeatedly blow up both the speakers and the TDA chips they used in the outputs. We did a lot of Binatones as well which were very similar.

26th Jul 2020, 2:35 pm	#26
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? A quick scan of ebay shows Amstrad speakers go for between £10 and £20 . __________________ Oh I've had that for years dear!!

31st Jul 2020, 9:01 pm	#27
Records Hexode Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Harwich, Essex, UK. Posts: 429	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? No I had a pair of those speakers and the so called hi-fi unit to go with it. it sounded like a cheap 60's portable, awful sound and build quality, Amstrad had no idea about hi-fi

31st Jul 2020, 11:36 pm	#28
AC/HL Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 9,642	Re: Amstrad Speakers. Value? As the OP hasn't been back for a while, and has the information requested, there is little point in continuing this thread.