Philips Power Amplifier AH-380
zingo
Posts: 11,258
Does anyone have experience with the Philips AH-380 amplifier? I may have the opportunity to pick one up, and they look like unique and rare amps. They don't seem to get too much play in the US (I'm not sure if that is good or bad), but quality looks good and they seem to be designed for higher sensitivity speakers from what I have found; good for the Klipsch's. Here is what was posted to Canuck Mart:
This is a circa 1979-80 power amplifier made by Philips. It is in a 19" rack mount configuration. This is from the Philips Laboratory series and built like a tank. It is a DC (direct current) amp with a huge torroidal transformer. It is conservatively rated @ 150 watts RMS per channel into 4 ohms, or 100 watts into 8 ohms. A nice warm tube like sound without any solid state harshness. This is a very quiet running amp suitable for high sensitivity speakers. It was designed for Philips MFB speakers (Motional feed back) and definately a high end product with block diagram of circuitry printed on the top of the heavy case. A very impressive unit with performance to match. It even has a variable sensitivity setting for heat & dc overload protection.
Any feedback or info would be great!
This is a circa 1979-80 power amplifier made by Philips. It is in a 19" rack mount configuration. This is from the Philips Laboratory series and built like a tank. It is a DC (direct current) amp with a huge torroidal transformer. It is conservatively rated @ 150 watts RMS per channel into 4 ohms, or 100 watts into 8 ohms. A nice warm tube like sound without any solid state harshness. This is a very quiet running amp suitable for high sensitivity speakers. It was designed for Philips MFB speakers (Motional feed back) and definately a high end product with block diagram of circuitry printed on the top of the heavy case. A very impressive unit with performance to match. It even has a variable sensitivity setting for heat & dc overload protection.
Any feedback or info would be great!
Post edited by zingo on
Comments
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Welll I pulled the trigger and should be getting the amp this weekend. I'll give it a listen and make a full report on this unique amp.
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Great amp. I've been listen to this amp for a few weeks now on my Klipsch Fortes, and it's very quiet while still being warm and detailed. The VU meters are addicting to watch, and the trim pots will be very nice once I finish my bi-amp conversion on my Fortes. This is the best amp I've never heard of...
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I believe some of those old Phillips,amps and integrateds, were made by Marantz for them. Solid build, with a touch of that warm marantz sound. Glad you like it. Was looking at an old Phillips integrated myself but the dude wanted like 300 for it so I passed.HT SYSTEM-
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lsi 9's -
$300 seems like a reasonable price for this amp or one similar. They are great amps and only made for a few years. I haven't heard of the Marantz partnership, even though that's wouldn't be a bad thing, but I believe this line was made in Holland with only a few years and imported to the US. At 100wpc at 8 ohms, it'd be interest to hear what this amp sounds like with a heavy load as I've only heard it on Klipsch Fortes and Klipschorns.
The interior of the amp looks great and has a great combination of PCB and old school, quality P2P in an 80's style. -
IIRC Phillips purchased Marantz but some years after that amp would have been produced.
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Philips had good quality hifi hardware (particularly turntables) designed and made in Europe. By the 1970s they owned Magnavox, and in the late 1970s briefly had a good quality line of receivers and separates, many of which were made in the Maggotbox factory (in Tennessee, if memory serves).
I don't know this titular Philips AH-380 amp, but its predecessor (see below) was pretty good (and the companion tuner was excellent).
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Those Philips Motion Feed Back speakers look interesting and it seems Philips was making some really good products at that time.
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It looks like they are re entering making quality products as well.. some of their headphones are getting attention in the headfi community as well as their New Fidelio line up.. may not be full Hi-Fi, but definitely better than your normal run of the mill stuff.Main 2ch -
BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.
TV 3.1 system -
Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22 -
The MFB speakers were quite fine.
There's a fanboy site - http://www.mfbfreaks.com/
yeah, it's in Dutch... but the pictures are in English :-)
Lots of ad/brochure scans on the site as well... a sample...
http://www.mfbfreaks.com/folders/ph1974hifi1/24.jpg
http://www.mfbfreaks.com/folders/ph1981hifi/pag012.jpg -
That's the amp in the middle with the white meters; pretty lil' thang...
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Hi guys I have just got very lucky and brought the whole full rack as in the photo above in Zingos post it is on its way to me next week I will post photos soon. My turntable is black not silver.
But the amp is faulty it plays for a few mins then cuts out switch on/off then plays for few mins and cuts out again. What is the fault and how do I fix it? -
Take it to an audio repair shop as there are far too many possibilities for the problem you are having. The repair shop will have all the equipment needed to diagnose the problem.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I called one but was qouted £50 - £200!
This shop qouted me £50 + parts to replace bulbs on VU meters i ended up doing it for free + bulbs.
Then another Beogram fix at the B&O shop would have been £100's help from another forum Beoworld told me carriage belt is broke fixed for £10!
The forums advice is some times massive money saver!
I seen your photo on AudioKarma. -
Other forums are telling me its protection circuit, which circuit is that one?
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Well yeah, the protection is kicking in because there is a problem somewhere else.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Does anyone have any experience with Philips AH380 amp, 280 preamp, and the 180 tuner? I saw a pic of the amp and I like the meters:D, and was wondering if the stuff was worth pursuing. I already looked up the specs. Thanks
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Just recieved mine will be on ebay soon.
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Power output: 100 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 10Hz to 150kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.03%
Input sensitivity: 1V
Signal to noise ratio: 96dB -
I just read this thread and there are some mistakes in the comments some of you have made.
First of the 370 and 380 where not build for the mfb series speakers. Those have their own amp build in the speaker casing. The 370 and 380 where build for all speakers from any brand but you do have to put their idiotic din conection to your speakerwire.... converted all of my 370’s and 380’s to normal banana style plugs. Also speakers with low efficiency can by amplified with these 370’s and 380’s( i myself use JBL L88 Plus 12, low efficiency, and spendor sp2/3, high efficiency).
Second these where buid in holland en belgium in philips factory’s not by marantz... marantz was later bought by Philips and things like the fa-80(philips) and pm-80(marantz) cam to exist,both being identical to each other.
I know its an old thread but still hope this helps.
If anyone is inerested got a 180 tuner if anyone wants it. I dont use it so it can go if anyone wants it.
De groeten!
Niels -
I believe some of those old Phillips,amps and integrateds, were made by Marantz for them. Solid build, with a touch of that warm marantz sound. Glad you like it. Was looking at an old Phillips integrated myself but the dude wanted like 300 for it so I passed.I believe some of those old Phillips,amps and integrateds, were made by Marantz for them. Solid build, with a touch of that warm marantz sound. Glad you like it. Was looking at an old Phillips integrated myself but the dude wanted like 300 for it so I passed.I believe some of those old Phillips,amps and integrateds, were made by Marantz for them. Solid build, with a touch of that warm marantz sound. Glad you like it. Was looking at an old Phillips integrated myself but the dude wanted like 300 for it so I passed.I believe some of those old Phillips,amps and integrateds, were made by Marantz for them. Solid build, with a touch of that warm marantz sound. Glad you like it. Was looking at an old Phillips integrated myself but the dude wanted like 300 for it so I passed.
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In the US in those days, Philips was in bed (as they say) with Magnavox. It was near the end of the road for that latter, once proud, US consumer electronics company.
In fact, in the late 1970s timeframe, some of the Philips High Fidelity Laboratories series of components were US made (presumably in the Magnavox facilities). Slightly earlier, there was some decent quality "Magnavox" branded audio componenty that - I reckon - had Philips origins (again, even if US made).
Philips, of course, did later own the Marantz brand name (1980 to 1992, per Wikipedia), but only after Superscope did. Remember that the Marantz 10/10B tuner imbroglio essentially bankrupted Saul Marantz, and he sold the company to Superscope (in 1964, per http://www.superscopetechnologies.com/t-about.aspx). Marantz wasn't really Maranz after that
-- but that's another story entirely.
As to the post above -- no idea...
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