Got the Soundcraftsmen, thanks to all!

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00p225
00p225 Posts: 100
edited August 2004 in 2 Channel Audio
I received the Soundcraftsmen PM640 amp from fellow member Woody yesterday, and it arrived in fine shape, excellent packing Woody! Also thanks to Steveinaz, for taking such great care of his equipment. It truly is near mint.

I tried it with my homebuilt Foreplay tube pre clone, and I was really suprised at the sound quality. I can see why the tube guys like these. Very smooth, yet retaining good detail. It really works well with the SDA-1C's. It seems to take control of the speakers in a way that standard solid state amps can't. It could be the SDA's may have some complex impedance dips at certain frequencies that are a hard load for many amplifiers. I will say, it seemed to open up the soundstage quite a bit more than the McIntosh MC2100 Iv'e been running, and the extra power made a difference as well. It doesn't sound strained at any listening levels. The midrange is just as sweet as the mac, and the highs are very smooth. The higher dampening factor of the soundcraftsmen also helped in the bass regions speeding things up quite a bit. Bass is very quick and tight.

Anyway if you are looking for amplification for you SDA's at a reasonable price, I have to give a big recommendation for the Soundcraftsmen amplifiers. Great sound and great bang for the buck!

Zane
Main System
Pre - Homebrew 12au7 tube preamp
Amp - Eico HF-87 with EHEL34's
Source - Modded Toshiba 3950
Interconnects - DIY Belden
Speakers - Polk SDA-1C

Basement System
Pre - McIntosh C-28
Amp - McIntosh MC2100
Source - Modded Toshiba 3960
Tape - Pioneer RT-707
Turntable - Thorens TD150MKII with Denon DL-160
Speakers - Pioneer HPM-100
Post edited by 00p225 on
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Comments

  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2004
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    Congrats! Just keep a close eye on the fan to insure it keeps working.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,522
    edited August 2004
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    Glad you're enjoying it. One of my 2 PM-840's spent 3yrs in storage, and I'm pretty sure it's the one you have, if I remember right.

    Max is right about the fan, it's very quiet, so check it every now and then. Easiest way is just touch the top of the amp, it should only be warm, never hot.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited August 2004
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    Congratulations! Soundcraftsmen is probably at the top of my list of "companies that I wish were still around or even their glory". I remember when Steve had the pair up for sale. He even had the bridging unit too. If I could've, I would've bought the package in a heartbeat.

    BTW - I heard that exact amp over at Steve's house back in '91. I don't know which channel it was driving, but I heard it.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • 00p225
    00p225 Posts: 100
    edited August 2004
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    Thanks for the reminder on the fan guys. I seem to remember one of the Soundcraftsmen amps had an issue with the resistor used in their cooling fan circuit. Was that this model or the PCR series? Thanks.
    Main System
    Pre - Homebrew 12au7 tube preamp
    Amp - Eico HF-87 with EHEL34's
    Source - Modded Toshiba 3950
    Interconnects - DIY Belden
    Speakers - Polk SDA-1C

    Basement System
    Pre - McIntosh C-28
    Amp - McIntosh MC2100
    Source - Modded Toshiba 3960
    Tape - Pioneer RT-707
    Turntable - Thorens TD150MKII with Denon DL-160
    Speakers - Pioneer HPM-100
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,522
    edited August 2004
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    Well, I don't know--but the fan you have has been running perfectly for 14+ years, so I doubt it has any problem! :D
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,522
    edited August 2004
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    Ski...
    If you ever need the bridger, let me know, I'll shoot it out to you. I'm 99.5% sure I still have it.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2004
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    Originally posted by 00p225
    Thanks for the reminder on the fan guys. I seem to remember one of the Soundcraftsmen amps had an issue with the resistor used in their cooling fan circuit. Was that this model or the PCR series? Thanks.

    That was the PCR series but in any case, after 14 years it is worth checking now and then to avoid problems.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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