Bgw amp plus eq for free!

[RMC]

BGW 100B Pro power amp rated 50 W/ch. 8 ohms and 60 W/ch. 4 ohms (actual factory test: 55/80/162W mono).

YES, its absolutely FREE (shipping costs NOT included though, I won't pay to give it away!). Why give?

I've noted there may be some fans of BGW legacy here, so I decided to offer it here first in case, before sending it to recycling. I had two of these amps, one is already gone and the other is offered here.

Since I just received a nice reimbursement from the tax man, plus had put some money aside for new gear, I think extra cash is a good opportunity to act and timing is good to replace some of my older audio gear.

Plus I NEVER sell used audio equipment, not even for a dollar, not here nor on E-Bay. I always prefered to give it away for nothing, to someone who may enjoy it, since to me it has no monetary value left considering its age. As an accountant would say its been fully depreciated and has no book value anymore... Working fine or not the price is the same.

Good or bad, my audio equipment policies are: quality purchased new, hold on to it for a long time, when replacing time comes give away for free, don't sell on E-Bay or other. If no takers its going to electronics recycling.

That amp was purchased new by me in 1980 or so, never been on the road, has no dents nor scratches. One rack unit, about 19 lbs, "totally modular construction and large aluminum heat-sink." XLR/1/4". Haven't used it for a while so I need to confirm operational status.

I have the owner's manual (with full schematics and complete parts list), individually measured factory specs sheet dated 10 Dec 1979, product data sheet and most probably the original purchase invoice in my papers. The only thing I don't have for sure is the original box.

My responsability is limited to packaging it and dropping it at a Canada Post office, UPS or Purolator store for shipping. The beneficiary is responsible for making shipping arrangements AND PAYING for the carrier.

Naturally, considering the amps age someone with Electronics Technician's skills may be a good idea as I CANNOT predict the future regarding the amps longevity... There's no warranty, expressed or implied as they say, it comes as is, nice looking, for the circuitry its your baby...

Two years ago I gave away a nice and fine working 38 years old rack mount Spectro Acoustics pre-amp. I also have a nice and fine working Spectro Acoustics Octave Band graphic EQ purchased in 1979, used it a few months ago and still going fine! I'm willing to let it go also, for free as usual (shipping not included) if someone is interested. Same conditions. Pro construction and reliability but with sturdy RCA connectors. I still have the easy on/off rack mount adaptors, owner's manual, probably the invoice too. Spectro Acoustics was created by Bob Carver's former engineering colleagues at Phase Linear. If you want to know more on Spectro's story let me know.

I'm not in a rush as I have other power amps and EQs, but don't want to drag this on since I need space in the rack for new gear (or another rack), otherwise these will go to recycling...

Let me know here if you're interested by the amp and/or EQ.

REPLACEMENTS CONSIDERED:

For some its relatively easy. EQ: DBX Pro 1215 quite similar to my other EQ's. CD player: Tascam 200 series. Power amps are the bugger, rack space too! Not looking for hi-fi type stuff, already have that (NAD, Onkyo), rather looking for more PRO gear, built like it, dressed like it, perform the same and provide flexibility. No interest in Kilowatt amps. 200W bridged OK, seeking more quality than quantity.

ART, "In most cases, we simply do not stock replacement parts on older products where they are discontinued and the warranty period has expired", not good for me, goodbye!

Bryston 2B LP Pro, a favorite, pricing seen 2.3K+! for 60/100/200W, stretching it I could buy 2, but no $ left...

Crown, moving to Mexico?, Adios amigos, forget about me...

Ashly, SRA series, nice but cheap Euroblock plastic connectors on a 1K $ amp? NO WAY, for now...

Crest Audio, PA-150, seems discontinued, gain controls on back, prefer on the front, barrier strip in/out only(still available as IPS-150 In Peavey Commercial/Architectural Acoustics)

Rolls, RA 200, former owner of DOD (his initials), has most of what I want, no XLR but can live with balanced Neutrik 1/4" TRS, MOSFET!, high slew rate!, 70/100/200 W, 2 rack spaces maybe, at $575 CAD I can buy a few, "Regardless of age we don't usually charge for repairs, a lot of people really like this", me too! (like Bryston)

QSC, RMX 850a, it has everything I like and more!, except for the fan some say noisy others say not so?? Any member's info on this? Deeper, much heavier, more powerful, 2 rack spaces, though would complement my other QSC amps, at $500. CAD I could buy a few. Really tough call between QSC and Rolls, I like both...

Other suggestions or insight welcomed.

Richard

[BMWCCA]

Nice offer. I hope you find someone nearby who can give them a good home.

[RMC]

To complement a previous post some pictures follow of the smaller Mackie mixer mentioned earlier.

I purchased it new around 1996 (have the invoice in my papers), I'm the sole owner the mixer ever had, and its never been out of the house, nor on the road.

When its not being used the mixer is kept in a zippered pouch seen on a pic to prevent dust accumulation. It has no visible scratch nor dent. For a 22 year or so mixer its pretty good looking.

One close picture shows the genuine Neutrik connectors provided at the time, which more recent units don't have (no name ones are used) and the potentiometer knobs have also changed on recent ones for example. For a while the mixers have been made in low-cost manufacturing China, contrary to older ones like this Made in the USA.

On the back panel the channel inserts shown can also be used as direct outs, as indicated in the manual. For picture taking purpose I covered the unit's serial number on the back, as is often done for pics, simply to prevent any misuse.

The construction is metal all around, better for RFI rejection. No plastic here contrary to what I've as seen on some more recent mixers of many brands. Like others Mackie isn't today what it use to be...

One interesting aspect of having a mixer is the "patchbay" section where many pieces of equipment can be connected and routed/assigned different ways based on what one wants to do.

Some time ago it had a few potentiometers with a slight static noise which I cleaned with Caig's Deoxit fader F5.

Richard

[RMC]

I opened some of my new gear boxes to get actual serial numbers for online warranty registrations. On the other hand, I'm still far from installing all the new gear, more so when waiting for a new rack ordered.

Though some have a serial number sticker on the outside of the box, the DBX EQ box contains a clear mention, at the beginning of the manual, to verify the serial number on box sticker VS the actual such number on the unit for discrepancies. I guess that type of problem occured in the past and would mean hassles to get warranty service if you registered # 12345 (box sticker) instead of # 54321 (on the unit) for e.g.

At the same time, I looked at box content (six out of ten done), two amps, mixer and CD player to follow. While being there I took some pictures to be posted, plus have seen a few interesting things. I haven't removed all packaging material yet, these units still being stored temporarily. Box protection is best.

In the Ashly crossover box there's a little surprise: two brand new AC power cord models, one for Canada (like the US) and another one which may be for Europe. First time I get two different ones in the same audio gear box. Manual says unit is good for 100-240V, 50-60hz, this explains why they put two cords in the box??

However, manufacturers usually throw in the box the AC cord type for the country where it is shipped, saving the cost of giving a useless second one. The connector on the left of the picture with two round pins seems familiar (for Europe), but it also has a small metal plate with a hole in the middle of it, never seen that aspect before, for some ground pin? Could be newer European connector type not familiar with?

If anyone knows please confirm that it is for these countries or not. The connector on the right side of picture I keep to power the device. If the one on the left is in fact a newer European type of plug as I suspect, I will probably never use that, therefore it may be available for free, let me know If interested, otherwise recycling? Seems like nice quality, equipment side connector rated 250V/10 amps and AC side connector rated 250V/16 amps. No indication of an AWG wire size (looks 16-18 gauge outside), but I do see on the cable 1.0 mm^2 which may be the European equivalent of AWG... BTW the manual doesn't talk about two AC cord options.

More will follow soon with the gear pics mentioned above. Regards,

Richard

P.S. RE shipping: If, for example, a cable like this costs 10 Euros in Europe but it costs only the equivalent of 5 Euros to ship it there, then its a good deal.

The Euro is worth about 50% more than the Canadian dollar. Today my bank purchases Euros at 1.46 CAD, but sells them at 1.57 CAD, high margin! Local currency exchange office may do better. This would mean in practice close to 50% discount on shipping cost to Europe, which should be low since its a small and light package (my packaging is free).

[RMC]

Some of the stuff further below isn't part of Audio's glamour side, but it sure is part of purchasing audio gear sometimes.

Last week I picked up my latest audio purchases from dealer. The AT-LP5 is to replace my recent AT-LP120 which I don't really like in terms of tonearm precision for use with better (lighter tracking) phono cartridges, as previously explained in a recent post here. Opening that box wasn't my priority. As for the MOSFET amp, well I never had one of these among my amps and really wanted to try one before there's no affordable ones left on the market (the number of MOSFET amps available new seems to be melting like snow under the sun...). Price wise its a little more expensive than say a China made Crown XLS 1002, but I got a good deal on the Rolls and it has no fan (noise) since its more of a studio type amp.

I tend to like Rolls who thinks and does things differently than others, also still manufactures in the USA, but sadly a number of their interesting products have been discontinued, some left though, and they carry this policy "Regardless of age we don't usually charge for repairs, a lot of people really like this." Not many such companies remain in the industry. So I prefer to encourage such fellows with my dollars...

Apart from what follows below, I toured the amp quickly, as well as looking inside thru the ventilation slots with light, and it seems to be well made in and out. The gain controls' rotation sure has a nice feel.

I had planned to use the amp last weekend for a "test drive" after waiting a month plus for it. That item was my definite priority to listen to. However, right when I opened the box to look at the amp I felt something was wrong, and the more I looked the worst it got cosmetically, a big disappointment. The plastic bag is torn plus many holes in it, the cardboard retainers inside the box are scrap, there's dust on and inside the unit, it has scratches, the bottom right rackmount is bent, etc. Showing in my view its been unpacked and repacked many times, scratches telling its been around, and those on back the of rackmount indicating its been rack mounted before... What a drag, and it pisses me off a LOT.

The sad part of the settlement is distributor has no other such unit in stock (no wonder I got the "donkey" the first time to fill the order), a new amp is ordered on the spot from the factory, distributor will speed up import/clearance process, distributor's Product Manager will personnaly inspect new replacement unit to make sure its in pristine condition before delivery, distributor will assume all costs related such as pick-up of the "donkey" and delivery of the new unit. A couple of weeks waiting again though, so I wonder...

Restraint I guess has prevented me from plugging/using the cosmetically bad amp yet, since its going back to distributor. But I'm having second thoughts about using the amp being stuck with it for weeks. That would at least give me some new musical entertainment this weekend and a preview of what's coming with the new amp. I'd treat the amp I have like a distributor's demo on loan to me for testing... Regards,


Richard

P.S. Not having used that amp last weekend, I did however test drive my repaired QSC (overheating now gone that's nice), along with my Rolls Sonic Exciter. Back later with some preliminary comments about the Exciter.

EDITED TO SHORTEN POST

[RMC]

Recently, the only successful audio Web purchases I had were from Amazon.ca for items sold and shipped by Amazon: Audio-Technica ATP-N2 original stylus for my ATP-3 DJ cartridge shown prior here, since no genuine ATP-N3 stylus available. Model 2 stylus fits on model 3 cartridge being from same series, but its not as good/refined performer as model 3. Not much choice to keep it going... Amazon also had the AT 91 cartridge, purchased it, lower cost and heavier tracking, good enough for my AT LP120 turntable's less precise tonearm (issue mentioned here before), that turntable moving to upstairs living room, goodbye. Pics 545 & 547.

[RMC]

Hi BMWCCA,

Thanks for dropping in.

With close to 50 views on the post, and still no takers for a FREE no strings attached amp, I get the impression the interest in BGW legacy may be more in info than making it happen?, or fellows simply don't want to pay for shipping?, which should not cost a lot depending on where one is located...

For those interested in knowing how it looked like inside a 100B in 1979, I took some pictures hopefully to be posted tomorrow (no time now). The amp does turn-on (normal transformer sound and idle lights on; a good start!), but I haven't had time today to hook it up in a system and test it with music reproduction. That may happen tomorrow, I'll let the guys know. Regards,

Richard

[BMWCCA]

Okay, okay! You've shamed me as a BGW fan from nearly 50-years ago—I'll take the amp!

I'll PM you. Will I have to pay customs on a US product coming back to its home?

Actually, I see that you want the recipient to arrange the shipping. From my experience in buying stuff from Canada, that can be a pain for us USA residents. On second thought you may need someone from Canada to express an interest before any of us south-of-the-border take you up on this.

Thanks!

[RMC]

Forgot to mention.

There is no dedicated PFL (pre-fader listen or cue) on this model but I've done it many times with the mixer. Just need a little creativity with what's already there and it works. If need be I can show how it is done.

The headphones jack is a Mackie special and totally independent of the Master "volume" with its own control. There's enough clean juice on the phones output to even drive a separate PA or Monitor speaker amplifier. Yep! Its in the manual:

"Serve as a totally isolated, high-quality output for a second tape recorder or PA system. Instead of using a low-cost "headphone amp" chip, we use a high-current version of our main output amplifier, which is why it can really clean out your cochlea if you crank it up too far... but still a very clean signal source." (P. 9)

Naturally, using this headphone output with its own control to drive a separate system (in addition to main out) would require purchasing ready-made or the making of appropriate cables/connectors: 1/4" stereo plug on headphone jack end, and two connectors of some variety at the other end for right and left channel inputs, depending on type of EQ or Amp inputs available at the other end: XLR, 1/4", RCA, Barrier strip or Euroblock.

May not be balanced though. Depending on what material you have on-hand or available, two mic type cables may be too large together to fit correctly in some 1/4" stereo connectors. Then, try instead installation wire with foil shield and drain wire as I use in the rack, it usually has a smaller outer diameter than mic cable.

Richard

P.S. I seem to remember, right or wrong, that at one point in time Switchcraft made a 1/4" connector with a larger entry to allow use of larger cabling...

[RMC]

Pic # 274

DBX EQ, in a way I went for "Only the best components were utilized, ..." , in addition to its specs/features. I tend to prefer quality made things that will last a long time. The genuine Neutrik XLR connectors, some with locks, on the back panel look like a good start. The switchable 40 hz/18 db/oct. Bessel high-pass filter is different than many set at 20 hz (e.g. Ashly X-over), but this one can be of some help for certain applications, like smaller box and woofer in approximate B6 alignment, though Bessel filter has more droop in the passband than Butterworth, therefore would require a little more EQ work. The steeper 18 db low-cut vs usual 12 db used for B6 alignments, may be a bonus in the use of a smaller woofer protecting further from overexcursion.

The price reduction on-going in the US for a while on this unit (DBX site) doesn't apply to Canada though... Owner Manual pretty skinny on info given vs some older EQs, plus no data on filter Q and on center frequency tolerance. I see the latter as an indirect way to assess equalizer quality. Standard Pro EQs are often at 5% or so tolerance, better made ones at 3%. My older EQs: Rane GE 14 is at 3% max., Audio Logic SC215i (i or series II) is at 2%! Haven't seen one yet matching this 2% or closer tolerance. The AL has nice quality build with good features, such as variable 20-200 hz, 12 db/oct., Bessel high-pass filter, also variable 12 db/oct. Bessel low-pass filter 3.5k-22 khz. Gives more flexibility, something I like in audio equipment. Hope it lasts forever.

Richard

[RMC]

[RMC]

[RMC]

(Pic numbers for me only to match text with pictures as I write these notes in Wordpad then transfert them to LH and selected pic numbers are not in order). As mentioned earlier I didn't unpack everything yet since the gear is still stored for now.

First, a quick mention about the Rolls Sonic Exciter XLR/RCA (picture posted previously). When noting the unit's serial number I took a minute to try its silicone damped potentiometers. Nice rubberish feel from the knobs and the silicone damping of the pots does offer some constant resistance to turning either way. Since the effect sought from such a device would logically be increased or decreased a little at the time, listening, then adjusting in small increment(s) further as required, the amount of resistance from damping seems to make sense to me. Haven't plugged it in yet in the hi-fi setup.

Pics # 270, 294

Ashly crossover, 24 db/oct., has almost everything one can wish for (except delay, I have it on the Ranes AC 22), but includes a Variable Filter Response Control (3rd knob from left: "Response") which varies the filters' response shape at the crossover point (high and low pass). One can choose from different types, like Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley or notch filter at the crossover frequency. Should be interesting to compare.

Richard

[RMC]

[RMC]

Btw first rogue retailer has the ATP-N2 stylus on his web site as "available" (not "in stock" this time!), but I know and have an e-mail from Canadian AT distributor its not available and they have none left in stock, I checked that before buying mine from Amazon. So looks like another bait & switch thing? Paid mine $98.CAD+ tx from Amazon, then stylus disappeared from the "sold and shipped by Amazon", possibly bought the or one of the last ones. Pic # 539

More to come regarding the cables solution.