Vintage Tube Amp

See photos to determine condition.

EICO HF-81 Integrated Tube Amplifier – Restoration Candidate – Working Iron. Some units are plug-and-play. This is not one of them. This EICO HF-81 is a largely original example and should be viewed as a restoration project. The transformers appear healthy, but the amplifier will require electronic servicing for stable, long-term operation. This is for someone who will selectively change parts for stability but retain the sonic character the HF-81 is famous for. Operational Status (Please Read Carefully). Powered up slowly on a Variac. Output transformers pass signal. Video included demonstrating that both channels produce output. One channel is weaker and exhibits distortion. The stronger channel distorts at high volume. Power switch (integrated into treble knob) does not function properly. Unit is likely running on original capacitors. Given its age, full recap and restoration is recommended before regular use. Tube Complement (Installed & Working). The original Eico factory installed tubes tested weak or shorted and were replaced with. Quad Sylvania EL84 / 6BQ5 – New old stock (NOS) and new in box (NIB). Tubes are functional, but the distortion issue suggests underlying circuit components (likely caps or resistors) require attention. Classic gold faceplate with vintage wear. Appears largely unmodified internally (based on current inspection). Why This Is Worth Restoring. The HF-81 is widely regarded as one of the most musical EL84 integrated amplifiers ever made. Properly restored examples command strong market value and are known for. Balanced push-pull EL84 output. Highly respected transformer set. The transformers are the heart of these units – and this one passes signal. Collector seeking original platform for rebuild. If you’re looking for a fully restored, daily-use amp, this is not that listing. If you want a strong foundation with working iron and upside potential, this is an excellent candidate. Will require recap and service. Distortion present in one channel. Power switch requires repair. See video for operational demonstration.

Eico HF-81 Vintage Integrated Tube Amplifier – Fully Rebuilt. General: The Eico HF-81 is a classic example of an excellent sounding 1960′s integrated tube amplifier. This vintage beauty has a full tube preamp and power amp delivering up to 14W of warm tube power. This is a rather rare combination for an integrated amp, as most are a hybrid designs with a solid state preamp a tube amp (or vice-versa) like the McIntosh MA230, MAC1500, etc. We were truly impressed at the sound quality of this piece during long-term testing on our test rig. In particular we thought vocals sounded fantastic, especially period correct Elvis and Sinatra. This particular HF-81 was completely overhauled before arriving into our shop and performed excellent in all of our bench and long-term listing tests. This HF-81 will come to you with a reprinted manual and a custom made dust cover. SkyFi Cosmetic Notes: This piece received a cosmetic overhaul at some point in the past. All chassis parts were repainted. The transformers were painted as well. It also appears as though all new hardware was installed. The manual is a reprinted copy. No silkscreen in present on the rear panel, but we’ll provide a printed diagram with all of the input labels and tube locations. SkyFi Technical Notes: This unit came to us having already undergone an extensive electronic restoration. Here is a rough outline of what we picked up on during our testing and review process. This unit was fully recapped including a new CE multi-section can, axial electrolytics, a mix of film and PIO coupling caps, and select mica capacitors. Select resistors replaced, modern three prong power cord added, SEP/COM Switch removed from circuit, a power switch was added to the rear panel, and a phono grounding lug was installed. Tube Notes: The rectifier tubes are current production Electro Harmonix. The output tubes are Groove Tubes EL84, the 12AX7s are a mix of Sovtek and GE, the 12AU7s are Sylvania. Both channels tested clean to about 9W into 8 ohms, both channels driven. The only electronic issue that we identified was a channel imbalance in the volume control. We opted to replace the volume control with an Alps “Blue Velvet” control. The channel balance of the volume control is now excellent. Slight drift in the balance control, however, results in the need for the balance control to be shifted just slightly to the left of center for ideal performance. Ownership: Second Owner Connections: RCA, Speaker bidning posts. Ground screw down terminal General Sound: Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean Cosmetic Condition: 8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. Working Condition: Working perfectly and tested in our lab and listening room. Included: Unit, manual, and power cord. Packing: Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials. Specs: Tube Complement: Four ECC83/12AX7 Four EL84/6BQ5 Two EZ81. Maximum output power: 14 WPC (11.5 dBW) continuous into rated load. Frequency response (at 1 W into 8 ohms): 10 Hz – 100 kHz, ±0.5 dB. Tone control range: ±15 dB at 50 Hz and 10 kHz. IM distortion (60 Hz and 6 kHz at 4:1): 2% at 14 W, 0.05% at 5 W. Sensitivity (input for 14 W): Moving Magnet Phono 4mV Tape head 2mV Mic 5mV Aux and Tuners 500mV. Speaker Connections: 4, 8, 16, 32 ohms. Dimensions: 15″ (385mm) W 4-3/4″ (120mm) H 10-1/2 (270mm) D Weight: 24 lbs. Testing Process: We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. If tube arcing has occurred in the past we can usually spot discoloration on the output tube sockets. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. If the amplifier passes visual inspection, we move on to a full test of all of the tubes. We use a modern Amplitrex AT-1000 Professional Tube Tester which is capable of testing both emission and Gm with a high degree of accuracy. We document the results of each tube and replace any weak or suspect tubes before proceeding. When we power on tube amplifiers for the first time we usually use a variac and current limited AC supply and slowly raise the voltage up to nominal mains level while monitoring plate, screen, filament, and negative bias supply voltages where applicable. If everything is in order we feed a low level test signal into the amplifier’s input and monitor its output on an oscilloscope across an 8 ohm dummy load. At this point we are just looking to verify basic function and confirm that the output transformers are not damaged. Once we have verified that the amplifier is safe to operate, we connected it to full mains power. For cathode biased amps we monitor the plate to cathode voltage to determine if the output tubes are operating in a safe range. Once the output section is verified we move onto bench evaluation. We start by feeding the input of the amplifier with a low level 1 KHz test signal, slowly increasing its amplitude while monitoring the amplifier’s output on an oscilloscope for signs of noise, clipping, distortion, or improper channel balance. We continue increasing the signal level until the amplifier reaches clipping. At this point we take an output power measurement and compare it to the spec sheet of the amplifier to verify proper performance. We finish off the bench evaluation with a 1 KHz square wave check and a 20 Hz to 20 KHz sine sweep to assess the amplifier’s frequency response characteristics. This battery of tests will usually reveal if the amplifier has any issues that need further attention. Before the device leaves the bench we perform a listening test with actual music using a variety of preferred test tracks. Our benches are outfitted with familiar monitor speakers which help us identify inconsistencies that will not always show up on our test gear. The main things that we are listening for are hum or noise with no signal present, proper center image, clicks, pops, or any other obvious undesirable audio characteristics. If the unit passes all of these tests it is moved to our long term testing rig where we simulate real word operating conditions for 6-8 hours minimum. For tube amps we like to run this test at least twice. This allows us to monitor the unit for signs of thermal runaway or intermittent issues that only crop up when it has fully come up to temperature. We find this step to be essential, especially for vintage units. Please note we are not a repair shop and only restore what we own. SkyFi Audio – Curators of Vintage Audio Gear. If we don’t have the original packaging, we use heavy-duty double-ply corrugated boxes with custom made to your item SealedAir Instapak expanding foam custom inserts. In many cases this has proven to be better than the original packaging! We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages. We have too many items for sale and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of offers outside of the official system. Our items are available for pick-up. No additional information at this time. You might also like. Dynavector 10×3 High-Output MC Phono Cartridge. Music Reference RM-5 MK II Tube Preamplifier with Phono. WyWires Silver Series Phono Interconnects – 5 Pin DIN w/ XLR Connectors – 4ft. Music Reference RM-9 Tube Amplifier With EL34′s.

EICO HF-81 VINTAGE TUBE INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER.

This vintage amp is in good condition for the most part. The knobs have aged pretty poorly, but they should clean up fine. I did not even plug this in, in fear of hurting something. I also do not trust the power cord. Please feel free to ask any questions and throw me an offer.

This amp has been gone through, and all issues (and known issues) addressed. Internal capacitors have all been replaced, pots cleaned, and brought back to factory specs. Please refer to pictures for the condition. It is not perfect, but a very nice clean unit. The flash in a couple of pictures made the face look different. This is diode rectified now, so there is no need for the ez81 tubes anymore. You can put some in, but they will just glow. The sound is simply incredible. When you first turn it on, it sounds like a very good tube amp. Something my old audio research D125 could never do. After this amp warms up for about 15 minutes, it really opens up. I put about 8 hrs on it yesterday. I was so enthralled by the sound that I kept throwing cd after cd at it. I was halfway through Nora Jones at 2am. When the wife came downstairs and said, TURN IT OFF. She really knows how to knock me off my cloud. I know this is not a brute on power, but I ran it to my polk RTA-12B speakers. These are power-hungry speakers, and the eico brought them to the edge of my spl max. This is well over my wifes level, but I did wake her up. With the volume at max, there is no hiss or hum or any distortion while playing. The sound this set amp delivers is amazing. The soundstage is wide with a depth that you want from a good tube amp. HF is absolutely crystal clear with lush mids. The bass is extremely impressive for the wpc. This amp provided a nice punch with a powerful low end from the polks. Vocals, brass, guitar, and piano are all there. It sounds like you are in the recording studio. Miles Davis, Coltrane, B. This is a very special amplifier, not nearly the power of my Mac 275, but it does so many things right. Some amps you turn on to listen while you work or get stuff done. This one makes you stop dead in your tracks, sit down, and close your eyes. I wish I still had my old klipsch chorus ii speakers. I rolled some different tubes in this amp, so some pictured are different now. This will be packed very well and insured, so it will arrive safe.

EICO HF-81 Stereo Tube Amplifier with All Vintage Tubes, with EL84/6BQ5 in Output. Watch it in operation with music from Pro-Ject turntable on Youtube. All tubes are vintage and all included; some are Mullard etc. I provided some pictures to show the circuitry under the chassis. I plugged it in wall voltage of 120V and the amp worked fine and produced great and balanced music in both channels as shown in the video. Since this amp is very old, it may need services before daily use. At least, the new owner should have some professional to go over it. I did notice the following issues. The fuse holder is bit loose. At times, I had to re-tighten the fuse to power it up. The shaft of TREBLE control pot can be pushed in if you re-install the knobs on it. I inserted a small piece of hard foam behind it (inside the chassis) so it’s fixed, for now. I felt some of the contacts or wirings are not 100% secured. I once pulled out one tube shield and incidentally brushed on something (didn’t know what), causing the left channel silent. That channel recovered by itself a few minutes later. I couldn’t find out the cause. That’s why it’s very good idea to have a professional to service it so you can really enjoy it. Physical condition is really good for the age, much better than many others showed up for sale. The front is beautiful; all knobs are original. Chassis is pretty clean. Meshed cover is good. There may be some screws missing in the bottom plate. Overall, this is a beauty to me. I have other audio equipment, like. Accuphase, Acurus, Adcom, Aragon, Arcam, Audio Research, Audioquest, Ayre, B&K, B&O, Bang Olufson, B&W, Bowers Wilkins, Bryston, California Audio Labs, Cary, Classe, Cambridge, Carver, Conrad Johnson, Creek, Denon, Dynaco, Dynaudio, Goldmund, Infinity, Jadis, JBL, Jolida, JM Lab, Kef, Kimber, Klipsch, Krell, Levinson, Lexicon, Linn, Marantz, Martin Logan, Mccormack, Mcintosh, Meridian, MIT, Musical Fidelity, Music Hall, NAD, Naim, Nakamichi, NHT, Paradigm, Parasound, Pass, Pioneer, Proceed, PS Audio, PSB, Quad, Rega, Revel, Rotel, Rowland, Sonic Frontiers, Sonus Faber, Spendor, Sunfire, Tandberg, Tannoy, Theta, Thiel, Threshold, Totem, Transparent, Vandersteen, Vmps, VPI, VTL, Velodyne. AR, Audio, Audiophile, Amplifier, Amps, Arcam, Acurus, Aragon, Adcom, ADS, Advent, Bose, Boston, Beovox, Bryston, Bedini, B&K, B&0, B&W, Bowers & Wilkins, Celestion, Counterpoint, Canton, Cello, Creek, Cerwin Vega, Dahlquist, Denon, Dcm, Dynaco, Dynaudio, Ess, Spica, Epicure, Ensemble, Electrostatic, Elite, Fisher, Fosgate, Harman kardon, Harbeth, Integra, Infinity, JBL, Jadis, Jolida, Linn, Luxman, KEF, Klipsch, KLH, Krell, Kenwood, Martin Logan, McIntosh, Mirage, Mission, Monitor Audio, Nad, Onkyo, Paradigm, Proac, Sony, Pioneer, Polk-Audio, Preamplifier, Quad, Rogers, Rotel, Rega, Stanton, Speakers, Audio, Stereo, Studio, Vandersteen,, Snell, Spendor, Thorens, Vandersteen, Wharfedale, Yamaha, Speakers, Turntable, M&K, Accuphase, Dali, Wilson Audio, Sonus Faber, Definitive Technology, PSB, NHT, Magnepan, Eminent Technology, Monitor Audio, Vienna Acoustic, Meridian, Behringer, Acoustat, Genesis, Opera, Mirage, Energy, Pinnacle, Musical Fidelity, Sonic Frontiers, Cambridge Audio, Sunfire, Velodyne, SVS, HSU Research, Audio Research, Tannoy, Subwoofer, McCormack, Meadowlark, Conrad Johnson, Parasound, Magneplanar, Audible Illusions, Mark Levinson, Vintage, REL, Revel, Nakamichi, ESS, Emotiva.

EICO HF-81 Stereo Tube Amplifier with All Vintage Tubes, with EL84/6BQ5 in Output. Watch it in operation with music from Pro-Ject turntable on Youtube. All tubes are vintage and all included; some are Mullard etc. I provided some pictures to show the circuitry under the chassis. I plugged it in wall voltage of 120V and the amp worked fine and produced great and balanced music in both channels as shown in the video. Since this amp is very old, it may need services before daily use. At least, the new owner should have some professional to go over it. I did notice the following issues. The fuse holder is bit loose. At times, I had to re-tighten the fuse to power it up. The shaft of TREBLE control pot can be pushed in if you re-install the knobs on it. I inserted a small piece of hard foam behind it (inside the chassis) so it’s fixed, for now. I felt some of the contacts or wirings are not 100% secured. I once pulled out one tube shield and incidentally brushed on something (didn’t know what), causing the left channel silent. That channel recovered by itself a few minutes later. I couldn’t find out the cause. That’s why it’s very good idea to have a professional to service it so you can really enjoy it. Physical condition is really good for the age, much better than many others showed up for sale. The front is beautiful; all knobs are original. Chassis is pretty clean. Meshed cover is good. There may be some screws missing in the bottom plate. Overall, this is a beauty to me. I have other audio equipment, like. Accuphase, Acurus, Adcom, Aragon, Arcam, Audio Research, Audioquest, Ayre, B&K, B&O, Bang Olufson, B&W, Bowers Wilkins, Bryston, California Audio Labs, Cary, Classe, Cambridge, Carver, Conrad Johnson, Creek, Denon, Dynaco, Dynaudio, Goldmund, Infinity, Jadis, JBL, Jolida, JM Lab, Kef, Kimber, Klipsch, Krell, Levinson, Lexicon, Linn, Marantz, Martin Logan, Mccormack, Mcintosh, Meridian, MIT, Musical Fidelity, Music Hall, NAD, Naim, Nakamichi, NHT, Paradigm, Parasound, Pass, Pioneer, Proceed, PS Audio, PSB, Quad, Rega, Revel, Rotel, Rowland, Sonic Frontiers, Sonus Faber, Spendor, Sunfire, Tandberg, Tannoy, Theta, Thiel, Threshold, Totem, Transparent, Vandersteen, Vmps, VPI, VTL, Velodyne. AR, Audio, Audiophile, Amplifier, Amps, Arcam, Acurus, Aragon, Adcom, ADS, Advent, Bose, Boston, Beovox, Bryston, Bedini, B&K, B&0, B&W, Bowers & Wilkins, Celestion, Counterpoint, Canton, Cello, Creek, Cerwin Vega, Dahlquist, Denon, Dcm, Dynaco, Dynaudio, Ess, Spica, Epicure, Ensemble, Electrostatic, Elite, Fisher, Fosgate, Harman kardon, Harbeth, Integra, Infinity, JBL, Jadis, Jolida, Linn, Luxman, KEF, Klipsch, KLH, Krell, Kenwood, Martin Logan, McIntosh, Mirage, Mission, Monitor Audio, Nad, Onkyo, Paradigm, Proac, Sony, Pioneer, Polk-Audio, Preamplifier, Quad, Rogers, Rotel, Rega, Stanton, Speakers, Audio, Stereo, Studio, Vandersteen,, Snell, Spendor, Thorens, Vandersteen, Wharfedale, Yamaha, Speakers, Turntable, M&K, Accuphase, Dali, Wilson Audio, Sonus Faber, Definitive Technology, PSB, NHT, Magnepan, Eminent Technology, Monitor Audio, Vienna Acoustic, Meridian, Behringer, Acoustat, Genesis, Opera, Mirage, Energy, Pinnacle, Musical Fidelity, Sonic Frontiers, Cambridge Audio, Sunfire, Velodyne, SVS, HSU Research, Audio Research, Tannoy, Subwoofer, McCormack, Meadowlark, Conrad Johnson, Parasound, Magneplanar, Audible Illusions, Mark Levinson, Vintage, REL, Revel, Nakamichi, ESS, Emotiva.

Eico HF-81 Stereo tube integrated amplifier. All electrolytic and formed capacitors have been replaced with a mix of Solen, Orange drop and Panasonic capacitors. All front controls have been cleaned and treated with Deoxit products as well. The tubes in the unit have all been tested, Mullard Blackburn EL84 quad that test at 75% life for the output section. The preamp section consists of a mix of (2) Amperex Bugle Boys and Amperex branded globe tubes. Rectifiers are Mullard originals. The Front brass face plate was removed and stripped of the old yellowing clear coat, buffed out and coated with 3 coats of Carnauba wax. The unit underwent a 4 hour bench demonstration running through PSB monitor speakers. At this time all necessary adjustments were completed. A very musically pleasing amp that will definitively please the discerning listener when mated with a moderately efficient pair of speakers. Original owner/ service manual is included with the sale. The outside cabinet does show some signs of age discoloring of the bronze paint, but does not distract from the look of this historical amplifier. The HF-81 fed it all back to me-I heard the synergy, felt the music-just the way a single-ended amp delivers. It was amazing-and to ice the cake, the HF-81 didn’t soften the bass or roll off the top. It was as if I’d taken a Krell, a Spectral, and an Ongaku amp, put them all in that transporter pod in The Fly, then thrown the switch and opened the second pod and, presto -the HF-81. I unconditionally recommend that you find an EICO HF-81, restore it, and hear for yourself what the fuss is all about. This item is in the category “Consumer Electronics\Vintage Electronics\Vintage Audio & Video\Vintage Amplifiers & Tube Amps”. The seller is “cleptomaniac13″ and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Republic of Croatia, Malaysia, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion.

• Brand: EICO
• Type: Tube Amplifier
• Modification Description: Many new parts
• Model: HF 81
• Featured Refinements: Vintage Stereo Amplifier
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Modified Item: Yes

Eico HF-81 Tube Amplifier – Unit 1. In nice shape with a few nicks, light scratches on cover. Amplifier has been serviced. Amplifier works, sounds good. Unit turns on by moving tape button to right. Tubes: mixed USA brands. _gsrx_vers_1433 GS 9.0.4 (1433). This item is in the category “Consumer Electronics\Vintage Electronics\Vintage Audio & Video\Vintage Amplifiers & Tube Amps”. The seller is “discoveredrelics” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States.

• Brand: EICO
• Type: Tube Amplifier
• Model: HF-32
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Unknown