Up for sale is a Roberts / AKAI A-901 Pre Vintage Reference Stereo Amplifier & 90-C Reel Recorder with Speaker. This listing includes an Roberts 90-C Tube Reel to Reel Recorder, a Roberts A-901 Stereo Tube Amplifier, and a Roberts speaker. The reel to reel player plays, fast forwards, and rewinds great. I haven’t run a tape in it though. The amplifier pushes good sound and power when connecting an input and outputting to the portable speaker. The speaker inside of the amplifier itself does not pit out any sound for some reason. It could be a tube. All of the tubes seem to light up except for one. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
For sale is a pair of working and restored Manley Reference 150 amplifiers. When I say restored, I mean restored, not just checked. With the amps, I have the original stainless steel covers (pictured) as well as the original boxes in solid shape included. Below is a list of what was done to these amplifiers. Replaced nearly all electrolytic capacitors including all four filter caps (there are one or two non-critical capacitors in each amplifier I didn’t replace because I could not find suitable replacements in stock). My work was far cleaner than the original work done by the factory. Disassembled and cleaned both units, cleaned up boards. Checked all resistors (they’re nearly all wirewound so no issues or need to replace). Touched up all solder joints I could reach. Cleaned and tightened all tube socket pins. Checked remaining film capacitors that were not replaced. Installed eight KT90s (four are not pictured but will be included). I did my best here to make these reliable and every part used was the best available. In other words, I didn’t fret over a couple dollars in different on a particular part. I bought what fit properly from only the large, reputable companies. Everything replaced in these amplifiers was bought from Mouser. There are a few outstanding issues you may wish to take care of. One unit is missing the LED bulb. This would be as simple as calling Manley and finding out what they used. I broke the lead off during the course of restoring so all wiring is where it is supposed to be, the bulb just needs to be soldered in. These units are known for having power switches fail. I will include one or two (depending on what I have) of appropriate nearly identical power rockers. One pair of binding posts is bent. Could be easily straightened if you had some kind of wedge or ability to lever the two binding posts apart from each other. For what it’s worth, I’ve gently cleaned both sets considering they are silver plated. There are screws missing from the bottom covers. Cosmetically, these amplifiers are in good condition, they’re not perfect, and they probably never were given this is very early VTL/Manley equipment (before the split). There are subtle differences between the two amplifiers. You may notice some screws missing from the chassis of one of the amplifiers. They were simply cosmetic (to cover the holes) and were removed when I opened that amplifier up. They’ll be included. Faceplates are nice, but so have some small nicks, nothing too eye catching. Functionally, these are lovely sounding amplifiers. I did not bias them to the bleeding edge and I suggest you don’t either, but if you do plan on doing so, the adjustment is very easy if you use the adjustment sockets. The spec value is printed on the circuit board. Please ask any questions you may have. I think the price is fair considering the time and effort it took to restore these amplifiers. I replaced >35 capacitors and probably redid 100+ solder joints along with all the proper checks. The parts I used are far higher quality than the originals which should mean years of trouble free service if the amps are used sensibly. Terms (Please read these). Please message me if you have any gear for sale but don’t want to deal with listing. I live in Central California and travel to LA as well as the bay area often! You do not need to live near me. This rules comes from dealing with an individual who offered an attractive trade if I delivered the speakers to him. This ended up being a tremendous waste of time. I sell mostly vintage electronics. As such, these items are old and typically out of spec from when they were new. I do my best to test these items and make sure they work before they’re sent out, but I do not guarantee or represent that they will meet the original specifications. I may not even be able to test them, in which case assume that they don’t work. However, there are times where I may miss something. If that happens, I hope that you would agree that the most efficient way to take care of an issue is if you simply message me before opening a case or doing anything else. I need an outlet for these items online, so I have no reason to send you something that doesn’t work unless I’ve noted that it doesn’t. I pack items correctly. I know what it takes to get an item to you safely. You will NOT have to ask for it. I will do my best to get items out within a few days, however there are instances where that is not possible especially around holidays. The policies here are difficult in this regard because these vintage items in particular need to be moved and packed carefully. I do not want to damage anything by rushing. With this all being said, if there is any reason that you don’t feel that you can leave FIVE stars in every category, please reach out to me before leaving any feedback other than positive with all five stars in every category. Please message me to work this o.
