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In Reply to: Dynaco Stereo 70 and PAS-3 Combo - Better Than I Thought Possible... posted by crooner on August 31, 2004 at 18:06:52:
Sometimes it happens. I found a Dyna SCA35 at Goodwill for $7. Figured I'd just toss it into the collection in the basement and I had if for many years before I ever listened to it. When I did try it I wondered if I should sell my Mac 225 & C-22 and run but I sold the SCA35 instead. I had a new Stereo 70,PAS-3X and FM-3 around 1970. I enjoyed them for 5 years before I decided to "upgrade" and that upgrade lasted so many years that I should have never thrown the Dyna stuff away. Yup, threw it away! Back in the early 90's a Stereo 70 was worth around $50 so I figured the Dyna stuff would never be worth much so why save it all. I never thought that the Stereo 70 was that great with bass but I always did feel that the mids and treble were good. I acquired another Stereo 70 from a friend a couple of years ago. I rebuilt it and gave it a try. Not hearing one for so long I was surprised at how good the mids and highs sounded but again I didn't feel that the bass was that great. I do like it better than my Dyna Mark 3's but not better than my MC-225. The MC-275 is very collectable but I've seen more references to it not being a good sounding amp than references to it being a good sounding amp. If you like the Stereo 70 then you may love the 225 or a pair MC30's?
Follow Ups:
So I tried a Fisher 500C receiver earlier this year.
I restored it myself with a lot of help from this forum. I bought a quad of strong 7591As and listened...I was not impressed. It seemed to lack power. The amplifier section was running out of steam even at moderate levels. I measured output tube current in the amp itself and it was fine.
The idea was to step up to a MC225 if I liked the sound. I ended up selling the Fisher. I then considered a Marantz 8B or Dyna Stereo 70. So far the Dyna wins, so much bang for the buck!
regards,
crooner
MY experience with a 500C and a friends 500C was the same. Both sounded kind of laid back and boring. We both also have Scott 299's. I have the C and he has the D. Hands down we both thought the Scotts sounded better. All had been overhauled so we weren't comparing a bunch of "broken" equipment. Lots of people swear by the 500C but to me the 400 sounds better. So the morel of the story is, don't totally discount a 7591 based amp based on your experience with the 500C. The bang for the buck is true in regards to the Stereo 70. It took me more years than I'd like to think about to assemble a system that pleases me everytime I use it so hang in there. If you do get the Dyna mod bug, just remember that there might be something out there that sounds better to you with NO mods.
I tried a few different valves in a concertina front end amp, and the 7591 sounded best, no doubt because it was the easiest to drive with my modest front end (6J5G DC into 12B4 cncertina). I also tried to bring back happy memories of my old McIntosh amp long gone. I wouldn't say the 7591 was bland. It was hopeless in triode, but very good in UL even with no global feedback. Circuits I've seen usually drive it in pentode with fixed bias - I haven't seen a UL cathode biased circuit, but IMHO it's worth trying that. I don't get big power, but the sound is very detailed and voices are particularly airy and natural. Drawback is a slight stridency (?lack of feedback). It's not bland, for sure.
I agree with your sentiments re the Stereo 70 and PAS combo. The bass, while not in Krell territory for obvious reasons :-) still it's quite satisfying. I seldom play pipe organ recordings so extension is not really an issue. It does have the "punch" necessary for good jazz music reproduction and pretty much all rock/pop.My room is rather small, so mileage may vary. For a small setup such as mine, the Stereo 70 fits the bill quite nicely.
And then there's that magical midrange. The most dramatic difference between the Dynaco and the Creek is the palpability of the midrange. Strings specially guitar picks sound incredibly real. I have even detected small guitar player mistakes on many familiar recordings. Violins are also portrayed very convincingly. The human voice of course has that reach-out-and-touch quality that's a hallmark of a good tube amp.
As for the MC225 and MC30 pair, I hope to be able to listen to those someday. My first tube amp was actually a MC30. But I only had a single amp and never found a suitable pair (this was pre eBay).
The MC275 is indeed impressive. It performs incredibly well on paper. But yes, it seems that subjetively it is not that great sonically. Mine was always a tad hard in the mids. But still, I have quite fond memories of it. The amp, BTW, "dissapeared" when being sent over here by Fedex. I guess some corrupt employee liked the shiny chrome!
I've just finished listening to 3 straight hours on my new setup and I definitely like what I hear. The dyna combo is a keeper.
Regards,
crooner
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