akai am-2950 integrated amplifier

[radioactive]

just picked up one of these last weekend and thought i'd share it with everyone.they seem to be a rare beast espcially the black faced version.the amp features a 5 band tone control circuit,cartridge loading switch on the back,different levels of muting ,plus some features not found on amps since the late 50's such as stereo reverse and hi-low filter selection.the amp itself is rated @120w/ch.the only thing wrong with this one is a burned out bulb for the meters and i might change that over to a green led to match the color of my sansui ba 3000 meters.i've been listening to it for a week now and it seems to be a bit on the bright side to my ears compared to my technics su8600 .i bought this with intentions of flipping it but being a integrated amp lover as well as rare gear i think i'll be keeping it.theres is only one problem i'm going to have and that is finding the matching totl at 2650 tuner in black:sigh:

anyways here are some qucik pictures i took today ,and before any one comments yes the inside is a bit dusty.:yes:

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Wow, that thing looks like a high-current beast! But it still looks like a home audio amp rather than a pro audio offering (I that a big, toroidal transformer??). Nice find. Looks very-well-made. Probably a great amp for the Yamaha crowd (Are you saying it's brighter than your Sansui?).

My 2000x has reverse-stereo and low and high-filter buttons. Actually they're extremely-helpful, particularly the low-filter.

 

[BrocLuno]

I like it - excellent find

 

[radioactive]

gangtwanger, i was saying its brighter than my technics su8600.


brocluno, thanks for the comment.

 

[jhoyt]

That's a great find! I recently brought an AM-2800 (silver) back to life, and I'm enjoying the daylights out of it. Mine has some of the same features, such as different muting levels, -15dB and -30dB. This is REALLY useful for me, as if I want to listen at low levels (like right now), I switch in -15dB, then I have very precise control over low-level volume. Yours has two extra tone controls, one extra set of speaker outputs, and pre-in/out jacks. That's what I miss in mine--the ability to separate the preamp and power amp. I may decide to put mine under the knife and add those jacks, as it can be done pretty easily.

My amp seems very well-built, and well engineered. I can only imagine yours is as well! It should make a VERY good performer for you.

 

[radioactive]

theres one feature that the 2800 has that the 2950 doesnt have the meter switch to select the power that shows when playing .since my listening is usally below 1 watt the needles barely move and having the ability to do this would of been nice.i guess they crammed enough into the 2950 that they felt it wasnt needed:sigh:

 

[Tube Sound]

Picking up radioactive's old thread just to post a couple pics of the silver faced version. Recently picked it up and am pretty stunned at the good looks. Fine sounding, ta boot.

TS

 

[orsen]

i wouldnt pass one up
i have the 2800 and matching tuner in black

 

[dcreek]

Tube sound; Excellent score!
Listening to a friends 2950 coupled with a pair of altec lansing 9 (ii)s woke me up to the realization that I had to upgrade my own system components.
Some serious muscle with that amp! And great looks too! (Not to overlook sublime sound).

 

[Tube Sound]

Thanks orsen, ra and dcreek for the likes. Hey dcreek, we're neighbors. When I got back into audio 10 years ago, my first integrated was a very nice, thrift shop found AM-2800. Long gone and now happy to have found this. You don't see them everyday.

 

[radioactive]

Tube sound; Excellent score!
Listening to a friends 2950 coupled with a pair of altec lansing 9 (ii)s woke me up to the realization that I had to upgrade my own system components.
I had mine hooked up to a pair of altec 19's at one point in time.
Some serious muscle with that amp! And great looks too! (Not to overlook sublime sound).

 

[radioactive]

Thanks orsen, ra and dcreek for the likes. Hey dcreek, we're neighbors. When I got back into audio 10 years ago, my first integrated was a very nice, thrift shop found AM-2800. Long gone and now happy to have found this. You don't see them everyday.

Now get the matching tuner. . I usually work backwards and land up buying a tuner first and if I like it I search out the matching amps or integrateds to go with the tuner. I love my matched gear and that's how I did things back when I first started my foray into audio gear and collecting. Sadly though I no longer have all the gear I use to have as I had to thin the heard but still have enough to last me a lifetime. I I can find a picture of my basement from years ago I'll post it. In the meantime enjoy that akai.