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Apt Holman/Hafler vs Vintage Integrated and Receivers

Well I thought I would update my original thread with my latest info.

So I found an APT Holman pre-amp this summer which I have had re-capped and upgraded with better opamps and a upgraded mute relay.

Currently I have it playing with my re-capped Chord SPM-800 amp, the sound is very good.

I also have the option to connect it to my APT Power amp 1 or a pair of bridged NAD 2700 THX amps. These other amps haven’t been re-capped and serviced yet so I can’t say which combo sounds best. Someday in the future I might be able to provide my best combo with the APT Holman pre-amp. There might be a chance to test the APT Holman pre-amp with a Bryston 4B sst2 if the planets align correctly.

I think I am beyond looking for a Hafler DH-220 to pair the APT Holman pre-amp with as I believe the amps I have and will have are already at a higher Level.
 
I am currently running my APT Holman preamp with a Curcio moded Dynaco ST-70, and absolutely love the sound using Dynaco A-25s or JBL 4312s. I too am on the hunt for a bigger Hafler amp, as APT power amps are much harder to find.
 
Power amps sound pretty much the same if well made, it's what signal you feed them and if they can run without running out of power on transients/dynamic peaks at very high listening volumes. The APT is a fantastic preamp, Hafler amps I have owned never survived extended high output listening sessions, never had luck with them but I am sure they are good amps for most listeners, they still seem like popular and affordable choices
 
Quite happy with a new to me APT Holman preamp. All controls and switches needed a good cleaning, relay contacts cleaned and very lightly sanded (2000 grit), no problems. Great loading options for MM carts, dual amplifier outputs, processor in/out switch plus a unique stereo mode which is helpful when listening to duophonic records. Found it at a yard sale of all places!
 
Northwinds said:
Power amps sound pretty much the same if well made, it's what signal you feed them and if they can run without running out of power on transients/dynamic peaks at very high listening volumes. The APT is a fantastic preamp, Hafler amps I have owned never survived extended high output listening sessions, never had luck with them but I am sure they are good amps for most listeners, they still seem like popular and affordable choices
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Strange to hear that because typically one of the key things that stands out with Haflers is being bullet proof and stable at 2 and 1 ohm loads..

They are great sounding and infinitely rebuildable amps with many upgrades available.
 
I am a fan of vintage receivers and tend to buy only those with pre-out/main in so I have the classic look only a vintage receiver offers plus I have the option of using only the amplifier section. Current setup is APT Holman, Technics 12 band eq, 2 turntables with the amp section of a modified/restored Sansui 2000a powering restored/modified Altec model 15's. About 30 wpc. Pretty happy with that combo.
 
100% do the same @jqp Try to always get pre-outs so I can always have a hide away amp with some extra oomph if needed but still get the good looks.
 
So it seems like this thread is still running along, so rather than start a new thread I will ask my question to the Ak members here. Has anyone been fortunate enough to own a APT Holman preamp and a Nakamichi CA-5 or CA-7 preamp?

I have my APT Holman which has been recapped and it has had the opamps upgraded as well so it sounds great, but I've never heard or owned a Nakamichi pre-amp so I wonder if they are considered to be an worthwhile upgrade compared to the APT Holman?

Can anyone offer any recommendations, specifically on the CA-5?
 
Dony said:
So it seems like this thread is still running along, so rather than start a new thread I will ask my question to the Ak members here. Has anyone been fortunate enough to own a APT Holman preamp and a Nakamichi CA-5 or CA-7 preamp?

I have my APT Holman which has been recapped and it has had the opamps upgraded as well so it sounds great, but I've never heard or owned a Nakamichi pre-amp so I wonder if they are considered to be an worthwhile upgrade compared to the APT Holman?

Can anyone offer any recommendations, specifically on the CA-5?
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Is there anyone that can offer a comparison of the APT Holman to a Nakamichi pre-amp?
 
Dony said:
Is there anyone that can offer a comparison of the APT Holman to a Nakamichi pre-amp?
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I can not offer a comparo of the APT to the Nak but I wouldn't expect a night & day difference.
They are both quality pieces & I'd expect any differences to be subtle & more differences in flavor than out right superiority.
But, I'd also be interested to hear from someone who has done a comparison.
 
Bob in WI said:
I can not offer a comparo of the APT to the Nak but I wouldn't expect a night & day difference.
They are both quality pieces & I'd expect any differences to be subtle & more differences in flavor than out right superiority.
But, I'd also be interested to hear from someone who has done a comparison.
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Hi Bob, thanks for your reply on the comparison. I personally think that the APT Holman should be able to hold it's own against the Nak, but as you have mentioned I would really like to hear from anyone that has owned both so they can provide their feedback. I would suspect that the Nak would probably need a service and possibly a recap by now due to it's age in order for the A/B comparison to be fair.

I'm trying to decide whether I should get the Nak as a backup pre-amp to my APT Holman. Currently I already have a NAD 1700 that has been serviced and recapped being held as a backup to my APT Holman, just not sure if the NAK should be considered instead of the NAD.
 
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Not a pretty pic. Found the Pre in November for $7, and $15 for the Power in February. Highly unusual at this point in thrifts. Both units were found at two different thrifts a few miles apart. Nice sounding. Price was right.......

001.JPG
 
Was faced with a similar decision recently and went the opposite direction (Hafler DH-110). Though I bought a REALLY ugly one :rflmao:. Honestly I think you made the right choice with the Apt Holman pre. I like my DH-110 paired with HD-160, and DH-200. But it can be quirky (already bypassed the muting circuit). I have a second one ordered to steal parts from and a DH-220 on the bench waiting for restoration.

I will say I am impressed by the performance of both the DH-200 and DH-220. The XL-280 is another I was considering. I've used a variety of pre-amps on the DH-200 (The DH-110, Fosi ZP3 and a NAD), and it's handled them all just fine with my speakers. Though as others have mentioned YMMV on the power amp. So far I've been happy with mine. Really a lot of it depends on what speakers you're driving IMHO.
 
I was fortunate enough to score an APT Holman preamplifier from Northwinds (Thanks Ron!) and it pairs very nicely with another Hafler design, the ST-70. I recently upgraded all capacitors, replaced all 2SC1345 transistors with KSC1845FTA, replaced the relay, and replaced the twelve original TL072C opamps with TLE2072's and sockets. Sounds very nice and probably a keeper.

APT Holman (as left) (33).JPG
 
Have owned both of these preamps. It was so long ago that I really can't make an A vs. B comparison.
The Apt is extremely bandwidth limited and has a high impedance power supply.
If you improve those two issues, the Apt can really come to life.
 
This might interest some folks here...

GKTAUDIO

Post in thread 'APTICON - Audio Technical Conference Featuring Tomlinson Holman, June 6-7, 2026, Burbank, CA/Online'

Someone just asked me; what is Apt Corporation, and who is Tomlinson Holman.

Well, a quick online search would have answered that, but to get him started, I pointed him here:
sound.krotosaudio.com

Tomlinson Holman Interview | Life, Career, and the Future of Sound

Tomlinson Holman, film theorist, audio engineer, and inventor of Lucasfilm THX sound system, takes us on a journey through his life...
sound.krotosaudio.com sound.krotosaudio.com
dghistory.org

Tomlinson Holman - Downers Grove Historical Society

Early Life and Education Tomlinson Holman is known the world over as an American film theorist, audio engineer, and inventor of film technologies, notably the THX sound system. Holman also […]
dghistory.org

And Tom didn't hang it up with past achievements. Here are some of his patents within just the last few years:
 
I've seen photos of a physical example of the Model 2 preamp, but never a later model amplifier. Not sure it was ever produced before Apt Corp. closed down. Tom has mentioned the planning back then for the amp, using an "intelligent" SMPS.
 
PabloTincho said:
Any info about the APT model 2 amplifier ?
200 watts
Also they had a press release about a tuner too and pro amps
See pdf
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I have never seen one. Not sure it was ever produced. I used to have 18 Apt 1 power amps. Was quite the Apt follower for a while. The Apt power amps were great for more efficient speakers. I eventually sold them off and ran everything with a pair of Threshold S500s.

If you have the Apt preamp, it was severely bandwidth limited in an attempt to filter RF noise coming in on the inputs.
 
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