Stromberg Carlson ASR-433?

[jgsulliv]

I just saw a Stromberg Carlson ASR-433 on fleabay for $245 with free shipping.
Claims examined by tech, minor repairs done, free shipping. I'm a newbie looking to get my toe in the tube waters,,, is it a good place to start, worth it?

 

[drknstrmyknight]

It's a very nice sounding amp, easy to work on and uses easily available 12AX7 preamp tubes and 6bq5 power tubes. It has a decent phono section. There's plenty in info here and around the net on the amp, it's a well understood item. With free shipping, if the stated condition is true and the cosmetics are decent, it's a bargain. If you're just getting into tubes, remember that a PP 6bq5 outputs about 12-15 WPC, so you'll need appropriately efficient speakers.

 

[toxcrusadr]

I would be asking about exactly what repairs were done. It's very possible a capacitor or two crapped out, and someone replaced just the bad one(s). If so it is likely going to need a complete recap in the future. Not to sound discouraging, it's just the way things are with old tube gear.

 

[jgsulliv]

Good points regarding a complete recap and efficient speakers needed for the 12 WPC output. Thanks for your replies!

 

[jgsulliv]

Good points regarding a complete recap and efficient speakers needed for the 12 WPC output. Thanks for your replies!