No affiliation. I want a pair of these. Gone would be the worries of speaker efficiency - although power management (in and out) would be a new issue to manage. It looks like Surplus Sales of Nebraska is selling one.

Westinghouse type FG-10 Audio Amplifier - 10 kw. Accepts 600 ohm input signal, 10 mW maximum and produces 10 kw output at impedances from 1.6 ohms up. Frequency response 30 - 10,000 Hz @ ±1.5%. Total harmonic distortion less than 5%. Reduced output available below 30 Hz and up to 20,000 Hz. Multiple tapped output transformer allows a wide range of output impedances.

Uses a McIntosh K-1071, 200 watt amplifier as a driver, feeding four (4) WL-5736 triodes with plate dissipation of 2500 watts per tube and maximum DC input power of 4200 watts.

Useful for driving vibration testing equipment or other industrial applications. Single channel, not stereo.

Another feature of this unit is that it only requires 23 square feet of floor space in a 82-1/2" tall cabinet. Condition of unit is excellent. Probably never used, but 60 years of dust. Manufactured in 1953. Weighs 2,500 lbs. Manual is included. Sold as-is. No warranty expressed or implied.

• Input power: 230 or 460 vac, 3 phase @ 50 Hz or 60 Hz
• Dimensions: 34" x 44" x 82-1/2"H


http://www.surplussales.com/Microphones-Audio/MicroAudio-7.html
Check the PDF for this monster!



So, what speaker would you pair up with this?

1953 vintage?

It's a lead-pipe cinch that anyone would have the absolute devil of a job (and a nightmare of a bill!) in reconditioning it. The recapping job alone would be horrific.

It might be interesting to know, however, just who does buy this unit (and it might be even more interesting to know what happens to them afterward, and maybe where to send flowers ). I expect, however, that it'll be sold to someone with salvage on his mind.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see something like this going for twenty-five grand, instead of some cutesy-poo little "boutique amp" with all the Trendy Wendy gimmicks, and not enough moxie to blow the cap off a beer bottle.

Phew!

Larry

It would be a shame to see it scrapped, but it sure would be a stretch to find a practical use. Running 3-phase power to the man cave, and to your point - recapping, etc. I was visualizing an RCA jack retro-fitted to the front panel and screw terminals on the back for speakers...

But just the thought of it using a McIntosh 200 watt amplifier as a driver!

It could find a practical use in a large stadium or coliseum, perhaps.

The Mac part of it would definitely be worth salving en bloc and restoring. Since it's being used as a driver for those transmitting-type output tubes, however, it won't have an output transformer meant for use with speakers. It'll have an interstage (modulation) transformer instead. That would mean some work for anyone who wanted to use it as a straight audio amp.

Larry

Some Mac's had 500 ohm tps which would work for driving the output stage .

Crown had a 10,000 watt unit in the line from years.

"Single channel, not stereo". Well, that's a deal-breaker for me!

Though, I wonder how a superb (mono) recording of the "1812 Overture" would sound through this in a small stadium, or even smaller "man-cave"?

It is meant to drive a "Shaker Table" or something similar. No, that is not a table built by Shakers, although there is such a thing.
Shaker tables, shake tables or vibration tables are used to test designs for such things as Earthquake resistance. The Frequency response and Distortion figures are hardly high fidelity. Probably OK for a Guitar Amp. It says that it has a multi-tapped output transformer, and is suited for impedances from 1.6 ohms up.

I think that one of the major shipping companies uses these to make sure that nothing arrives in one piece.

speakers. thats funny. what would the cone be made of. steel ?
one note 10K dollars second one half price

You could use it to drive 10,000 4" AA5 speakers in a series/parallel arrangement reminiscent of the old 'Sweet Sixteen' arrangement.
arrangement.

Sure thing, Larry. Build a massive vertical linear motor up the center of the stadium and tie it to a great big ol' tarp stretched across the stadium roofline. Should enrage elephants and put "the fear" into dogs over the whole darned tri-state area!

I think we both realize that I was suggesting using this unit as a PA driver....

But perhaps it couldn't be very useful after all, at least in the pro and larger collegiate venues, where ten thousand watts is rather small for sound systems these days....

L

Stuff's moving to class G, or whatever it is, where it's PWM and they switch between different-level power supply rails to cut power losses even more. I think that you Big Bertha series are very righteous indeed.
My buddy used to tell stories of putting the massive shaker table at .5Khz (?) and getting strange looks from the young lasses at work. I stayed away from him as much as possible. He was weird. I apologize if that was too much information.

made my night.

Would make a massive 120 Vac variable frequency supply

Mox nix.



L

That unit looks like it was derived from a Class B modulator used with the line of AM transmitters Westinghouse had at the time. The 50-kW Westinghouse transmitter I used to operate had a 100-kW Class B modulator, essentially a 100-kW audio amplifier!

-David

I love the 1.6 ohm output impedance, This would solve the debate that goes : which is better
70 volt, thinner wires or direct, heavier wires.

We don't need no stinking fuses in our bins ! If a driver shorts out this sucker will simply melt
the wires at the jack and let the show go on.

Oh man, just imagine what you could do to the evil dudes living across the alley who play awful music at 130dB at 3:00 a.m. night after night.

Hook that baby up to a bank of piezoelectric tweeters, you know, the ones that produce scary harmonics. Aim that bank of tweeters across the alley, and every night about 2:00 a.m. crank it up to the full 10kW. Put in a nice squarewave at 8kHz or so. Because of HF beaminess, you won't hear a thing, but it won't be long before the evil dudes across the alley begin to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Fred
finally surrendering to the dark side
owner
Classic Audio Repair

"What a whirled, what a whirled.. Ahhhhhhhhhhh" - Poof!
Mount them in a parabolic array. A pyrotechnician whom I know does that with large salutes. Ding-dong, a-bomb calling!