Hi everyone,

I have a vintage Hamlin amplifier and tuner, both in great condition, and both in good working condition. Does anyone know what price range these would/should sale for? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Deanoman1

That's not a commonly seen brand, we would need to see photos and have model numbers in order to identify.

I've never heard of that name. Photos would really help.

Is it these? http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/clt/4739564425.html

60's Japanese imports? I'd place the value of the tube multiplex tuner at less than $20, since those are not in demand, and the amp might go for $50 to $100.

Off brands usually don't have much demand or value compared to the good stuff like Fisher, Dynaco, Mac. I had a similar amp with a different brand name on it and dragged it around to the radio shows for years, ended up selling for $40 a year or so ago.

Wow, $650 OBO, awfully high expectations there. Maybe more like $150. Certainly not in the class of McIntosh, Marantz, Scott, or Fisher. More like the cheap little economy line.

IF those actually are the same ones from the CL posting, looks like a pair of EL84s per channel from the back.

Could be worth a few bucks to the right person, looks like they were made by Trio (Kenwood)

http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=265011595

Dave

Wow, who would have thunk....

Whoever wrote that article, has a good line of bull****, even though he doesn't know what he is talking about.

One channel has a bad output transistor, even though it is a tube amp. He may have meant output transformer, but that makes the amp almost worthless, since replacing the transformer with a non-original transformer would negate any value that it might have as a curiosity.

A 20-20 amp with PP EL84s, give me a break. At what distortion level, and what frequency range.

I collect vintage amps, but would pass on this one at $50. The only thing it has going for it is its non-standard appearance, but I have seen US Amps of a similar style that would only bring half, or less, than the asking price on this one.

And if you wanted it to play properly, you would need to replace BOTH of them. But I haven't seen a schematic and its in the time period where there well may be solid-state devices in it, meaning that the listing could be accurate. Although you are probably right.




20 watts is also remotely possible. There are a bunch of EL-84 guitar amps that are legitimately capable of 20-25 watts, but as you note, lots of distortion. Just like another recent thread about a 7591 amp, EL84s were also routinely thrashed within an inch of the lives back in this era. And this is before IHF came along, so you don't know the conditions or how long it put out 20w. I suspect it's just manufacturer's fluff and if you measure it, would would get something more like 12.

A good change for the "on the edge" EL84 amp is a 7189. You won't get any more power but it will last a lot longer.

Brett

I just ran across this forum when a friend forwarded it to me. To be clear, I am not a sound system expert by any means.
My uncle Philip Hamlin was one of the first, if not the first, people to import stereo components from Japan. I believe he started doing it in the 1950's, and he may have laid the groundwork in the 1940's. The components were of high quality for the time, and they were professional grade. His company, Hamlin International, supplied all of the descramblers that were mounted on top of TV's in the old days, and that's how he made his fortune.
We had one of his systems in our family in the early 60's, and it consisted of an amp, tuner, manual turntable with strobe adjustment, and speakers. Uncle Philip claimed that it could be turned up to the highest volume setting and there would be no distortion. He was right, as our neighbor came in the house one day to complain when I turned it up to test my uncle's theory. The speakers had multiple cones and tweeters, and we never blew one out.
The systems were very expensive in their day, and only the affluent could afford them. They came in a teak housing, and were very attractive at the time. When my parents passed away in 2007, my uncle Philip asked if we would give him the speakers from the set. I wish now that I had kept them.

The only thing I have left from the system is a set of auxiliary speakers. They are in my garage shop, and they have the "Hamlin" logo on them.
Thanks.
Ned Hamlin
Sun Valley, ID