yolakim
18-10-2020, 16:07
I bought this amplifier last November from the late Clive Groom, formerly of this forum. It was lovely to visit Clive to pick up the amplifier and he was kind enough to let me hear it in his fabulous system.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/cc7d4fc1ae5b84ef195a3fba2e73fab1.jpg
Anyway, I liked the Radford so much, I very quickly bought a STA25 as I thought my speakers might benefit from a little extra power. They do, so this is now for sale.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/7438d5b4ada1df690d8e1e1d2f183c56.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/780b6fdd083dfb670c7f08e33e65b268.jpg
Clive had the amp serviced and updated by David Coe (AD Audio) and I have details of the work done – I got David to do much the same to my STA25. From Clive’s original listing:
“The amp had a major restoration in 2018, with a comprehensive recap, upgraded coupling capacitors to Mundorf ZN Film/Foil type, replacement silver plated Audio Note speaker binding posts, new stainless steel valve runners with sockets supplied by Radford Revival and the output impedance selector switches replaced with variable input potentiometers. Thus the output impedance is fixed at 8 ohms at present but this can be easily changed by a technician to 16 or 4 ohms as required, but instead, you have a separate volume control for each channel.”
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/ba4c0aa5baa98542cd22b20b54ec6bbe.jpg
The captive mains lead has a male IEC plug fitted, so you can use your normal equipment mains cables. The original transformer cover was showing its age, so I purchased a replacement from Radford Revival. Despite its 50+ years and a few scrapes on the main chassis, the amp looks great. And sounds even better!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/7b56de72188708682d9c51771b93bcbb.jpg
The amp is currently fitted with JJ EL34s, Svetlana and GE signal valves and a Mullard/Zaerix GZ34 Rectifier, but will also come with a 5 x modern Svetlana Winged C EL34s. It’s playing Billie Holiday as I type this and sounds great.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/8ea27d2133f2afe3969c9125e1f3ec80.jpg
I should be able to set the amp up in my little system at work, so any buyer can listen to it running in a socially distanced, COVID-19 Secure setting! The office is near Warwick, M40 J15.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/d5dd6b4cab3c83a6b6bab4f8191bd5ac.jpg
I love how these amps sound, how they look and that it’s older than me (a little!). I paid £1,500 for the amplifier and would like the same. I think that’s fair considering the new transformer cover and extra EL34s.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/9a3d7ab3328c03af821eba9cd72a4eb4.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/5ae98f140414dae696d21227e6ad2edd.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/cc7d4fc1ae5b84ef195a3fba2e73fab1.jpg
Anyway, I liked the Radford so much, I very quickly bought a STA25 as I thought my speakers might benefit from a little extra power. They do, so this is now for sale.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/7438d5b4ada1df690d8e1e1d2f183c56.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/780b6fdd083dfb670c7f08e33e65b268.jpg
Clive had the amp serviced and updated by David Coe (AD Audio) and I have details of the work done – I got David to do much the same to my STA25. From Clive’s original listing:
“The amp had a major restoration in 2018, with a comprehensive recap, upgraded coupling capacitors to Mundorf ZN Film/Foil type, replacement silver plated Audio Note speaker binding posts, new stainless steel valve runners with sockets supplied by Radford Revival and the output impedance selector switches replaced with variable input potentiometers. Thus the output impedance is fixed at 8 ohms at present but this can be easily changed by a technician to 16 or 4 ohms as required, but instead, you have a separate volume control for each channel.”
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/ba4c0aa5baa98542cd22b20b54ec6bbe.jpg
The captive mains lead has a male IEC plug fitted, so you can use your normal equipment mains cables. The original transformer cover was showing its age, so I purchased a replacement from Radford Revival. Despite its 50+ years and a few scrapes on the main chassis, the amp looks great. And sounds even better!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/7b56de72188708682d9c51771b93bcbb.jpg
The amp is currently fitted with JJ EL34s, Svetlana and GE signal valves and a Mullard/Zaerix GZ34 Rectifier, but will also come with a 5 x modern Svetlana Winged C EL34s. It’s playing Billie Holiday as I type this and sounds great.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/8ea27d2133f2afe3969c9125e1f3ec80.jpg
I should be able to set the amp up in my little system at work, so any buyer can listen to it running in a socially distanced, COVID-19 Secure setting! The office is near Warwick, M40 J15.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/d5dd6b4cab3c83a6b6bab4f8191bd5ac.jpg
I love how these amps sound, how they look and that it’s older than me (a little!). I paid £1,500 for the amplifier and would like the same. I think that’s fair considering the new transformer cover and extra EL34s.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/9a3d7ab3328c03af821eba9cd72a4eb4.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201018/5ae98f140414dae696d21227e6ad2edd.jpg