Rare amplifiers

How long ago pp?

Like this?

Bigger pic.

Nope. The one I saw was slimmer and had no lights on it, apart from the power 'on'.

It's possible the amp you are referring to dated from the Wharfedale, Rank, Rotel era. Rank bought out Wharfedale and imported Rotel electronics to partner their speakers.

Rotel have always been- and still are - an independent and family owned company based in Japan, but they had a long partnership with Rank who were their UK importer/distributor. This is why Wharfedale and Rotel gear invariably got sold together.  (A similar set-up exists now, whereby B&W in Worthing import and distribute Rotel in the UK.)

In the early days of the Rank/Rotel partnership a lot of 'Rank' amplifiers were actually made by Rotel.

It is possible that some were badged as Wharfedale too. (Although I have not heard of this.)

So (echoing 'visionary' earlier) how long ago was this?

I'd say between 1985-87. Yes, my old E20s are Rank speakers.

I'd agree with chebby.  There were many variations of Rank and Rotel, often quite plain.

I think I can picture in my mind a very low profile amp with angled wood at the front (not Armstrong 621) badged Wharfedale, but then I came over all shivery when I imagined sliders for volume, balance and 'tone'.  Maybe it was a Teleton!  No, Amstrad, that's it!

I thought I was the only person left in the world who'd heard of Teleton! Did you ever hear one?....My first amp was a GA 203 in about 1977.

Was it the "Wharfedale Linton" amplifier of circa 1975?

Wooden case, silver facia split into thirds width wise.  It had four rotary controls and rectangular push buttons to select input source.  There is a mention of it in Gramaphone magazine here: http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%201972/132/758797

Yes, but long before then, must have been 1971, when Laskys sold the one I was recalling with BSR MP60 or Garrard SP25 turntables, Goldring G800 cartridges, and Wharefdale Denton (was that it?) speakers.  I'm thinking of the amps with a ledge containing sliders, but yours would have been one of the last, looking more conventional.  Comet used to sell them too, I think.  

By '73 I was choosing a PL-12D, which was a much better TT, and amps like the Sansui AU-101 and NAD 3020 were appearing IIRC.

My dad has a rare amp in his loft I'd love to find more about.

It's an integrated, branded as 'Goodwood', but with no model number or anything else to identify it.  He acquired it from a singer in a local band in about 1974, in exchange for an AKG microphone.

It has rotary knobs for balance, bass, treble, volume and source, plus toggle-switches for power, loudness, mono and 'tepe mon' (tape).  Something which dates it that I haven't seen on any other amp, it has an input market 'X-Tal', presumably for a crystal/ceramic cartridge, as well as one for MM.

I have never seen another example of this amp and I can't find anything about the brand on the net.  He acquired it with a pair of floorstanding Wren speakers, which also officially 'do not exist' (ie I can't find anything about them on the net either).  But they were p/ex'd a long time ago.

I,ve got one of those amps, Wharfedale S-990 (2 x 50 Watts), which was part of a Wharedale seperates system S-991, I bought many years ago from Currys. the system comprised of Amp, Tuner, 7 Disc multi CD player and horizontal tape deck.  And a pair of Wharedale Valdus 200 speakers. 

I used to own Wharfedale Linton XP2 speakers, wasn't aware they made a 'Linton' amp.

". . . . it has an input market 'X-Tal' "  Yes indeed, this was to accomodate crystal pickups which had a much higher output than the moving coil variety.

". . . . Teleton", I remember getting several Teleton amp shipped over from the UK by either Lasky's or KJ Electronics decades ago.
I remember it had a black face and silver knobs with a fake woodgrain finish.
For a power amplifier, it was remarkably thin too and doubled up as a secondary heat source in a small appartment.
The last time I saw it, the thing was connected to a Garrard Transcription Turntable with an early SME arm, trying to power a set of Tannoy loudspeakers.
I lost the setup somewhere in the mists of time I'm afraid

I have just inherited a Crimson Elektrik Power Amplifier and Pre-Amp.

Anyone know anything about them?

Would anyone be interested in using them these days?

You'd think someone somewhere would have some info about the Goodwood amplifier in my dad's loft.  I've never been able to find anything about the brand or model. He's had it for 40 years. He acquired it from a singer in a local club-band who who swapped him for a pair of mics. 

Oh and it too has an 'X-tal' input.  They were for ceramic cartridges; very common at the time.