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A&R A60

You could remove both power amp supply fuses, power it up and check the light comes on and that the various power supply voltages are in the right zone. I'd do this and then check for shorts between the power amp supplies, ground and the output.

Paul
 
Interesting thing about the A60 is the aesthetics. Had my Mother and Sister over and coincidentally had one my A60s and matching T21 out on the dresser in the kitchen. They're very used to seeing bits of hifi around the place and very rarely, if ever comment - usually only to say how ugly something looks - however, this time, both of them at separate times and quite unprompted, said they thought the A60 and T21 looked "really lovely". Indeed, my sister decided that "that's just the sort of thing I'd like. Why doesn't all hifi equipment look so good?".

It's an interesting thought. Here we have two items that first saw the light of day in the '70s, were never much considered as style icons in their day, but both now garnering admiring looks and comments from two women, neither of whom is interested in the mechanics of hifi.

When I played the two together, they both nodded appreciatively and both said they'd listen to much more music on such a good looking, simply laid out and great sounding system.

I showed them Arcam's latest offerings; "Uurgh!!" they said. "No way!"

So, food for thought Arcam. Indeed, food for thought for every hifi maker trying to branch out and appeal beyond the hifi enthusiast hardcore.
 
To me, there's something very "right" about the way the A60/T21 looks. Perhaps it's because it's functional, plain, and due to the low wide format, elegant. I thought the wooden-sleeved ones looked better than the all-black ones, especially if the sleeve was nicely polished.

A lot of HiFi from that era looked "right", the Cambridge Audio P40 had a similar style, and the Rogers Ravensbourne and Sugden amps from the early '70s had a fine look.

Maybe I just like a bit of polished wood!

S.
 
I recently acquired my second A60 which is from '84, however when I switched it on it produced really loud sound even though I lowered the volume all the way down before powering it on.
I immediately switched it off, no blue smoke and luckily it did not damage my Mission 751F's.

I suspect it could be stuck volume pot as some of these were problematic or is it something else?

I dread switching it on again as it may blow my understated little gems of Missions.

My other A60 plays absolutely fine no cap leaks, it produces a nice detailed well balanced and controlled sound. I still can't believe this thing plays so good 30+ years on, what a cracking value!
 
Hard to diagnose at long range, but if it was audio, just at very high levels, I suppose it could be a broken pot, but if it was more of a loud hum, then possibly more serious. A broken rectifier, open circuit reservoir capacitor or short-circuit output transistor.

WHatever, one needs to get a tecchy to look into it.

If you're anywhere near East Anglia I'd be happy to look at it for you, but if it's a blown output transistor, then with DC coupled circuits, it will in all probability have taken out a few more devices.

S.
 
It could be one of the special A60s designed for active use with ARC loudspeakers.
Check for anything saying A60AP or any odd labelling on the back.
 
Thanks sergeauckland for advise and your kind offer.
It was audio rather than any loud hum. I am based in London, but I am just about to travel in the next few days so I am going to look at this on my return.

Thanks Robert too!
I will check the amp labels both inside and outside, but from memory I think it's the standard A60.
 
I hope that I am not suggesting the obvious.
Which input and what was the source ?
I gave one to my brother in law - who then attached a CD player ( high output voltage ) to the Mag PU Phono input ( much lower voltage input ) and could not understand why the volume was way too loud and distorted. He blew two internal fuses and luckily nothing else.
I suggested he move it to the tape input and use the tape return trim pots on the underside to adjust it to an acceptable input level. OR one could buy an attenuated cable from Flashback sales.

Julian
 
Been meaning to post this for ages.
Hope it is readable via this post.
Cut and pasted from excel.
I got most of the parts from Allied ( RS supplier in USA/Canada )

Good Luck - Julian


Capacitors
Film Caps Panasonic FC 315-0940 63v 22uF
Rail Decoupling Caps RS via Allied 090S0504 Mfr No: EEUFC1J220
C32
C33
C132
C133

Electrostatic Mundorf or similar 71839 63v 10000uF Reservoir Caps
C209 & C210

Film Caps Panasonic FC
50v 330uF Bypass RS via Allied 090S0503
C209 & C210 EEUFC1HG331

Poly Film Wima 118-038 50v 1uF
Couple volume pot RS via Allied 090S0211
C9 & C109 MKS02/1.0/50/20

Electrostatic Elna Starget 215-5685 35v 10uF (100M)
RS via Allied 090S0212 ROD-35V 100M
C14
C114
C19 Tone control
C119 Tone control
C20 Tone control
C120 Tone control
C21 Tone control
C121 Tone control
C28 Power amplifier
C128 Power amplifier
C29 Power amplifier
C129 Power amplifier
C204 Pre-amp
C212 Power Supply
C213 Not all series have this one Power Supply

If required: 35v 10uF (100M) Old Phonostage
C7
C107
C8
C108
C202
C203

Electrostatic Elna Starget 215-5708 35v 47uF (470M) Disc Input RS via Allied 090S0301 ROD-35V 470M
C7 ? Not on all versions
C107
C18 Tone control
C118 Tone control
C22 Tone control to power amp
C122 Tone control to power amp
C24 Power amp
C124 Power amp
C205 Pre-amp
C206 Tone control
C207 Power supply
C208 Was 470u on early series Power supply
C201 ? Not on all versions

If required: 35v 47uF (470M)
Old Phonostage
C1
C101
C3
C103

Electrostatic Elna Starget 215-5736 50v 4.7uF
RS via Allied 090S0501
C2 & C102 ROD-35V 4R7M Disc Input

Resistors Vishay Spectrol Sfernice 485-1408 0R22 - 3w
Wire Wound Emitter resistors Allied 970-0202
R63 & R64 RWM0410R220JR15E1
Measure 8mv across these when adjusting bias
R163 & R164


Chip Regulators National Semi-conductor 533-8209 LM 317T/NODB Voltage regulation Allied 288-0479
IC201 & IC202 Not on early series 533-8221
LM 337T/NODB RS via Allied 288-0511


Volume replacement
ALPS Horiz Dual Pot 100k Log 27mm 090S0505
Mfr No: 21 1319
 
If it says MAG PU then it is quite early. The very first ones even had DIN speaker sockets ! MAG PU versions used discreet transistors in the phono stage and by the time it said PHONO they had gone to an integrated circuit stage. The component quality was very high in all versions, some are still going with all original capacitors, etc. A service should'nt cost more than 100 or so pounds.
 
Apologies for reanimating the thread, but this forum and the two A60 threads contain some very interesting information.

I'm using a 1980 vintage A60 (DIN phono input, which I think means its discrete) and it sounds very good fed from a couple of turntables.It was my late fathers. Only servicing its had was the volume and balance pots blown out with switch cleaner, compressed air, switch cleaner, compressed air........ This seems to have fixed the inevitable volume pot crackle that comes with age

I do have a couple of questions :

1) I know there was a seperate head amp for MC cartridges. I'm using MM. I also *believe* there was a loading module. a small daughter board with switches to set the impedence and capacitance . I think the Quad 44 phono stage had something similar. These loading modules appear to be very rare. Does anyone have any experience of them, maybe one could be fabricated, never seen one on ebay ?

I really like the inbuilt phono stage sound, wondered how far I could take it. cartridges used ar an OM20 and an AT95

2) I tried running a second deck via a well reviewed external phono stage into the AUX input. Sound was dry and rather gritty. The external unit may have been the cause, but I have seen references to the AUX input being modified for CD. I wonder if the external unit was overloading the AUX and giving this poorer sound ?

thanks
 
The early ones used an external moving coil head amp, called the ha 10. It got its power from the din socket that was the magnetic pickup socket. You had to fit an internal link in the a60 to get this power onto the din socket.

Loadings and sensitivity was set in the ha 10 by dip switches.

Later a60s has the moving coil option achieved by an internally mounted module called the mc60, that plugged onto a 7 pin connector on the main a60 board.

When the mc60 was not in used, a bridge plug fits onto the 7 pin connector.
I believe loadings and sensitivity settings were adjustable on the mc60 card.
 
In a few years of looking I have only been able to find one MC60 on the Ebay and just last week narrowly missed out on a HA10.

The circuit for the MC60 is on the services sheets and you could put one together on some breadboard.

I have one MC60 in an amp and a Revolver turntable/Linn arm/AT cartridge fitted with a MC card. The adjustment for different cartridge loadings is done with a fairly basic capacitor in a jumper type plug. Have managed just with the plain vanilla no plug.
This works very well.

But I have also run the turntable through a Project phonostage into the A60 and this works just as well.

So there are plenty of options that will make good music.
 
In a few years of looking I have only been able to find one MC60 on the Ebay and just last week narrowly missed out on a HA10.

The circuit for the MC60 is on the services sheets and you could put one together on some breadboard. I have added a photo of the MC60 to Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/operajulian/8253924782/in/photostream/

I have one MC60 in an amp and a Revolver turntable/Linn arm/AT cartridge fitted with a MC card. The adjustment for different cartridge loadings is done with a fairly basic capacitor in a jumper type plug. Have managed just with the plain vanilla no plug.
This works very well.

But I have also run the turntable through a Project phonostage into the A60 and this works just as well.

So there are plenty of options that will make good music.
 
bob atherton said:
I just snagged an A60 tonight on ebay .It's in very good nick (I think/hope) is in teak and will go with my Rega ELA 1.5's at work. For now I will use a Cambridge DVD player for CD's .

It didn't cost too much and I'm stupidy excited about it as I always wanted one back in the late 70's. It's only taken me 30 years...:)
Click to expand...


you and me both

should be here today
 
The A60 is a very good amp even by today's standards.
I had a brand new one in 1985 and still own four of varying vintage.

Arcam openly admit stopping making it as they needed a cheaper amplifier to compete in the mass market- which they did in the form of the £130 alpha one that hit the market in about 1986.

No comparison whatsoever!

The a60 was superbly designed and built, in the days before commercial pressures took precedence.

Compare the a60 with stuff 'designed' and marketed by the likes of Amstrad during the same period and you'll see what I mean.

Not that I'm criticising Amstrad in anyway, commercially they showed the way do things if profit is the sole reason for carrying on.

Luckily there are a few engineers still left like me who put other things before profit!
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
The little 'circuit board" in the photo you linked to is a Magnetic Loading Input Module - a grand name for a 3 pin connector with a capacitor across two of the pins, wrapped in pvc tape and then a plastic fuse cover jammed on top.

Designed to change the effective "loading" depending on the cartridge used.

I have three found in an old hifi service shop drawer.
One 470pF, one 22pF and one called Ultimo.

Need one or want one ?

Julian
 
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