Progress?????

There's certainly not much wrong about the constituent parts to that system; the CD610 was a budget wonder in its day and was one of the cheapest ways into the characterful TDA1541 16bit DAC chipset which made for a lively and really enjoyable player that was well suited to a sweet yet slightly warm amp like the lovely A&R A60.  The Denon speakers were designed and built by Mission, who at the time were at the top of their game, particularly when it came to budget boxes.  I'm sure they all work together rather well.

I wish I hadn't let my A60 go. It would be the heart of a nice second system now. Or maybe that's just the nostalgia talking. It's time as my main system amp was well and truly up in 1985. It was still good and had given good service but it was no longer good enough.

Have things changed? I tend to think not. It was a bargain at £200 in the '80s. But what would a modern day A60 retail for now? Is there a latterday  Arcam equivalent? Even if one exists in spec/price terms, the A60 sounded a bit special.  Was a bit special.

There was definitely something about that teak sleeve, not forgetting the early introduction to DIN plugs. Even the labelling of the phono button as 'Mag p.u.' was charming.

I remember upgrading my A60 to a Nait 2 - it was a night and day improvement....

nimrodmr2p posted:

I have been going through some of my older mothballed Hi-Fi wondering whether to get rid of it to progress to a streamer

I decided to get it going and after a bit of fiddling was successful

The set up being A&R A60 amp, Philips CD610 with Denon SC-M50 speakers with bell wire speaker cable

The sound is very pleasing, warm and friendly but detailed enough, plenty of bass and volume

Has Hi-Fi really come on that much?

My Naim /ProAc gear has more PRaT but at significant cost

Maybe I will keep it all.....

What is your current system to which you're comparing the vintage components?

I too look back fondly on my A&R A60 but I would suggest things have moved on considerably. That is not to say you couldn't put together a system with an A60 at the heart but don't kid yourself it couldn't be bettered significantly and since I have got into streaming I have not looked back. Maybe wait for the new Uniti all-in-ones to appear and have a listen.

Nostalgia can mess with your head!

For a time during a move when my 282/HC/200 system was boxed I put an A60 in its place fronted by my LP12SE (source first!). You know what? It sounded fun. I wasn't thinking about what I was missing.

I think it can easily be a destination amp as it gets the fundamentals right - anything else is gravy. Will I use it in place of my main system? No. Could I use it as the heart of my main system? Yes.

To go slightly off topic.I haven't used a A 60 but have heard a few over the years and concur with what Harry says "The A60 was a bit special,is a bit special"

I enquired a T21 the A60's matching tuner for £12 in the local paper 4 years ago.I was blown away at how beautiful it looked and sounded.Soundstage lack of simblilance on voice lack of drifting.My main tuner is the 01 but the T21 can be equally captivating on a good F.M broadcast.Just a lovely product.

As for the original poster if you are happy with the sound of your system and it ticks alot of boxes.Stay with it and put the money towards something else what ever that might be.

It is nice to hear that others have good memories of the A60, it still seems to fetch good prices often close to its 1970s new price. My dilemma is either to keep it until it packs up or let it go whilst it still has value. Incidently A&R will still service it for about £200.

It looks as if most of my older system has good residual value, it is not bad if you can have years of pleasure then still get most of your money back! A couple of years ago I sold my Spendor BC1 with trolleys for £300 having bought them for £275 about 35 years previously

My current system is Nait XS with CD5 XS into ProAc D1 and I am going to add ND5 XS

Finally I went into a pub in Hackney a while ago to see a pair of Kef 104aB in use, I suggested to the owner he ought to consider getting an A60 to drive them

I had an early A60 with 'DIN' speaker sockets, still one of the sweetest sounding amps around. Replaced many years later with a Nait (circa 1983) which I've kept unlike most of my past kit. Nait still sounds ok, although as others have said, it's a far cry from some of the modern offerings.

nimrodmr2p posted:

It is nice to hear that others have good memories of the A60, it still seems to fetch good prices often close to its 1970s new price. My dilemma is either to keep it until it packs up or let it go whilst it still has value. Incidently A&R will still service it for about £200.

 

I traded mine in (against an Exposure X) for £50. I really wish I hadn't. It was time for the A60 to go but I should have mothballed it.  I have a 1979 Rega Planar 3 and a mid 80s pair of Ruarks in the loft.  Without an amp they will always be the second system which never got built. If I had my old A60 in the loft with them, it would still be the second system I never got out and hooked up. That's the reality.

I blew mine up when I shorted the speakers (good old QED79 - makes NACA5 seem almost bendy). I was invited to Cambridge for a while you wait fix. That was my first taste of the british HiFi industry post point of sale. After years of getting ripped off and fobbed off in Tottenham Court Road (I worked one street over) it came to my attention that some people actually cared after your cheque had cleared. 

Musical pleasure may be maintained from old kit as long as it's working up to spec. My 60 year old Quad ESL 57's are proof of that.

Progress? It's really all about commerce. Boring old two channel audio has to be periodically reinvented to sell stuff, with marketing bollocks-speak such as 'Reimagine your music collection'.

I recently reimagined my life, and it got a whole lot better.

Good listening y'all.

John.

Last year I resurrected my A60 from the attic, along with a pair of Road Apex, and they are now doing sterling service in my daughter's house, fronted, for now, by a little Yamaha streamer which is really quite good for £270. I did phone Class A to ask if he thought it was worth getting it recapped, and he said it would probably cost around £100 or a bit more. That's probably about what the A60 is worth on the second hand market - I might get round to it one day.