Did You Win? • Heathkit AA-1219 Amplifier Giveaway! 

Thanks everyone! OMG, I got flushed when I realized it was me. I was thinking (as most of you were, probably) in the leadup that I never win anything. What a shocker! I am honored, Mr. Condenser. May I call you Flux? I love this channel. It's both entertaining and educational. I also know I'm getting a really well assembled and tested "new" amplifier, which is just really satisfying. Now to fetch some vintage speakers to power with it...

I ended buying this amp from the winner. Works great, paired with a Fluence Turntable and a pair of KEF bookshelf. Restored a companion AF-1219 tuner. Have it siting on top of my desk in my radio room/office == 73 Paul W4MAY

Congrats to Bill D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a GREAT Channel!!!!!

I hope Bill D. turns out to be a spambot.

Well done to Bill D, you gotcha self a little beauty!

I have a story to tell. I finally got a chance to set up the amp and test it out. I'm not new to any of this, but am new to this piece. I set it up with line outs to Aux from my Echo Link and moved my speaker wires to the outputs. I selected Aux output and...nothing. Troubleshooting time! I moved the connects to different inputs such as Tuner, Tape, etc. Nothing. The LED was lit, the fuse intact and all seemed as it should. I worked on it for an hour or so. I got tired of the headache and reconnected my new system (Naim Uniti Star - which is bugging me as well - more on that later). Some time later, I went out to the store. While I was driving, I'm running through scenarios. Everything is as it should be. Flux tested the unit and packed/shipped it very carefully. I'm thinking that it is behaving as if there's a bad speaker relay or a speaker selector that's not selected properly, but there are only one set of speaker terminals. Then something seeped out of a dark corner of my mind - someone (probably Flux!) had mentioned that these particular amps don't switch the speakers off when headphones are connected, but there IS a speaker "button". Aha! That must be it! Sure enough, when I got home, pressing the speaker button in engaged the outputs. It works! I had to get away and clear my mind to start fresh and get a diagnosis. On the sound - it IS vintage! The sound is as I remember hifi being back in the day. Like me, it's a bit thick around the middle. The bass is there, goes deep, but is a little "loose" - probably a low damping factor, but I wouldn't have noticed it in my youth as all gear sounded like that. One could call it "tubelike". It's great with smaller speakers and gives the impression of great bass. The mids are a bit warm, but it's a forgiving sound that would complement newer "revealing" speakers and make them listenable for long periods. The highs seem neutral. I make these comparisons based on the Yamaha R-N803 and the Naim. The Naim is sharp and punchy at all frequencies without fatigue, but, as reported elsewhere, is all about control. What seems like thin bass on it is no such thing - it's tightly controlled bass. There is no "hangover" - bass notes start and stop without bloom. It's very different from anything I can recall and I've had H/K, Luxman, Sansui and even a KLH amp. This is in another league. It really does have PRaT (pace, rhythm and timing). It's not BS after all. The Yamaha is somewhere between the Heathkit and Naim and quite good. I have no idea how one would quantify these observations. If measured, these products would probably look very similar based on their measurements, but they are each very different in tone and control. On the Naim; I bought it as open box for a steal. Unfortunately, the CD drive/ripper is giving me fits. It bogs on some CDs, says there are no tracks for ripping on others, but plays the very same CD fine. The "slimline" TEAC CD drive is probably the weak link here. It's not the type of isolated transport one would find in more expensive gear. It almost seems like an afterthought. Getting this serviced is going to be a headache as parts all must come from merry olde and certified repair shops rare stateside. I'm hoping it will "fix itself" lol, but that's not realistic. We'll see. I have 3 weeks to return it, but if do, the deal is gone and I'd have to pay $1500 more for a "new" one. Blech. That would hurt. If I do return it, I'm thinking maybe NAD or McIntosh. Since I've resigned to ripping my library on the PC, I won't need that function anymore anyway and would just return the Naim and get a good integrated amp/streamer instead. Maybe the NAD M10? Here's hoping that it works out as I do like the Naim. TL;DR...the Heathkit works and it's a keeper for a man cave. And I need to RTFM more often lol

Congrats Bill D!!

Congrats bill d

I have learnt a lot just watching your videos. Thanks for sharing.

Good to see you back in action Mr. Flux!

I look forward to all of your videos. Thanks for making them.

More giveaways? Hah! Mrs. Condenser probably laid down the law and told him to get rid of some of the equipment! Don't worry, Flux, many of us have gotten "The Command" too :-)

Great to have uou back

About time ;)

Good for you Bill! We're all happy for you!

subbed thank u

Nice to see that. Best wishes to you and Bill D - have a lot of fun with that amp!

Like your channel. Great project building that little amp. And congrats Bill