TEAC was the consumer product division of TASCAM, well known amongst professional users.
TEAC Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Released to the market 1980's
Original approximate RRP A$700
Made in Taiwan
Power Amplifier & Preamp
Black metal case with gold labelling
75W + 75W RMS Audio output into 8 Ohms
Frequency Response 5Hz ~ 20Khz (OVERALL)
The preamplifier section is really 20Hz ~ 20Khz but the power amplifier is capable of 5Hz ~ 40Khz (3dB points)
THD Maximum: 0.05%
Signal/Noise Ratios:
Line: 94dB
Phono: 65dB MC 75dB MM
If you don't care what all these numbers mean, in essence this amplifier sounds nice, clean and is grunty for most consumer situtations. See more detail below ...
COSMETIC CONDITION:
The heavy duty steel case is in very good condition with only superficial marks, particularly on the top.
Very clean
All front and rear panel labelling (gold) is clear, not worn and easy to read
ONE KNOB IS MISSING - pretty obvious from the photograph, this is the Microphone input knob. Not usually in use anyway but I noticed the two lower knobs are fairly easy to remove (fluted shafts) and it looks as though one of the staff or a visitor pulled one off!
I have a lot of spare knobs but cannot find one exactly like the type required so the amplifier comes with this one knob missing.
All connectors at the rear are clean, shiny to ensure good audio signals without the introduction of noise through a poor connection.
There is a name and ID on the rear panel, not really distinct but there none-the-less - this is not really a problem as it still enables clear identification of the equipment in case of theft.
HISTORY/TESTING:
Yet another of our audio production consumer amplifiers, being in the sound business we needed to experience a lot of different amplifiers both consumer and professional.
This amplifier has some special features which took our interest at the time of purchase e.g direct CD playback (bypassing the preamp tone settings), ability to deal with both MM and MC phono cartridges and the nice tone controls (Bass - Mid - Treble) plus a rotary Loudness control, not just "on" or "off". Finally, the design is based on DC direct coupling in the power amplifier stages, as distinct from capacitor coupling. This has advantages (very wide frequency response with no introduced noise through capacitive coupling) and disadvantages (each semiconductor is very dependant upon the other, meaning if a failure occurs, it can be quite significant/costly to repair).
On the latter point, fortunately we NEVER had any issues with this equipment - very reliable up until around 5 years ago then placed into storage after the business was closed down.
Extensive preamplifer controls:
Separate Bass, Mid Range and Treble response
CD direct button - defeats the preamp tone control settings
MM - MC cartridge equalisation/gain control with front panel indication of which is active
Rotary Loudness control
Loop through connectors at the rear, meaning you can easily completely separate the preamp and power amplifier sections (links provided)
This is great if you wish to fire off your audio output from the preamp to another power amplifier or alternately, use a different external preamplifier
All RCA connectors at the rear are nickel plated except the phono inputs which are gold plated (with an earth stud of course)
Designed to drive into an 8 Ohm impedance loudspeaker system, DO NOT USE 6 or 4 Ohm systems! The output transistors are grunty but if you use a lower impedance, it is possible to send the transistors beyond their design maximums.
The output transistors are complimentary pairs: 2SA1386/2SC3519
The phono stage is not really anything special (I like the NAD much better) but it does the job
The active device here is a JRC 4558 Low Noise Op Amp
This is a heavy beast! Weighing in at around 12Kg, mainly due to the extensive all-metal casing and the decent sized AC power transformer (FEDERAL 965767R2)
AC output from this transformer is 36-0-36V (measured with the power on, amp running medium audio power)
2x filter capacitors in the linear power supply are ELNA 10,000uF 50V
There are no signs of bulging or leakage around the caps.
Usual A/B speaker outputs (both tested) using the standard push/insert connectors
The amplifier is not IR capable - no remote control is possible
With all that out of the way, what testing have I done?
It has been in storage for quite a while so I used it in conjunction with my lovely MA & Vifa speakers for around a week or so, using both my Luxman CD player and a Dual turntable for source audio.
I checked EVERY line level input i.e Tape 1, Tape 2, CD/AUX, Tuner - all is great with the world
I also used the phono input, again no problems (but watch out for earth loops, this input is very sensitive and you need to get your signal ground correct)
In all cases, the audio output is clean, crisp and uncoloured (with the tone controls flat)
All tone controls and the loudness control function perfectly
Volume and Balance controls also function fine.
NO "TRACK" NOISE HEARD WHILE MOVING ANY OF THESE CONTROLS
As each input is selected at the front panel, a green LED indicates it is active - all LED's are working fine.
Input selection uses mechanical interlocked push button switches - not "soft touch". Every switch has a positive action and locking.
There is also push buttons to defeat/mute the audio by 20dB
Yet more buttons - High Frequency (10Khz -6dB) and Low Frequency (100Hz -5dB) filters becoming active
So in a nutshell, the amplifier and preamplifier are working great and with lots of user control over the sound using the various preamplifier controls.
