Vintage Lafayette System: LA-324A Amp + Criterion 25 Speakers

Description: Compact speakers featuring the acoustic suspension design were all the rage in the 1960's and the big electronics catalogs quickly rushed their own house brand versions to market. The attractive Lafayette Criterion 25 and 25a speakers packed an 8 inch woofer into an unusually compact enclosure that retained the cubical look of the era. The speakers were a inexpensive introductory model -- its successors would offer better performance from rectangular enclosures with more familiar dimensions. But these Criterion 25's certainly boast cosmetic appeal and they had a better low end than most of their competitors from Radio Shack and others. Given the low price and small size ( 12"X10"X7"), they sound reasonably good. High compliance 8" woofer with rolled edge suspension and 2.5" cone tweeter in a hand rubbed oiled walnut finish enclosure. We pair these with a a compact amplifier from Lafayette Radio Electronics. Their Model 324A was a popular entry level amp that packs more than the usual features and build quality into a compact unit. The basic are there, but there are also a loudness contour, capability for remote speakers, switched and unswitched AC ouputs -- all uncommon in similar small amplifiers.. Like many manufacturers Lafayette's advertising grossly inflated the power of their amps before FTC regulations in the mid-1970's put a stop to meaningless power specifications.Without measurement of continuous watts per channel to 8 ohm speakers, its hard to tell what their "real" power was -- an amp advertised at "50" watts in 1970 was first revised downwards to 38 watts --- but realistically we are looking at something like 8 watts rms per channel.That is enough to produce a good listening experience with the Criterion 25 speakers. This compact amplifier (11x8x4) weighs in at a hefty 8 lbs. Unlike many of their low end competitors, the Lafayette amps featured heavyweight construction and a conservative and consistent circuitry design. Lafayette built most of its amps and receivers with a single Japanese subcontractor and from the late 1960's to mid-1970's they offered many inexpensive amplifiers that performed well. Generally they were larger, heavier and "clunkier"than many of their competitors and overall build quality was good, with an emphasis on reliability in the long run. Solid value. Cosmetically the line evolved from an unattractive industrial look to more sophisticated styling more in line with higher priced competitors. I am quite fond of their series of black faced amps from this period : the LA-125B, LA-150, LA-324, LA-375, LA-450, LA-750 and the LA-950. Performance is more than acceptable -- yes they are not quite up to the big name brands of the era -- but they still provide necessary features, good construction, long term reliability and better than average sound quality. Audiophiles have long ignored these products. They deserve more respect. If you are interested in purchasing the individual components, please message us and we will list them for sale. Most purchasers east of the Mississippi and north of Florida will receive a refund of excess shipping charges.

Price: 195 USD

Location: Easton, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-08-28T13:46:02.000Z

Shipping Cost: 46 USD