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Dynaco Stereo 70 Tube Amp Reviewed

By: HomeTheaterReview.com,
February 13,
1991

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HTR Product Rating

Performance

3 Stars

Value

5 Stars

Overall

4 Stars

Disagree with our product rating? Email
us and tell us why you think this product should receive a higher
rating.

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Hmm... This is starting to seem about as much like a Stereo 70 as a Caterham
Seven resembles Chapman's first version. The specifications, too, are so
1990-ish that, 35W/channel rating aside, I could be writing about any one of a
dozen current amplifiers: a frequency response flat from 20-20kHz +/-0.5db at
rated power, hum and noise of -90dB, taps for 4, 8 or 16 ohms, less than 0.25%
distortion. This is not a recipe for nostalgia.

So, what hat to wear? When I reviewed the reborn Radford, I got what I
wanted/expected: a cleaned-up Mk III with lower noise and more grunt, but all
the warmth, richness and beloved tubey-ness of its predecessor. So unlike the
original is the Stereo 70 Series II that I had to forget about nostalgia and
think of it simply as a new offering at the #1000 point. It simply cannot be
compared to a vintage Dyna, pr even a Radford STA25 Mk IV. Instead, it has to
fight the wares of Croft, Audio Innovations, Tube Technology, Michaelson Audio
and anyone else with a valve amp selling for around a grand.

Thoe only things I find romantic about this amplifier are the logo and the
styling. It's simply too controlled, too competent, too precise and to liken to
its bronzed and browned ancestor. Lots of previously unavailable extension at
both ends of the frequency spectrum make an original sound positively
compressed, while a sense of greater power enhances both the usability and the
dynamic capabilities.

It's far drier, far more solid, considerably leaner and more detailed than
the original. Try though I may I could find but one area where it aped the
oldie, and that was three-dimensionality. Not that you'd mistake one for the
other, because the Series II sounds far bigger, the original appearing to be a
three-quarter or even a two-thirds scale model of its grandchild. But the
proportions of the soundtage are virtually identical, as are the placement of
the specific images within the soundstage.

Used with a variety of pre-amps and sources and with speakers which it could
drive without strain (the Tannoy Six Series 603, the Spendor LS3/5a, the Genesis
IM-5200), the Dyna behaved admirably, with enough composure to allow me to
forget (not that I wanted to) that I was supposed to be in time-travel mode. The
Series II sounded like what it is: a good, modern valve amp which parks its tush
somewhere inbetween the glowing past and the solid-state present. It offers very
little in the way of clues as to the presence of six valves; only when you
switch immediately to a solid-state design do you note that the Dyna is a tad
warmer, smoother and more coherent, with few audible indications of user
abuse.

Overdriving the new Dyna is a lot like overdriving the old Dyna: it simply
shrugs and craps out without much drama. The difference is that the Series II
can be pushed a bit harder before it starts to clip, so you can squeeze out a
few more SPLs than you could with its forebear. than an original ew more SPLs
than you could from This makes it more useable with modern speakers, with even
the LS3/5A acknowledging the gains.

But the Series II is not a safe-bet shortcut to Stereo 70 heaven. If you want
that classic sound, you have to locate a mint or merely working original. You
will want either, but not both. Chalk and cheese? Yin and yan? Black and white?
Maybe it's not quite that severe, because both make pleasurable sounds, so they
aren't quite as at odds with each other as my reactions suggest. But it's down
to expectations, and I can't help but believe that 99% of the Series II's
potential owners will be seeking out a glimpse of the past.

Do I seem disappointed? I hope not. After all, my own Stereo 70 still works,
and it would be stupid to think that those who had enough gumption to restore
the Stereo 70 to the shelves should have banked their entire investment in
nostalge. Even Fortis improved the Harwood when that watch went back into
production after 60 years in limbo. But the new Harwood tells time with far
greater accuracy than the original, and only a yutz would suggest that that's a
bad thing.

But maybe it's not the same with sound reproduction. A watch only has to tell
the time as precisely as possible. Hi-fi equipment is supposed to seduce, amuse,
charm, entertain and transport the listener, by whatever means. The original
Dynaco Stereo 70 is like your first love. The Series II is the person you
settled with after a couple of divorces.

Take your pick.buffwatch fancier it took to reach this stage,still form
of,startershe finishld have had to performedplating or metalworkingSeries II.
Andery to yank the Stereo 70 into thirtysomethingness. But the physical changes,
whether newcomponentnow (-made)better controlwith be compared to a vintage Dyna,
obe edight,svalves; only when you switch Stefindcovet an original or a Series
IIingfor so I'm covered.

Additional Resources
• Read more
stereo amplifier reviews from HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Find an
AV receiver to integrate with the amp.
• Discuss audiophile equipment
on AudiophileReview.com.

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1 | Page
2

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