Crown DC300 v. PL400 and PL700 pricing

Gepetto

Gepetto

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
14,336
Location
Sterling, MA
Tagline
Old 'Arn Enthusiast
Had not looked in quite a while on Ebay to do a comparison. Now there is a stark difference in pricing, DC300 has not moved much if at all. However PL400 and PL700 pricing has risen significantly. Interesting.
 
No one can save the DC300. Too many versions and unobtanium parts. That being said, a White Oak driver board would solve most of the problems if it physically fit inside.
 
nakdoc said:
No one can save the DC300. Too many versions and unobtanium parts. That being said, a White Oak driver board would solve most of the problems if it physically fit inside.
Click to expand...
??? The DC300 is pretty vanilla. Do you have specific concerns?
 
Is there a distinction between the DC-300 and amp I would not pick up these days and the DC-300a and amp that probably works? Especially as to lack of spare parts.

I know the a version was available in
brushed aluminum, with and without additional heat sinks, with and without IOC which could be retrofit, with solid or perforated covers top and bottom and different knobs.
satin aluminum with somewhat similar differences along the production run
the DC-300A II with black anodized parts.
Piles of different ones.
 
8991XJ said:
Is there a distinction between the DC-300 and amp I would not pick up these days and the DC-300a and amp that probably works? Especially as to lack of spare parts.

I know the a version was available in
brushed aluminum, with and without additional heat sinks, with and without IOC which could be retrofit, with solid or perforated covers top and bottom and different knobs.
satin aluminum with somewhat similar differences along the production run
the DC-300A II with black anodized parts.
Piles of different ones.
Click to expand...
They are all pretty much the same amp with the exception of the IOC that was added in the later production units. Just different decoration. I have one of every generation.
 
You're saying the unstable early DC-300 is essentially the same amp as the reliable multi-flavored DC-300a? I know all the 300a are kinda the same but not wanting to get familiar with the 300 sans a version I got no idea what its guts are. If the early amp is the same why is it unstable vs the "a" version?
 
8991XJ said:
You're saying the unstable early DC-300 is essentially the same amp as the reliable multi-flavored DC-300a? I know all the 300a are kinda the same but not wanting to get familiar with the 300 sans a version I got no idea what its guts are. If the early amp is the same why is it unstable vs the "a" version?
Click to expand...
I have 2 DC-300s and they are rock solid stable into anything I have driven with them. Including operating as a DC power supply. Where is the information coming from that the DC-300 is unstable?
 
50 year old magazine info. Who knows if I remembered that correctly. Maybe it was sound quality. Crown is built Missionary Tough so I'd expect the amp to be able to drive a vibration test rig while treading water.
 
I have a DC-300 service manual dating back to 1985, and you would not believe then number of part changes and service bulletins concerning the class A driver transistor, and mods to keep this transistor's substitutes stable in older circuit boards. Yes the DC300 is stable, but if it blows up, good luck! Without access to the bulletins, who knows how well the repaired amp will perform. My guess is the DC300a and II versions do not have issues.
I find the DC-300 sound to be thin and screechy. It would probably benefit from higher class AB bias, but the heat sinks (like the Phase Linear 400 4 fin) are too small. A modern Crest or old school Crown macrotech amplifier runs circles around the DC-300. The classic '60s system of Altec A-7 Voice of the Theater speakers and a DC-300 was flawed. The DC-300 seemed to exacerbate the worst qualities of the A-7.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top