My Father's Continuing Saga........

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Born and Raised In The 700 Watt Club.
#1
Today's new email to me from my father;

"both the 700s and 400s are getting up there in price. makes one think maybe a different amp might be a better value. why pay 4 to 5 hundred dollars for a 400 when a rotel rb1080, which has identical specs, can be had for the same price. then at least you would have a more modern amp. also lets us not forget the carver m500t, which can be had for about 3 hundred dollars. rotel also has the 500 watt per channel amp which can be had for the same amount as the 700s. i know no vu meters on the rotels. the rotel rc-1550 pre amp sounds pretty good. i just wonder if their basic amps would upgrade the sound as well."

Can anyone give me a good argument back for this? He has both carvers and phase linears now and yet he still wont stop with the rotel stuff...........

My comment back would be "do you want good SOUND or good VALUE?" you get what you pay for. Especially something white oaked. There's your "today's technology"?
 

fitz43

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#3
Can anyone give me a good argument back for this? He has both carvers and phase linears now and yet he still wont stop with the rotel stuff...........

My comment back would be "do you want good SOUND or good VALUE?" you get what you pay for. Especially something white oaked. There's your "today's technology"?
Why argue with him, unless that's your thing.
Tell him to try the Rotel. In the end it's him that has to be pleased with what it sounds like.
disclaimer: I own WOPL 700b's and a Rotel (currently on loan) amps.
 

laatsch55

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#4
PLP, we are ever so close to being able to assemble 700B's from scratch from the floor up. THE ONLY thing we naven't felt a heed to source is the chassis. Schumacher keeps a file on every transformer they wind, want some for a 700, no problem, meters are the sticker. I've got some Midlands I'm gonna try that are the same size as the PL's. With some legend work and P-Plus' meter surgery skills that may be a moot point. With Skratch's latest revelations on the faceplates we are close to building BRAND NEW 700B"s FROM BRAND NEW components. And like I said, Joe is not satisfied with the innards YET, so god only knows what he'll come up with this year.....we're about there...
 
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#6
No he hasn't Lee. I have no means of acquiring one of those. Nor the time, skill and resources to make one. Unless he had tired of a PL chassis cosmetically; then there is nothing we can do with the innards that would please him. He'd still have a sense if "old" about the PL? Brand new PL's from the ground up you say?! Holy"&)!? That'd be a business!! The prices for 700's in yheir original state are way too high. For that dough you COULD start new. :)
 

laatsch55

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#7
Just finished a 2 hour phone call with Ed. I have the name, number and e-mail of the guy that bought out the guy that did all of PL's chassis stamping. In that buyout was every tool and die used to manufacture PL chassis's....................he's still in business stamping chassis.........
 

jbeckva

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#8
Just finished a 2 hour phone call with Ed. I have the name, number and e-mail of the guy that bought out the guy that did all of PL's chassis stamping. In that buyout was every tool and die used to manufacture PL chassis's....................he's still in business stamping chassis.........
Damn no shit?? We need to get wopl'in.. :thumbright:
 

laatsch55

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#9
AND ED thought he could flush the guy that made the legends for the meters. BuT!!!! If you're building your own amp, would ya want PL meters?? Or would you want WOPL meters, or NavLinear meters, or Joe King meters, or......Ol Coot meters/???????????????
 

jbeckva

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#10
AND ED thought he could flush the guy that made the legends for the meters. BuT!!!! If you're building your own amp, would ya want PL meters?? Or would you want WOPL meters, or NavLinear meters, or Joe King meters, or......Ol Coot meters/???????????????
Or hey.. meters ya can actually buy and are in stock! I'm sure Joe can figure the full scale current needed and put that in with the lightboard
 

Zach C.

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#11
Just finished a 2 hour phone call with Ed. I have the name, number and e-mail of the guy that bought out the guy that did all of PL's chassis stamping. In that buyout was every tool and die used to manufacture PL chassis's....................he's still in business stamping chassis.........
GTFOD!
 

Gepetto

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#17
AND ED thought he could flush the guy that made the legends for the meters. BuT!!!! If you're building your own amp, would ya want PL meters?? Or would you want WOPL meters, or NavLinear meters, or Joe King meters, or......Ol Coot meters/???????????????
Curmudgeon meters...
 
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#19
Amazing! Even the chassis and those pesky meters?! Yup. You are talking BIG business if you are going to manufacture a whole brand new amp! Not just innards. BUT..... bringing back the PL? With the PL name? The same chassis, meters and layout? Can you bring back a company like that without changing the name? I mean legally is the old design still patented by Bob or whatever? Do you have to change the stamping on the faceplate to say "white oak audio"? Laboratory standard amplifier? Just asking because I'm curious on an educational level here. Not because I am questioning the fact its being done. But how cool would that be?!!

soooooo who's gonna run the business? Joe acquires the talents of Lee and Jerry and many others? Ed and and and......ohhhh the possibilities!!! Maybe i will tell my father to hold out. And soon.......he will be replacing those old factory PL 400's and the carver M500t's with six white oak audio amps!!! Hah hah! Yes sir! Say.....would you be offering them in a 400 model and a 700 model traditionally? Or go with the 500/1000 models? (As they are called now after white oaking?) And since there are no bean counters to stop you here...... Do you stick with the watts R.M.S. Stamping or the lab standard version? Sooo many questions to ponder? :-D
 
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