The Antique Collector Installment 4 - More on H.H. Scott

Posted by: Steven Stone at 1:01 pm, June 21st, 2009

 The Antique Collector Installment 4
 

By Steven Stone
 
This installment will cover Scott integrated amplifiers and the Scott turntable.  While none of the integrated amplifiers will deliver the performance of Scotts' separate components, there were so many made, and so many have survived the ages, that we cannot help but give them the old once-over.  The turntable is another story.  The Scott 710©A is a fascinating turntable, complicated in design, ambitious in intent; it is not a common sight on shelves of dealers of used equipment.  So off we go on our exploration of the commonplace and the exotic, once more our dance-card is fully filled.
 
SCOTT INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS
 
SCOTT 99 SERIES
 
The first Scott model 99 was unveiled in 1952.  It violated Scotts' numbering system‚ described in detail in issue 50 on page 84. But the marketing folks felt that its price point of just under $100 ($99 to be exact, a price the 99 series maintained until 1960) needed to be driven into the consciousness of the stereo buying public.  It featured "low profile styling" made possible by horizontal rather than vertical installation of the tubes.  This horizontal mounting of tubes was also used on the 210E integrated amplifier, the 99s more expensive cousin.  While ALL 99s were mono units, they were made well into the stereo era, with the 99D finally disappearing from the H. H. Scott price sheets by early 1964.
 
I've never heard a model 99, and frankly don't have a burning desire to hear one.  The 99 series was the best selling amplifier Scott ever made, so in theory, there are thousands of them floating around.  If you find two, you can get stereo easily enough by using one for the right and the other for the left.  Together, they will probably sound much like an LK-48, or 222 stereo integrated amplifiers.  While not uncommon, I've not seen many 99s around.  Those 99s I have seen have been relatively inexpensive, and would make nice mono "table radios" if combined with a Scott mono tuner and the small speaker of your choice. 

        
 
Whether this piece is worth extensive parts upgrading or circuit modifications depends on how much you like its appearance.  If you fall in love with the looks of a 99, you might do well to have its parts upgraded if for no reason other than reliability, as leaky oil-filled capacitors seem to be the norm on units this age.  Parts replacement will most likely change the sound, but don't expect night and day differences, or to suddenly be blessed with the sonics of an Audio Research SP©11 mark II.

         On the subject of parts replacement, in issue 51 pages 49 and 50, Walt and Lennice Bender make a strong argument for the superiority of original parts.  To quote: "Wallet-busting "miracle" capacitors don't necessarily sound better than NOS Mil-spec oils and micas from 1944!” 
 
When anyone starts to discuss the "sound" of a particular part, the article by Roger Modjeski of RAM tubes, springs into my head.  To paraphrase Mr. Modjeski, tubes (and I believe other parts like Caps, resistors, and yes, even wire) DO NOT HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL "SOUND".  Parts only have a "sound" in relation to their usage in a circuit, and how their individual characteristics interact with the circuit.  While parts swaps will result in different sonic qualities, as will interconnect and wire changes, the positive or negative nature of these changes cannot be pre-determined.  Often the changes new parts produce are not universally accepted as sonic improvements.
Changing parts in original circuits is like changing the seasoning in traditional recipes, the result will always be different, and sometimes will be better.

 
MODEL 135 STEREO-DAPTER
 
I've included this component in my survey not because you'll want one, but so you won't confuse it with the infinitely more desirable model 335 multiplex stereo adapter.  The 135 adapter was a convenience device, not a multiplex decoder like the 335. The 135 has a volume control, loudness switch, record-playback switch, and a stereo selector for monaural records, stereo, stereo reverse, and channels A and B.  It was designed to connect two mono integrated amplifiers together, thereby giving the user one switch turn-on, volume, and switching for both units.  Big Deal.  It was a completely passive unit, with no gain devices of any kind.  Its rear panel supplied connections for amplifier A and B for record and playback, and went into both amplifiers tape loop circuitry.  The back panel also has two power receptacles for your two mono amplifiers, so you can turn them on and off from the Stereo-dapter.
The Stereo-dapter listed for $24.95, and will work with ANY mono integrated amplifier regardless of manufacturer, as long as the unit has a tape loop circuit.  I wouldn't give you more than $25 today for one, and then only if I were a very compulsive collector.  The 135s principal importance is that of a red herring, often confused with a 335 multiplex adapter by those whose information is less than complete; a category for which you, gentle reader, no longer qualify.