Review of Soviet sound amplifiers

In the Soviet Union, a lot of various household and professional radio electronic equipment was produced; it was one of the largest manufacturers in the world. There were radios, tape recorders, radios and much more on sale. This article will focus on a very important device - audio amplifier.

It so happened that there were no high-quality amplifiers in the USSR until the late 60s. There are many reasons for this, including: the lag in the element base, the focus of industry on military and space tasks, the lack of demand among music lovers. At that time, audio amplifiers were mostly built into other equipment, and it was believed that this was enough.

Separate amplifiers of domestic production type "Electronics-B1-01" and others could not boast of high sound quality. But by the beginning of the 70s, the situation began to change. Demand began to appear, so groups of enthusiasts arose who were engaged in the development of appropriate equipment. Then the leadership of ministries and departments began to realize that the lag behind Western models is quite impressive and needs to be kept up. Due to the confluence of these factors by 1975 an amplifier called "Brig" was born. He became, probably, one of the first serial samples of the Soviet equipment of the highest class.

The equipment of the highest class, to which the "Brig" belonged, in the name, the first were zeros, "premium" proudly wore one in the name, "middle" - a two, and so on, up to grade 4.

Speaking about "Brig", one cannot but recall its creators. They were an engineer Anatoly Likhnitsky and his fellow mechanic B. Strakhov. They literally volunteered to create this miracle of technology. These two enthusiasts, due to the lack of high-quality equipment, decided to create it themselves. They set themselves serious challenges, and they succeeded in designing the perfect amplifier. But, most likely, he would have remained in two copies, if not for Likhnitsky's acquaintance with influential officials of Leningrad on "music lovers" affairs. By that time, the task was to create a high-class amplifier, and they decided to attract a talented person to this work.

Since Likhnitsky worked in an uninteresting sphere for himself, he accepted this offer with great enthusiasm. The deadlines were tight, the amplifier needed to be quickly put into mass production. And the engineer offered his working sample. After minor improvements, a few months later the first prototype appeared, and by 1975 - a full-fledged serial amplifier.

Its appearance on the shelves in stores can be compared with the effect of an exploding bomb, and in one word, it was a triumph. "Brig" could not be bought in free sale, but it was possible only to "get it" with a substantial surcharge.

Then a victorious attack on the markets of Western countries began. "Brig" was successfully sold to European countries and Australia. The amplifier was produced until 1989 and cost a lot of money - 650 rubles.

To make the equipment sound more powerful, an audio amplifier is required. In some samples, it may be embedded inside the device, while others will need to be connected separately. Such a special electronic device, the task of which is to amplify sound vibrations in the range of human hearing. Based on this, the device should operate in the range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but amplifiers may have better characteristics.

By type, amplifiers last for household and professional. The former are intended for home use for high-quality audio reproduction. In turn, the equipment of the professional segment is subdivided into studio, concert and instrumental.

By type, devices are divided into the following types:

• terminal (designed to amplify the signal power);
• preliminary (their task is to prepare a weak signal for amplification);
• full (in these devices, both types are combined).

When choosing it is worth pay attention to the number of channels, power and frequency range.

At this stage in the development of electronics, many music lovers can say that Soviet sound amplifiers are not worthy of attention. Foreign counterparts are better in quality and more powerful than their Soviet brothers.

Based on user reviews, we decided to compile a rating of household amplifiers that are worth showing interest in.

• In the first place is the legendary "Brig". It supports high quality audio playback, but only if great audio systems are available. This is a fairly powerful unit capable of delivering 100 watts per channel at a peak. Classic appearance. The front panel is steel-colored and contains the controls. Multiple devices can be connected to the amplifier and can be easily switched between each other while listening to music. This amplifier is perfect for listening to jazz, classical or live music. But if you are a heavy rock or metal lover, this music doesn't sound as good as you'd like.

• The second place is taken by "Corvette 100U-068S". He is almost in no way inferior to the first place. It produces powerful 100-watt sound, the front panel is equipped with indicator lights, convenient control knobs. But there is a drawback - it is the case. It is made of plastic, which, with a rather large weight of the device, has a negative effect on operation.

• The honorable third step is "Estonia UP-010 + UM-010"... This is a set of two devices - a pre-amplifier and a power amplifier. The design is austere and cool. Even now, years later, it will not stand out from the range of any equipment and will not cause aesthetic rejection. The front panel of the preamplifier has many different buttons and knobs that allow you to adjust the sound as you like and conveniently. There are not many of them on the final amplifier, only four, but there are enough of them.

• Fixed in fourth place "Surf 50-UM-204S". He was the first household tube amplifier, and it is not easy to meet him now. The design of the case resembles modern computer blocks, it itself is made of good metal.The front panel contains only the power button and volume controls, one per channel.

• Completes the top "Radio engineering U-101". This amplifier can be called a budget option, but even now, in terms of sound quality, it is ahead of many entry-level audio systems from the Middle Kingdom. This device does not have a lot of power, only 30 watts per channel.

A separate group is professional stage amplifiers. There were also a lot of them, and they had their own specifics. These devices were much more powerful than household devices. And since the musicians had to travel a lot, the amplifiers were equipped, among other things, with special cases for transportation.

• "Trembita-002-Stereo"... This is probably the first and most successful example of a professional amplifier for stage performances. He also had a mixing console. There were no analogues to it until the mid-80s.

• "ARTA-001-120". A concert amplifier with a good sounding power of 270 W at that time, had many inputs for connecting additional devices. Could be used as a mixing console.

• "Estrada - 101"... It was already a whole concert complex, consisting of several blocks.

This, of course, is a subjective rating, and many may disagree with it, recalling amplifiers of models such as "Electronics 50U-017S", "Odyssey U-010", "Amfiton - 002", "Tom", "Harmonica", "Venets", etc. This opinion also has a right to life.

For an overview of Soviet sound amplifiers, see the following video.