Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Mammoth receiver. There are many good posts on these on audiokarma.org. I don't need to get into details, just that this is an amazing, well built piece of equipment. It's not going to win any awards for appearance but we're in this for the sound right? If you find one for relatively cheap (I found mine for $300, spent $200 on maintenance) buy it and hold on. Know that you own a piece of history with a great story behind it. Use it and bask in the glory of sonic pureness!

Price Paid:  $300.00 from E-Bay

Summary:
The 1978 Concept 16.5 Receiver, retailed for $950.00 and has the distinction of being, at 165 WPC RMS, the most powerful receiver ever fielded by a "house brand", in this case, "Pacific Stereo", a subsidiary of CBS. In fact, many vintage receiver collectors, like me, regard the 16.5 as one of the best Stereo Receivers ever made by anyone. The circuitry was engineered by Dick Schram, who went on to greater glory as the founder of Parasound. The Concept 16.5 was manufactured by TCE (Tandy Corporation Electronics) in Japan.

The 16.5's dominant feature was a "dual mono" amplifier design, similar to Harman/Kardon 930, 730 and 630, but "taken to the next level" with huge twin power transformers. The end result is that the 16.5 had a damping factor of 450, much higher than any other contemporary receiver, or, to my knowledge any other receiver EVER. In non-technical terms the damping factor describes the ability of an amplifier to control the piston motion of a speaker. It is a "spec" you can really feel. And with a damping factor of 450 the bass output on the 16.5 is simply stunning.

A few years ago, I found a great new application for this old Monster. I plugged the output from my computer's Audigy LS audio card into the Tape 1 input on the 16.5 and now stream digital audio from the Internet into the 16.5 which pumps it to some RBH Tower Speakers. The 16.5 gives the ordinarily limp and lifeless streamed music an AWESOME punch and clarity that it simply did not have being played over my "high-end computer speakers". If you're interested in trying this, I highly recommend www.listen.com's Rhapsody service which has 1,000,000 recordings.

I also run a Concept 2QD Quartz Lock Direct Drive Turntable with my 16.5 and they make a sweet looking pair. To check them out together and get all the specs on the 16.5 go here:

http://www.electricalhobby.com/monsterreceiversite/unit_pages/ConceptReceiver.htm

-- Chris Opfell

Strengths:
Solid build
Awesome Power
Decent FM Tuner

Weaknesses:
Bland styling
Vinyl-clad case

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