PUMPED: jim Biongorno will update my Hadley 622 amp..(nudies in here)

I got a response from Hadley 622 amp designer Jim Bongiorno,,,he will update my amp..I am psyched to say the least..

Here is the email back:


Dear Jack,
I was the last engineer in the design of the 622. I must be the only person in the world that knows this unit inside and out. Yes I would still do the upgrade if you desire. This would be quite extensive as the parts used in the original are quite antiquated by today's standards. It is a BIG job and takes many hours. One of the benefits however, is that there would be a dramatic increase in power output because the original output devices had tremendous losses. When I get done, the unit puts out close to 80 watts/channel which is double the original rating. I also strongly recommend adding the two servo cards (two are needed because the design is a full wave balanced bridge output. Also, the performance improvement is substantial.
The only drawback is the cost which is $600.00. This includes virtually all new semiconductors, caps, etc. Let me know what you want to do.
James
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Here are some pics of the amp (nudies as well)

hadley 622 on the left


nudies:

 

Sounds like a good deal, the price is quite reasonable. And it looks like it needs it.

 

You couldnt tell from the sound that anything is amiss...so I am placing my bets that it will be awesome afterwards...

That sauteed cap top is the only sign of wear...

 

The circuit board looks a little toasted around those two brown resistors also. I've found this can lead to solder joint failure. To have an original engineer of the amp rebuild it sounds awesome, I'm sure it will be a big improvement.

 

What kind of caps is he going to use? I just swapped out the coupling caps on my VK-75 and it sounds like a new amp. I used V-Caps. They are a little costly,but worth every penny.

Tim

 

daleH, I see what you are referring to now....

I will email again and ask for details and report back!

 

Very cool. Jim's a good guy. I dealt with him back in the 70's when we had about a dozen Great American Sound amps at Dawnbreaker. Mostly they were Ampzilla's, but they got pretty hot. I finally had to install an AC ducting system for them.

Those appear to be garden variety 3055's in the original output section. I'd be kind of curious to see what he does. In any event, it sounds like a bargain.

How about some before and after photos.

Btw, looks like my SP10 Mk II turntable in the top photo.

 

Jim's quite a character....and modest, too! I have a stack of SAE '00 series amps and components right now that I love but might have to sell off. He used to do mods and updates on these amps too until he got busy with his new company. There's a couple of guys on the SAE Yahoo group who Jim has personally "certified" to do mods and upgrades on his older designs. Where did the Hadley fit into his audio career? I wasn't familiar with this amp.

 

I should add that Jim had left the company by the time the '00 series of components had come out, but they continued to use his designs for years after his departure.

 

i will post photos once its back....I was gonna wait to sell my TT but i think I will whip out the CC...(wife will raise an eyebrow)...but thats what eyebrows are for...

 

Jim was a protege of Sid Smith at Marantz. He had a brief stay at that company, at the end of the tube era. Before Marantz, he had joined Hadley in 1965 and finished the 622 design. Mr. Hadley suffered from Parkinson's so he closed shop a short time thereafter. Bongiorno moved to Marantz then Dynaco and SAE. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

Is this the Servo Locked Loop circuit from the GAS days?

My brother had a Son of Ampzilla back in the day and it was awesome. It did run hot and I had to replace the power supply caps when they melted.