For Sale: HK Ballad A230. Rare tested and working tube stereo integrated amplifier. Uses 4 EL84 / 6BQ5 tubes. Made in the USA probably mid 1960's.
I checked this carefully (see video below) and found no issues. Sound quality was pretty good with CD player hooked up and I did not hear any distortion or hum- new tubes and capacitors are recommended although probably not necessary. The capacitors look original so a recap might make this a spectacular sounding amp. Both channels are good, highs are crisp, and bass response was also surprisingly good on my little Polk test speakers. All the controls working correctly. Power light is good. Contour and rumble filter switches are working.
Some minor wear. No top case. The "Power" lettering on the front has pretty much worn away, the rest of the lettering looks good. Three of the knobs are originals and the rest are replacements most of which are vintage and look decent in my opinion. The tubes are a United Nations set... One 6BQ5 is marked made in England- marked Sylvania, and assume was made by Mullard. Another 6BQ5 or EL84 marked made in Canada, the other two are USA. One preamp tube made in Germany, 12AX7A Amperex marked made in Holland, rectifier tube is Russian, and the rest are USA.
Includes an 18 page printed copy of the original manual. I can email you the schematic if you want it.
Video to demo working condition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3sO_MMsHg4
The Harman Kardon A230 uses two EL84 output tubes per channel operated conservatively in class AB, self-bias, pentode connected, and a special phase inverter designed for low distortion and high gain with minimum phase shift.
Power output: 15 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 15Hz to 70kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 1%
Input sensitivity: 3mV (MM), 300mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 60dB (MM), 70dB (line)
Speaker load impedance: 8Ω to 16Ω
Valve complement: 1 x GZ34, 4 x EL84, 2 x ECC82, 3 x ECC83
Dimensions: 13-13/16 x 4-5/8 x 11-1/2 inches
Weight: 18 lbs.
Additional higher resolution photos are available, contact for more info.
Email me your zip code and city for a shipping estimate- should be between $11.99 and $29.99 if you live in the US (April 2022).
