AP0 Power Amplifier

25W/Channel

The AP0 is physically identical in external appearance to the DR1 Digital Readout without a display.

Stan Curtis wrote, “ How did you hear about the AP0 ?

25 watts per channel and that’s about all I can remember.  Never got much further than the sketches in my design book.  Based upon the circuit of the Cambridge P60 inside a DR1 case and it sounded really sweet but would have cost too much money to make against my target (case too expensive).

The concept of the AP0 came about because the AP1 was physically unstable; tall narrow and sitting on a small diameter base.  I was always uncomfortable with the concept.  As I’ve said before the styling probably cost more sales than it gained.

Anyway we had some cases made for the digital readout and they used less aluminium so would be cheaper than an AP1 case. I built a “P60 like” amplifier inside a case using a flat toroid transformer. The 25 watt rating was determined by the transformer size; this being the biggest that would fit. The end result was a squat and quite attractive amplifier.

The P60 circuit was, IMHO, a better sound than the AP1 and I’d challenge anyone to hear the difference of power levels because the toroid had much better regulation than the E-lam of the AP1 and so gave better “dynamic” power.

BUT Lecson still had a lot of AP1 parts in stock and although the AP0 would have been cheaper to produce and a whole lot more reliable it would have a retail price maybe only 20% lower; not enough for clear water between the two.

In retrospect it should have replaced the AP1 because that was the product that brought Lecson down, but Singhania would never have allowed me to shelve the AP1 when it could still have been sold even in small numbers.

As some as you may have seen, Mike Harris and myself were well on the way to creating an extraordinary range of products at Lecson.  The AP0, AP1X; AP3 mk2 and the AP4 plus the SFM2 & amplifier; DR1 and eventually the new version AC2 pre-amplifier and the integrated amplifier.

We should have bought the business from Singhania but we were young and I had three Italian sports cars and girlfriends to support!”

Leave a Reply