Leal 12.1 & Radio Craftsmen C500a

Trying to understand my amplifiers better, I performed a A/B test between the 12.1 and the Radio Craftsmen C500a.

The similarity between the two is its sweet vocal
tone. the key differences are that the Leak TL12.1 has more open and wider and deeper soundstage. The Radio Craftsman 500a has a slightly narrower one but yet still managed to have fine details, and sweet tone.

Unless there is an immediate AB comparion, the differences may not be so clear. I would say that the Radio Craftsmen C500a sounded 90% close to the 12.1

When the 2 power amplifiers matched with the Marantz 7 and Fishers 400CX, it has different sound reproduction with the Marantz having more transparent and clear tone with emphasis on the mid; while the Fishers has a more muiscal tone and emphasis on the Mid and mid high!

The Radio Craftsmen was from the 1950s but its design (using the shining steel chassis) is so advant guarde that it is ahead of its times. It is a beauty to look at when listening. The Leak 12.1 , on the other hand, looks like a solid castle ..solid looking and under stated. The differences in looks clearly reflect the national charateristics between the American and the British!

Some facts from Alan on the RC:
RC500 has 10 watt output,
RC500A has 15 watts output and
RC550 has 30 watt output but operated in ultra-linear instead of triode
RC500 and RC500A was licence under Western Electric but RC550 was not..
RC500 and RC500A was designed by Sidney Smith, but RC550 was design by Bob Grodinski

From the "collector" point of view, the Radio craftmens is a good buy as it is relatively cheaper but rarer plus the fact that it is like a uncut diamonds waiting for further exploration by the audiophiles as it is currently only known to a few...