Saturday 19 April 2014

For Sale - Gemini P600 P.A. Amplifiers - £49 each

I pulled these amplifiers out of a school p.a. system were they had done about 8 years of constant, if somewhat gentle service. The school had complained that they were becoming noisy in use, read on and you will find out why. For speed, economic and reliability reasons I installed new Samson amplifiers in the school and put these in the workshop as a summer project.
On inspection they were very dusty inside and the bearings had gone on the cooling fans, making them emit a banshee like wail. I thoroughly cleaned them out with a vacuum cleaner and all errant fans were replaced with computer fans of the same size.
They are now whisper quiet, even the attenuators are quiet, so they could be put to use in home studio or used in conferencing or as a standby amplifier for just about any anything requiring a modestly powered amp.

 Gemini P600 - Home studio, conferencing or DJ use

My research would suggest that they can run 85 Watts into 8 Ohms. I used them on a few gigs to drive 10" and 12" vocalist monitor speakers and they worked admirably without overheating or clipping issues. But obviously they wouldn't be first choice for driving a mighty sub-bass system.
That said, most people who read this website are pretty smart and know their stuff, so I shouldn't need to point out that the rating of 85 Watts, is a true R.M.S. value that can be delivered for hours on end without overheating or distortion and not so called "Chinese Watts", which are peak values only possible for milliseconds.
As you can probably guess I am getting very tired of reading adverts on eBay and elsewhere claiming power outputs of 10Kw from a 2U high amplifier fitted with a domestic 13 Amp plug. If you do the math you will soon realise that if such claims were true, the unit would need to be fitted with a cee-form plug and need to be fed off an industrial 63 Amp 3 phase power distribution board.

Gemini P600 - 85 Watts of true, undistorted, R.M.S. power 

The overall package is 4U tall, but shallow, quite the inverse of modern designs and the weight is around 10 Kg. The front panel has an On/Off switch with power indication, there are two large volume control knobs and selectors allowing you to run two sets of speakers independently or simultaneously. The rear panel has 1/4" balanced input jacks or phono unbalanced input jacks. Output is via push terminals. Should it be of use, I have a selection of 19" output panels available for additional cost, sorry I am not a charity.

Gemini P600 - run two sets of speakers independently or simultaneously

If your interest is technical in nature, you can find an overview with the specification sheet here

I have priced these to sell at £49 each, there have been some similar models that I've seen sold on eBay for less, but they were all in ropey looking condition and not cleaned and checked over like these particular units. There are no issues with noise or performance, but do bear in mind that the componentry will be the best part of 25 years old, they will all be good quality components, but even the best capacitors can go out of specification over time.

Feel free to collect, or I can arrange courier delivery within the UK mainland for just £10. Exceptions apply to certain areas; such as the Highlands and Islands and may be subject to surcharges.

2 comments:

  1. Hello I would like to know if there are still amplifiers has to sell? And if ouoi which is the price(prize)? How much have it you? Is he(it) possible to send them?
    Thank you for answering me cordially

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    Replies
    1. 3 are still available, they are £49 each and can be sent to any UK address. They will be too expensive to send outside of the UK due to weight.

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