Harman Kardon Citation II (2) Amplifier - - Absolutely Gorgeous
Item History & Price
Reference Number: Avaluer:7042325 | Model: Citation II |
Type: Tube Amplifier | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
Brand: Harman Kardon |
Chassis and Transformers
The chassis was stripped to bare metal, repaired where needed (the previous owner had modified it), primed with automotive primer, sanded smooth, given a base coat, sanded, and given another coat of color. At this point, I applied replica gold-flake decals to the chassis which I personally drew and had printed. At that point I sprayed the chassis with a coat of 2K high-gloss automotive primer, sanded it, and sprayed it with a second coat of clear. The transformers were treated likewise.
The original bottom plate had lost all its original markings, was rusted and warped. The plate you see is one of my replicas. I have cleaned up the original plate by removing all the rust and buffing it. I will include it with the amplifier if you wish.
All hardware used in the amp (screws, bolts, nuts, washers) is new and made of stainless steel, or in the case of the black screws, steel with a black oxide finish.
Electronic Restoration
I stripped the the turret boards and power supply bracket of all their old parts and installed Jim McShane's kits according to his instructions. Every capacitor, resistor (with the exception of the bias pots), and piece of wire in the amplifier is brand new. I used 4% silver solder and, as noted above, silver-plated PTFE hookup wire supplied by Jim McShane.
The meter switch was stripped of all wiring, entirely disassembled, carefully cleaned with DeOxit products, lubricated, and reassembled.The bias potentiometers were disassembled, meticulously and delicately cleaned, lubricated, reassembled, and tested before installation.The original choke tested properly and is quite an excellent choke. It was retained. The bias meter was tested, cleaned, and retained.
Modifications
Most people who restore Citation II amplifiers have to sacrifice the 16 Ohm terminal at the back of the amplifier in order to use modern binding posts. I wanted to use modern parts without cutting the chassis. So I designed and installed custom-made adapters to the back of the amplifier. See the photos. The adapters allowed me to seamlessly install modern binding posts for Ground, 4 Ohm, 8 Ohm, and 16 Ohm connections without cutting metal or compromising the aesthetics of the amplifier.
I also made matching adapters for the RCA jacks and installed a power switch in place of the courtesy outlet using another custom-made adapter. The result is an absolutely seamless look. No Citation II has a more functional or beautiful rear.
Besides the changes to the power supply and small tweaks to some resistor values made by Jim McShane (for instance, 6.81K resistors instead of 6.8K), the circuit is as-designed. This is not some home-brew amp based on the Citation II. It's a Citation II.
Condition
The amp is functionally about 9 months old (the time since restoration). In that time, it has served mostly as a show piece, having perhaps 9 hours of playing on it. It is barely broken in and operates flawlessly with a bold, effortless musicality and clean presentation that no tube amplifier before -- and very few since -- have ever matched.
The amp is as silent as most solid state gear. You will hear no hum or buzz from your speakers, even very efficient ones, with this amp. The tubes I have included (the ones pictured) -- also supplied by Jim McShane -- are very quiet and I find take about 15-20 minutes to fully warm up and sound their best.
The one quirk the amp has is that the bias meter tends to stick when it sits idle for a long while. A few taps is all it takes to get it unstuck. It otherwise operates just fine.
There are a few aesthetic flaws in the amp (see the last few photos) where I was either clumsy or not careful enough while handling/assembling it.
The mark on the rear of the transformer is the result of me knocking another piece of gear into the transformer. The small marks around the meter switch are the result of a slipped pair of pliers. The small mark on the front of the transformer is a mystery. I don't know how I managed that one. The textured area on the side of the amp is the result of my sleeve touching the clear coat before it was dry. It is a barely noticeable flaw under ordinary conditions, which is why I didn't bother buffing it out. But for the sake of full disclosure, I tried to find the lighting angle where the texture was most glaringly obvious and took a photo of it.
Also, one of my RCA adapters has a slight warp to it at the bottom. Not something you will probably notice, but, again, I want to leave out no detail.
So the amp does not have absolutely flawless looks, but I can assure you -- and as the photos show -- the flaws are very small and most are entirely out of sight. This amp is an absolute stunner that has never failed to draw compliments. It is easily one of the best looking Citation II's you'll ever see offered for sale.
Shipping
I will pack this like its the Mona Lisa and ship it by the most cost effective carrier to your address, either FedEX, UPS, or USPS ground service. It will be fully insured.
International buyers, please message me about shipping. I can most likely find you a better rate than eBay is quoting.
Payment
I accept payment by PayPal. If you have some alternative you prefer, please message me.
Questions
I have done my absolute best to describe the amp as fully and honestly as possible. If you have any questions, ask them BEFORE buying.