Very Rare BGW Model 203 Stereo Preamplifier Awesome Build and Sound Quality - MADE in the USA!

Rare, Fabled BGW Model 203 Stereo Preamplifier in Exceptional Functional and Cosmetic Condition with Excellent Phono Section – MSRP $1,300.

BGW was founded in 1971 in California by Brian Gary Wachner, hence the name BGW. The big break for Brian was a 1974 contract with Universal Studios in which he was commissioned to build thousands of his BGW 750 power amplifiers for use in theaters and theme parks. Unlike most Audio Industry companies, from that time on BGW was incredibly diversified in Military, Professional, Industrial and Consumer audio products. Brian also established an excellent in house sheet metal fabrication facility and that also led to further diversification building OEM chassis for a wide array of electronics companies. Brian passed away in 1997 and in 2003 the company was sold to ATI (Amplifier Technologies, Inc.). One of the problems when you name your company after yourself and then it is sold, sometimes the new owner company wants to divorce itself from the original owner. If you go to the BGW web site today and look at their representation of the history, they won’t even tell you Brian’s name:

http://www.bgw.com/about/

This rare BGW Model 203 preamplifier is famous for all the right reasons. It has exceptional build quality and while it looks a bit industrial from the outside, on the inside it is really clean and well laid out - a work of audio art. This is truly an engineer’s audio component, with no frills on the outside and all the money put to use on the inside towards attaining the best possible sonic performance. First class board level components and a very well thought out and executed design, including stepped attenuators for the volume control – something that you would not normally see outside a recording studio.

The sound quality is sublime! By definition the ideal preamplifier is one that is neutral sounding and does its job with a minimum of deleterious artifacts like hiss, hum or other noise, even on a subsonic level. This preamp achieves those results – it sounds exceptional!

Functionally and cosmetically, this Model 203 preamp is in great shape. All switches and attenuators have been professionally cleaned and the entire preamp has had every function checked and verified to be working properly. There are no functional issues – it works beautifully. Cosmetically, while it may not have the design flourishes that many consumer products rely on to make themselves stand out, this preamp is in excellent condition. No mushed corners, no dented panels, no corrosion, no worn lettering, no bent knob shafts, no loose terminations, all lights work, all functions work. There are a few very small nicks along the top edge, and the top panel has two very small, feint scratches. Both rear corners have welding dimples – artifacts from the manufacturing process but blemishes nonetheless. The very thick AC cable is still quite pliable, however there are spots on the cable sheath where the surface is cracking, and even a couple of tiny spots where the rubber has flecked off. In normal use this cable should still have years of use. The rear RCA / phono terminations have evidence of wear, some more than others. Two adjustment knobs have small scratches. Overall, it is in excellent condition as you can see from the photos.

This BGW Model 203 preamp has been designed and engineered with many unique features. One such feature is that you can not only adjust the volume of each channel independently, you can also adjust the separate tone controls per channel! Another feature that is somewhat different is that it was designed to have an external sound processor in the loop. This could be as simple as a home audio equalizer, or something much more complex. However, you need to either have something like that in line or use a pair of RCA / Phono jumpers to connect the loop in back. Without that circuit connected, the tone controls are defeated. It is a simple task to make that connection, and if the buyer wishes I can supply a pair of short audio jumpers. Another unusual feature is that there are two power-on buttons that are side-by-side on the front panel. One of the switches is for the units relay circuitry, the other has to do with the AC outlets on the back. Both switches have to be depressed for the unit to power on.

BGW MODEL 203 PREAMPLIFIER SPECIFICATIONS:

* Input impedance:
… Phono1 / 2:47 kΩ
… Tuner, Aux1 / 2, Tape1 / 2:90 kΩ

* Gain:
… Phono Amplifier: 42dB
… Amplifier High Level:
… 22dB (High position)
… 10dB (Low Position)

* RIAA deviation: 20Hz ~ 20kHz ± 0.25dB

* Frequency characteristic:
… Phono Amplifier: 20Hz ~ 20kHz ± 0.25dB
… High Level Amplifier: 20Hz ~ 20kHz ± 0.2dB

* SN ratio:
… Phono: 88dB
… High Level: 80dB (High position)
… 90dB (Low Position)

* Maximum permissible input:
… Phono: 100mV (1kHz)
… High Level Amp: 10V

* Impedance output voltage / load:
… Line out: 8Vrms/600Ω (+20 dBm)
… Tape out: 10Vrms/5kΩ
… 4V/rms/5kΩ: rated output

* THD: (20Hz ~ 20kHz, at rated output) 0.01% or less

* Tone controls:
… Bass: ± 18dB (50Hz)
… Treble: ± 18dB (15kHz)

* Filters:
… Low: 20Hz, 18dB/oct
… High: 12kHz, 18dB/oct

* Power consumption: 10W

* Physical Dimensions
… Height: (133mm)
… Depth: (273mm)
… Width: (483mm)

* Weight: 8.1kg

This BGW Model 203 preamplifier is very rare and does not show up on the used market very often. When released in 1978, it had a MSRP of $1,300, which was a considerable amount of money back in those days. These past few years I have seen used sale prices all over the map. This is one of audio’s all time “sleeper” products in terms of quality vs. cost – it is an audio gem! Here is an opportunity to buy this superb preamp in perfect functioning condition and in excellent cosmetic condition. Payment is via US Post Office Money Order, Paypal and Cash Upon Delivery. I am happy to deliver for free if you are local to me in the Berkeley, San Francisco or Marin County area.

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