SOUNDBOXES XVI: RESTORING THE NEC A-520E INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

 

SOUNDBOXES XVI: RESTORING THE NEC A-520E INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

As a matter of preference, this blog admires Japanese made Hi Fi of the 1970s. The following is a restoration report volunteered by a reader, Mr Robert Fry.

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Needing an amplifier for my AV setup, I browsed eBay for a reasonably priced solution. Amongst the many contenders, I spotted this NEC A-520E, a slight oddball in that NEC never really gained a sizeable market share in audio products.

Here are its specifications:

Power output: 50 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 5Hz to 70kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.008%

Input sensitivity: 0.25mV (MC), 2.5mV (MM), 150mV (line)

Signal to noise ratio: 87dB (MM), 105dB (line)

Output: 140mV (line)

Speaker load impedance: 8Ω to 16Ω

Dimensions: 430 x 110 x 340mm

Weight: 9.5kg

Years of Production: 1978-80

Having owned a couple of NEC CD players, whose sound exceeded my expectations, I decided to go with the A-520E as an experiment.

It was very modestly priced at £70 so I clicked the 'Buy It Now' button and began this journey. 

Upon arrival, I was pleased with the general condition of the amplifier.  There were no significant marks on the case or the control knobs.  Initially, the sound was rather dry and unfocused/tizzy.  It had a pretty dynamic sound while also seeming somewhat constrained at the frequency extremes.  Bass was indistinct and the treble a little flat and grainy. Here is a picture before restoration of the interior.

 

I gradually collected together the parts needed to do an extensive restoration.  I felt the amplifier had potential, so I went all-in!  I purchased replacements for all electrolytic capacitors, mostly Nichicon FG 'Fine Gold' due to their clean and neutral sonic signature.  I also replaced the bridge rectifier and the OP-AMP, resistors and some small capacitors in the Phono stage.  Each part was carefully considered for quality, physical fit and a neutral sound quality.  The parts also had to look right!

 

Upon beginning the mammoth task, I noticed the solder joints were failing and many exhibited signs of cracking.  So, I added to the list a reel of Multicore 62/36/2 LMP solder which makes lovely shiny, tight solder joints - far superior to the generic solder NEC had used 45 years ago.

Work eventually began, taking each board out for best access.  Every solder joint was drained with MG chemicals Superwick and reflowed neatly with the Multicore LMP solder.  Absolutely every joint - including those of parts I did not need to change.  I had to banish the ongoing decay of the original solder completely.

At first power-up, it worked well and sounded pretty good, painting a smile across my face.  This thing sounded totally different.  The bass was now cleaner and well defined, the treble detailed and delivered with finesse - without being fatiguing, revealing subtleties of detail and ambience which I had previously not heard.  The last thing to do was set up the idling current to 13.2mV as detailed in the service manual. I left it for an hour or so to settle before checking and re-adjusting again about an hour later.  One channel was significantly off, the other was nearly correct. 

After the setup, the sound improved further, tighter and even more neutral.  My Sony CDP-X559ES CD player's sound was reproduced faithfully.

Listening to John Holt's '1000 Volts of Holt' delivered a natural, highly realistic vocal and superb reggae bass lines with seemingly no effort.  The sweet treble embellished the soundstage with natural detail that injected life into the performance.

Playing Cusco's 'Desert island' CD showed off the fine instrument placing this amplifier is capable of.  'Galapagos' was delivered into the speakers with pulsing pace and sparkling detail, a real thrill to listen to.

I highly recommend restoring one of these if you get the chance.  It is a lot of work, but it pays off. 

The 'Active Drive' design and care in layout makes for excellent sound quality at a modest price.  Also, I noticed the background noise is very, very low - almost inaudible with no signal at max volume. (AUX/CD source).

NEC are a semiconductor manufacturer and clearly know how to optimally implement the devices they make.  I take my hat off to the NEC engineers.. The A-520E truly is a hidden audio gem of yesteryear! 

Contributed by:

ROBERT FRY

August 2026

[Please post any comments or reactions in the comment space below. I will put you in touch with Mr Fry if necessary.]

THE 50 GUITARS OF TOMMY GARRETT…IN LOVE AND MORE

THE 50 GUITARS OF TOMMY GARRETT…IN LOVE AND MORE

The ‘orchestra leader’ Tommy Garrett made a hit on the easy listening scene from the early 1960s into the early 1970s with a unique arrangement of 50 Guitars into an orchestra supported ostensibly with a light percussion section, and occasionally with a flautist, harpsichord player and oboe player. The result is to elevate the guitar – and an acoustic guitar, mind you – into the equivalent of an orchestral paradigm all by itself. I am not making this claim lightly. Thanks to the first-rate digital remastering supervised by Mr Garrett himself, the 50 guitars substitute for cellos, violas, violins and piano. Also, the resonance of the guitar strings within each of their accompanying wooden housing, amplified by the resonance of massed and synchronized solo and coordinated playing fills the recording space with pure analogue sound. In fact, play the Garrett remasters on any CD player hooked up to a vintage amplifier from the mid-1960s onwards, you’ll hear something magical about the spatial presence of 50 guitars in unison. Some of you might find this too technical, but this is the genius behind Garrett’s guitar orchestra concept. Moreover, in every one of the remasters by GARRETT MUSIC ENTERPRISES, there is a declaration in the liner notes that many ‘solo greats’ made up Tommy Garrett’s ‘50 Guitars’ – joining the worlds of jazz, pop and other hybrid styles: Laurindo Almeida, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Glen Campbell, Howard Roberts, Tiny Timbrell, José Barroso, Al Viola, René Hall, and many more. So this is a real ‘orchestra of guitarists’ recording for you!

 
Let me start this review by highlighting one of the first in his ‘love/Valentine’s themed’ vinyl LPs: 50 GUITARS IN LOVE (Liberty Records – LSS-14037, STEREO IN 1966 for US and German markets) from 1966 produced in both mono and stereo pressings. 

A1		Michelle	2:22
A2		Strangers In The Night	2:32
A3		I Left My Heart In San Francisco	2:18
A4		Lara's Theme From "Dr. Zhivago"	2:55
A5		Our Day Will Come	2:20
A6		You Don't Have To Say You Love Me	2:41
B1		The Shadow Of Your Smile	1:58
B2		Escape To Love	1:53
B3		Sure Gonna Miss Her	2:35
B4		Moon Guitar	2:24
B5		What Now My Love	3:18
B6		Dream Theme

With just 12 tunes plucked from the pop charts, along with a few Garrett originals, the 50 Guitars manage to evoke a mood that envelopes the listener in warm, poignant sound. Even if you are listening through standard two channel stereo, the sound goes all around your listening room. This draws you indelibly into the music. The Beatles’ ‘Michelle’ is no longer just evocative of Paul McCartney’s vocal. It is a ballad for a candlelit evening in your dining room. ‘Strangers in the Night’, ‘Lara’s Theme’, ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’, ‘Our Day Will Come’, ‘Sure Gonna Miss Her’, is arranged almost as an invitation to do a twirl around your living room or the restaurant where the album is played.

The next album featured in the 3CD compilation, MORE 50 GUITARS IN LOVE, features a thoroughly 1960s hip beat on ‘You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling’ infused with Latin tones in the varied mid-tempo guitar playing. Francis Lai’s ‘A Man and a Woman’ takes you to Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, or Quito, and not Paris, with its mid-tempo Latin rhythm. The selection of the Ed Ames hit ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ is intuitive since the melody suits the 1960s Latin beat of celebrating beautiful womanhood with lightly lilting, gentle melodies that are both relaxing and lounge favourites at the same time.

I would also highlight another rare LP to CD remaster: the 50 Guitars 1963 LP MARIA ELENA remastered by EMI Singapore for CD as part of the company’s centenary publicity:

 

Track listing:

A1		Maria Elena Written-By – Lorenzo Barcelata
A2		Jungle Drums Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona
A3		Anna Written-By – R. Vatro*
A4		Without You (Tres Palabras) Written-By – Osvaldo Farres*
A5		Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White Written-By – Louiguy
A6		Taboo Written-By – Margarita Lecuona
B1		El Choclo Written-By – E. Freeman*, M. Garrett*
B2		Poinciana Written-By – Nat Simon
B3		Brazil Written-By – A. Barroso*
B4		Amapola Written-By – Joseph M. Lacalle*
B5		Flamenco Love Written-By – F. Shuman*, J. Eaton*, L. Wagner*
B6		The Breeze And I Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona

 As you can see, this was an earlier foray by Garrett and company into the more traditional Latin songbook. The celebration of melodic compositions by Ernesto Lecuona and Ary Barroso are in there, along with standards associated with the Latin big band like ‘Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White’ and ‘Amapola’. This is still lounge music ala guitar style but with a cool edge and a mood of gentle celebration of life and beauty. If you are living in, or travelling through a small quaint Central American plaza, or somewhere in Central Spain, in the historic towns of Salamanca, Zamora, Avila, Segovia, Valladolid and Toledo, Tommy Garrett’s MARIA ELENA is the perfect soundtrack for your walking journeys. Or a video filmed from your digital camera perhaps? Imagine, look around and that beautiful lady is looking back at you with Spanish eyes… Above all, this album stands as testimony to the talent in 1960s easy listening. Here's a sample of the original liner notes by Nigel Hunter celebrating the 50 Guitars' contribution to the glory of guitar music:

 

In 1964, the 50 Guitars released a themed celebration of Italian popular standards and folk tunes. Simply titled GO ITALIANO, it featured a more subdued arrangement – but a still luxurious soundstage – by addressing the mood of an Italian evening party. Not the intense dinner and dance ‘fever’ but one that takes you to a high point in Milano, Venezia, Roma or Firenze to look over the city lights while you dine in style. The track list says a lot: 

A1	O Sole Mio Arranged By – E. Freeman*, T. Lesslie*	2:24
A2	Al Di La Written-By – Donida*, Drake*	2:51
A3	Summertime In Venice Written-By – Icini*, Sigman*, Pinchi	1:34
A4	Non Dimenticar Written-By – Redi*	2:27
A5	Return To Me Written-By – Lombardo*, Di Minno*	2:05
A6	Love Theme From La Strada Written-By – Galdieri*, Rota*	2:25
B1	Volare Written-By – Modugno*, Migliacci*, Parish*	2:30
B2	Come Back To Sorrento Arranged By – E. Freeman*, T. Lesslie*	2:23
B3	Mattinata Arranged By – E. Freeman*, T. Lesslie*	2:57
B4	Ciao Ciao Bambina Written-By – Verde*, Modugno*, Parish*	1:56
B5	Anema E Core Written-By – Goell*, D'Esposito*, Manlio*	2:05
B6	Arrivederci Roma Written-By – Sigman*, Rascel*

Garrett Music Enterprises remastered GO ITALIANO with another equally rare LP, 50 GUITARS FOR MIDNIGHT LOVERS.

Shangri-La	2:55
Live For Life	2:49
(They Long To Be) Close To You	2:09
Theme From Romeo And Juliet	2:49
Midnight Lovers	2:14
It's All In The Game	2:08
Twilight Time	2:15
Come Saturday Morning	2:00
Armen's Theme	2:45
I'll Never Fall In Love Again	2:30
Yesterday, When I Was Young	2:40
Everybody's Talking	2:30

MIDNIGHT LOVERS is probably one of the final albums under the ‘50 Guitars’ attribution. This was a product of 1970. Songs were still beautifully composed with lush passages, but the beat was heading back towards some version of rock and improvisation. MIDNIGHT LOVERS captured the last of the 1960s greats (listen to ‘Shangri-La’, ‘Twilight Time’, ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ and ‘Everybody’s Talking’) with Tommy Garrett arranging for the previous decade but with a few evergreen surprises. ‘Live for Life’ presents itself as an instrumental bridge between Paris, London and New York with the guitars intoning many soft romantic moments. Nothing Latin about it, just a dreamy, nearly seductive midnight mood. The Carpenters’ hit ‘(They Long To Be) Close To You’ is also done in the same midnight mood, but featuring a gorgeous standout solo oboe floating over the gentle guitar melody. ‘Come Saturday Morning’ is as 1970s as the 50 Guitars go in the direction of embracing folk/pop, while ‘Yesterday, When I was Young’ feels almost wistful towards the 1960s. But all in all, this is romantic guitar from the 1960s. If you get the chance, grab it! 

 

ALAN

April 2026

EASY LISTENING SOLO VIOLIN – THE GENIUS OF HELMUT ZACHARIAS IN A BIG BOX CD REMASTER…LISTEN TO HIS VERSION OF ‘CLAIR’ and ‘SOMETHING’!

 

Think of what it would sound like having a lighthearted style of playing violin fronting a small 10-15 piece orchestra…This is the sound of Helmut Zacharias. Hailing from a background comparable to the famous Bert Kaempfert big band, Zacharias left the bitter taste of World War Two Germany behind and played music for the masses – globally. According to many online biographies, he was influenced before and during the war by the styles of Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt. These two capture a blend of what we call ‘jazz’ today and gypsy melody. In the hands of Zacharias, a solo violin can dance, and ‘sashay’, and evoke all kinds of wonderful happy gyrations in your mind. It can be feminine and masculine depending on how you match a mood or scene to.

I post this review having recently obtained a set of the BMG/Electrola remasters on CD of nearly 23 of his short and long play vinyl albums. This is simple titled HELMUT ZACHARIAS BIG BOX – THE LEGENDARY ORIGINAL ALBUMS. A 5CD set sequencing his albums chronologically from the early 1960s through to the late 1970s. Like his contemporary Kaempfert, he stayed consistent in his style right up till the 1970s. I suppose one might try to compare him with Franck Pourcel’s early albums where he played solo violin in front of a lush string orchestra, or even Herman Clebanoff of the equally renowned Clebanoff Strings. But after listening to the selections in this box, one cannot help but admire the distinctiveness of Zacharias’s style.

I highlight for instance the following choice tracks from this ear-watering selection of his greatest albums according to the people at ELECTROLA, a subsidiary of BMG company.

L’Important cest la rose :  the violin’s long notes ring out the mental imagery of Parisian elegance as if this tune was meant for a romantic movie like ‘Sabrina’, ‘Forget Paris’ or the TV series ‘Emily in Paris’. Zacharias amazingly sounds as French as Grapelli, his inspiration. 

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White : this is forever associated with the trumpets, bongos, and saxophones of a Latin big band, but Zacharias makes it all his own with a special violin lead that evokes an elegant Viennese ball adapting to rhumbas and cha-chas.

A Man and a Woman : Francis Lai’s classic is no less romantically dramatic played with a solo violin attentive to its swirling musical passages.

Something : on CD TWO transforms the Beatles’ classic from a pop song into a literal flight of fancy from an elegant concert hall to enjoying inflight service in business (or first) class where meals and drinks are unhurried, and tinged with many sweet destination dreams. This is truly a classic and this is also captured in a live TV performance on YouTube by Zacharias.

Claire/Claire : the Gilbert O’ Sullivan pop standard ‘waltzes’ under Zacharias’ arrangements between a sunny summer picnic on the lawn to a hilarious gathering of friends in the porch partaking in a serving of lemonade on a warm afternoon.

Can’t Take my Eyes Off You : one would never have thought of the Zacharias sound applied to one of the most distinctive ‘re-hits’ between the 1960s and 1990s – but it works as an anthem to boy meets girl and vice versa situations. The violin however brings the melody into a classy afternoon lounge looking onto the street, while you watch people go by while sipping tall coffees!

This post would be quite unwieldy if I posted all of the track lists. But for starters the tunes below comprise just CD ONE. Released in 2023, there are still many pieces – both new and second hand – available on many retail sites such as eBay or this one: https://www.grooves.land/zacharias-helmut-big-box-die-legendaeren-originalalben-electrola-cd-pZZa1-2100857651.html. You can see from my pictures above how the original album covers are cleverly juxtaposed on the cover, literally offering a kaleidoscope of Zacharias’s work.

Disc 01

 01. "L'important c'est la rose"

02. "What A Wonderful World"

03. "A Man And A Woman"

04. "Step Inside Love"

05. "Love And Yasmin"

06. "Words"

07. "Honey"

08. "The Glory Of Love"

09. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"

10. "Love Is Blue"

11. "Falling In Love Again"

12. "Someone To Watch Over Me"

13. "Mexico Melody"

14. "Olympia Melody"

15. "Golden Bell Of Mexico"

16. "If I Were A Rich Man"

17. "Anatevka (Fiddler On The Roof)"

18. "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White"

19. "Liebesleid"

20. "Ich denk' an dich"

21. "Lara's Theme"

22. "The Last Waltz"

23. "So ein Tag, so wundersch?n wie heute"

24. "Help Yourself"

25. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

26. "Those Were The Days"

27. "O Cangaceiro"

28. "Capri-Fischer"

29. "Light My Fire

30. "Brown Eyed Woman"

Get it for your collection if you can, this is easy listening on a different plane!

ALAN

March 2026