ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Solid-state power amplifier

700 amplifier

Phase Linear · 1971

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The Phase Linear 700, designed by Bob Carver, was rated at 350 watts per channel and sold for $749 in 1971. It used high-voltage transistors originally made for car ignition systems and an 'Energy Limiter' protection circuit.

Introduced
1971
Category
Solid-state power amplifier
Intended use
High power for studios, sound reinforcement and hi-fi
Production
Phase Linear's first product, 1971

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    At about a dollar per watt it offered far more power than the [[crown-dc300|Crown DC300]], pushing the market toward higher-power transistor amplifiers.

  2. 02

    It was used by studios, sound companies and touring musicians through the 1970s.

Engineering record

Protection
Energy Limiter circuit to survive shorted or overloaded outputs[1]

Original pricing

$749 (1971)

2026 equivalent

≈ $6,200

Period US list or retail price reported by the cited source.[1]

Estimated in 2026 US dollars using the BLS CPI-U annual average for 1971 (40.5) and 334.980 for 2026, rounded to the nearest $10.[2]

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1TAS Legacy: Phase Linear 700 Power AmplifierThe Absolute Sound · technical paper
  2. 2CPI Inflation Calculator methodology and CPI-U dataU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · reference · 2026

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