Gates Model 1400
A nameplate that turns up on at least four completely unrelated pieces of gear. Collectors have to read the fine print.
Overview
The Gates Model 1400 is a frustrating catalog entry. The model number tells you almost nothing, because "1400" has been stamped on everything from a British stereo receiver to an American broadcast tape machine to a professional power amplifier. Anyone shopping for a "Gates 1400" needs to know which 1400 they're chasing. This page lays out what the documentation shows and doesn't pretend a single product sits behind the name.
The best-documented candidate in the source material is a Bang & Olufsen-built stereo receiver, described in a period technical data sheet. It is a 33-transistor, 18-diode design rated at 2 x 15 watts continuous. The sheet also lists 2 x 20 watts music power. Frequency response is 30-25,000 c/s ± 1 dB, with distortion under 1% from 40 c/s to 12.5 kc/s. Signal-to-noise separation is given as greater than 50 dB. The tone controls give bass ±10/-16 dB at 40 c/s and treble +13/-16 dB at 10 kc/s. Channel separation is quoted at better than 40 dB at 1 kc/s, falling to 30 dB at 12.5 kc/s. The same sheet describes an onboard stereo decoder with separation above 35 dB at 1 kc/s, distortion under 0.5%, and a 50-15,000 c/s ± 2 dB response.
The receiver's tuning section covered FM from 87.5 to 104 mHz plus long wave, medium wave, and two short-wave bands, the second with bandspread. Inputs included a low-ohms gramophone stage at 47 kΩ with 4 mV sensitivity, tape recorder record and playback connections, a 4Ω speaker input for external sources such as TV sound, a 75Ω FM aerial, and an AM aerial. Outputs ran to two pairs of speakers via DIN sockets at 4Ω. The power supply accepted 110-130-220-240 volts AC at 50-60 c/s and drew 15-120 watts. Two cabinet variants are listed: the 1400 M at roughly 16½ x 4⅜ x 9¾ inches and the 1400 K at roughly 29½ x 4⅜ x 9¾ inches. Both have end loudspeakers and both came in teak or rosewood. The document is attributed to Bang & Olufsen's United Kingdom division in Gloucester. This is not a Gates product in the American broadcast sense at all, and anyone conflating the two is going to be disappointed at the swap meet.
A second, entirely separate "Model 1400" in the source material is the QSC Series One professional power amplifier. QSC's own advertising copy billed it as 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 watts per channel into 4 ohms, 20-20 kHz with both channels driven. It came in a 27-pound chassis with flow-through two-speed fan cooling, a single-piece 14-gauge steel chassis with integral rack mounts, active balanced inputs, dual power supplies, and a patented Output Averaging short-circuit protection scheme. The same copy quoted a manufacturer's suggested retail of $1,395.00 in one printing and $698.00 in another. That suggests either a mid-run price cut or two different ad versions, so treat the pricing as approximate. QSC's marketing also made much of a two-year parts-and-labor warranty and an octal input socket that accepted optional comp/limiter, crossover, and transformer modules.
The archive's period-review material for this entry is thin and mostly noise. The chunks drawn from Studio Sound (February 1978, p.22) and Mix (September 1989, p.187, p.189) cover unrelated news items and gear-listing columns rather than a substantive review of any Gates 1400. They do confirm that the "1400" designation was floating around the professional audio world in multiple contexts during the late 1970s and 1980s. The name is not a reliable identifier on its own.
Several further "1400" sightings add to the confusion. RTS Systems built a Model 1400 in-line microphone preamplifier with continuously variable gain from 23 to 56 dB, a built-in limiter, and a claimed fast rise-time with no overshoot even under 20 dB of limiting. Grass Valley Group sold a Model 1400-12 video switcher with clamped vertical interval switching, internal/external keying and matte, bordered wipes, and optional chroma key. Telex/Magnecord's Model 1400 was a recorder/reproducer rugged enough that weather satellite services adopted it for meteorological telemetry. None of these is the same product, and none should be described as a Gates item. They do explain why a search for "Gates 1400" returns a mix of receivers, amplifiers, preamps, switchers, and tape machines.
For a buyer, the Gates Model 1400 cannot be described as a single product without knowing which document the seller is holding. The B&O-attributed receiver is the best-documented version in the archive's sources, with a full transistor count, power rating, tuning coverage, and cabinet dimensions. The QSC amplifier is the best-documented professional version, with a clear power spec and a stated retail price. Ask for a photo of the rear panel or the model plate before committing, because the "1400" badge alone says nothing about what's in the box. Maintenance and failure patterns are not documented in the available material, and neither are current market values.
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.