Lafayette

Explore Lafayette vintage audio equipment in the Vintage Technology Archive.

Amplifiers

• LA-250A — Lafayette LA-250A 50-watt stereo amplifier, circa 1961–1962. Sold assembled or as KT-250A kit; period ads document 25W/ch output and $99.50 price.
• LA-524 — Lafayette LA-524 compact SQ decoder/auxiliary amplifier from 1972. 60W total, CBS SQ & COMPOSER decoding, $79.95 new. Review in Audio July 1972.
• LA-600 — Lafayette LA-600 stereo preamplifier (circa 1960–1961), sold wired and as kit KT-600A. Period ads claim null-balancing system; almost no documentation survives.

Receivers

• LR-120DB — Lafayette LR-120DB stereo receiver (1978–1979). Features adjustable FM muting, built-in Dolby FM decoding, dual power meters.
• LR-1500T — Lafayette LR-1500T AM/FM stereo receiver, c. 1968–1969. Featured 4 ICs, 2 FETs, 175W power, and Computer-Matic protection. Reviewed in Audio and High Fidelity.
• LR-3500 — Lafayette LR-3500 AM/FM stereo receiver, circa 1974–1977. Top of the Lafayette line with 47 W/ch, 0.5% THD, dual tape monitoring.
• LR-4000 — Lafayette LR-4000 quadraphonic SQ receiver (c. 1972–1974), Lafayette's ambitious 4-channel AM/FM model with wave-matching full-logic decoding.
• LR-440 — Lafayette LR-440 quadraphonic AM/FM receiver (1972) with built-in SQ decoder, under $400, praised for FM performance and sensible design.
• LR-500T — Lafayette LR-500T 60-watt AM/FM stereo receiver from 1967, known from a single period review and ad—thinly documented but noted for excellent tuner characteristics at $179.95.

Speakers

• SK-58 — Lafayette SK-58, a little-documented 12-inch coaxial speaker from the early 1960s, 20W, 16 ohms, listed at $23.50 in HiFI-Stereo (1961).

Tuner

• KT-250 — Lafayette KT-250: 50W integrated stereo tube amp kit (25W/ch), EL86 outputs, blend control, $64.50 in 1959. A kit-built sleeper with a praised phono stage.
• LT-700 — Lafayette LT-700 Criterion FM stereo multiplex tuner, self-contained stereo with no adapter needed, $124.50 wired per Audio (March 1962).

Tuners

• 650-FM — Lafayette 650-FM FM tuner (c. 1961–1963): kit as KT-650 ($54.50), wired as LT-650 ($79.95). Little-documented early-60s Lafayette model.
• 855-AM — Lafayette 855-AM: a little-documented c.1971 FM component with built-in 4-channel capability, as covered by Audio, High Fidelity, and HiFi/Stereo Review.

Unknown

• 1000T — Lafayette 1000T — the late-1960s receiver advertised at 150W and quoted as one of the best buys in audio. Thin documentation; here's what survives.
• 106 — Lafayette 106 — nearly undocumented audio component from Lafayette Radio. No specs, reviews, or period materials have been located for this obscure model.
• 1500T — Lafayette LR-1500T AM/FM stereo receiver, lab-reviewed in High Fidelity (1968) and Audio (1969); little else is documented about this model.
• 236A — Lafayette 236A (KT-236A): 1962 stereo integrated amplifier kit, about 15 W/ch, documented in High Fidelity's July 1962 equipment report.
• 250A — Lafayette 250A: 25 W/ch integrated stereo amplifier from the early 1960s, sold wired as LA-250A for $99.50 or as KT-250A kit for $74.50.
• 600A — Lafayette 600A stereo control center (1961–62): wired LA-600A was $134.50; KT-600A kit $79.50. Record otherwise thin.
• 725A — The Lafayette 725A, documented as the LT-725A, was a little-recorded budget stereo FM/AM tuner priced at $99.95 in a 1972 High Fidelity review.
• F-2001 — Lafayette F-2001 electrostatic headphone system (circa 1971–1972). Little-documented model with separate walnut energizer, dual jacks, AC/battery operation.
• KT-174 — Lafayette KT-174 VTVM kit from 1961-1962, a little-documented test instrument with printed-circuit construction and push-button probe, cited in Audio magazine.
• KT-250A — Lafayette KT-250A — an obscure 1960 integrated stereo amplifier kit, known only from magazine ads and one lab test in HiFI-Stereo.
• KT-500 — Lafayette KT-500 stereo tuner kit from 1958; pre-aligned, FM/AM with multiplex output for stereo FM, around $74.50 in kit form; little documented beyond period ads.
• KT-550 — Lafayette KT-550 stereo power amplifier kit, 50 W/ch, covered in Audio (June 1961) and High Fidelity (March 1962). Little else documented.
• KT-600 — Lafayette KT-600 stereo preamp kit (1959). Little-documented model; known only from period ads and a brief Audio magazine review noting manual errors.
• LA250A — Lafayette LA250A: early-1960s stereo integrated amplifier, 25 W/channel, factory-wired counterpart to the KT-250A kit; $99.50 with cabinet.
• LRK-855 — Lafayette LRK-855: a 1971–72 stereo/quadraphonic receiver + 8-track recorder/player combo. Low-power FM/AM, 4-channel composer circuit, $89.95.
• PK-245 — Little is documented about the Lafayette PK-245. A related Lafayette PK-240 turntable appeared in HiFI-Stereo (1961, p.54).
• RK-960 — The Lafayette RK-960 is a solid-state, automatic-reversing stereo tape recorder that Lafayette advertised as a “Deluxe” model in the late 1960s. It
• UD-50 — Lafayette UD-50 — an obscure model with almost no surviving documentation; the name hints at a blank tape, but little is confirmed.

Other Models

• KT-600A — Lafayette KT-600A Professional Stereo Control Center tube preamp kit, $79.50 in kit form, 5-40,000 cps response, 1500-ohm plate follower outputs. Early '60s Lafayette Criterion line.
• KT-900 — Lafayette KT-900: a 1960s transistor integrated, 60W/ch music power, $134.50, 25 lbs. Honest about its low-level IM distortion and volume-dependent filters.
• LA-250 — Lafayette LA-250 (1959–1960): 50W integrated stereo tube amp, $89.50 wired, EL86 outputs, 25W/ch stereo, blend control.
• LA-550 — Lafayette LA-550 — factory-wired 50W/ch tube power amp, $184.50, 2–100,000 cps response, 7027-A outputs. The KT-550 kit's ready-built sibling.
• LR-800 — Lafayette LR-800: a 70-watt AM-FM stereo receiver from the mid-1960s with a Nuvistor front end and Stereo Search, sold for $189.95.
• LT-50 — Lafayette LT-50 FM-AM stereo tuner (wired version of the KT-500 kit), 2 µV FM sensitivity, Foster-Seeley discriminator, $124.50 in 1959.
• LT-99 — Lafayette LT-99 stereo FM/AM tuner — the radio section of Lafayette's late-1950s HF-376/HF-377 systems. Scarce, poorly documented, and a genuine catalog phantom.
• Radio — A mid-century electronics retailer and brand offering radios, CB gear, and components, known for rebranded imports and enthusiast-focused sales.
• RK-120 — Lafayette RK-120 miniature transistor tape recorder (1961): $80, 3-inch reels, two speeds, 25-hour battery life. A pocket aural notebook, not hi-fi.