Lafayette 650-FM (c. 1961–1963)
Surviving documentation on the Lafayette 650-FM is thin. Period sources list it under two ordering variants: the KT-650 in kit form and the LT-650 factory-wired. It was a straightforward, popular-priced FM tuner with two outputs - one for regular FM signals and one for multiplex. That was a significant feature at the time, since FM stereo broadcasts were just arriving.
The kit was priced at $54.50 and the wired version at $79.95. High Fidelity (June 1961, p.47) reviewed the kit and saw it as evidence of two trends in tuner design: simpler construction and alignment for kit builders, and a push for low distortion as well as usable sensitivity. The review found the assembly itself offered few problems.
A 1963 listing in HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (1963, p.60) gives the tube complement and confirms both versions were still current: 1-ECC85, 1-6BK7B, 2-6BA6, 2-7543, 1-6AL5, 1-6AV6, with a silicon-diode rectifier.
Known specs:
- KT-650 (kit): $54.50
- LT-650 (factory-wired): $79.95
- Two outputs: normal FM and multiplex
- Tubes: ECC85, 6BK7B, 2×6BA6, 2×7543, 6AL5, 6AV6, silicon-diode rectifier
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