Lafayette LR-120DB
The Lafayette LR-120DB is a stereo receiver from the late 1970s. Lafayette Radio Electronics was a mail-order and retail brand, and at this point it was still competing in the modest-to-mid-price segment. Documentation on this model is thin, but magazine coverage from the period shows what it offered and how it was received.
Hi-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (March 1979, p.54) introduced the LR-120DB as "a stereo receiver of sterling performance and moderate cost." The same issue (p.75) carried a test report in which the reviewer praised the FM sound as "very sweet" and "far superior to what might be implied by the measurements"—a nice period reminder that numbers don't always tell the whole story.
The LR-120DB's standout feature was adjustable FM muting. HiFI-Stereo (July 1978, p.49) called it "its biggest exclusive in its price range." In crowded urban tuning bands, you could dial out the hiss and interstation noise instead of living with it. The receiver also had built-in Dolby FM decoding, still a relatively novel feature in 1978. That gave listeners quieter, higher-treble FM broadcasts without an outboard decoder.
Other known details, pulled from the period ads and reviews:
- Dual power meters with adjustable range read-out, one per channel.
- A subharmonic (15 Hz) filter to help rumble and record warp.
- Loudness compensation for both low and high frequencies.
No power rating, weight, or exact dimensions survive in the available record. Lafayette was already heading toward its decline by the early 1980s, and this receiver was one of the brand's last serious efforts at a competitive mid-tier stereo receiver.
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.
Related Models
- Lafayette LR-1500T
- Lafayette LR-3500
- Lafayette LR-4000
- Lafayette LR-440
- Lafayette LR-500T
- Marantz 2226 (1974-1976)
- Marantz 2226B (1979-1980)
- Marantz 2235 (1974-1977)
- Marantz 2238B (1978-1980)
- Marantz 2250B (1978-1980)