Lafayette LR-3500
The Lafayette LR-3500 was the top AM/FM stereo receiver in the company's mid-1970s lineup. That's what Lafayette's own advertising claimed, and the few period reviews that survive back it up. Audio (May 1976, p.49) called it simply "the top of the Lafayette line," and the specs it published show what the receiver offered.
The LR-3500 put out 47 watts per channel minimum RMS, both channels driven at 8 ohms from 20-20,000 Hz, with no more than 0.5% total harmonic distortion. On FM, sensitivity was rated at 2.0 µV for 30 dB quieting, stereo THD at 0.5%, capture ratio 2.5 dB, and stereo separation 40 dB at 1 kHz. Frequency response ran 15-22,500 Hz ±2 dB at 1 watt. It also had provisions for a magnetic phono input and dual tape monitoring, a feature some competing models kept for their higher tiers.
Little else is documented. The LR-3500 doesn't appear in the usual service manual archives, and no schematics or owner's manuals have surfaced in the mainstream collector databases. What survives is a handful of print ads and the review data above. That confirms a serious piece of mid-1970s mid-power hardware, but not its full history, production run, or ultimate sales life.
- Power: 47 W/ch RMS (20–20,000 Hz, 8 Ω, both driven, ≤0.5% THD)
- FM sensitivity: 2.0 µV (30 dB quieting)
- FM stereo THD: 0.5%
- Capture ratio: 2.5 dB
- Stereo separation: 40 dB (1 kHz)
- Frequency response: 15–22,500 Hz ±2 dB (at 1 W)
- Inputs: Magnetic phono, dual tape monitor
Audio (May 1976, p.49) and HiFI-Stereo (1976, p.43) are the two primary period sources for the LR-3500's specifications. Both give the same figures.
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