Scott 480A

What survives on the Scott 480A comes almost entirely from a handful of period reviews. The record shows it was Scott's top integrated amplifier of the late 1970s, an unusually well-equipped model that aimed to compete with the best of its era.

The 480A had two independent phono preamplifiers, so you could record from any source while listening to another. That was useful in a pre-CD world. It also had dual logarithmic power meters calibrated in watts and dBW for 8-ohm loads, subsonic and high filters, and capacitance/impedance selectors for the phono inputs. High Fidelity (November 1978, p.38) described these features in its initial announcement and gave the rated power output as 85 watts per channel (19¼ dBW) at 0.03% total harmonic distortion. The original list price was $449.95.

A full test report in HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (January 1979, p.58) praised the 480A for measurements that “outclass even Scott's high-performance claims,” and cited superb overall performance and sound quality. The review also gave the $449.95 price as including the metal cabinet. A later High Fidelity test (May 1979, p.33-34) noted the knobs had rather sharp edges and the rotary switches had very definite detents, which gave the controls a rough feel. The laboratory data, supplied by CBS Technology Center and Diversified Science Laboratories, was consistently excellent.

Beyond these reviews, little else is documented. Production years are unknown, and no service literature or original advertising beyond the initial announcements has surfaced in the Archive’s holdings. The 480A appears to have been a serious effort by Scott, built to a high standard, but one whose paper trail faded quickly.