←ExploreENTITY · TECHNOLOGYSound-system amplifierWell supportedHigh-powered amplification central to Jamaican sound-system practice, bass reproduction and public dance competition.Share a memoryCorrect this recordAdd a source leadAt a glanceTypetechnologyConfidenceWell supportedEraOpen era →Technology, recording & industryConnectionspart ofSound system (the rig)Amplification is central to the sound-system rig.linked by · associated withValve amplifier and pre-ampEarly sound system amplifiers were built around valve (tube) technology (Bass Culture).linked by · associated withSound-system preampThe pre-amp fed and coloured the signal ahead of the power amplifier (Rough Guide to Reggae).linked by · associated withBop CityThe first Jones amplifier was built to amplify records outside Bop City.linked by · associated withSound-system amp buildingThe craft produced the high-power valve amplifiers at the heart of every set.linked by · associated withImport scarcity and the DIY imperativeHome-building the amplifier was a response to scarce imports.linked by · associated withThe amplifier as sonic signatureThe amplifier chain colours a sound's signature.linked by · created or popularisedHedley JonesJones's 1947 hand-built high-fidelity amplifier is credited as the template for Jamaican sound-system amplification.linked by · documentsThe valve (tube) amplifier eraIt describes the first age of the sound-system amplifier.linked by · influencedHedley JonesJones's full-range amplifier design is a foundational template for the Jamaican sound-system amplifier.linked by · influencedJones-model high-fidelity amplifier (1947)It stands as an archetype for the sound-system amplifier.linked by · influencedThe radio-repair tradeRepair skills fed directly into building sound-system amplifiers.linked by · influencedWartime radar and the electronics menWartime valve and high-frequency knowledge fed early amplifier design.linked by · influencedThe transistor / solid-state transitionSolid-state amplifiers reshaped what a sound-system amplifier could be.linked by · part ofCrown DC300 solid-state amplifierSolid-state amps like the DC300 became sound-system power stages.linked by · part ofHome-built electronicsSelf-built amplifiers are the core of the ethos.linked by · part ofActive crossover networkThe crossover sits ahead of the amplifiers in a multi-way rig.linked by · part ofTransformer- and coil-winding craftHand-wound transformers were part of building sound-system amplifiers.linked by · usesMulti-way amplification (bi-, tri-, five-way)Each frequency band gets its own amplifier in a multi-way rig.linked by · usesThe power race (watts and headroom)The power race pushed amplifier wattage and headroom ever higher.In storiesStory · Well supportedThe electronics men and the birth of the sound systemBefore there were selectors and deejays, there was the amplifier, and the men who built it.Story · Well supportedThe amp men of KingstonFrom a 1947 shop-front amplifier to King Tubby's workshop, engineers built the sound system before anyone sang through it.
