Complex sentence: When Rick and Mark started working on their first prototype amp, the C-30, they understood that it had to sound substantially better than the amplifiers of the day, but realistically, that meant back to vacuum tubes, larger components and hand-wiring.
Split into simpler sentences: When Rick and Mark started working on their first prototype amp, the C-30, they understood that it had to sound substantially better than the amplifiers of the day. Realistically, that meant back to vacuum tubes, larger components and hand-wiring.