Best matching equipment that doesn't break the bank.

DRG6901

New Member
So let me start out by saying that I am 19 and have very little experience with the intricacies of a nice HIFi system. With the help of my Dad and seeing what comes up on craigslsit and eBay I have a decent enough setup. Here is what I am running right now.

-JVC KD-55 Cassette Deck (Not looking to replace, its a great little machine with a nice look) $60

-Kenwood KT 815 Tuner (Has a quirk or two but works fine, matches the cassette deck) Free on CL

-Fisher MT 860 Turntable (Just bought a new needle for it but doesn't really match) Free on CL

-Sony CDP-C315 5 Disc Changer (not necessary but nice to have) Free on CL

-Fisher CA 860 Receiver (100 wpc and VU meters but doesn't match) Free on CL

-JVC SP 7700 Speakers (They are beat up and the cones are pushed in but they sound a lot nicer then my old Fisher STV 870s) Traded for speakers I got free on CL

All I am looking for is a Receiver, Turntable, and speakers that meet these requirements.
-Matching faces (Stainless or aluminum, I cant tell)
-Dial-Style VU Meters and soft white incandescent backlights (I have seen red and green backlights)
-Roughly around the same time period
-Sliders to adjust the frequency's to tune with (I can't remember the real term)
-The receiver to be 100wpc or more and have built in VU
-If my budget allows a nice stereo rack.

I appreciate all comments, I have looked around on Ebay to find components and I figured almost everyone on this site would know better than myself.

Thanks again,
-Dan
 

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That Kenwood tuner is great. Well worth the money and if needed a bit of repair/upgrade.

Getting any of the matching integrated amps, the satin finished ones, would be a great start to a system. All KA, -501, -601, -701, 801, -917. Most other Kenwood integrated amps have a silver finish similar to the JVC. Meters or not, look em over, lots of power choices, too.

Turntables are all over the place, white marble-like Kenwoods, wood, dark gray, black, lighter gray, silver and such. Don't know one that is a satin finish like the KT-815.
 
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You can start over or just get an integrated amp to match your tuner. Tuner is 79-81 production years. Matching amps, 100 WPC or over, would be 500, 600, KA 801, or KA 907.
Only the KA's had meters.
If you want to get a receiver the tuner has to go. 100 WPC receivers were fairly common but are now very pricey. Looking at close to a grand for one of the more popular makes.
 
A Kenwood KA-501 integrated has the same frosty aluminum finish as your excellent KT-815 tuner, with meters and a strong 65wpc amp. Can be found affordably, too, with a bit of persistence. A 100wpc receiver is not much more powerful than a decent 65-watt - in some cases a 65-watter will put more power into a speaker than another rated at 100 due to speaker impedance curves and other factors. Don't over-focus on that one spec is my advice.

Power requirements depend upon the specific speaker and the size of your room - a bedroom, perhaps? Unless your speakers are low-sensitivity models, sixty-five watts will drive them well in a relatively small room, and if they are very insensitive a hundred watts may not be enough.

Personally, I prefer newer electronics for many reasons. One is repair. To me, vintage is a great affordable way to build a system for those with the technical chops to fix components. The value goes down if you must pay for someone else to fix them. In that case I'd look for later models than those from the 70s.
 
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