Yes, more subjective observations from people that currently have vintage collections for comparison would be REALLY nice.
Okay then! Here are my brief impressions of the receivers that I have sold. The fact that I sold them doesn't mean I didn't like them, maybe they had some issue that was a deal breaker for me (too big, crappy speaker connectors, etc.).
Formerly owned, now sold:
Advent 300 – recapped. Sounded GREAT w vinyl, Tried using as a preamp only, but the headphone output would not work when I did that, and I hated the crappy speaker connectors.
Denon DRA-25 – really cheaply made 80s BPC, but sounded better than expected
HH Scott 342-B – I would LOVE to have a restored example of this in better cosmetic condition than the one I owned. I hate the speakers connectors though. You need tiny spades for it and it is still a very tight fit.
Harman Kardon 330B – recapped. I actually preferred the sound BEFORE I recapped it! Warm, punchy tube sound before, but left me a bit cold after. Sometimes that happens with recapping, go figure.
Harman/Kardon 330c – recapped. I liked the amp portion a lot, but the phono wasn’t quite good enough for me
Luxman R-1040 – might have been my overall #1, sold it for a recapped Luxman integrated amp. Lush sound, tight bass, nice detail.
Marantz 2238 – THE prettiest receiver I’ve ever owned, but the phono stage wasn’t very good compared to the NAD I replaced it with while it was getting LEDs. Reluctantly sold it. It looked better than it sounded, but I’d love to hear one recapped someday.
Marantz 2230 – recapped. This had a MUCH better phono stage than the 2238. I’d love to own it’s big brother the 2270 someday. Great tube-like sound, lush is the word I like.
NAD 7020 – fantastic phono performance, I sold it to a friend after I got a recapped NAD 3020
Pioneer SX-424 – recapped. This one left me cold for some reason, maybe another example of recapping resulting in an inferior sound afterward.
Realistic STA-7 – needed work so I sold it.
Realistic STA-2200 – recapped. A GREAT amp (FET design), but it was huge and the phono pre wasn’t very good.
Rotel RX-403 – a really cheap unit from the 70s, it actually sounded pretty good, though far from my favorites.
Sansui 1000x – looked and sounded gorgeous, I love Sansui. Sold to some friends who were getting back into vinyl.
Sherwood S-7200 – recapped. I liked my non-recapped S-7100 better, this sounded dull to me.
Sherwood S-8800 – needed a lot of work, but I could tell I would have loved it. I traded it, but would love to own this again someday, if restored.
Sony STR-6050 – excellent phono, nice warm amp, strong tuner
Quadraflex 650R FET – great amp, not so great phono stage
Yamaha CR-820 – recapped. Sounded glorious with jazz when cranked up, but bass was too weak for rock music.
Harman/Kardon h/k 670 – very bloated bass, probably needed work. I now own an h/k 505 amp with I think is the same as this, and I *LOVE* it very much.
Onkyo TX-2500 Mk II – LOVED the sound from this, sold due to a speaker connector design that I did not like. Once I found speaker cables with smaller spades, it would have worked, but I did not know they existed when I owned this. I’ve since purchased the earlier non-Mk II version of this and like it VERY much, though it still needs some work.
I’ve been in the hobby for a little over a year and have a Luxman R-113 and a Sansui QR-4500. Overall, I prefer the Lux... to me it has more clarity top to bottom that I prefer. My early list of possibilities are: Technics SA 500, 600, and700, and the Kenwood Model 9 and 11. Look forward to reading and following this thread, seems to be a lot of good stuff here
