Yeah, it was the day of SCORE

Today I finally got to testing the Kenwood KR-9600, what better speakers to use than my newly acquired MG-1's. I think this receiver is one of the heaviest out of the bunch, what a beast! It powers the maggies with ease, once the sweet spot is found for your chair, it's a super nice experience.20160206_105422.jpg 20160206_105604.jpg
 
Today I finally got to testing the Kenwood KR-9600, what better speakers to use than my newly acquired MG-1's. I think this receiver is one of the heaviest out of the bunch, what a beast! It powers the maggies with ease, once the sweet spot is found for your chair, it's a super nice experience.View attachment 685041 View attachment 685042

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So have you noticed big sonic differences or signature sound by brand, or are they all relatively similar sounding? Any which you prefer or are your favorite so far?
Not many of us get the opportunity to compare so many different pieces at the same time.
 
I have owned many of these units in the past at one time or another, the few exceptions are the Lafayette's, Nikko, and HK receivers. But some of these units that I have owned in the past were never in near new condition as these are. For example, this Marantz 2325 sounds better than I remember any of the others sounding. I'd say the Nikko is the most surprising, it has a very good sound quality and is my dark horse pick. The Lafayette's are very warm sounding, and remind me of the early Pioneer receivers. The HK receivers have a tone that puts them over the top in the lower wattage category. I'd say my favorite for power and sound has to be the Marantz 2325, you can eat off of any part of this unit, probably as close to like new as you can find. Then you have the Sansui G-9000db, I consider it to be one of my all time favorites to look at, and once you grab a handful of that big volume knob and give it a turn, your hooked! The Kenwood KR-9600 seems to be the receiver with the most grunt, it has great sound too, but its power comes on big time with just a few clicks of its volume knob. All the Kenwoods have top notch tuners, they pull in stations better than most other brands, and their durability is without question. The lower watt units will surprise you with sound quality, and function.

I plan on firing up the Mach 1 speakers later today for a test run, hope to piss off the neighbors. :rockon:
 
This evaluation is in many ways similar to what AKers say.

Small HK receivers sound great...well known with all the posts about the 330, 430, 730 receivers
Kenwood tuners are great...again found by many. Kenwood was a serious Major player in the ham radio scene and they can flat out make tuners. They probably thought the limited AM and FM frequency stuff was child's play compared to the multiple frequencies they did in their highly regarded Trio/Kenwood transceivers. Check this one out: http://www.oldhamdave.com/ts-940.htm
 
The KR 9600 is sweet . I have been pondering over the idea of getting one . Congrats on the score.
 
Great review! This will be a great resource for those looking to get into vintage audio, so those looking for something new to add to their stable, and get a good sense of their sonic personalities when they are looking for and making their buying decisions.
 
The KR 9600 is sweet . I have been pondering over the idea of getting one . Congrats on the score.

I used to have one that was much more worn looking, but it always worked flawlessly. When I finished both pair of Mach 4 modded speakers, I hooked all four to the KR-9600, it was quite a spectacle. Although not my favorite for looks, it really seems to flex its muscles.
 
Congrats again on a truly once in a lifetime find. I'm sure whatever you keep will be appreciated and the rest find good homes where they will be appreciated as well.
 
Congrats again on a truly once in a lifetime find. I'm sure whatever you keep will be appreciated and the rest find good homes where they will be appreciated as well.


Thanks!

It's sad that these older surround receivers are like computers, new technology has made them almost throw away's. I have around 5 or 6 that are 100 watts and up that all work very well, but they don't carry any value. They would make a great garage unit though. The Rotel is not a surround unit, so it just has its looks against it. But the Sony's are pretty nice pre HDMI units. I'm not sure why this guy collected these though. :crazy:


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Found this Denon among the pile of black boxes, it too is just a two channel receiver rated at 90wpc. This thing sounds nice also, but just another black box to look at.

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Well feel free to put that black box in a cardboard box and send it my way...... :D

I'm a big fan of Denon gear and that one looks good.
 
HOLY CRAP!!! Can't believe I missed this thread until now. :beerchug::beerchug:

Congrats on the SUPER SCORE!!! Out of curiosity, with all this newly acquired "junk"... which pieces do you intend on making part of your personal collection going forward? :banana:
 
HOLY CRAP!!! Can't believe I missed this thread until now. :beerchug::beerchug:

which pieces do you intend on making part of your personal collection going forward? :banana:


Most likely I will hold on to the Sansui G-9000, Kenwood KR-9600, and Marantz 2325 because their condition is so like new. I have owned the same units in the past though, and don't expect them to replace anything I currently have.
 
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