Under the radar vintage mid wattage receivers??

[lojyo610]

Under the Radar

I have gone through some JVC receivers that I think were under-rated. One was a JRS-300 (or something like that). 55 watts/channel, nice MM phono section and cool blue lamps and meters. Well made and sounded smooth, maybe a little restrained.

I still have a garage sale wonder. It's a JVC RX 500 (or something like that). Small chassis packed with a huge power supply, enormous output caps and motorized switches. One third of the gas-plasma display is fried and it looks very beat up. But it has an honest 100 watts/channel, a MM/MC phono section, 10 band graphic equalizer and cool bouncy output meters. So-so tuner. I got it for $5.00. I am going to use it to power a subwoofer that is in progress of construction. Generally sounds great with everything other than analog FM.

Long ago I had a Heathkit AR-15 receiver. It used to overheat when pushing my really inefficient Large Advents at college parties. What did I know? It was a great sounding receiver with an amazing tuner. I would love to find another. Must have weighed 40 lbs.

 

[illinoisteve]

OK, how's this: You're 15, you have ABSOLUTELY NO MONEY! There is an Unclaimed Salvage and Freight not too far from you. Someone gives you this YORX for free! You get an older friend to drive you to the USF above and find a pair of two way 8" air suspension LLoyd's speakers (for $10) that you manage to hook up to the YORX. It's the "best" system you've ever heard in your 15 years and you play your well worn LPs on it till you get to college?

No that did not happen to me, but I'm imagining a scenario that I would have been excited by! lol I was a poor boy, after all.

Actually a friend of mine had a cheap fold up stereo suitcase record player that we did hook up a pair of speakers like the ones described above to, and were momentarily amazed at the improvement! We were 16 then!

cnh2

I have the pre-cd Panasonic version of that unit. It was very cheap at thrift shop years ago. Actually, the speakers weren't plastic (probably the only part I will keep much longer), tuner worked well, cassette okay. Was a quick way to have some music in a house we were getting ready to move into. Turntable was broken when I got it. But for some people something like it might have been one of the best stereos they ever had. Can we really say that the audio standards of the masses has gotten higher, listening to clipped mp3s through crappy earbuds....?

That said, and all the laughs about it aside, isn't that all-in-one York unit a digression from the topic, if we consider a receiver something we can plug other components into as well--a receiver-amplifier?

 

[tomcatmixd]

nice, i've come close to snagging a 78, but the right deal just hasn't come along yet, but i did snag a very nice sta-820 this weekend along with four other new to me receivers, me likes.............:thmbsp:

That 820 is really sweet. Quite similar buttons and control layout to the 78, even. Happy it found a good home...

 

[PapaBear]

Nikko has already been mentioned. Lafayette had a lot of pretty good gear up until 1976-77. Realistic is another look-for. You may also want to consider MCS (JCPenney's label); however, MCS was later tech that doesnt give a "70s feel" to the output. Optonica was also a late entry, but some good stuff. Actually, it was a Sharp label aimed at the audiophile market. It has both mid-70s and early-80s flavor tech.

 

[PapaBear]

Ya know...I would move somewhere I could have high power shotguns just to blast the f* out if gear like that!

Black.
Plastic.
Crap.

 

[6cylrider98]

@82 I had a Rotel Rx-504, was my first "rig" never a problem through school and up until it got "feet" one day.. along with the rest of my stuff.

 

[Ishmael]

I often think that we miss the point that 30-50 watts given the 8 ohm speakers they were partnered with were the mid to high powered receivers and amplifiers of the 60s and early 70s (actually the 15-20 watt receivers were probably mid-powered). The receiver wars that led to 100s of watts receivers have taken us to today's kilo watt amplifiers and dead speakers that need this level of Bonneville Damn power to reproduce sound. I continue to marvel with our vintage speakers how much music a couple watts can produce and I am not talking chamber music either I am talking Led Zeppelin. Check out the receivers of 1969 when Led Zeppelin II was released, they did justice to the music. Then cue up "Whole Lotta Love" and enjoy.

 

[bd1886]

I could only get through page #1 and all my suggestion were already covered.

Sansui,Luxman and Onkyo are all killer pairings all the time for me. They are all full sounding and smooth w/detail.

 

[Brian]

Just sold my 60watt JVC J-RS301. Very clean sounding and dynamic amp, not the most refined but did very well. To offset the S.E.A. they did not include a tuner of a quality and level as most makers would in a 60 watt receiver but it was adequate. Locked onto local stations well and low noise levels. The AM tuner was, we'll there but, that is about all I can say about it.

Not sure made an amp based on the x01 receivers but if they did, it might worth having and then add a better tuner. Only other negative I found was it was loaded with ICs but at least it did not use those STKs and the heat sinks are massive. I could run mine 24/7 and the heat sinks and transformer stayed at ambient room temperature. I suspect they are pretty bullet proof electrically.

 

[GP Hill]

My first good stereo consisted of a Sony STR 7065, Wharfdale w70's and a PE turntable . I just remember that whole deal sounding pretty good. There is a Sony 7065 on eBay right now for $113 buy it now.

 

[johnda]

My basement Sony STR-6055 has given me years of excellent service, after I got it from EBay, cleaned it up and fixed the dial lights. Built like a little tank!

 

[yesshows77]

Mid-powered SS receivers a little above the "radar":

Sony STR-60xx and 70xx
Concept 4.5 and 5.5
Onkyo TX-4500 and 4500 MkII
Rotel RX-603
Hitachi SR-803 and SR-804
Sherwood S-7300
Luxman R-1050
Nikko NR-815
Harman Kardon 730 and 930
Nakamichi TA-2A


Below the radar:
Optonica
Toshiba
Fisher
Philips
Akai
Mitsubishi

 

[NickMckibbin]

The Hitachi SR-903 is a great little receiver. Rated at 75wpc I actually like it better thank my Pioneer SX 950. Just a great little receiver.

 

[charlief64]

I have a Nikko 7075 at 38 wpc and a Sherwood S-7300 at 42 watts. Both are very nice in their on ways, and I think they can still be found relatively cheaply. BTW has anyone noticed that prices have gone loony in the last year, or is that just a local issue?

+1 on the Nikko. Can't figure out why they are still under the radar. Good quality and great sound.
charlie

 

[Roboturner91]

Fisher 205. An excellent little pre-Sanyo Fisher built by Hitachi to Fisher specs back in '74. Awesome tuner, very warm capacitor coupled amp section and super cool looking. Very few know about this line from Fisher, if you can find one they are usually very inexpensive and totally worth it!

These are amazing-looking. I want one now.

 

[albiewan]

Quadraflex Reference series. 18, 24, 30, 45, and 65 WPC models.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l204/rob9167/100_3848.jpg

Rob

It's nice to know there are a few others out there that can appreciate the Reference by Quadraflex models. I have a fully restored (by me) 450R and a near mint 610T semi-auto direct drive tuntable, both Reference by Quadraflex units. I worked for Pacific Stereo back in the late 60's and always did like the look of these handsome (now vintage) black face pieces.

 

[orestes]

I have a Pre-Technics, Panasonic National SA-420, just sitting here at the moment 2x15w @4ohm for 30w combined. The Panasonic transistors for the time are a prize.

 

[Brian]

Been recently running a Sony STR6045 in a more permanent setup using a set of Koss ESP9b estat phones. It is located in the living room that has been set up with my bed. It never got much use before just because I had higher level Sony receivers. With a small antenna and the phones, I am finding it to be a really fine unit. In retrospect, I should have given it more play time over the past 15 years or so of owning it.

 

[orestes]

This amp photographs really nicely also.

 

[Leestereo]

Very much under the radar: JVC R-S7 (1979/80), ~60 WPC, discrete transistor (no ICs) DC amplifier design