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Best Vintage Integrated Amplifier Recommendations?

Isaac C.

Isaac C.

Cat Hoarder
Hello all, my current daily driver is a Hitachi SR 603 (30wpc) receiver which I like a lot because of the late 70s clean, accurate, and crisp sound. Though 30wpc is plenty for my Dynacos, I've been looking to upgrade to a more powerful integrated amplifier as I plan to purchase some floor standing speakers in the future. I'm looking for recommendations from anyone willing to chime in, my criteria is as follows:

Brands: Pioneer, Marantz, Kenwood, Hitachi, Sanyo, Technics, Sony, JVC, Yamaha, etc
WPC: 40-60
Price Range: $300-$400
Era: Mid to late 70s
Sound Characteristics: Clean, crisp, airy, open, musical (does not have to be all these)

Thanks in advance!
 
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Kind of an impossible question to answer without knowing what you will get for speakers. The amp/speaker combination is not an absolute - one amp may make a pair of speakers sound crappy, another will make them sound amazing.

From a quick CL search, it looks like you have that Cherry Vintage Audio shop - I'd go over there and demo some of what they have. I look at all brands but specifically, I'd look at anything by Sansui, Sony (very underrated), Pioneer and Kenwood. That Sony TA-1150 he has on his CL listing - that's a sweet amp. Though it says 30wpc, I believe Sony was very conservative in their power ratings.
 
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HiFi in WYO said:
Kind of an impossible question to ask without knowing what you will get for speakers. The amp/speaker combination is not an absolute - one amp may make a pair of speakers sound crappy, another will make them sound amazing.

From a quick CL search, it looks like you have that Cherry Vintage Audio shop - I'd go over there and demo some of what they have. I look at all brands but specifically, I'd look at anything by Sansui, Sony (very underrated), Pioneer and Kenwood. That Sony TA-1150 he has on his CL listing - that's a sweet amp. Though it says 30wpc, I believe Sony was very conservative in their power ratings.
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I've been looking at Ohm Walsh 2s, Vandersteen 2CEs, Magnepan MG-1s (family friend has some for super cheap), and Rectilinear Highboys. I mostly listen to rock.
 
Gotcha. I can't help with any of those. But I don't think those Maggies would be the best choice for rock - just from absorbing all the talk on AK over the years, and they're very power hungry - you'll need more than 40 wpc to power those. There may be a reason they're super cheap - age, wiring issues, etc. But I'm not a Magnepan expert.

I'd go hit that store - if it was in my town, I'd be broke but would own a houseful of nice gear!
 
Ohms or the highboys. Try out some kenwood amps. My first was a KA8100. 75 clean watts per channel. Rugged as all get out and very good sound. Very flexible controls too.
 
I did a look on your Craigslist, if you make it out to Charlotte, try giving those 280SE a listen.
 
Isaac C. said:
I've been looking at Ohm Walsh 2s, Vandersteen 2CEs, Magnepan MG-1s (family friend has some for super cheap), and Rectilinear Highboys. I mostly listen to rock.
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Interesting choice of speakers ..
Owned all of them, but the Ohm's and they all would sound better with more like 100wpc ..

IMHO, with sufficient power, the Vandersteens and Magnepans will sound the best .. Vandies are neutral, and a better speaker for more hard ass rock and roll ..
Maggies can lack bite on the bass notes but they can definitely rock in a larger room given lots of power, but they take up a lot of space.. (3ft out from all walls)
Rectillinear's will rock and roll better with low power because they're more efficient, but they're much more colored and far less accurate than the other two.. .

Also the Vandersteens and Magnepans will sound even better if you upgrade to Separate amps and preamps down the road .. coloration of the Rec's will limit upgade-ability...
YMMV ..
 
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Based on clean, crisp, airy and open the Yamaha seem to do that very well as do the Kenwood high speed amps, the three digit numbers KA-601 would be nice for that.

You don't want musical?
 
Maybe a Kenwood KA-7100? 60wpc, a semi-dual power supply, and a lovely monster volume control.

I just listed a Kenwood KA-7100 for sale in Barter Town / Equipment. It's an extensive recap and restore, you might check it out. The 7100 is a favorite amp around here. The 7100 has a clean, detailed sound, not unlike the Yamaha natural sound. Recapped and cleaned it's even better. I find the smaller Kennys have a warmer, more bassy sound (which I like, too), but these guys are right, a lot depends on your speakers.
 
You've got a good turntable, (don't know what cartridge) and you might be surprised how good those Dynaco's can sound with plentiful power.
You might want to try listening to a good preamp/amp combination with what you have ..
Different upgrade path .. buy a good amp/preamp and then better speakers ..
Your speakers are only as good as what's feeding them .. it's all a chain ..
You may not be hearing what those Dynaco's are capable of ..

I've just noticed over the years that a really excellent front end (sorce, amp/preamp) can make even mediocre speakers sound really good . the reverse isn't true .. the best speakers can only reproduce what they're fed ..
 
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Thanks everyone for the replies! I know like most of you have said it's difficult to say without knowing the speakers. Yamaha, Kenwood, and Sony is what I'm leaning towards, I just wasnt sure what models, but everyone mentioned some, so now I know where to focus.

@Blue Shadow I would say musical too, or dynamic. Im not looking for a sterile sound, just a nice clean presentation overall. I have a Lafayette receiver (47wpc) and I've heard they are similar to the warm Pioneer sound. It has a really warm tube sound that's a little bit dull with my Dynacos and Thorens. Because of that I prefer the sound of the Hitachi which has that late 70s cleaner sound.

Both cartridges on my tables are Ortofon VMSs.

@Akustic I'm definitely not going to get rid of the Dynacos, if I can't get some Ohm Walshs Ill stick with the Dynacos and try a different amp combination.
 
Isaac C. said:
Im not looking for a sterile sound
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Your original description of the sound you want leads to sterile. That is why I asked about musical. Clean, crisp and accurate can be found in non-musical offerings.

The Luxman brand is known for musicality and their L-80V at 50 wpc or the L-480 with more power might be ones to evaluate. Finding and buying is different as who knows what is available to you in your area.
 
The Yamaha CA-2010 is both very good looking and a very good integrated amp.

But due to its age a minimum overhaul would be required to obtain the best out of it, and notably to make it reliable in the longer term. Depening on how many hours it has made it can be in rather good condition or completely worn out. So picking a vintage amp like this is waiting until the right one comes along. And knowing the right technician in advance in case you are not into basic overhauling yourself.
 
.Onkyo A-5 or A-7,came to mind when you said......Sound Characteristics: Clean, crisp, airy, open, accurate (does not have to be all these). They have all of those.
 
Those onkyos are a good recommendation. Their late 70s gear sounds very good and meets the criteria including musical. The A-7 would be a great choice unless someone decides to let go of an A-10 for your budget. It is an excellent amp.
 
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