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Guidance and suggestions.. please

Moth R. Superior

Moth R. Superior

Active Member
Greetings, I am on the market for a new (to me) receiver. I've sort of narrowed it down to 4 differend brands, not so much the models though, although they are all similar. As it sits:
1. Sansui 9090db/or 990
2. Pioneer SX-1050 or 1250
3 Marantz 2275 or 2325 ($$$)
4. Kenwood model Eleven iii

I guess i'm looking for a little back and forth with some of the pros /cons of these
models..? WHICH WOULD YOU PURCHACE AND WHY?
anything would be appreciated
Right now i'm only running through a pair of Janzen z2 CF's but i will be purchasind=g a pair of ESS AMT1's this week.
Thanks!
 
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I don't have any of them.
But do have these smaller units.
Sansui 5000a -Aggressive with good detail. 1970/55 watts
Pioneer SX-780-Best all around for me. 1978/45 watts
Marantz 2226-Heavy sound, falls apart on top first, can be grating at the power limit. 1977/26 watts
Kenwood TK-140X-Best tuner, best sound. 1969/3 watts. My experience with this makes me want know more about the Kenwood Eleven.

I'm not in position to recommending the Pioneer SX-1050, but that is what I would choose from your selections.
 
Moth R. Superior said:
Greetings, I am on the market for a new (to me) receiver. I've sort of narrowed it down to 4 differend brands, not so much the models though, although they are all similar. As it sits:
1. Sansui 9090db/or 990
2. Pioneer SX-1050 or 1250
3 Marantz 2275 or 2325 ($$$)
4. Kenwood model Eleven iii

I guess i'm looking for a little back and forth with some of the pros /cons of these
models..? WHICH WOULD YOU PURCHACE AND WHY?
anything would be appreciated
Right now i'm only running through a pair of Janzen z2 CF's but i will be purchasind=g a pair of ESS AMT1's this week.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

No love for integrated amplifiers?

Notice the clean architectural layout of the true dual mono design, and if not enough power keep in mind it has bigger brothers.

6debaf45375b391120f0064318b834aa.jpg
kenKA7300.jpg
 
For my money, it really comes down to what will work best (for you) in a system, the most important other component of which will be the speakers. Since you seem to have the speaker situation well in hand, the question is, which of those receivers has the best synergy with them.

I have no experience with your speakers, don't know anything about the Janzen, but those ESS have an excellent reputation. I have a couple of similar-ish amps, (8080db and 2285B) each of which is generally warm sounding and pairs well with a more neutral/cool speaker, Heresy and Cornwall in my case. If folks weigh in, maybe we can help you narrow it down.
 
Grenadeslio said:
No love for integrated amplifiers?

Notice the clean architectural layout of the true dual mono design, and if not enough power keep in mind it has bigger brothers.

View attachment 1656278
View attachment 1656279
Click to expand...
I've thought about seperats. But I'm less than knowedgable about them.. I was rattling off models that are roughly the size wattage wise I'm looking for. So I guess 100 to 160 WPC yeah, that should suffice.
 
quiet said:
I don't have any of them.
But do have these smaller units.
Sansui 5000a -Aggressive with good detail. 1970/55 watts
Pioneer SX-780-Best all around for me. 1978/45 watts
Marantz 2226-Heavy sound, falls apart on top first, can be grating at the power limit. 1977/26 watts
Kenwood TK-140X-Best tuner, best sound. 1969/3 watts. My experience with this makes me want know more about the Kenwood Eleven.

I'm not in position to recommending the Pioneer SX-1050, but that is what I would choose from your selections.
Click to expand...
nice. thanks!
 
I think my 80 watt SX-980 from 1978 was every bit of 80 good clean watts. It wasn't over burdened with a lot of personality either.
Someone had to have it, so........
And I have no doubt the bigger Pioneers are as claimed.
 
Moth R. Superior said:
I've thought about seperats. But I'm less than knowedgable about them.. I was rattling off models that are roughly the size wattage wise I'm looking for. So I guess 100 to 160 WPC yeah, that should suffice.
Click to expand...

Well I don't really consider an integrated separates, it's really just a receiver minus the tuner, so unless listening to a lot of radio.......

Just gives you more choices, and if later wanting to listen to FM it's easy enough to add a tuner later.

I kind of like the look of an integrated amplifier better but that's just me.
 
I'm mostly with Grenadesilo on these sorta deals,,,as I'm not much of a "receiver guy"...

That said my main piece of advice that I like to pass along in threads like these is this gem of wisdom:
Whatever you get (receiver -or- integrated),just make sure it has pre-out/main-in capability so you wont have to worry about any "sufficient power" related issues.
That way it does'nt matter if the unit is 10wpc -or- 100wpc as with that option you can always add whatever wpc amp you want via the pre-outs.

JM2¢

Bret P.
 
I’m running a super eleven. Love it! But I’ve always been a kenwood guy. My first amp was a KA8100. I’m also now running a VR6070 and a 6004.
 
I have a Sansui 9090db, a Pioneer SX-1050 and a Kenwood KR-8010. I don't really know how the KR-8010 compares to the Eleven but threw it in there just for comparison's sake. I like the Sansui the best with the Pioneer coming in second and the Kenwood in third place. You may listen to the same three and have a different opinion so it's best if you can listen to them in person.
 
Moth R. Superior said:
RIGHT ON Thanks! Speaker wise, I'm alright on highs as they are electrostats....
Click to expand...
The AMT 1's are not electrostatic. They use what they call an "air motion transformer" which is essentially a folded, pleated tweeter but it's not an electrostatic.

https://www.audiomasterclass.com/newsletter/what-the-heil-is-a-heil-air-motion-transformer

But, ultimately, while we can debate the good or bad of individual units, the most important thing to consider when buying "vintage" equipment is it's working condition.
 
The TOTL "Monster" receivers are very expensive and a lot of them are very complex and are expensive to work on. My suggestion is to look a bit farther down the lines more like the SX 1050. I have a Sansui G-5700 with 75 wpc and it has plenty of power for most anything. I also have a Fisher RS 2007 with 75wpc along with a KR 8010. Actually almost any late 70s big name unit with 75wpc or more will sound and work just fine. As Skipper said above, dont get hung up on the brand or model, worry about condition more than anything.
 
I had a Yamaha CR 1040 in superb condition a while back. It is actually the only vintage receiver in good condition that I could not stand the sound of. Add to that the horrible design with tiny controls and dim lighting and it meant I had it less than six months. It did have plenty of power at 80wpc.
 
Bodyblue said:
I had a Yamaha CR 1040 in superb condition a while back. It is actually the only vintage receiver in good condition that I could not stand the sound of. Add to that the horrible design with tiny controls and dim lighting and it meant I had it less than six months. It did have plenty of power at 80wpc.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd avoid (just about any) 80's receiver.

I was thinking more 70's, or even better, current!
 
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