Highest Quality Era? 70s, 80s or 90s?

[Karl vd Berg]

Hi all,

I'm not sure how some people will face this question, but there's a pertinent issue regarding the highest audio quality ever achieved mainly by Japanese audio components makers.

I have read on quite a few forums that people dislike so much equipment made by various Japanese brands during the 90s. Frankly I was surprised whit many negative comments on "how makers stopped doing their best efforts to follow a new and more profitable digital compressed market".

Well, that's true since most young people seem don't care too much about High Fidelity, specially today. Another generation. And also some of the products made during the late 90s might now to become "vintage" stuff.

Let's take Sansui for example. Most people say that their best integrated amplifiers came out between 1979 and 1982. If we see some models (regardless the price) around mid 90s we'll be amazed how this brand could deliver such high quality product as the AU-07 from 1996.

Another example could be also the Pioneer A-09 from 1992, the Sony TA-FA777ES from 1999 or the Denon PMA-2000IVR produced even in 2002. And then we have also other brand with their models like Onkyo, Yamaha and so on.

So, my question is: were these "mosters" that bad? When and which models from the 70s or 80s were far superior to these ones?

90s stuff starts to be vintage now...

 

[Buzz]

72-79 I would garner as the best years generally speaking. Early 80's had some great stuff but that's when it started being made in Korea or Taiwan and quality dropped.

 

[BOUXY]

72-79 I would garner as the best years generally speaking. Early 80's had some great stuff but that's when it started being made in Korea or Taiwan and quality dropped.

Agree with this assessment but there are always exceptions that came along:thmbsp:

 

[KrisM]

My take is that there was good gear and bad gear from every era. Trying to connect a date to quality is a fools game with audio.

 

[Karl vd Berg]

My take is that there was good gear and bad gear from every era. Trying to connect a date to quality is a fools game with audio.

Then the concept of "vintage" is just a waste of time?

 

[spl225]

Then the concept of "vintage" is just a waste of time?

Trying to get everyone to agree is a waste of time. There are lots of opinions to go around and we'll never all be on the same page.

 

[KrisM]

Then the concept of "vintage" is just a waste of time?

No. It just means that not everything that is "vintage" is better. Or worse.

 

[melofelo]

I think cassette technology began to peak around the late 80's very early 90's..and there are several nicely built machines from around that time that still sound excellent today.
Some of the last gasp efforts of a few lesser known turntable manufacturers from the early/mid/and late 80's are also well worth revisiting..
Maplenoll Ariadne anyone ?

 

[fhawk618]

IMHO two channel audio peaked in the late 70's to mid 80's... some great quality and performance. After that, the focus of many of the big names went to profit, big-box store marketing, and then the sacrifice of two-channel to multi-channel HT rigs... and YES... I will argue that no multichannel can really do two-channel as well as a dedicated two-channel system... and I'll take the beating for that...

There is some nice two-channel gear out there, but it just seems to me that the "middle class" of audio has eroded... you either get cheaply built disposable garbage, or spend the big bucks to get the nice stuff with not a lot of options in the middle for two channel audio...

 

[melofelo]

oops

 

[just dave]

Every decade has it's quality pieces but it seems the general overall build and sound quality was highest from the mid 70's into the early 80's.

 

[sony6060]

Best sonics?

IMO 1968-1974 with some to 1980. I noticed non op-amp amplifier front ends sound best. Two outstanding receivers are Sony STR-6060FW and the Sansui 3000A.

 

[Pandovski]

So, my question is: were these "mosters" that bad? When and which models from the 70s or 80s were far superior to these ones?

90s stuff starts to be vintage now...

 

[sony6060]

Monster receivers

I owned a Sansui G-7500. Huge 95 watt per channel amp section. It sounds good. I vote Yamaha CR820 as a very good sounding 1979+ receiver. Another very good sounding receiver is Sony STR-V4 that appeared in late 1970s.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

Then the concept of "vintage" is just a waste of time?

Vintage only refers to age. It doesn't refer to quality. A 1977 Yugo is vintage. It's also a rolling pile of crap, assuming you can find one.

As to the best era, I think I agree with those who have said that every decade had good and bad equipment being created.

I also agree with those who say certain consumer brands peaked at a certain point. I'm not sure where that is, but I'm generally pretty happy with vintage solid state equipment from the early 70s to the mid 80s. I bought my Luxman amp, JVC TT, and Teac cassette deck in 1983, and it was all pretty darned good at the time; mostly considered classic today.

Still, I like some of the much newer stuff too; Pioneer Elite and Sony ES and so on from the 1990s.

Overall, if it sounds good and is well-made, I'll probably like it and not be strung out because it's not from a given decade.

 

[Pandovski]

70s most innovative (30 years ago vinyl was born)
80s most performance
90s most affordable

and that cycle will repeat again in the next 3 decades

00s most innovative (30 years ago CD was born)
10s most performance
20s most affordable

Cycle at stage one where innovation and pioneer steps occur is considered vintage in next triad cycle.

I'm stuck in the British borderlines of 80s and 90s where affordable meets performance.

And yes, I am Nostradamus.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

Has anyone informed Nostradamus when vinyl records were actually invented?

 

[Pandovski]

Has anyone informed Nostradamus when vinyl records were actually invented?

The LP (Long Play), or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph (gramophone) records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry.

Source Wikipedia

Take the triad cycle loosely. But it does make sense if you've read your Economics 101 and consider technology runs the cycle of innovating > advancing > trickling down.

But my psychic abilities assure me that the world is going to end next month so... why bother with anything really.

 

[superdog]

Not saying that this is the best sounding but just my opinion is the 70s seems to me as the best quality.

 

[Daunia 70]

I'll have to certainly agree with previous posts,the 70's was the best OVERALL decade for sound quality and especially build quality,even the lowest cost budget components were usually very well built (metal face plates/knobs etc) and also usually sounded great.
I spent around £900 on a brand new Sony TA-FA50ES amp in the late 90's,sadly it doesn't come close in terms of sound quality to my top end or even near top end 70's Trio's or Pioneer SA-9800 nor does my Arcam AVR-300 receiver which cost even more at a later date.
Build quality certainly started to drop in the mid 80's on "middle class" hi-fi,hence gradually got worse until cheap plastic face plates/knobs etc were mostly the "norm" from companies like Sony/Pioneer/Technics etc,therefore were most likely to be made in China/Korea etc.In other words,"cost cutting" was the "name of the game" on "middle class" hi-fi especially the Japanese kind.