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Last hifi setup ever. Do I go 80s, 90s, or modern?

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polish_jr333

New Member
Hi solid state, long time lurker and finally in a place in life where I need help.

As a teenager and in my 20s I always liked buying vintage gear. I've had a great Sanyo monster from the 70s, a late 80s Onkyo, and a 90s JVC. I used to own large floor standing speakers.. nothing crazy but powerful bass.

My dad was looking for something a little more serious 15 years ago so we did some research and he bought a Yamaha RX-396 and a pair of Mission m73 floor standing speakers that looked and sounded great.

I've been in condos for the last few years so I sold off all my gear and depended on a 90s Panasonic mini hifi all in one which I still use in our sitting room. I've since moved into a house (although we still share a wall with the neighbors) and want to get a semi decent set up for our basement family room.

I found the bookshelf version of those Missions on CL and jumped on them as they were a good deal. They're the m72 model and they look great. Now the final piece of the puzzle is an amplifier.

I only ever want a stereo 2 channel setup so am avoiding all 5.1 rigs. I plan to have my TV sound, an aux cord for phones etc, and my Traktor DJ controller hooked in. I listen to house and dance music almost exclusively. (Always wondered; if I only listen to such music which is mostly always produced in synthesizers and computers, do I need to care about sound stage and other qualities audiofiles seek from more organic music?) I want really good sound quality and refined power, but also don't want to be a prick to the neighbors so I guess not too much power. Also, I have a one year old so I don't think I'll be cranking things anytime soon but I'd like to have the option. Lastly, as this will be used for tv watching more than music, I'd like a remote control.

That last requirement probably means gear from the 70s is out, so the oldest I can go is mid 80s. I don't want to go over $250 but that still leaves me with lots of choice. I'd love a Yamaha or Sony from the 80s or 90s made in Japan but I also had no complaints with my dad's Malaysia made Yamaha from the late 90s and there are a few from that series in that price range on CL. Lastly, there's a very modern Yamaha R-S300 available for a good price which I like the look of but people say it's a bit underwhelming power-wise. But maybe that's what I need to keep the neighbors happy? I don't know what to do. Go newer 50W or older 100W.

The few local dealers have a few Kenwood, Sony and Yamaha I have to choose from, all Japan, all pretty powerful and higher end back when they were new.. but the R-S300 is clean and sleek and modern... I want something that will last for a very long time so maybe newer is better.
 
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KentTeffeteller said:
$250 don't buy much. And IC laden, microprocessor driven gear is not forever gear. Try spending separates money. And getting a quality forever power amplifier and a good tuner and use your mixer.
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I agree with above. You could do something like any power amp from the 70s to present of minimum high current 100 watts mated with a quality Denon, onkyo, Yamaha, or some such htr of sufficient quality that you can connect the preamp outputs, or two front channels out to a separate power amp, you select the features you want in the HTR and use the microphone EQ to do the room equalization, supply some good quality speakers, and you have one excellent setup with remote! :thumbsup:
 
First of all SUBSCRIBE! 25 bucks gains you entry to the best selection of gear in to world. Next consider an AV preamp and a 2 channel amp 100 watts at least. Power is not volume, its fullness, sound stage, flexibility in speaker choice. When you do mix and match you can grow your system at your pace, and you will. It doesn't take huge dollars to acquire great sounding equipment, study, reviews, research when something presents itself, and listen to your AK brothers.
 
There is no such thing as a forever system. There is always more gear on the horizon beckoning to you. As others have said, $250 is not going to get you much unless you get lucky at a tagsale
 
Thanks guys. Man I'm confused. Please bare with me and help me understand. $250 seemed to go pretty far in used audio last I checked the local listings.. maybe nothing like a Marantz but there's plenty of Japan made Sony, Denon, NAD and Yamaha from the 80s and loads of pretty well rated vintage Kenwood, Sansui, and Rotel from the golden age of the late 70s.

Secondly, separates/amplifiers and receivers have always confused me. Did you mean I should be looking for a pre-amp and amplifier? That seems like a bit over-kill; what other components does a stereo receiver combine besides an amplifier and pre-amp? Because while there are power amplifiers that only have one input and require a pre-amp, most amplifiers I see from across all decades have everything in the box to produce sound from a source - is that why they're called integrated amplifiers? What makes an amplifier turn into a receiver? The addition of a radio tuner? Let's just use Yamaha's current line for reference. The totl integrated stereo "amplifier" is the A-S3000, the budget option stereo "receiver" I'm considering is the R-S300. Besides differences in power and other specs, what makes one a receiver and one an intgrated amplifier? All I can tell is the radio tuner on the receiver, besides that they both have the necessary components to produce sound, albeit at different levels of quality. I understand once we leave "hi-fi" and enter AV, receivers like RX-A3070, have all sorts of sources built-in like bluetooth, wifi, etc. making them true "receivers" but I'm not talking about fancy receivers like that, I'm talking about stereo audio components that seem to be deemed receivers simply because they have a radio tuner. So if you're suggesting I get into separates, once I got a power amplifier, be it the Yamaha A-S3000 or a vintage Sansui AU-919, or whatever integrated amplifier you suggest, what would my next "separates" component be? I don't want a tuner, or a CD player, or an MD player, or an LP player. I just want to hook up a laptop, a tv, a dj controller, and occasionally a phone. Do I need separates?
 
Receiver means tuner in the box with everything else. Integrated amp has an amp and preamp (volume, tone controls, source switching, etc.), essentially a receiver minus the tuner,
Separates are everything separate. You need an amp or two or ten, a pre and then whatever sources you want to listen to.

For $250 I'd pick a receiver or integrated that looks good to you and do some reading. Chances are someone has bought it and written about it here.

I'd recommend any of the Yamaha RX receivers (or AX integrateds if you don't care about a tuner) as they are new enough to be reliable and sound great.
Also Onkyo receivers like the TX-8511 etc. They usually sell for next to nothing and sound very nice. I've had the smaller TX-8211 which is the 50wpc version in my bedroom powering a pair of B&Ws for years. Nice sounding with a pretty decent tuner. The Yamahas and Onkyos both have remotes.
The little Yamaha RS amp does have inflated specs so I'd probably pass on it. You could always go for the much nicer A-S300 and pick up a separate tuner for cheap on eBay if you like to listen to the radio.

With house and electronic music having good imaging is nice because the artist will often use stereo effects and it's fun to see how out there some of it is.
 
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Please subscribe and I’ll sell you piles of 80s and 90s gear for $250!


I get loads of older 2 channel stuff from the black face age.


Oh, wait, remote, yeah I don’t get those but they can be found on eBay or get a universal.
 
Onkyo black-face gear in the sub-$200 range is an excellent value, and they didn't make much crap. Stay away from the cheapest stuff they made (all in one is usually crap) and you can find a nice integrated plus tuner plus CD player. The CD player won't last forever, they usually wear out eventually but hopefully by then you'll have all of your CDs on a hard-drive and not need the CDs anymore.

One option that has made me happy is a DAC/Preamp with remote. I have the (now obsolete) Emotiva XDA-1 that is a DAC/Preamp with remote, you will run your optical out from the TV, USB from the phone, and I'm not sure about the Traktor but if it has AES/EBU out that will work (or any digital really). The downside to this model is that it doesn't have any analog in, for that you'd have to move up to the current DC-1 model which is above your budget. The used XDA-1 leaves enough in your budget for a nice ADCOM GFA-535 or many mid-power amplifiers around 100wpc. If you look for an analog remote preamp/tuner and amp ADCOM served me well there also, I believe that I sold my GFP-500II for around $100 and GFA-535s for around $100/ea. Very good sound for the money.
 
My bad for not reading your post through, I thought you were ;looking for a complete quality system for $250. If you already have speakers, turntable and CDP then $250 will get you a damn good integrated. I have found the little Missions are not very satisfying but if your into low level listening, they do the job well. Many of us like the live experience which you just can't get with bookshelf speakers

I would recommend a Yamaha A1, not sure they can be had working in nice condition for $250 or less though, they weigh quite a bit for their low profile design
 
Since you say this is to be your last stereo, I would guess that reliability might be of importance.

Vintage is nice (I've several pieces myself) but due to it's age, you might encounter some problems

Now, if you aren't totally against new, you can get some great refurbs from this site and they are all warranted by the original manufacturer. I've bought quite a few items from them and never had a dud.

https://www.accessories4less.com/
 
Thank you all for your educated replies. OMGCat recommends modern Onkyo which is funny as I was just reading an article on cnet about how Onkyo's cheap offerings are better than most. Specifically, Steve Guttenburg ( I like his writing) says "the TX-8020 isn't a Class D or integrated circuit chip-based design, no, it's a bona-fide analog amp." This I think sums up what I'm looking for. How can I tell if amps are based off classic analog technology or modern digital circuitry? Which is the Yamaha R-S300?

I'd love an integrated amp since I have no use for a tuner, but I don't mind if it's there.

Skipper, that link is awesome, thanks!
 
For $250, go further back in time. Buy the cleanest condition Sansui 4000 or the cleanest condition Sony STR 6120. Those will be making music in good order and sound better than any receiver made by any company since 1973. Back before cost cutting. Back when Japan, Inc wanted to blow American minds about what they could make. All discrete transistor, all silicon, designed before spec sheets were the be all-end all of Japanese audio design, before overdesign. Open your mind and era. It would take Thousands of Dollars of today's money to get as good as one of these today and separates.
 
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Got to agree with Kent. At that budget, forget the remote and grab an old Sansui receiver.... .2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 or something like that. And maybe a pair of Dynaco A25 speakers. You will find for your price if you are patient. This will be significantly better sounding than some plastic stuff from the 80s with a remote IMO.
 
5.1 gear can be ran in stereo with great results. There's an active thread going on discussing the value of doing so.
 
Tons of options out there at $250 price point. I don't see the need for separates either in most cases, but I got enough of them.

Denon PMA integrateds from 80's are good for the money.

A more recent recommendation of mine would be a mid 2000's Rotel RX-1052 if you are not hung up on "made in Japan". It's a very good stereo only receiver than can be had for that price... and if you need a remote you can still buy a new one for $20. Try that with vintage.
 
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Always wondered; if I only listen to such music which is mostly always produced in synthesizers and computers, do I need to care about sound stage and other qualities audiofiles seek from more organic music?
Click to expand...

As someone who is into music produced that way too: sound stage can be even *wilder* with electronic music. Some musicians do crazy things with phase and panning that a good system will definitely reveal. (I'm listening to an old Lionrock album, "City Delirious," right now, and there's a lot of fun to be had in the modern digital studio, clearly.)

ETA, yes, I just realized that "Fun to Be Had" is the name of an old Nitzer Ebb song.
 
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