Most Underrated/Overrated Component or Brand

[shocley]

I went into a newly opened Bose store and took a look at their prices - ouch! Bose may actually have highs and lows, but you pay thru the nose.

 

[ke4mcl]

overrated = anything that says "monster" on it. mcintosh proved that copper is copper years ago. "airy" cables my foot! :thumbsdn:

underrated = crown amps from the 70's. i opened one up the other day and it was built like an arc welder. holy cow! 30wpc and the power transformer was heftier than what you find on those 100wpc japanese all in one boxes. the power transistors where *huge* and all high grade stuff on the pcb. :thmbsp:

now to my soap box!

you guys hating on marantz xxxx series.. come on guys. i own 4 of them and despite abuse and neglect, they always work. the amp sections do seem to sound better than the preamp sections. just like the crowns though, very overbuilt. never managed to get one really hot despite cranking it up for long periods of time.

same thing with the old Mc's. who else designed their gear to last 30 years? :scratch2: nobody.

 

[lha1992]

OOOO,

I beg to disagreeeeee on all counts, and I suspect this is a provocation of the welcome kind :yes:.

Non of the manufacturers you mentioned is underrated (Accuphase underrated?), and non of the brands you mentioned is overrated (Sansui overrated?).

Now I'm gonna have to stand up for Trio-Kenwood. I looked at this whole thread and I see that everyone that mentions Kenwood in it they say that it is underrated. Kenwood is a very good brand and it is not mentioned all the time or really most of the time. I own a Kenwood Ka-9100 that has been in my family since it was new back in 1979 and it is a great amp.

Now for what you say that Accuphase being overrated, it is not overrated because of the way the engineers designed it to were if something is in need of repair, all you have to do is just pop out the board rather than having to de-solder the board.

But hey, we all have an opinion don't we.

 

[MunkeyQ]

I'd have to go with Technics. I've owned an SA-1000 and SA-700, both of which are built very well with decent sized pots, big transformer and honest power ratings. The best thing is, you can get early high-powered Technics on the 'bay for fairly cheap - a real bargain.

 

[raymeedc]

Underrated..... Kenwood & Onkyo, I'm happy to say..... has allowed me to acquire my Kenwood KA-9100, Ka-7100, Ka-5700, KT-8007, KT-8300, Onkyo A-5 & T-4 at a much lower cost & with less bidding competition than if they weren't.
Overrated..... Bose, of course

 

[Synchro-bias]

Technics, i think. CD players are really nice, i have a class AA one, seems nice and clear matched with the V85A amp which u can keep on 2 and hear through out the house

 

[Marantz7t15]

Most over rated hands down is macintosh. It boarders on absurd. Macintosh is ok if you happen to like the look of that 1970s cigarette machine in a smoke filled bar motif. Whatever! If I had the bucks, I'd pass them right over and settle on a Krell. Now your talking about something that leaves the smoke and cigarettes right where they belong......in the bar!

 

[MarantZappa]

Bose is overrated as much as anything, mainly by their own marketing. I know a few people with Bose "Acoustic Wave" things. They have a way of surprising you with what they sound like for their size when you first turn them on, but after a few minutes you realize that they sound very lifeless and boring.

 

[Brian]

Obviously an opinion of someone with no experience or knowledge, can not even spell McIntosh correctly.

As for Bose,it can not be overrated. Has anyone read about the hotel suite Obama will be occupying. Expensive but well worth it as it includes a Bose sound system.

 

[BruceRPA]

I just read this entire thread - all 191 posts - and I have to say that I am impressed that everyone is honoring the AK mantra - All Audio - No Attitude! Very nicely done! This is exactly what I really like and admire about AK and it's members! My hat is off to all of 'ya! :thmbsp:

I especially like seeing the references made about Realistic audio equipment being under rated. I know they had some real duds but they also had some excellent units over they years. With the exception of the duds, I think they always were a very good value in comparison to other similarly priced products. Their Optimus line of speakers were very good for the price. You can put me down as voting for realistic as being under rated.

I think that Marantz, Carver and vintage (tube type) Fisher units are appropriately rated as being above the norm for build quality and sound quality so that would make them under rated in my book.

I find Pioneer to be the standard for build quality and sound quality. Not exceptional nor sub-standard, just right down the middle of the road. Solid, versatile and reliable, yes, but otherwise just average sounding.

Since I tend to like "warm" sounding equipment, I find the Yamaha Natural Sound to be uninspiring, based on the few units that I have or have had in the past. I also recognize that others tastes could provide an entirely different opinion.

My opinions about speakers are so diverse that it is just too hard to narrow down. I will offer that, in general, I am particularly impressed with Braun / ADS and Klipsch speakers so they would be considered as under rated.

I wish I coud offer an opinion amout McIntosh gear but I don't have any first hand experience - yet. I do look forward to the day(s) when I move up to owning a McIntosh system. Plans are in the works...

Great old thread. I look forward to reading more considered opinions and observations. So keep it going! :yes:

 

[MIKEINEUGENE]

I have owned two vintage Denon amps PMA-757 and PMA-777 and they are both very under rated in my opinion.Realistic Mach Ones impressed me very much when i first heard them as i recall.My Marantz 2238b is just one example of what a vintage quality SS receiver can sound like if built right.Some Cerwin Vega speakers from the late seventies and early eighties are very capable with rock and i must say that they are under rated with other types of music in my opinion.My Kenwood KD3055 is to me a very decent table that can be had for few dollars if you can still find one.Of course these are just my opinions but i have heard and owned a lot of gear over the last 35 years or so.

 

[Dr. Music]

Technics before they went the bpc way in my opinion. They were affordable components and they did a very good job for workin' young bums like me in the late 70's and early 80's.

Bose caught the masses attention with the 901's and they've been living offa that rep ever since, definitely overrated.

 

[gogofast]

in order for me to say that any gear is over rated, i would have to consider its performance, durability, quality of parts, quality of sound, appearance, price, and etc. if i'm comparing amps, "A, B, C, D" - while they all have similar sound quality, durability, used similar quality parts, yet one is significantly more expensive or thought to be much better than others, i would have to consider that amp "over-rated".

having said that, i think McIntosh power amps are little over rated in my opinion. i've honestly heard totl vintage Mac's and while they sound fantastic, there are handful of others that sound as good and match or exceed other criteria, yet much much more cheaper. just my thoughts.

 

[titanstats]

in order for me to say that any gear is over rated, i would have to consider its performance, durability, quality of parts, quality of sound, appearance, price, and etc.

To me that sounds like NAD; considering the build quality of the ones I've seen, I can't figure out its popularity and price. Same with Quad SS stuff -- though the build quality is much, much better on them, the prices they command seem out of line, at least to me. And yeah, I've owned pieces of both brands, but don't anymore.

As for McStuff, well, sometimes you really do get what you pay for in life.

Underrated...hmmm...Luxman made nice things, and some of their good pieces seem to fly low on the radar screen, price-wise, anyway. Often phenomenally nice build quality and attention to detail.

 

[goldwax]

Got my R9 back. Matched up with my Bozak Symphanies is magical. I really don't have that much to compare it to but my upgraded KR-9600 isn't even close. With the prices TOTL 70s monsters are fetching these days, an early/mid 80s R9 or R8 would make a very good pickup. They don't show up that often. I watched a real solid 100 WPC R8 go for $160 on the bay. 100 WPC from any good 70s gear goes for pretty close to twice that.

When it went down, not many people new much about the unit, but those who had em all loved em, and we ain't selling!

This is an interesting post. With all the love (justly) showered on '70s Japanese gear, the real test would be to find comparable '80s and '90s components, which by definition would have to be called underrated.

 

[Marantz7t15]

Obviously an opinion of someone with no experience or knowledge, can not even spell McIntosh correctly.

As for Bose,it can not be overrated. Has anyone read about the hotel suite Obama will be occupying. Expensive but well worth it as it includes a Bose sound system.

Semantics my boy! I suppose my inability to spell mcintosh correctly, galvanizes my point somewhat, because I really don't pay that much attention to that maker of cigarette machines. As sort of an olive branch though, Mcintosh does make a hell of a machine, I just happen to think there are better choices out there

 

[analogguyinadig]

Underrated has to be Denon stuff from the early to mid eighties. Excellent sound, and the build quality is all there. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I once owned a PMA-737 integrated which was actually dual mono, but was never advertised as such. I've owned several of these amps, but only one was dual mono. It was one of the last ones made judging by the serial number.

 

[Red_Wing]

I don't have enough experience to say what is or isn't over rated...but...

I'd say any phono cartridge that costs between 5K and 10K...is probably over-rated!

And as for under-rated...

I do own a pristine Marantz 2220...and dollar for dollar I doubt you can get anything @ 20WPC that can touch it.

 

[Calcapt737]

I have a hard time finding info on my Kyrocera system, much less on my ElectroVoice 35i speakers Not saying they are underrated or overrated, they seem to be NOT rated..lol.

 

[Susurus]

Kyo made a couple of fine pieces, I think in the nebulous era just before BPC.

EV is best known for components esp in Klipsch. Pro/PA gear used the EV name on the outside. Pics of your 35? :scratch2: