Most Underrated/Overrated Component or Brand

[DSChamber]

Underrated : Akai (pre 1983)

Overrated: Pioneer (not that they are bad, just over-hyped) and Sony

 

[vegabass25]

:scratch2: "Poor Sound"... .....I'll give you that, but "not efficient"????

Are you talking about older klipsch? Its awesome! newer klipsch isent as good though.

 

[Kiwi]

I don't find Bose speakers over priced.........I bought a pair of 4001's at a yard sale for $10...........they sound like speakers that cost twice that much

Brilliant , that made me laugh

 

[thx1138]

I have traded, owned over 300 tube amps and receivers in the last 30 years. I can now say with my own voice, rather than the hype I swallowed til I hit my 40's, that
not as an authority, but finally as an independent thinker in this
ss 70's amps
#1 overrated product is Marantz especially their TT's (save for the black and blue face 2325 and 2275). tried to force myself to like their overall tinny sound
#1 underrated product is Kenwood. big in New England in the 70's though

tubes amps from the 60's
#1 overrated product is Scott - you can fry an egg on the cases of my 209's
#1 underrated product is Pilot - seems to fly below the radar

I also think Pioneer is right on the money, not over or under rated. Their work in the seventies was very, very nice. Except that I could just about dope slap the guys with the vinyl covering ideas.

my nickel is now thrown in

 

[kneeOhFight]

underrated..i have to give a nod to my Onkyo M5160 for its smooth, clean power ( I have an Adcom acolyte begging to trade a 545 for it) and also the Onkyo P3160 preamp because it doesnt even sound like its there..I've finally figured out why I never see any of these amps for sale..nobody, myself included, is even considering selling them!..overrated hmm...maybe those speaker systems that sell for over $15-$20k...or maybe I'm just jealous because I can't afford to be that grandiose!!

 

[Hifirob2]

Also let me add Klipcsh speakers -Very flat and not efficient. Poor Sound !!
James

Wow - I'm sorry to hear that. My older Klipsch are VERY efficient, and sound great. They can be amp specific, though, so don't give up on them yet.

 

[kimbosoups]

Have to agree with Marantz 1300Dc member

I got a Spectro Accustic power amplifer, and I found it to be well build, and sound sweet and smooth with my CJ tube pre-amp. It seem like no one here evr mention that USA name anywhere. Boy, they sure love Sansui, Pioneer, and Yamaha. I also could agree that the Realistic brand are generally very good sounding units, which in most cases are make in Korea. They sound better then some of my Yamahas. I just find Yamaha use too cheap a chasis on their units. Always seem to get cuts from working on them.

 

[indyhawg]

Overrated- Bose, Cerwin Vega

Underrated- Onkyo, Norman Laboratories

 

[kconnor]

An underrated and overlooked speaker brand is Pinnacle. The PN8+ is a giant killer.

 

[sailbum_2000]

How about this...

Underrated: The stuff that sounds good to me and is pleasing to my ear.

Overrated: The stuff I don't like listening to.

 

[marqueemoon]

over: Naim
under: Rotel
both: NAD

I also think "vintage" speakers in general are overrated. There are some definite exceptions, but most of the time I don't see (hear) the attraction.

 

[BostonDave]

Underrated brands of which I have a few of and a lot of respect for:

Nikko - Alpha/Beta/Gamma series
Realistic - Receivers
Sherwood - Mid 60's tube amps
Obscure noname speakers made in Canada in the late 70's


Particular brands that live up to their hype:
Sansui - Receivers
Dynaco - A-25s

Possibly overrated (at least the pair I have):
Cerwin Vega HEDs

 

[reggaenaut]

I can not believe I read this thread through. What stands out is for some reason a lot of people are anti Marantz. I would not have thought that from the primium prices attached to the brand.
Also I did not realised I had made several contributions, mainly supporting vintage Sonys.

 

[SVI2004A]

ive seen a marantz power amp once (needed a minor repair) it was later 70s / early 80s had those wonderful biiiig SanKen outputs.... wish i could remember what its model # was... was a real sleeper for sure

 

[reggaenaut]

Marantz receivers may sound great, but who wants a component with a sideways tuning knob? Something about that ain't right!

This one had me scratching my head, somewhat puzzled.

 

[PR Audio]

Lots of comments mentioning Marantz as overrated, but like every brand you have to be careful, as it varies with each model. For example, I have a vintage Marantz 1060 int amp, a modern SR-5001 receiver, and an SR-8002. The sound from the 1060 is everything I expect from a good amplifier, plus more, and it's phono stage is one of the best I have heard. As for the SR's they do a great job for HT duty, which is their main use in my house. For music the 5001 is very good, but not close to the vintage 1060. Now, the 8002 is a great receiver not only for HT, but when you turn off all it's circuitry (using Source Direct Mode) it becomes a wonderful amp that let's you enjoy music, much better than the 1060. Now, in all fairness to those who think Marantz is overrated, I find that their pricing is high, and you can find same or better brands/models for the same price; reason why I bought my modern Marantz gear refurbished, and saved lots of $$$.

Overrated Vintage - Most Pio's and many Sansui's (sometimes price for these two are ridiculous)

Underrated Vintage - Creek, Rotel, Yamaha, and some HK's (you can find bargains on these)

I know this is not about TT's, but I find the Pioneer PL-518 a very underrated TT that can be found at bargain prices.

 

[nickv41]

Underated: Nikko and Toshiba. My mid 70's Toshiba SA-725 lives in an unheated garage. It has never been cleaned and everything still works like it did in 1975. Even the light bulbs are still going.

Overated: Marantz. I have two Marantz receivers but neither one is as good as my Sansui 5000x.

 

[derekva]

Underrated: Kenwood Basic series and Luxman
Overrated: Mark Levinson (does this count as vintage yet?)

-D

 

[kconnor]

Underrated: Vintage Nikko especially the Beta series preamps.
Overrated: Vintage Marantz. Example, the 3600 and 3800 preamps are based on an arachaic IC and still fetch big bucks. If there was another name on 'em they wouldn't get a second look.

 

[hardrock94]

Underrated: Onkyo,Nikko receivers
Overrated:Marantz.