Most Underrated/Overrated Component or Brand

[slimecity]

Underrated - overrated....

I've already contributed to this but have to respond to some posts here - Sansui is my fave brand, I agree that prices are getting out of control for units and that some (sometimes very expensive units) may disapoint sonically - but i guess thats a case of caveat emptor at times? I really LOVE working on and restoring sansui units way more than any other unit as the build quality, layout and documentation (of the units I have worked on) has been exceptional. Also, you just cannot compare the sound of a non-restored unit with a restored/recapped one - they are miles apart.

I also have to agree that some vintage Technics gear is just superb. Curently restoring an SU8080 which is built like tank and is still within spec during adjustment - after 30-odd years or so. Layout is excellent and the sonic imaging is suprising.

Final comment - overrated for me definitely includes Quad. I had to extensively gut and completely replace every transistor and cap in a 303 amplifier to get it sounding halfway decent, it also had many under-rated components that were bound to fail over time. Then its sound quality was just blown out of the water by a non-restored sansui 555a amplifier. The quads looked great tho, styling is a big plus.

 

[lojyo610]

Don't know if anyone still reads this thread:

Over rated: Bose, Non "L" series JBL's, muddy sounding classic Marantz receivers, Pioneer direct drive rumble machines from the 70's, SAE self-destructing components.

Under rated: Philips AF 477 through 989 ugly greenish turntables, Harman Kardon HT receivers which make decent two channel music, Heathkit receivers, JVC receivers prior to the mid 80's.

 

[Callan1967]

Don't know if anyone still reads this thread:

Over rated: Bose, Non "L" series JBL's, muddy sounding classic Marantz receivers, Pioneer direct drive rumble machines from the 70's, SAE self-destructing components.

Under rated: Philips AF 477 through 989 ugly greenish turntables, Harman Kardon HT receivers which make decent two channel music, Heathkit receivers, JVC receivers prior to the mid 80's.

:thmbsp: for jvc receivers from the 70's, i really rate my jr-s600, its excellent

 

[atechnica]

Seems like older JVC are a bit under rated. The JVC sr receivers seem quite nice and nobody really talks about them. Yamaha is possibly under rated but some people know about Yamaha at least. Sony linear tracker p mount turntables are definitely under rated, the direct drive ones. Quite nice for the low prices they sell for.

 

[luckymagnet]

Luxman?

 

[ggregg]

Don't think Luxman was ever underrated really. Unknown by some, maybe, but not underrated.

 

[Sansui77]

Most overated brand,

BOSE!!!!!
Every brand that made cheap crap. You pay for what you get [emoji6]

Underrated

Kenwood
Luxman


Ive had a lot of gear over the years.
Most brands in the 60 to late 80s made good gear and average gear and depends on the model.
Marantz
Pioneer
Mac
Yamaha
Jvc
Luxman
Technics
Kenwood
Sony
The Japs had the market for sure.

My fav brand for vintage is Sansui amplifiers. The Japanese classed Sansui ampifiers as the rolls royce back in the 70s and 80s then it went to s#it in the late 80s onwards (export market) as it was too expensive to produce high end gear and the market had changed but the Japanese market (most brands) were still producing high end gear for their own population. Theres alot of gear that the world didnt see as the Japanese keeped it to themselves.
With todays pricing i dont agree with some of the gear they sell for but theres a reason... very well built and sound is outstanding not only Sansui but heaps of other brands.
Most brands had their design faults, ugly looks etc. eg, couple of models Sansui had issues with was the x0x0db - qrx-9001 but when working they're very nice receivers and the qrx is the best quadaphonic receiver ever built, its a pain in the a#s to work on but when its restored it sounds unreal and is gorgeous to look at.

Underrated Speakers
Vintage English Speakers
IMF made beautiful speakers back in the day, now becoming very rare and collectable.

B&W, Spendor, Tannoy, Rogers, Kef.

Again i might be bias but at least ive been true about my favorite brand.

Remember to enjoy the music which is the most important thing [emoji1]

 

[krowmagnum]

Underrated ? Technics.

Overrated ? Macintosh.

Stuff like Luxman, Rotel, etc.. is not underrated, it's just largely unknown by the majority of people.

 

[Starbender]

Underrated;

Akai {please let's keep it that way }

Overrated;

Everything else

 

[jobrewer1983]

I'd say it is more about certain models more than

Most Overrated: Sansui G22000, many people drool over the looks of this beast, but several people here have owned this big (expensive) receiver and were unimpressed

Most Underrated: Pioneer SX-1010.

Chris

I would not say the 1010 is under rated, it's pretty well known.. But I agree, its not known enough, AMAZING receiver. I have been waiting to rebuild mine, just currently in the middle of a move.. Ill have it started in a few weeks. I can say it sounds better than the 1250, I will be getting rid of my 1250 to have a spot in the rack for the 1010..

 

[ethangsmith]

Underrated? EPI/Epicure/Genesis speakers. There's magic in those tweeters!

 

[Eywadude]

Underrated? For receivers, the Hitachi "SR" series, and the Toshiba "SA" series from the 70's silver face era. Overrated? That's not my place to say. Everyone has their own ear and tastes in musical reproduction.

 

[harman/kardon]

The most underrated component is the convenient outlet.

 

[konan2002]

Over-rated:
As many already said, I would say Bose.

As for Marantz and Sansui, their sound is decent but there are a lot of bubbles in the price these days, I think.

Denon sounds not bad and the price is not as high as Marantz or Sansui. So, I think it is fair. McIntosh sounds great but the price is also very high. Some might think it doesn't worth of that money but some does.

Under-rated:
Vintage Kenwood & Onkyo

 

[Eywadude]

^+1 on the Onkyo.

 

[zimmer50]

Underrated Components

I can list a few that seem to not get the attention they deserve, while lesser "Big Name" equipment is vastly over priced.
1. Advent 300 receiver
2. The following speakers: Original manufacturer only. Genesis, EPI, Avid, University Sound, Utah, DCM.
3. Turntables: Elac Miracord 50H, Sanyo TP-80SA
4. Receivers/Integrated: Optonica, Proton

Just a few off the top of my head.

 

[graftdesign]

I second the SX1010. It blew me away when I first plugged mine in. It's very detailed with prodigious amounts of clean, tight bass. I guess it's a good time to acquire one as they are very affordable for what they are. For some reason they don't seem to command the bigger prices of some other brands or even other Pioneers that don't sound nearly as good. It's not about power, but rather about the quality and nuance of the sound they produce... which they do in spades. That's just my opinion.

Also I have to give a nod to the very early Accuphase models like the C200 pre and P300 amp. They are very affordable and are truly high-end performers at mid-fi prices.

I would not say the 1010 is under rated, it's pretty well known.. But I agree, its not known enough, AMAZING receiver. I have been waiting to rebuild mine, just currently in the middle of a move.. Ill have it started in a few weeks. I can say it sounds better than the 1250, I will be getting rid of my 1250 to have a spot in the rack for the 1010..

 

[BillyBatts]

Yamaha is often underrated by many. Their engineering and build quality in the 70's was 2nd to none. My undergrad years were spent at a business and engineering college. I dormed with many Electrical Engineering students. They all owned Yamaha and insisted that dollar for dollar it was the finest equipment on the market back then. So I bought a CA-810 that I still have. It was the best I could afford at the time.

Runner up for underrated would be Realistic rigs. Because they were sold by Radio Shack many felt they were garbage. On the contrary, some of their equipment was superb and grossly underrated. I have owned and still own some Realistic rigs and they are incredibly well engineered.

Overrated is tough. Price per performance-wise I'd have to say Bose. Very big bucks spent on components that are simply not worth the money spent on them. I own McIntosh and don't personally think it's overrated. I feel it is on target for what you expect.

When I was in my late teens, Sansui was definitely overrated by my peers. It was the holy grail. If you owned Sansui you had the "best" money could by, and I never agreed with that. I felt that is was fine equipment for sure, but not heads above any other brand.

 

[Sansui77]

Yamaha is often underrated by many. Their engineering and build quality in the 70's was 2nd to none. My undergrad years were spent at a business and engineering college. I dormed with many Electrical Engineering students. They all owned Yamaha and insisted that dollar for dollar it was the finest equipment on the market back then. So I bought a CA-810 that I still have. It was the best I could afford at the time.

Runner up for underrated would be Realistic rigs. Because they were sold by Radio Shack many felt they were garbage. On the contrary, some of their equipment was superb and grossly underrated. I have owned and still own some Realistic rigs and they are incredibly well engineered.

Overrated is tough. Price per performance-wise I'd have to say Bose. Very big bucks spent on components that are simply not worth the money spent on them. I own McIntosh and don't personally think it's overrated. I feel it is on target for what you expect.

When I was in my late teens, Sansui was definitely overrated by my peers. It was the holy grail. If you owned Sansui you had the "best" money could by, and I never agreed with that. I felt that is was fine equipment for sure, but not heads above any other brand.

I agree with that "Sansui was the holy grail" Even the Japanese thought the same. I've owned alot gear and if you ever owned a top Sansui model you'll know why they were one of the top brands back in the 70's & 80's. I don't agree what prices they go for in todays market but there must be a reason why [emoji6]

 

[Dave_72]

Underrated: For now, I'll go with Bryston. They seem to be red-headed stepchild amongst quite a few diehard high enders. Mind you, it has its faults, but you could do a lot worse, imo.

Overrated: Mark Levinson. Never understood why it's so great, then and now. Krell was way better in the 80s and 90s.