Ooh Something Shiny - I Struck Silver!

[MCM_Fan]

About 14 months ago, I picked up a silver Yamaha A-1000 integrated amp from 1983-85 and thus began my quest for a silver system downstairs as a counterpoint to my budget black rack in the master bedroom upstairs.

This was Yamaha's top of the line integrated amp at the time. It's 120WPC, but features their Auto Class A design that runs it in Class A mode up to 10 WPC. It also has a Direct Mode that bypasses all the tone controls. Although I don't have a turntable hooked up in the photos, I've been running it with a Bang & Olufsen Beogram 3400 since I got the amp and I can attest that it has an excellent phono section with support for two turntables.

With this integrated amp as the starting point, this isn't your classic 70s silver faced system with wood cabinets, analog meters and lots of knobs. This has it's roots in the aesthetic of the early to mid-80s - with most knobs replaced with push buttons and red and green rectangular LEDs in place of analog meters.

I get that this look isn't for everyone. Its certainly not as elegant or nostalgic as those beautiful receivers of the prior decade, but I think these components from the early to mid-80s currently represent the best bang for the buck in vintage audio gear. The 70s stuff has become highly collectible and I almost never see it at Goodwill anymore as they siphon it off to their online auction site. The 80s gear has not attained collectible status. So, it can often still be found languishing on the shelves at the local Goodwill amongst the more recent, but decidedly inferior black plastic crap.

Next up was scoring a silver faced 80s look tuner to go with the Yamaha integrated amp. Last September, I scored a circa 1980 Akai AT-V04 that was a great aesthetic match for the big Yammy and also happens to be an absolutely great little tuner.

Until yesterday, the missing piece was a silver faced SACD player. Of course, there was no such animal back in the 1980s, but there have been several models made in the optional silver trim, mostly from Sony and Denon. So, I've been keeping my eyes open and finally scored one - and a nice one at that. It's a Philips DVD 963SA from 2001 - 2003. It has a beautiful brushed aluminum silver face that complements the other two components and a blue display that kind of matches the frequency display on the Akai.

Ok, here's some photos of my shiny, silver system:

By the way, other than the rug, everything in that first photo, including the teak Danish modern credenza and the Paradigm speaker stands all came from local Goodwill stores. Of course, it's taken a lot of work to get them looking and sounding like they do. I spent over 20 hours rebuilding the JBL L36 Decades alone.

I'm very pleased with the way the system looks, but even more pleased with the way it sounds. The latest addition to the system, the Philips DVD 963SA sounds great with both Redbook CDs and SACDs and I'm enjoying the little Akai tuner as I type.

 

[xero-D-hero]

Very,very nice,I definitely like that.

I got something very similar (albeit @ a bit lower wpc) going on in my BR system right now (Teac A-1D integrated & Teac T-1D tuner w/a Samsung HD-841xxa SACD/DVD).
Though my current speakers are'nt nowhere near as nice as those L36 decades (currently using Sony SS-B1000/SS-B3000),so I'm planning on upgrading those Sony's to some JBL's (probably MR25 & LX-44 as I already have pairs of both). And should I need more power,I can just slip a bigger wpc power amp into the system via the pre-outs on that A-1D integrated.

But yeah,no doubt about it,that is a super clean rig,very nice job indeed.

Also,I gotta say that rug really ties the room together (sorry,,,could'nt resist,,,LOL...).

Bret P.

 

[bemoth]

Very nice!

 

[bobsvinyl]

I used to have an art professor who liked to say "Less is more". Very elegant, uncluttered system. Everything works well together. A+

 

[JHS2RT]

How Beautiful!!

 

[Rome]

Mighty nice!

Rome

 

[70'sAudio]

Ooh Very Nice.

,Mike.

 

[hjames]

My first nice system was a Yamaha CR400 receiver with JBL L36 Decades ...
I can imagine the improvement the extra power makes!
Looks very nice! Very clean aesthetic!

 

[Illusions]

Nice, I like silver electronics because it looks modern, but can't complain about wooden electronics XD

 

[wmgwizard]

Nicely done.

If it sounds half as good as it looks; you are doing well, very well indeed.

Congratulations

Hope it brings you years of enjoyment.

 

[MCM_Fan]

If it sounds half as good as it looks; you are doing well, very well indeed.

That's the best part. It sounds better than it looks. The acoustic synergy between these three components is excellent.

Of course, SACDs sound excellent, but the Philips DVD 963SA also has a built in DAC that upsamples Redbook CDs to 24bit/192k. I've ripped all my CDs in AIFF format that are stored on an old Mac Mini that I use as a dedicated music Server. In my upstairs system, I feed that through a Schiit Modi 2 Uber that also upsamples to 24/192. Now, I get that in the downstairs system, too.

Eventually, the SACD player and the tuner will find their way inside the cabinet so I can place the Beogram 3400 next to the big Yamaha for spinning vinyl. The Yamaha will never go inside any cabinet. It needs room to breathe, especially when running in Class A. It gets quite hot.

 

[MCM_Fan]

My first nice system was a Yamaha CR400 receiver with JBL L36 Decades ...
I can imagine the improvement the extra power makes!
Looks very nice! Very clean aesthetic!

Lots of very clean power, and I also recapped the crossovers in the L36 Decades when I restored them.

Tweeter Series Cap - 3.0 Sonicap Gen 1
Midrange Series Cap - 6.0 ClarityCap PX
Woofer Shunt Cap - 2x - 8.2uF Mundorf ECap AC

Although it's not shown in the photo, I also bypassed the 3uF Sonicap with a 0.01uF Vishay MPK1837.

I have a few hundred hours on the L36 Decades since the restoration and am very pleased with the way they are sounding.

 

[MCM_Fan]

I got something very similar (albeit @ a bit lower wpc) going on in my BR system right now (Teac A-1D integrated & Teac T-1D tuner w/a Samsung HD-841xxa SACD/DVD).

Also,I gotta say that rug really ties the room together (sorry,,,could'nt resist,,,LOL...).

Those Teac's look sweet and are the same vintage as the Philips DVD 963SA. Do you still spin shiny little disks? If so, have you considered adding a Teac C-1D to your system to complete your Teac stack?

Yeah, I love the rug, too. I bought it, and a totally different style rug for my upstairs loft, when they were on sale at my local Fred Meyer store about five years ago. The one upstairs has a more modern, bold look that would probably go nicely with Danish modern credenza and this more "modern" looking shiny, silver system.

 

[xero-D-hero]

Those Teac's look sweet and are the same vintage as the Philips DVD 963SA. Do you still spin shiny little disks? If so, have you considered adding a Teac C-1D to your system to complete your Teac stack?

Yeah, I love the rug, too. I bought it, and a totally different style rug for my upstairs loft, when they were on sale at my local Fred Meyer store about five years ago. The one upstairs has a more modern, bold look that would probably go nicely with Danish modern credenza and this more "modern" looking shiny, silver system.

Yeah I've been looking for that C-1D,but it's an elusive little bugger,and the last one I did see was a pricey little bugger too.

I'm thinking those C-1D are harder to find than the A-1D & T-1D because those C-1D later morphed into the Esoteric line of players and anything associated with that brand tends to be a bit more sought after and as such typically pretty pricey as a general rule.

Anyhow I personally have a strong affinity for the older Philips gear myself,and currently I have a couple of vintage Magnavox/Philips CD players that have the TDA1543 chips in them (CDB-500/CDB-502),and I'm always keeping my eyes open for any good deals on the TDA1541 chipped players,even if they're from other brands,but I tend to prefer the Philips/Magnavox units as those also use the uber reliable Philips "swing arm" transports as well.

Since reading this I've added that Philips DVD 963SA to my "gear wanted" list,as I could always use one-or-the-other unit w/my vintage Kenwood silverface rig.
(That system = KA-7300 integrated/KT-7300 tuner/SA-90 spectrum analyzer w/either LS-408b -or- KL-555a speakers)

The main reasons I popped for that Samsung player for the BR system is A. I already have a Samsung TV in that set-up & B. it was a really inexpensive silverface option for a CD/SACD/DVD player,but mostly because it was inexpensive,LOL. Also C. that Samsung player has an optical out so I can play around with external DACs should I want to.

FWIW

Bret P.

 

[KingBubba]

I had that Akai tuner for years. It is a fine piece of equipment and a good choice on your part. I sold it of because there are no decent stations in my area. I won't even listen to the radio in the car; it's that bad. Your system is very clean, simple and I am guessing it sounds pretty damn good to boot. Nice stuff.

 

[Treyfus84]

I like it alot, matches up nicely! Very neat and clean

 

[Markoneswift]

Me likely, good work

 

[Mrv8q]

Nice silver-face combo. Especially surprised how current the Philips unit looks.
All I come across is BPC dreck.

And, of course, the very pretty JBLs!

 

[MCM_Fan]

The main reasons I popped for that Samsung player for the BR system is A. I already have a Samsung TV in that set-up & B. it was a really inexpensive silverface option for a CD/SACD/DVD player,but mostly because it was inexpensive,LOL. Also C. that Samsung player has an optical out so I can play around with external DACs should I want to.

They must have sold a lot of that Samsung player, because I see them all the time at my local area Goodwill stores. When I first got into the SACD format a couple years ago, I snapped up anything with the SACD logo on it. I now have more players than I need, but couldn't resist the Philips. It's a good match for the other components and sounds great. It's a keeper. I'd never even heard of that model until I saw it on the shelf at the local Goodwill last Thursday, but a quick google search led me to many glowing reviews. So, I couldn't resist.

 

[MCM_Fan]

I had that Akai tuner for years. It is a fine piece of equipment and a good choice on your part. I sold it of because there are no decent stations in my area. I won't even listen to the radio in the car; it's that bad. Your system is very clean, simple and I am guessing it sounds pretty damn good to boot. Nice stuff.

I love this little tuner. The looks, the sound and the ergonomics. Because it's a hybrid analog tuner with a digital display, it's often referred to as a poor man's Dynalab - which is sort of ironic since the Akai predates the Dynalab (maybe we should call the Dynalab is a rich man's Akai). I have a Magnum Dynalab FT-101A, and the Akai more than holds its own - and it has presets! When I first started looking for an 80s style tuner for this system, the FT-101A with the silver face plate was high on my list, then this little Akai showed up at my local Goodwill and I have been absolutely thrilled with it.

All things considered (sound quality, features, looks, ease of use, price, etc.) I think it may be my favorite tuner, and I have some nice tuners. Thankfully, there are still some FM stations worth listening to here. I listen to the "radio" every day. $9.99 well spent! Which proves you can still get good bang for your buck at Goodwill.