Opinions needed on what amplifier/receiver should I keep

[dannyduke]

Hello all, my name is Dan, I live in SE Michigan (Metro Detroit area); I've been a member for a while and read a bunch of the posts in this awesome forum but this is my first post. I've been passionate about Hi-Fi since I was a teenager but as I grew older other things became a priority; for the longest time my main stereo was a Denon AVR-3300 and a pair of B&W 603's (both bought new) - which I still have; I still had a turntable, cassette deck and even a reel to reel but hardly ever listened to them - most of the time I've used the CD player; in recent years I've started focusing again on the audio gear and started gathering all sorts of components. I'm at the point where (my wife thinks that) I need to let some stuff go. To get to the point I need to pick one of the following four receivers / amplifiers and I'd like your opinion on which one would be better from various points of view (I have all of them in my possession and all work):
- NAD 7600 (this was a one owner, really good condition, just had to clean the pots / dust it off inside and out);
- Yamaha A-1000 (pretty rough shape outside but all functional / again just deoxit / dusting off);
- Nakamichi TA-3A (pretty clean, just some deoxit needed);
- Philips FA-960 (couple of lights that I still need to change and deoxit);

I'm currently driving two pairs of speakers (A+B) that I plan to keep: Klipsch Chorus 2 & Klipshc CF-4's (I kind of like the way they complement each other - the chorus is more detailed while the CF's add a bit more bass). Listening to vinyl and CD mainly, occasionally some cassettes. Also streaming (spotify) from the computer a lot (through a really cheap DAC (don't laugh - it's a Behringer UMC404HD but I think it's great for what it is)).

I don't really care much about the radio so the fact that two are receivers and two are amps doesn't matter to me. I was actually very surprised when I switched from the NAD to the Nak (currently in the rotation) - the Nak is the lowest rated as far as power but it seems louder than the NAD (which I think is the highest rated). I do like the idea of two phono inputs on the Yamaha (+ MC capability); the Philips I got more as a novelty but actually sounds really good too (also has MC, as well as the NAD)...

What I'd be really interested is to see opinions relative to which one makes more sense from a reliability point of view and/or ease of fixing in case something will go wrong (known unobtanium parts for any of them?). Also would appreciate any info relative to any preventive maintenance (i.e. known issues that I could fix now which would prevent future issues...)

The NAD seems to be warmer sounding in comparison to the Nakamichi, which is really crisp and clean (maybe a bit too much...). The Yamaha is closer to the Nak and the Philips I haven't listen enough to make an opinion yet. I'm tempted to keep the Yamaha but I'd be interested to see some other opinions.

I can upload pictures from the internals if of any interest for other members...

Keep in mind that I have quite a few more receivers (wife only knows about some of them ) but those are more vintage (70's) and not as powerful as these four mentioned above - driving the 603's (and another pair of 601's). I definitely want to keep (at least) one of these 4 as my main though.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[wmgwizard]

You have to choose the one that sounds best to you.

As far as a service / repair standpoint they should all be about the same. There should be schematics and manuals available for all of them and unless any of them have STK amplifier modules there shouldn't be anything that's unobtainable.

We all hear and listen differently, in the end you are the one that has to be happy with your system.

 

[DChen]

What's the most important attribute to you? Is it reliability (who knows how to predict that)? Is it looks? Impress friends factor? Resale value? or Sound? For me, it's sound so I'd keep the one that sounds best. Keep one, two or none all depends on what is most important to you.

 

[PPstereo]

As others said, certainly do some listening tests.

Those chorus speakers are great sounding imo. And they dont need loads of power.

In terms of build quality and repairable, I'd be choosing between the yamaha and Philips. Both seem well made and have a nice clean layout. Also you mention not caring about the radio and the added complexity of that in the mix of the other 2 units. Also I'm not a fan of having those fluorescent displays as they can fail after time and replacing them would be a major pia. I believe the nad unit is their typical rail switcher for high power. It has 2 different sized power supply caps. Nad stuff often sounds decent but can often suffer failures from build/part quality. Not trying to slam nad as they were often good values. Just my take.

If the yamaha just has a scratched up cover that can be spray painted to touch up.

Have fun doing a shootout

 

[silvernutsaq]

I used to own Klipsch Forte 2, Heresy, and La Scala. They all sounded too bright and fatiguing with Yamaha receivers, but when they met Sansuis, the sound was quite pleasing to my ears.

 

[dannyduke]

Just a quick update on this thread; the NAD has gone to a different home; I'm still having the TA-3A in the main system, driving the Klipsch (A+B) in parallel but I'm listening a lot more to a 2nd system (still in the living room despite my wife's complaints) where I'm alternating between a TA-2A and an Onkyo TX-5000 driving a pair of ADS-L570 - for some reason I like this (way cheaper) speaker setup more than the Klipsch. I do have a 3rd system where I'm running a Lafayette LR-9090 that's driving either B&W's (DM-6xx series, couple of those) or an ADS-700. I still think I'll switch to the Yamaha A-1000 in the future for the main system, I just haven't had much time to spend on restoring it properly. Thanks for the feedback

 

[Blue Shadow]

well if you like the ads better than the klipsch and don't need that high volume the klipsch can do you might want to upgrade your speakers. Get a nice pair or 710s for smooth even sound, 810s for more bass and 910 to rock the house. So many choices.

Those Naks should sound pretty good, how to they compare to the Onkyo?

 

[onanysunday]

They all seem pretty nice. For me, it'd be a toss-up between the Philips (which I'd love to hear first) and the Nak TA-3A with 'Stasis' amplification. I have the earlier, Nak SR-4A Stasis Receiver and will never sell it. After several dozen other receivers passed through my hands, it just sounds too good to let go. Don't be surprised if the digits in the display eventually go permanently dim. However, the 'variable loudness' feature sounds terrific at lower volumes when dialed in properly and I'd bet the phono stage is also probably quite decent. Yamaha has always been too bright for me. Good luck with your decision.

 

[dannyduke]

It's funny you've mentioned "getting a pair of Lx10's..." - I've actually been looking to buy a pair of ADS L810 (never heard them but everyone seems to praise them); couldn't find anything local so far though. I've even posted a Craigslist ad with WTB ADS speakers and nobody contacted me; I haven't decided what I'll keep yet, I'll just rotate stuff for fun; the L570's are currently driven by a mint Onkyo TX-5000 (which I did list for sale locally just to make more room) and they sound great too (before they were driven by the TA-2A). I was actually looking just this morning at amplifier / speaker switch (something that I could quickly switch between 2 amps that drive the same speaker pair for A/B compare, or even better would be 2 amps & 2 speaker pair switch). I did find one (TC-7220) but it seems really expensive for what it actually is.

 

[onanysunday]

I have the earlier Braun/ARIA Corp. L810A and they sound phenomenal and are my main system speakers. They are definitely worth picking up if you can find.

 

[dannyduke]

I'm going to add some pics, I'll try a couple first to see if they work... let me know if you can see them.

 

[Thorsten R.]

From the paper form the Philips. It is electrically extreme stable and capable of powering 2 Ohms. And its interiors really look good! Okay, in my professional past I did repair HiFi equipment. So I like to take that special look on amps.

https://www.hifi-wiki.de/index.php/Philips_FA_960

 

[david1111]

I have an NAD 7100 that sounds very good. I also have Naim gear, so lately I've been using it as a phono stage.
The phono section is very good, and is switchable MM/MC, as your's probably is. And the MC doesn't need any SUT, as there is plenty of gain in the MC phono.
I just got a full function remote for it from Amazon or Ebay, I don't remember, for $60 cad. If I was south of the 49th, it would have been $35 usd.
And the pre out, main in, is very handy at times.
I'd keep the NAD.

 

[dannyduke]

The NAD is gone, sold it locally. Agree, it did have a good phono section, only tried the MM though as I don't have any MC cartridges. From what I read in this forum it seems that the 7100 did sound the best out of all the master series. I'll attach some documentation and pictures from when I was cleaning it (only needed to dust it off and clean the balance pot) if anyone interested... I didn't really care for the balance motorized actuation (it was a guess to make sure it was 100% balanced).

 

[david1111]

Nice unit!

 

[dannyduke]

Back to the ADS speakers... finally someone local did contact me saying that he has a pair of L810's, cloth grills (one is missing the ADS badge, supposedly he did get a badge just needs to find it); the person relayed to me that they sound fantastic and he wants $300 for them; haven't seen or heard them yet; is this a fair price? My only guide is "sold" L810's on the well known auction site and whatever I could find by doing a google search... Thanks in advance, Dan

 

[rickb119]

Not allowed to discuss valuations on any forum other than Dollars and Sense. You can say what you paid for something on any forum, but not ask what something is worth.

Start a new thread in Dollars and Sense to get your question answered.

 

[dannyduke]

OK, thanks for that!! I didn't know... sorry

 

[50nstillhifi]

Hello all, my name is Dan, I live in SE Michigan (Metro Detroit area); I've been a member for a while and read a bunch of the posts in this awesome forum but this is my first post. I've been passionate about Hi-Fi since I was a teenager but as I grew older other things became a priority; for the longest time my main stereo was a Denon AVR-3300 and a pair of B&W 603's (both bought new) - which I still have; I still had a turntable, cassette deck and even a reel to reel but hardly ever listened to them - most of the time I've used the CD player; in recent years I've started focusing again on the audio gear and started gathering all sorts of components. I'm at the point where (my wife thinks that) I need to let some stuff go. To get to the point I need to pick one of the following four receivers / amplifiers and I'd like your opinion on which one would be better from various points of view (I have all of them in my possession and all work):
- NAD 7600 (this was a one owner, really good condition, just had to clean the pots / dust it off inside and out);
- Yamaha A-1000 (pretty rough shape outside but all functional / again just deoxit / dusting off);
- Nakamichi TA-3A (pretty clean, just some deoxit needed);
- Philips FA-960 (couple of lights that I still need to change and deoxit);

I'm currently driving two pairs of speakers (A+B) that I plan to keep: Klipsch Chorus 2 & Klipshc CF-4's (I kind of like the way they complement each other - the chorus is more detailed while the CF's add a bit more bass). Listening to vinyl and CD mainly, occasionally some cassettes. Also streaming (spotify) from the computer a lot (through a really cheap DAC (don't laugh - it's a Behringer UMC404HD but I think it's great for what it is)).

I don't really care much about the radio so the fact that two are receivers and two are amps doesn't matter to me. I was actually very surprised when I switched from the NAD to the Nak (currently in the rotation) - the Nak is the lowest rated as far as power but it seems louder than the NAD (which I think is the highest rated). I do like the idea of two phono inputs on the Yamaha (+ MC capability); the Philips I got more as a novelty but actually sounds really good too (also has MC, as well as the NAD)...

What I'd be really interested is to see opinions relative to which one makes more sense from a reliability point of view and/or ease of fixing in case something will go wrong (known unobtanium parts for any of them?). Also would appreciate any info relative to any preventive maintenance (i.e. known issues that I could fix now which would prevent future issues...)

The NAD seems to be warmer sounding in comparison to the Nakamichi, which is really crisp and clean (maybe a bit too much...). The Yamaha is closer to the Nak and the Philips I haven't listen enough to make an opinion yet. I'm tempted to keep the Yamaha but I'd be interested to see some other opinions.

I can upload pictures from the internals if of any interest for other members...

Keep in mind that I have quite a few more receivers (wife only knows about some of them ) but those are more vintage (70's) and not as powerful as these four mentioned above - driving the 603's (and another pair of 601's). I definitely want to keep (at least) one of these 4 as my main though.

Thanks,
Dan

Why your wife want to be like that... ? Of course, I just kidding!

Have similar challenges to my audio, my solution, I just rotate the equipment. Same amount of equipment but rotate the identities. Seems to work..

You seem to favor vintage equipment, and drive some rather power-hungry speakers. I would elect to keep the amplifier with the highest damping factor. Then I would carton the unused amp and claim its "in transit".. To another location, that is