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Picked up a 5-piece Technics system for cheap, any good?

filmis

filmis

Active Member
Someone was selling a 5-piece Technics system complete with 130W speakers, consisting of:

Technics SU-G90 (amp)
Technics ST-K50 (tuner)
Technics SH-8017 (eq)
Technics SL-PC503 (5-CD changer)
Technics RS-TR311 (dual cassette player)

Sony SS-U580 130W speakers (2)

All in a lovely wooden Sony cabinet.
It sounded pretty good to me so I picked it up for $50. Have a few questions.

Obviously this is no high-end system, but is it halfway decent for the price?
What model Technics turntable completes the set?

Here's a picture (minus the cassette player):
Technics

Technics

  • Media owner filmis
  • Date added
 
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i think for $50 thats a deal! The SU-G90 is rated for 130WPC and thats CLEAN power not that 10% bs of today. fan cooled. uses a Technics brand SVI power amp IC which is basically a glorified STK pack.
Cant help you with finding a matching turntable, but someone else might chip in on that
 
For $50 you got a good deal on a good amp.
The rest is frosting.

I think the matching turntable is nothing special. It's a better move to just get a better table.
 
That's similar to the MCS system JC Penny sold. MCS was built by Technics. Check for MCS 6601/6600 TT, Or any Technics from that era, Mid 70's, Early 80's.
 
Bassblaster said:
i think for $50 thats a deal! The SU-G90 is rated for 130WPC and thats CLEAN power not that 10% bs of today. fan cooled. uses a Technics brand SVI power amp IC which is basically a glorified STK pack.
Cant help you with finding a matching turntable, but someone else might chip in on that
Click to expand...

That's great! When you say 'clean' power, what exactly does the refer to? Does it have anything to do with it being a class-A transistor amplifier, e.g. the simplest type of amplifying circuit so minimal distortion of the signal?
 
blhagstrom said:
For $50 you got a good deal on a good amp.
The rest is frosting.

I think the matching turntable is nothing special. It's a better move to just get a better table.
Click to expand...

Good to know. By 'frosting' do you mean it's an added bonus or saccharine and unsubstantive? :)
 
When that system was new, other than SL1200's, the only other Technics turntables in the line were SL-BD20 (belt drive) and SL-DD20 (direct drive). That was during the decline of the turntable and they were a little better compared to what the other consumer brands had to offer at the time. Not much to choose from back then for new turntables unless you went upmarket aka expensive.
 
filmis said:
Good to know. By 'frosting' do you mean it's an added bonus or saccharine and unsubstantive? :)
Click to expand...

A bit of both.

Enjoy them while they work.

As you said, not a high end system.

Put it in perspective.
Cheaper than a load of groceries.
About a tank or two of gas for the car.
Cheaper than a night out for two, dinner and a movie night.
The price of a pair of Levi's.
Probably cheaper than the electric bill, or gas bill or phone bill or high speed bill or cable bill.

$50 for something you can enjoy more than once is a bargain.
 
Good system to build on! Pretty much any Technics TT will be compatible...although most will be silver rather than black. But...if what you want is good sound matching color may not be a factor:) And, it's a good candidate for experimenting with different speakers since you have more than adequate power to drive them. Have fun!
 
The MCS turntables mentioned above would fit in nicely as far as styling and time period.
I see them often on ebay, however, shipping turntables can be dicey.
If the seller knows how to properly PACK and ship a turntable then that would be a good option for completing your system.
 
Great deal on the system!
Technics of the 80's made great components all the way through the line. I think you'll enjoy it for a long time. If you start to think of upgrading I'd start at speakers and then go from there.
When he said clean power he was referring to the way they rated the amps. Sometimes on cheaper amps these days they'll rate them at say 100 watts per channel but at some crazy high distortion level which is basically useless from a listening perspective. Your amp is rated at 130wpc at a low distortion I'm sure.
Here's the service manual if you're interested https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/technics/su-g91.shtml You have to join but it's free and they don't bug you after.

I'm not very familiar with the lineup of TTs from those days but a new U-turn would look nice with that system and they are upgradable for later on.
 
Some Original Large Advents have popped up on my local CL. Wondering if it would make sense to get them for this system? Probably at some point I'll look into getting a nicer receiver/amp...

Part of the listing below:

They have been fully restored, including:
Refoam (using the "correct" floppy foam surrounds)
Recapped (Audyn capacitors, also replaced the resistors to Dayton audio grade)
Internal foam replaced with R-15 fiberglass (measurements by Carlspeak show a lower Fc)
A switchable on/off external line level BSC circuit at 4db of compensation designed by Pete Basal.

He's asking $300 (negotiable), is $100 or $150 a fair counter-offer? I don't want to be cheap, but, well, student on somewhat of a budget.
 
blhagstrom said:
A bit of both.

Enjoy them while they work.

As you said, not a high end system.

Put it in perspective.
Cheaper than a load of groceries.
About a tank or two of gas for the car.
Cheaper than a night out for two, dinner and a movie night.
The price of a pair of Levi's.
Probably cheaper than the electric bill, or gas bill or phone bill or high speed bill or cable bill.

$50 for something you can enjoy more than once is a bargain.
Click to expand...

Nothing like blhagstrom... negative nancy. HAHAH! Dont get upset blhagstrom.. just poking.

You did well for the 50 bucks.

Like your posts says, it sounds good to you. Good on you man, the hobby is crazy addictive, im sure you will be searching for more gear on CL in the near future.

Thanks for sharing!

Kind Regards,
John
 
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