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Realistic STA 2300 and Lafayette lr 120db

lakegville

lakegville

Active Member
Hi i just wanted to put this out there since i have had some time now to "get to know" my receivers a little better. I started out a while back to reel in as many big silver faced receivers as my budget would allow.....do a little "testing" with them and maybe keep a couple and let the rest go back in the pond. I was able to get: Marantz 2325, Technics 5760, Pioneer SX 1050, Sansui G 8700db, Kenwood KR 8050, Lafayette lr 120db, and Realistic STA 2300. These are all what i would consider basically competitors to one another from mid 70's to early 80's.....between 120-165 watts. To be fair my Sansui 8700db has issues so it really has not had a pass yet. 80% of my listening is done with cd as source and the rest phono and FM. I am not an audiophile....just someone that enjoys music and vintage gear. To me all the receivers have their own sound and all sound good. I think the thing that stands out to me more than any other is how well the Realistic and Lafayette match up against the "name brands" both in build quality and sound performance. They both really hold their own and i would be hard pressed to let either one go. I know that they are both TOTL and have noticed that they seem to be getting on the radar a little more but still....if you could pull a nice one in for $300-400 or so in my mind is a lot of bang for buck. You would have a very nice center piece to build on. Much less than comp Pioneer, Marantz, Sansui. So i just wanted to put this out there for any members that may want to get a high watt receiver but had reservations about these two. Anyone with same experiences?
 
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Agree about the realistic receiver.I have the sta2100 with the big toroidal transformer that got them in trouble with pioneer.Not only is it a good looking receiver it can push my ax-5,s to thunderous volumes.Had some issues lately caused by my stupidity so ive got to decide if its worth it to fix as im a non repair person so I will have to pay somebody to do it .I think in the long run it will be fixed as it would be a lot easier to sell that way vs the issues that it has though they are not catastrophic.
 
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Sounds like you have amassed a similar collection to me. Like you- not an audiophile, but love collecting vintage gear and listening to music (FM mostly). I have the STA 2300 and STA 2100 (non-D) as well and enjoy them both. Excellent looks, sound and build quality. Not being an expert in the technical side, I would think the STA's hold their own against the other big boys, but I'm sure there are some differences in overall build quality. I suspect the pricing may also have a little to do with the name badge on the front but not always. I went to the drug store the other day to buy cold medicine and generic brand and name brand side by side were almost half to difference in cost with exactly the same ingredients....maybe some truth in the receiver world as well?
 
The sta 2100d is the non-toroidal transformer receiver.Thats when they started using a different transformer vs the alleged pioneer copy of the 2100.
 
I've actually just came across a STA 2200 and let me tell ya this receiver sounds marvelous! Once I get inside it to clean the switches & pots a full review will be forth coming with pictures. Truly underrated gem of a receiver and becoming rarer to find.
 
shhhhhhh! Don't rave to much we might drive the cost of these under appreciated receivers up! I remember back in the day being a snob and shooting down the sta 2100 as junk ,useless crap.I was a pioneer amp snob and I freely admit it.Finally picked up a sta 2100 a few years ago and boy was I wrong.A well built tank capable of decent performance equal to its peers at a far lower cost .
 
I recently acquired a Realistic STA-2300 and all I can say is WOW. Beautiful huge receiver that puts out unbelievable sound. I have never owned a Realistic product before and I am impressed. Reminds me of the big Pioneer units from back in the late 70's early 80's. It's a keeper for sure.
 
kydog said:
I've actually just came across a STA 2200 and let me tell ya this receiver sounds marvelous! Once I get inside it to clean the switches & pots a full review will be forth coming with pictures. Truly underrated gem of a receiver and becoming rarer to find.
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I have had a STA 2200 for a few years now and it is hands down one of my favorites. It sounds so warm and tubby. Very rich. Hard to explain, no expert here.

PackmanJim said:
I recently acquired a Realistic STA-2300 and all I can say is WOW. Beautiful huge receiver that puts out unbelievable sound. I have never owned a Realistic product before and I am impressed. Reminds me of the big Pioneer units from back in the late 70's early 80's. It's a keeper for sure.
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I just picked up the 2300 today and after a few hours I will say I am partial to the 2200. But, I am going to get a pair of Klipsch Chorus IIs to pair with it. I am running both through my Polk Monitor 7s.
 
To the op, I agree with you very much, I owned the Lafayette LR-9090 little brother to your 120 db. That receiver was excellent at everything and I regret selling it off to go modern,what a mistake. Paid 75 for it and I am now on the hunt for its big brother.
 
I have a Lafayette LR-120DB.
Nice receiver, sounds good, has been trouble free except for the off/on switch.
While the smaller Lafayettes in that series (LR-1515, 2020, 3030, 5555, 9090)are known for the power switch/speaker selector going bad, I haven't heard of the same problem with the LR-120DB. Guess I just got "lucky".
Had a tech bypass the switch and I use a switchable extension cord for power on and off.
 
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