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Receiver vs Components?...specifically...

S

sooner8888

New Member
...my current Pioneer SX-850 vs Technics SU-8080/ST-8080 (225$). Assume condition and function are of equal quality of condition, inside and and out, and professional servicing. Would this be an upgrade, side-grade? Would it be worth it to buy the 8080 combo, and liberate a couple hundreds dollars for other vintage investment/upgrade via SX-850.

I've had the Pioneer for several years now, and really do like it, but have craved separate components for possible cleaner signals...some ?crosstalk? bleeds from fm and aux into phono with SX-850, which is only noticeable at high volume and in phono mode with stylus raised. I also own a less powerful, less feature-rich Pioneer SA-6500II/TX-6500II combo queued in line for service (it will be several weeks). Whatever, will be pushing Polk Monitor 10s, and very often sourced by Rega Planar 3. I also often listen via several pairs of mid/high-end modern headphones (open/closed, dynamic/planar). I like the SX-850 sound signature quite a lot, but have never heard any vintage Technics.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Technics and a little cash windfall to recycle. I acknowledge my audio restlessness, but I'm working on it. Advice, experiences or comparisons you can offer? Thanks much AK.
 
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sooner8888 said:
...my current Pioneer SX-850 vs Technics SU-8080/ST-8080 (225$). Assume condition and function are of equal quality of condition, inside and and out, and professional servicing. Would this be an upgrade, side-grade? Would it be worth it to buy the 8080 combo, and liberate a couple hundreds dollars for other vintage investment/upgrade via SX-850.

I've had the Pioneer for several years now, and really do like it, but have craved separate components for possible cleaner signals...some ?crosstalk? bleeds from fm and aux into phono with SX-850, which is only noticeable at high volume and in phono mode with stylus raised. I also own a less powerful, less feature-rich Pioneer SA-6500II/TX-6500II combo queued in line for service (it will be several weeks). Whatever, will be pushing Polk Monitor 10s, and very often sourced by Rega Planar 3. I also often listen via several pairs of mid/high-end modern headphones (open/closed, dynamic/planar). I like the SX-850 sound signature quite a lot, but have never heard any vintage Technics.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Technics and a little cash windfall to recycle. I acknowledge my audio restlessness, but I'm working on it. Advice, experiences or comparisons you can offer? Thanks much AK.
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You can markedly improve your headphone experience by using a separate headphone amplifier. :)
 
darkblue94 said:
You can markedly improve your headphone experience by using a separate headphone amplifier. :)
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Thank you, and agreed. I have a Schiit Modi Uber 2 dac, a Schiit Fulla 2 amp/dac, and am shopping for a nice tube hybrid amp, like the Darkvoice, Little Dot IV, etc...but still undecided on which. Going the Technics route and sale of Pioneer would help fund this. At the moment, however, if I'm spinning LP, it comes via the vintage gear.
 
Personally, I'm finding what several other members here recommend as the best way to upgrade, and that is to make a real UPgrade. You can learn from sideways moves, too, it is true, but what the lessons tend to teach is up is better. My two cents.
 
musichal said:
Personally, I'm finding what several other members here recommend as the best way to upgrade, and that is to make a real UPgrade. You can learn from sideways moves, too, it is true, but what the lessons tend to teach is up is better. My two cents.
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Thank you...sounds wise. So, if this were an upgrade at all, it is minimal at best, as far as the receiver v components are concerned...and really just an exercise in exercise.

Side note...I spent over 5 glorious years ('84-'90), as my name might hint, living and leaning just off campus if your location...big private house, basically just across the street from Dale Hall Tower, if it's still called that. In those days I was rocking the NAD, Carver, and Maggies/Velodyne...oh to have those back. Starved myself to no end to get that gear.
 
I've tried several hybrid headphone amps. My Little Dot MKII (OTL-Tube) sounds better (IMO a lot better) than all I tried. A pair of muscular OTL mono blocks would be my aspiration for driving my Maggies and Acoustats.

FWIW: I prefer separates because of the flexibility. How else could I have a bi-amplified (tube and SS) system with a hybrid preamp.
 
The port isolation is a problem for some of the vintage consumer grade gear made prior to the introduction of CD players (aka: 70s). That's the bleed over. For the gear you're considering to move to, I'd suggest that's just a lateral move.

If you want to move up, sonically, separates are a nice way to go but remember that you'll now have even more decisions to make!

If you're after better sonics, spend more time with the speakers and, for the Polks, more power is far more interesting. Then work your way back up the audio signal chain to improve the other stuff.

Cheers,

David
 
The Technics gear, from a build and crosstalk standpoint are a better bet. The tuner can be switched off when not in use, and the amp has fully independent left and right channel power supplies, right down the the transformers. Here is the pairing
28463869-1CDF-425E-94C8-8588F2E24FAD.jpeg. And the inside of the amp, rated at 72 watts per channel. 419FA874-9BEB-49B5-AF63-26E778A76F53.jpeg. While maybe not leaps and bounds upgrade wise, I have to say the amp is really good. I used one to drive the daylights out of a pair of McIntosh ML-1C at my sisters place some years ago. The Technics sounded wonderful, and never stressed.
 
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Your title says it all in a nutshell - Receiver vs Components ...Specifically -

Meaning that generalizations are of limited use, and specifics count for a lot more. I haven't heard any of the units you mentioned, but the reputation of separates has formed for a reason. Still, it will depend on the models involved, and with vintage, sometimes the specific examples of each model chosen.
 
The move from your current 850 to the Technics hear is probably more of a lateral move than an upgrade. There will be some give and take but no clear winner.

An option to consider may be to add an amplifier to your 850 via the pre out connection. You can gain additional power which your Polk's will respond well to but still may have to endure the "crosstalk" you are dealing with now.
 
I personally can't stand cross talk which was one of the biggest reasons I stopped looking at vintage receivers and moved on. I always wondered why they didn't have a tuner off selector along with the myriad other knobs, switches on buttons festooning the front of every receiver in the 70's.
That said the Technics also looks to have a stout amplifier section which should drive most speakers well.
 
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