See what I can stir up :-)

[Bodyblue]

After all the advice I've gotten on this I think I've decided to upgrade my receiver. I'm looking for something in the 30-50 watt range and would want something that if there were ever issue with it, it would be repairable, ie...not hard to find parts for. Any recommendations?? I'm kinda leaning towards a Pioneer SX 737 since it's from the same line as my 434 which I really like.

Most any big brand name units from the 70s wont be that hard to get parts for....the more they sold the easier to get parts. The lower power units were the best price back then so they sold the most. Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, Sansui and even some Realistic units would be perfect for you. It depends on your budget.

 

[Bubbalouie]

Everyone is offering some good advice. However, the recommendations given range from every aspect of audio. My advice is to not spend any money yet until you have tried everything you have on hand first. The next step would be to look for the most efficient speakers you can afford. What I mean is 90dB or higher. The more efficient the speakers will work with any power source.

After doing some checking, I'm not sure the H/K 330 series would be the right choice as they put out 20 WPC. The 430 puts out 25 WPC. H/K has what they call Twin Powered technology. Basically what that means is the 20 or 25 WPC will sound as if they had more power. Only you can make that decision. During your search, make sure you check with HiFi Engine so you will have the specs for any component you're thinking about.

Whatever you do, DO NOT rush into buying a component. Do your homework first, pick out a few that interest you, come here to ask any question(s) you may have. There is a wealth of knowledge on AK, and they are willing to help when needed.

Enjoy your journey and keep us posted.

 

[hnash53]

It's too bad that "attitude" towards particular audio equipment is so prevalent on AK that people begin their post by saying, "... humiliate themself" because of the judging attitude on AK. One has to start out their post by "apologizing" for their audio equipment. They KNOW that people will turn their nose up when they read of their lowly Pioneer receiver, or.. god knows... a Sanyo receiver... and many others I could name.

This is really a shame.

 

[Marine0811]

I believe that its not about the equipment, but the enjoyment we get from listening to it. From Sounddesign to McIntosh let's face it they both do the same thing. Some are more accurate than others but lower priced items can be enjoyed all the same!

 

[Bubbalouie]

It's too bad that "attitude" towards particular audio equipment is so prevalent on AK that people begin their post by saying, "... humiliate themself" because of the judging attitude on AK. One has to start out their post by "apologizing" for their audio equipment. They KNOW that people will turn their nose up when they read of their lowly Pioneer receiver, or.. god knows... a Sanyo receiver... and many others I could name.

This is really a shame.

If this is really true, then those people have more issues than Sports Illustrated.

Every member of this forum had to start somewhere. You start out with what you can and work up. I will be the first to state that I have never done this to any member of AK. You get what you can afford and don't worry about other members audio gear. Life is too short as it is. It's time for all of to enjoy the music with the time we have left.

 

[silver faced]

If this is really true, then those people have more issues than Sports Illustrated.

Every member of this forum had to start somewhere. You start out with what you can and work up. I will be the first to state that I have never done this to any member of AK. You get what you can afford and don't worry about other members audio gear. Life is too short as it is. It's time for all of to enjoy the music with the time we have left.

I agree . I use to crave the bigger is better years ago when i loved super loud music , Now i find things that are low priced different and maybe need some attention as i enjoy tinkering . Im not a master tech but have taught myself pretty well and that is why i joined AK ,the things i dont know people give there knowledge . Im finding that some of the smaller WPC gear actually sounds better when paired with the right speaker.. Cheers

 

[tanker 200]

There's some very good sounding low power receivers around and there's nothing wrong with liking them or even owning one. I have a couple better systems in the house but in one spare room I have a Realistic STA-46 with a pair of Pioneer BS-22's and I have to say I really like this combination, Will it play as loud or shake the walls/floor like the bigger systems? No, But at moderate volumes it has a very nice tube like sound, I have higher powered, stuff in storage that will go before I sell this one (I'm not planning on it).

 

[EJC1]

Alright, I'm going to humiliate myself and tell you what my current (humble) system consists of:
Receiver - Pioneer SX 434 (Works well, I have a small listening space)
Cassette Deck - AKAI GXC-725D
CD Player - Phillips CD920
Turntable that I have hooked up to it right now is a Pioneer PL-400 with Ortofon Omega Cartridge and Stylus.
Speakers are Fishers XP1A and also have a set of Paradigm Mini Monitors v5 hooked up as well.

If you were to replace ONE thing in this system to make it better, what would it be?

I have 3 other Turntables, Pioneer PL 112d, Pioneer PL 115d, and Pioneer PL 514, and also a Realistic STA 860 Receiver.

I'm in the "Put your money in you Speakers" crowd.Electronic technology will change quicker than speaker technology. A quality set of speakers can last you decades.
And if the speakers sound crappy then you'll never find electronics you like.

Here are a couple of examples from my personal experience.
1- Back in 1989, I splurged on a pair of Klipsch Forte IIs. I thought the sound was exquisite. About 5yrs ago I put in new x-overs and new tweeter diaphragms. The speakers are still great sounding and should go another 25yrs. Meanwhile, I've been through 4 receivers, cassette decks, CDs, DVDs.................
2- My son was looking at speakers. I found a pair of used B&W floor speakers (I forget the model) he didn't want to spend the money. We went through this discussion and he splurged. He loves the speakers. Guess what? His (my old HK870) power amp started to die. He now has a completely rebuilt ST-70 tube power amp. We're not sure if the HK is worth fixing as HK used a lot of proprietary software back in the 80's.
3- I just put together a system in a winter home. I was not happy with the sound. That is until I completely rebuilt a pair of 1979 Klipsch Heresy 1 to add into the system.

 

[uofmtiger]

Personally, I would add a Chromecast Audio or AirPlay device to it to be able to stream music to it. That and a subscription to Spotify/Apple Music/ Tidal would give you easy access to hundreds of thousands of albums. If you had to get rid of something, I would ditch the CD player and rip the music to a computer.