Not big or bad, but how about the APT?
The biggest and baddest Pre Amplifiers of all time?
- Thread starter Dazaa
- Start date
I do find it funny with a lot of the old preamps having 40 switches on them, they where selling what looked like complexity.
Facts are the shortest signal path is best for sound quality and to keep the preamp away from switches.
This gave way to a passive pre or a multi box design having the preamp in one box, clean box and having the controller switches and AC power in another dirty box.
McIntosh C1000 can be used as a two or three box design. Controller and a Tube and SS preamp
C1000C, C1000T, C1000P
Facts are the shortest signal path is best for sound quality and to keep the preamp away from switches.
This gave way to a passive pre or a multi box design having the preamp in one box, clean box and having the controller switches and AC power in another dirty box.
McIntosh C1000 can be used as a two or three box design. Controller and a Tube and SS preamp
C1000C, C1000T, C1000P
Dazaa
Super Member
I understand what you're saying, but whatever pre amp you had isn't a representation of anything in this thread. Again using my jvc as an example, weighing in at over 35LB and having a pink noise generator built in, I don't think it was any attempt to make it "look" more serious, more like designed for use in a professional environment
Dazaa
Super Member
I generally like Mac gear, never come across any as it's pretty rare in the UK, but that pre is goddamn ugly.
Another favorite of mine was the Conrad-Johnson ART (Anniversary Reference Triode). Harry Pearson used it in the mid 80s with his main system.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing looking at the JVC JP-V1000 in the OP.
I don't know your age but you keep trying to say how this JVC is a "Professional" type piece of equipment. You allude to rack mounts and handles and a overburden of do-dad switches that has only to do with the time it was built. Mostly the Japanese gear and some other manufactures used all that as a gimmick to sell equipment. To make it look more impressive to the buyer and as such can show off for their friend in a home environment. For one thing what we saw in the US by JVC was department store goods that would be sold right along side York, Sound Craftsmen and Panasonic at JC Penny, Sears. I have seen very few good electronics from JVC other than a few nice turntables. All the while never hearing about the brand used in any professional environment
Well what professional environment would need equipment like this? In the office of a record company executive?
A recording studio would have no need for it.
A live stage setup would have no need for it.
A PA system would have no need for it.
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WobblySam
Well-Known Member
I don't know a whole lot about it, but the Sansui CA-3000 looks pretty "big and bad," paired with the BA-3000 power amp.
Personally, I have an SAE Mark 1M, which I love. Not quite as big and bad as the Sansui, but I think it looks great!
Here's a pic from the interwebs...
I wasn't a big fan of Sansui in their day, but I have come to appreciate almost anything with knobs and real switches - given the state of things today. The 3000 looks great - no sliders ( I really disliked those)
Dazaa
Super Member
I'm 23, tho I don't understand what my age has to do with this?
I'm not trying to claim the JVC is anything, what I wanted to know was what the target market for this type of gear was? What was the purpose of making it so over the top. What sparked my curiosity was this writeup, in Japanese but google translate does a pretty good job, the reference to "business" use. I agree looks wise it leaves a lot to desire, I certainly wish It had been a Technics 10000 pre amp instead but for near enough free I'm not complaining.
http://audio-heritage.jp/VICTOR/amp/jp-v1000.html
Anyway yeh I know the majority of JVC gear was mass market crap, but every brand made statement pieces as well as low end junk, jut like how the Rotel RB5000 isn't comparable to something like a massmarket RA314 integrated amplifier.
With age we gain knowledge, knowledge takes time to gain and it helps if you lived though a time period. I though you where young just by your statements and that's not a bad thing at all because you are gaining more knowledge every day. So don't take the question as anything bad because it's not and it will help the forum know where your coming from. (Maybe add it in your profile)
To make it look more impressive to the buyer and as such can show off for their friend in a home environment.
Mostly the Japanese gear and some other manufactures used all that as a gimmick to sell equipment.
There was what is known as the Receiver War among audio manufacturers (mostly Japan) in the 70s to 80s to gain sales in the USA mostly. It was a one upmanship monthly and yearly to gain sales and buyers felt the need to keep up with the Joneses.
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bimasta
Addicted Member
I'm not commenting on your JVC in any way, Dazaa. I never even knew about it. It looks great and I'd love to have one. It may be vastly superior to the Pioneer and Sansui I mentioned. You obviously regard it highly and that's what counts. Whether it was a 'professional' unit or just looks like one doesn't matter, only what it sounds like.
I don't know how to reply to "whatever pre amp you had isn't a representation of anything in this thread." I was just responding to the thread's theme, "biggest and baddest". Both preamps I mentioned were definitely big, with lots of features, and they looked killer. "Baddest" is open to interpretation. I don't see how my inclusion of the Pioneer and Sansui can be criticized when the definitional terms are so vague as to be meaningless.
Your latest post — "but every brand made statement pieces as well as low end junk" — is spot on. I had a Sanyo preamp that was magnificent (WTF — Sanyo???!!!) and it wasn't laden with bells and whistles, just superior components and gorgeous understated design. I have two Kenwood 300 Watt power amps I'll never part with, they're sublime. And a Denon DP80 DD TT I prefer to any belt or idler I've ever owned. There was fierce competition amongst the giant Japanese conglomerates at that time to produce the best cost-no-object components. Profits weren't the incentive — Perfection was — and they had the resources to pursue it. Your JVC may be one of these products.
When you say "I'm 23, tho I don't understand what my age has to do with this", you underestimate yourself. You've learned a ton in a short time. But learn this too: never stop learning. Don't build your fortress on today's opinion.
Sir Arthur Clarke's epitaph is "He never grew up — but never stopped growing."
BTW, this doesn't mean no good equipment came from this time, just some took it way beyond any practical needs and also hurt SQ doing so.
onemug
Super Member
The "ART" is the finest preamp I have ever heard.
the Marantz 7 ranks way up there for me also. I usually use it with an 8b or the 9's but one day I fed it into a Pass XA30.5 (that I usually the ART with) and was very surprised at how good the pair sounded.
Dazaa
Super Member
Thanks for clarifying that, I totally understand and agree with what you said. I've been buying/selling and collecting hifi for almost ten years now, (yeh I started young) and despite the hours and hours of research and hundreds if not over a thousand components i've owned I still occasionally come across gear i've never heard of before, hence me starting this thread to see what the super high end pre amps of the 70's and 80's were.
I know all about the receiver war, heck for awhile I was actively searching for all the monster receivers and own quite a few but since I discovered separates my interest in receivers waned. Whatever they intended when making this stuff, it certainly worked on me, the more switches and knobs the more beautiful IMO (and I respect that many people will argue otherwise, preferring the most simple passive pre amp)
Son-of-Vere
Super Member
Marantz 3250 series.
Dazaa
Super Member
Sorry I didn't mean any disrespect by that, out of curiosity what pre amp was it? What I meant was that many manufacturers made rack mount stuff that looked special but was actually junk, Marantz certainly made a rack system with handles, it was basically botl junk made to look fancy.
Must say I've not come across any Sanyo stuff that blew me away, but other obscure brands like Akai, Aiwa and Toshiba certainly had some really nice under radar gear, especially the higher end pre/power separates. I do genuinely believe that the JVC falls in to that category of Perfection over Profits, it weighs 18KG and when I heard it working properly the other day for the first time I was honestly blown away by the sound, can't wait for my tech to finish the phono issues and get it playing with my Wilson speakers!
Dazaa
Super Member
currently one on ebay usa for a give away price! If it was in the UK i'd have already bought it, that series of Sony stuff was built to an incredible standard.
I'm sensing some very good knowledge and growth in you.
I was going to bring up that in the US Receivers where more popular here, not better just more convenient. While your home country UK? they wanted integrates and separates more, and why you might have found that rare JVC.