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The greatest amps circa 1977-80?

terra1 said:
SU-8600: Just a great value in features and watts. Does a lot of things well. Was not unusual to find it for $100 or less. If you like your cymbals and still get your punchy bass you can look a long time for something that does the full range as well.

It is different sounding than the SU-V9 and SU-8080 which are warmer. It has more in common with the sound of the SU-7700 and SU-7300 (whose only fault is it doesn't allow powering 2 pairs of speakers simultaneously).
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Actually, I will be auditioning the SU-7700 tomorrow - can't wait! :music:
 
Plugin said:
Zapped by lightning? Was this due to a lack of a good surge protector :nono: or that your house was not grounded? :tears:
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House wasn't properly grounded, & Dumb@ss didn't know about unpluggin' shyte in those daze...(grimace)
 
Hmm I'd have to say I'm always impressed with Pioneer gear like my Spec 4 unit. However I was blown away by my ReVox B-750 amp, just really a very nice and well constructed piece.
 
The difficulty with a thread like this is that there is no real consensus. For every person who loves the McIntosh 2105, someone else will say it's not deserving the hype and expense. And this is true for nearly every amp out there, outside of say, Accuphase. We all have our personal favorites, but VERY FEW have had an opportunity to spend time with all the top-tier vintage amps, where they can render judgment from a position of knowlege, rather than speculation and favoritism.

I suppose we could throw all the TOTL models from this era into a hat and say, "These are the Greatest Amps", and then everybody picks their favorite flavor.

The problematic question is what makes one amp "better" than another? THD and WPC? Warmness? Smoothness? Tonal accuracy? Durability? Ease of servicing? Each of these positions have their proponents. The Official Cliche of AudioKarma is "Whatever sounds good to you". And in this case, it definitely applies.
 
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I turned 16 in 1979 and bought my first stereo with money earned from cutting lawns... and although I am sure it would never make anyone else's list, the Onkyo A-5 I purchased at the end of that summer will always be at the top of mine.

You never forget your first!
 
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I agree. There is such a thing as emotional attachment. That's the purpose of this thread - to have fun! I was not hoping for a general consensus, but decided nevertheless to narrow it down to a few years before the age of plastic and of mass-marketing. There are tendencies, however, as a few have already mentioned the Pioneer SX and SPEC seires, and the Technics SU series. It's thanks to these guys that I got to test an SU-7700 in mint condition that eventually ended up...in my recording studio!
 
Almost There said:
I turned 16 in 1979 and bought my first stereo with money earned from cutting lawns... and although I am sure it would never make anyone else list, the Onkyo A-5 I purchased that summer will always be at the top of mine.

You never forget your first!
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I've still got mine, and it still cranks. Real max power output was about double of what they rated it at. It can keep up with many of the big boys!
 
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