The Vintage Super Sounding Amps/Receivers [Regardless of RMS]

M

mjr4077au

Active Member
Quoted from "The Vintage Super Amps":

Glen B said:
This thread is strictly about powered rating. If you want to see amps rated according to sonics and build quality, IMO you should start a separate thread with these characteristcs as the criteria. :)
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I'll take you up on that challenge!

I honestly don't know how to describe what makes an Amplifier/Receiver sound good, all I know is that I know what does and doesn't!

Here is a list of some of my best Amplifiers/Receivers:

  • JVC JR-S77 [65wpc @ 8ohms] (Do not mock or judge this amplifier until you've heard it)
  • Kenwood KR-7600 [80wpc @ 8 ohms]
  • Pioneer A-757 [110wpc @ 8ohms]
  • Luxman LV-109 [150wpc @ 8ohms]


The Luxman LV-109 is my main amplifier at the moment. It is the perfect Integrated for me as not only is it powerful, it sound fantastic, has Digital inputs and also performs Video switching.

The Pioneer A-757 is my backup amplifier that I will find a use for when I finally move out of home. The build quality is probably slightly better than the Luxman, it also has Dual Transformers (though only two main capacitors?)

The Kenwood KR-7600 is a fine receiver I picked up for $100 AUD. I didn't really have a use for this one so I sold it to a mate for cost. He is still using it to this day and enjoys it. It has a really nice, mellow bass which sounds absolutely fantastic.

The JVC JA-S77 is also a backup amplifier that unfortunately rarely sees use due to the Luxman. I have however used it at small parties at friends houses. The power-meters on it are massive and look fantastic in the dark. It has a very neutral sound, hard to explain but it is a good sounding amplifier.
 
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I'll just add an addendum, I intend this thread for what sounds good to you, the end user - regardless of how fantastic or how lackluster the specifications are.

Please respect other peoples opinions, and no flame wars from fan boys of certain brands. There's no embarrassment here about any brand.
 
I have a couple or more more of vintage faves: Sansui 719, it does a lot of things right and the bass is really mellow. Kenwood 500, does everything right and the preamp section is crystal.
Others I've owned that have impressed me with their sonics would include Leak, Sansui G series receivers, Pioneer XX9 series receivers, Pioneer 9100 integrated, Kenwood 8100, Fisher, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
For power amps: I currently have a JBL/UREI 6290 which is a beast of an amp and handles everything I've thrown at it. I could say the same for the QSC I use but it isn't sonically in the same ballpark.

Now that I think about it, there are very few vintage amps and receivers I've heard that I don't like. Each one seems to have their own personality and brings something to the system. Some just seem to do a better job.

I've also had the opportunity to listen to some realy good tube gear and that has opened my eyes to a whole different outlook. Haven't made the total plunge on that but what I hear is very good.
 
I prefer my TA-N7B VFET amp over all other amps I've heard (in my own setup).

However, we did a vintage amp shootout a while back, with my Sony TA-N7B, Marantz 170DC, Kenwood KA-8100, Marantz 500, Revox A740, all with the same sources (Marantz CD-10 and H/K ST7), on a pair of modified Klipsch RF-7.

Gotta say, the differences were minimal at best, it all sounded great.
 
I have owned about 60 receivers and amps and still have about 35 of them. 4 were new enough to have Dolby Digital, 8 had ProLogic and the rest were stereo (mostly silver-faced). Ignoring the obvious choices that everyone here likes, I have 2 that really sound good. The first is a Sherwood S-7200. Its small, about 30 WPC, but it sounds really clear, and at the same time mellow. The other is an Onkyo TX-SV525, about 80 WPC that sounds surprisingly nice considering that its a middle of the line ProLogic receiver.
 
I've rolled through a whack of stuff the last few years; my favs have also tended to be fairly powerful, but I loved their sound and look. Marantz 250M, Marantz 510M, Marantz 2500. Outstanding looks, sweet and clean. Many other nice ones, but these stood out for me. :)

EDIT: Damn, how could I ever forget my little H/K A402? Such a nice little 45WPC unit -- still have it, though the filter cap (unobtanium) died, and I haven't bothered to figure out a workaround yet. I'll never sell it, as it's the unit that probably hooked me on this vintage audio stuff.
 
Sony 1120 integrated: great sounding well built amp.
Sony 6800 and 6060F receivers: great tone. The tuner in the 6060F is 5 gangs fully shielded and can hold its own against some of the better stand alone tuners modern or vintage.
 
The goal

Good music is the goal, for me the best integrated amp is the Sansui AU 9500.
In a receiver it's either the 881 or possibly the 7070, followed by the 9090 and G 8000.
Casey
 
Reciever would be Marantz Model 22, Integrated amp would be Kenwood KA-6006. But I sure wished I owned a MAC or an Onkyo Grand Integra to compare them to, or for that matter a Luxman or a KA-600 or a Tandberg or an Accuphase or a........ oh ferget it, the list is endless but the funds aren't
 
My Yamaha A-1 integrated amp is probably the best sounding of my vintage SS recievers or integrateds. I have a couple of obscure power amps that sound amazing as well...better than the amp sections of the few monster receivers I have. They are a VA-Systems Model 3 and a Robert Grodinsky Research model 5. They're both from around 1980 I think. The RGR amp beats everything SS that I have as far as sound. That said, as long as we are talking quality components, I like most amps/amp sections, for different reasons. Preamps...well, that's another story.
 
I have a Sansui 210 receiver that I use out in the garage. 10wpc and I am amazed at how good this little receiver sounds! Its fidelity is right up there with much large receivers IMO!
 
Receiver easy the Pioneer SX-1010 (100 watts) Cause it sounds like a Pioneer SA-9100 (60watts)

Amp well lets see I own 4) Pioneer SA-9100's so I guess for me it would have to be the Pioneer TOTL from 1973-74 60 watt beauty the SA-9100!
 
I'm with Mark ... My vote goes for my SA-9100 ... One thing it always does is makes me want to be at home when I'm working ... Helps me get through my days .... It's so smooth and rounded reminds me of my wife (as does the amount of noise it makes):music:
 
three current favorite integrateds:

Pioneer SA-7700 : Does just what it's supposed to do, and with class. Got to love VU meters! :)
Denon PMA 300v : Fairly refined for a small integrated... clear as a bell!
Sansui AU-719 : Effortless power, depth, and amazing detail. Plus, a loudness switch that never gets used. Good Synergy (?) with most of my speakers, but loves the Oak Ridge Acoustics ( I know... who are they?)
 
I know I'll get a lot of static from my own choices. But - having compared many brands/models side by side (high and low end stuff) - my currently best, most musical, combination is:

Southwest Technical Products 207/A monoblock power amps at 60Wpc and a Dynaco PAT-4 pre-amp w/re-capping and some power supply mods.

For the money, the Marantz 2230 is one of the best sounding receivers - especially when mated to 70's type acoustic suspended speakers such as AR, KLH or Dynaco.

Finally, I think Kenwood makes an awsome sounding tuner section and I use a KT-8007.

DH

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Kenwood KR-6600 is my favorite all round receiver. It's never failed to coax the best out of any pair of speakers I've hooked up to it.

Leak Delta 70- I like the sound so much I have it nearby pretty much all time when I'm chilling at home, either listening through Boston A40s or, usually, headphones (Superex ST- Pro Bs lately but Sennheiser HD 420s traditionally)

I've been smitten by the sound of more than one Beomaster 3000-2 over the years.

H/K 450 Receiver has wonderful sound- My AR-4Xes were never really happy with any other amp, and that combo just has to be heard. Really nice.
 
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