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To the Technics bashers...

Technics was always my favourite brand when I was too young to afford hifi equipment, and went weekly to the electronics shop to collect catalogues and listen to stuff. My first receiver was bought second-hand, a Technics SA-300. Liked it a lot because it looked nice and was well-built, sold it ten years later. Technics stuff from the later eighties and onwards, though, I have found to sound quite mediocre. My first CD player was a Technics, and that made me go back to vinyl, very disappointed in the sterile sound from CD's. So I gave up on Technics, but the other day I got an SA-5560 receiver practically for free, and I have to say I'm impressed. 85 WPC, weighs about 40 pounds. And to me it sounds just as good as my Marantz 170DC power amp, also rated at approx. 85WPC. Might have to get a SL-1200 or similar Technics turntable to match the receiver.
 
Just checked the bottom of my SA 700, no sign of pressboard there. I like that receiver a whole lot, actually. It has a wonderful tuner and at 105 w/ch (must actually be quite a bit more) it never runs out of steam. The amps are all discrete, decent power supply. The face is really nice to look at. It is about the least picky amp I know when it comes to speaker choice, just makes them all sound fine. Very "musical" (as they say) and easy to listen to for very long periods. Nice phono stage. My only complaints would be the controls are PITA to try to clean and why-o-why did they use vinyl for the covering? HATE vinyl!
 
I have an SA-300 and I think it's kind of mediocre. It works well enough but I A/B/C compared it to my Superscope R-1270 and my friend's Harman Kardon hk 350i and both of them stomped the SA-300 into the ground. It seems like there's a non-defeatable rumble filter on the phono stage. It just couldn't match the bass definition of the Superscope. For a similar power output the Superscope has a much larger power supply, with a bigger transformer and a pair of 10,000uf filter caps which I replaced with new 15,000uf Panasonics. The Technics on the other hand has a comparatively wimpy power transformer and a pair of 6800uf caps. While I am a fan of higher end Technics gear, the BOTL stuff is better than some but easily bettered.
 
chillwolf said:
What, you have a problem with Onkyo gear? :scratch2:
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Their CD carosels are terrible, I have gone through a 5 disc and a 6 disc and they both threw disks off the trey. I would have to remove the skin and take the disk out cause it it would get get stuck behind the trey so it couldnt close.

Then there is the 2 receivers I had, this being when I thought quality audio was about how many channels it supported and how many total watts it was. Both slabs would drop audio (and I say drop like no sound at all) from the center channel (tried 3 differnet center channels and at least 10 sets of wire), also the input jacks on the back seem weak and had to actually repair one more then once.

Maybe other people are fans but I have been burned too many times. Onkyo is junk imo.
 
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Hi,

The SA-800 is an excellent receiver. I owned one. Superb tuner, excellent phono and powerful amplifier. The selector switches are a known weak issue. Many of these units needed new ones after 4-5 years use. Especially in smoker homes.
 
BrocLuno said:
I love Technics bashers. I wish they would step up their efforts. I'm looking for an SA-1000 and I want it cheap. So as long as they keep bashing, maybe it won't cost too much :)
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Good point. It's been one of the reasons high-ish end Sony gear remained affordable - because Sony made just so much darn stuff other than hi-fi, many people kind of sneer at the idea of a vintage Sony system.

I can remember my best buddy when I was 18/19 years old spinning DSOTM and Band on the Run on his parents' National Panasonic all-in-one...wow..I recall that had a GREAT sound - I was totally jealous! I have looked out for exactly that unit ever since.

I dodn't know much about Technics hifi, but I totally agree with the person who commented on their styling. That 800 looks superb.:thmbsp:
 
I picked up a SA-404 on CL a few weeks ago for the hell of it and to start a bed room rig. I have it hooked up to a pair of polk audio RTA 11t and it sounds real nice. Much better than the Yamaha RX 777 I was using before. I also hooked up my Technics SL-5 for the hell of it.

And yes it has a press board bottom. Puts out some heat also.

Scott
 
I don't think Technics equipment is all bad. It is just under appreciated. I bought at a thrift store a Technics (by Panasonic) stereo cassette deck, 616 for $15.00. The deck itself was in mint condition. I hooked it up to my system, put in a normal TDK tape, and recorded a few tunes off the CD. When I rewind the tape and played it back, it sounded great, a little bright on the high end probably due to the tape rather than the machine itself. No bias adjustment to correct the problem. But I'm very satisfied with the deck.
 
For CES/THE 2007, we used a Technics receiver and got the most compliments about the vinyl sound we've ever had.

Simon Yorke even hung and listened to tunes and liked what he heard.

Those Technics pieces from back in the time of point-to-point-building can sound superlative.

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I had a Technics SA-500 over 20 years ago and it was well built and stable but I wasn't overly Impressed by the sound. I do like the higher end models of that 1980 Technics line such as the SA-800 and the SA-1000, those were very nice. Technics Is a great value for the money and they are very under rated. That SA-800 is a real beauty and If I ever come across one at a good price, I will definitely grab it. I would really love to find a mint SA-1000, that's a real beauty!!
 
I've got a SA-404 that my dad gave me. To me it sounds really nice, and would be my main receiver if I didn't have a sansui 8080. The only problem out of it is half of the dial lights are out, but that is easily fixed if I could just find the time.
 
receivers, equalizers and turntables

These are the types of Technics components I owned during the seventies through mid eighties. I always bought the highest quality I could afford and heard nothing but positive feedback for my Technics equipment. Aesthetically pleasing, high build quality, never a glitch or failure and competitively priced from the (then) world's largest electronics manufacturer. I finally replaced my Technics receiver with a Carver amp/ preamp combo and entered the customer service arena for a few problems. Other friends fell for the Sony hype and would even defend the company when their equipment failed (some cannot admit making a purchasing mistake). 'Better sound through advertising' :D. I'm happy now with my Pioneer Elite and Anthem setup but I was equally happy with my SA 700 receiver for years (still going strong, by the way, sold to a friend and he wouldn't part with it). High end Technics is long gone but during the late 70's to mid eighties their high end equipment was as good as the best of the other Japanese manufacturers. :thmbsp:
 
Dad and i have gone through a few technics receivers and have never been displeased with any of em.

SA-101
SA-303
SA-505
SA-500
SA-700
and 3 rare technics micro systems

Oddly enough we have yet to try any Technics turn tables.

Shawn.
 
Personally, I'd love to own an SA-1000 -- just can't find one. Pretty much every brand made crap -- most folks just can't afford TOTL new. Sansui, Yamaha, Marantz, they all made garbage pieces, as well as beauties; Technics is no different. FWIW, my SL-10 TT is a joy, and a beautiful piece of engineering.
 
The only negative I've ever heard about Technics receivers was that they run hot. I've owned two and they both ran hot. I have two white faced Technics somewhere in my stash that I haven't cleaned up or plugged in yet. I hope they sound as good as the other Technics receivers I've owned. One is a beast and I really wish I could bring it in the house but I am chuck full of audio!
 
I have an SA-600 and I think it's an excellent piece of equipment, it sounds fantastic. It's loud as hell, at 1/4 volume the whole living room is shaking :P
 
I guess I'm a Technics 'basher' - I had a Technics SU-8600 integrated amp - an expensive amp when I purchased it new in 1976. I had problems with it - it ended up going in for service twice. I threw it in the junk when it broke again (circa 1990) The controls also seemed very prone to 'dust noise' and scratchiness.

I didn't have good luck with Technics - not to say that every Technics product is bad. Panasonic in general makes very good quality equipment - my old Panasonic HiFi VCR was very reliable.

I guess I could also be considered a Pioneer basher - I bought a BPC Pioneer AV receiver new in 1990 (to replace the Technics!) and that ended up junked by the late 90s with repeated electrical problems.

What I'm really impressed with - my Sansui 5000x that I bought for $40 on Ebay a couple years ago. It's circa 1970-1971, and has never been serviced as far as I can tell, yet still works quite well. It's being used in an auto repair shop I have full access to, and gets used regularly.

It would definitely benefit from a full service, thorough control cleaning, cap replacements, and a tuner alignment. But I can't see spending hundreds on a 40 dollar receiver. That's throwaway price, IMO.
 
i own a technics su-a4 pre with a technics se-a3 pwr amp. i picked this pair up as derelict for $1.
$400 dollars in parts and a good 40 - 50 hrs labor of my own and i resurected both these units. paired up with my tannoy saturns and my arcam alpha 5 plus riders on the storm by the doors is an experience to listen to. everything is there, in the right place... you can almost smell the weed..........

however, technics did make some crap too........ but didnt everyone in those days, i mean people were using speakers made of 10mm chipboard with 8"dual cones and 2"paper cone tweeters, and they considered this hifi. no wonder people bought it..
 
How about the very rare R2R : The RS-1800 with separate playback/record amplifier and 30ips

The SP-10MK3 (the one with copper on the platter (please please please get me one cheap !)

And the extremely rare SE-A1 and SU-A2 Pre and Amplifier

And for speaker the SB-10000

Thats top notch stuff by today standard.

If I win the lottery I will but it together.

No bashing here

Thanks
 
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