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Hi everyone! Was reading a thread where an inmate was asking about a pioneer 9500.
Got me thinking about some of the things I lust after. I usually see these things on eBay. Basically I was wondering inmates general opinions of different gear, sound good or bad, reliability, a gem or junk.
I'm sure many of you have the same thoughts. So I thought I would list a couple things for opinions and some of you may do the same. Or indicate a piece of gear that was a real sleeper! Could be interesting. Other reason for opinions is because some of this stuff commands a pretty penny
Pioneer Spec gear
Harmon Kardon SS Citation gear
Pioneer m60 amp, think that's the model
Mitsubishi da-10 amp (model number) and associated meters.
JBL, L65 Jubal, L200, L300
That's it for now, there is just so much!
Best,
Dave
Follow Ups:
Want to say thanks for participation! Keep it going! We all can learn some interesting stuff!
Best,
Dave
Currently running a freshly bought SONY TA-E86B - SONY TA-E86N (preamp + amp) pre-esprit series from 1976 > > 1982 (?) and it's by far the very best amp i've been using to feed my modded Klipsch LaScala. And believe me in 15 years with the same speakers I've had quite an impressive number of amplifiers passing by! If you can live with 2 x 18watts of pure class A, and can accept to use equipment from the SONY brand, I'd say try to find one of those!!!
Second favourite (it's been my main amp for years until the arrival of the Sony) is Technics SE-A5. More power (120watts) and is supposed to match very well with vintage JBL.
Preamps?... I have this SAE Mark 1B wich looks over-cool, is built like a Duesenberg, and sounds very nice when rebuilt with modern caps - even if you can still hear it's a "vintage" preamp. Amps from the same serie have some reputation but I never tried any of them...
Professional BGW amps (250B, 750B) are also sleepers IMO.
my two cents ;)
Was the AR XA with the Shure M91ED. I think that's the cart it was most often sold with new, and I understand why.
I've moved on with different combos, but that one is probably tough to beat for the money.
Okay. So a couple other thoughts: what are opinions as to the sound quality of the 4channel receivers? Any faves? How about the old Onkyo Ax and A 7022 integrateds? Haven't searched for them here yet.Best
Dave
Edits: 03/30/14
Was the Sony STR-V4. I think it's rated around 50 WPC and it's nothing flashy, but it can drive my 4 0hm AR-90s pretty easily and the sound is superb compared to most 70s era SS receivers I've heard.
Are we limited to SS amps here? I am a tube junkie, so if we can go with glass bottles then there are many good ones...
H-K Citation I preamps and Citation II amps (but those are now insanely expensive, but not as bad as Macs
Mac C-20 preamp - just wonderful when rebuilt, but also insanely expensive for a core
For value...
Pretty much anything by Sherwood or Scott
The Fishers are also good
There are some sleepers in gear from other manufacturers, but if I mention them I will help inflate the prices...... :-)
The old H-K award series amps are quite good when rebuilt....
Anything is game! Just mention some of your faves and others will chime in! I have been following 2 threads over at AA, one on a Scott 499 quad receiver, the other on some KLH 28s. Audio can be so cool at times!
Best
Dave
fantastic on the Quad ESL-57. Much preferred it to the big Spec amp.
Funny enough, when I was a hi-fi salesman in the mid 70s we had a Citation system, with Citation 16 driving the L200s. Fun stuff.
I can pass on the Jubals, my least favorite JBL, and prefer the 200A to the 200. But it's all a matter of personal preference.
Pioneer Spec gear is good stuff, but has become highly collectable these days. The Mitsu DA-10DC is also a very nice sounding amp, and it has sexy meters, but those can be hard to find. The DA-15 is also nice. They look better (IMO) without the meters and are cheaper without them, usually, as well. They are both a little rough-looking construction wise though, but the "industrial" look is more interesting.Do you mean Yamaha M-60?
Almost all vintage gear is getting to the point where preventive maintenance or new parts may be needed to keep them happy for many more years, but this statement "..but need sonic mods.." is the opinion of someone who seems to like making every vintage amp sound exactly the same.
Part of the fun of vintage gear IS the different sound character to be found across the spectrum. It is a tour of audio reproduction history. I really dislike people who feel the need to butcher something increasingly rare in order to make it "better".
Edits: 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14
Meant the pioneer m-25 series 20 amps.A few others,
Sansui au 7xx integrateds
Ar 3a
KLH 9, model 6
Fisher 400 receiver
Sansui 6, 7, 8 receiversFor me this is fun getting your input on this stuff. Just looking for good dialogue.
Best,
Dave
Edits: 03/06/14
I'll jump in on the AR3a's. I grew up with them and didn't like them becuase I didn't think they sounded good with rock n roll. This was in the early-mid 70's. We were powering them with a Sony STR 6065 receiver with 70 wpc. Later in life I realized we had been underpowering the 3a's by using the Sony receiver. In the early 80's I connected those 3a's with my McIntosh 2125 and the difference was just astounding. I have recently refurbed a pair using the caps mod and new pots from Vintage AR on EBAY. They sound magnificent and the new caps open them up a shade more than some AR 3a purests would want. But to my ears they are great speakers. They need power though and lower wattage receivers would not mate well in my opinion.
I had a pair of 3a's that I rebuilt. A buddy had refoamed the woofers and gave them to me. I rebuild the crossovers with all poly caps and found one tweeter was shot. So I found a guy on epay who had figured out a Chinese silk dome tweeter and had it manufactured with exactly the same mounting diameter as the original. He had it worked out so it would just drop in as a replacement. I think I paid $140 or so for the pair of tweeters. I put them in and wow, they were great speakers. I finally let a friend have them for the money I had into them, but I sort of regret letting them go. Of course he enjoys them daily so they are being used and loved....... so maybe hunt around on ebay and if you have the money to spare, try a pair of those tweeters..you can always put your originals back in if you don't like the new ones.
cheers,
Don
If you find one of those Pioneer M-25's or M-22's in working condition, buy it. Have it serviced by a good tech, enjoy. I would be envious if you found one. When I get my time machine working, a shipping container full of those is on my list to bring back to the present.Any of those Sansui's you mentioned would be good choices. IMO, late 60's and early 70's Sansui gear was the most "audiophile" gear of the time. Reliable and easy to repair, generally.
Early 70's Sony gear is also very good. Yamaha, Pioneer, Kenwood! Onkyo, Trio, Technics, on and on. They all made gear that was (and is) very good, some as good or better than modern that you can find today for any sane amount of money. MCS, Radio Shack, Sanyo and too many others to list also produced gear that people seek out today.
Find a middle to top-of-the-line example, listen, decide. The fun part is deciding which "house sound" you like, as up until the age of BPC they all had a sonic signature which is part of the attraction today, no "sonic mods" required.
My opinion only, and of course there are some variations among the different models. Of the big five, Sansui and Sony are the most "musical", Yamaha almost always very neutral. Pioneer and Kenwood were straight-up headbanger gear.
You have not mentioned Marantz or Mac gear. I never understood that attraction of either of those.
Get busy!
Edits: 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14 03/06/14
Been out of the loop for a day or two. Haven't forgotten things like Mac or Marantz, just haven't got there yet! LOL!Seriously I am hoping this will turn into a fun thread where people post their opinions, favorites and better yet obscure pieces under the radar that kick butt!
Also when people choose something, why did they choose it? Build, reputation, house sound, sound quality overall.I have become more convinced that for a fraction of what most of today's high end goes for one can purchase older high end, including repairs. Back then there was a plethora of excellent mainstream equipment and brands available, the heyday of many before BPC. Mac, GAS, Threshold, Forte, Marantz, HK, KLH, JBL, Advent, Bozack, EPI, ADS, on and on and on.
It appears a whole lot more diversity available. And now those high end pieces are available at good prices, prices that would get upper mid-fi to lower high-end today. And available to far more people.
For me, it seems the choice is clear and besides the fun, nostalgia factor are just plain cool!
Enough rambling, now it's your turn guys/gals turn!
Best,
Dave
Edits: 03/08/14
I have a pair of Bogen 110 amps, I bought two of them cheap and they sound so sweet I use them with a pair of KLH 17s and they are great to my ears. Even picked up a pair of Bogen DB 20s just a few more watts but bigger all around still I enjoy the 110s the most. Dont care what others think of them keep the price low fine with me. Thanks for asking.
I've personally heard the Citation 12 sound very nice and the JBL'S are always fun, but I have no experience with the other items.
The Citation 12 also have dual power transformers.
Honest amplification is better than excessive 2nd order distortion anytime.
Dave
I like your choice in speakers and as far as SS amps go,the Citation 12 and Citation 16 are two of the best sounding solid state amps ever made with a little bit of modification and tweaking.
Of course the speakers you chose will perform much better with vacuum tubes.
The other amps you mention are reliable,but need sonic mods..
Honest amplification is better than excessive 2nd order distortion anytime.
I heard the Citation amps when they came out, and I wanted one!
Dave
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