Calling All "Vintage" Integrated/Receiver Owners - Page 407

 

Hehe, I was thinking "My Precious..."

 

Quasar Intergrated Audio System CS7

 

 

I found this in a Rummage sale in a chruch, "everything is free, just donate" so i pick this bad boy up for 5 USD.

 

I did some digging and all i know is that these are supposed to be crazy rare, And Everything Works! i compared this with my Schiit lyr amp, Both being powered by the Bitforst Dac. and i have to admit the sound is amazing. only been using it for a few hours so a few more sound tests have to be done, but so far so good

 

do anyone have any info on this, it's worth/value because i literally do not see another one of these in the internet

 

 

Edit: after some tests, The Lyr amp was overall a bit clearer with the music.

The CS7 was not as clear with the music, but the difference was not that big.

 

but the Bass! the CS7 blew the Lyr out of the water, the bass was profound and immersive.

Edited by dekoomer - 11/4/12 at 8:50pm

Hey Guys,

I'm newly married and my wife hates my Kenwood KR-9600 in the wooden case that I got from my dad about ten years ago. You guys here seem to be experts on these things, and I have a few questions about it. 

Bottom line is, do I keep it or sell it?

All the lights, switches, amps, channels, tuners, etc work, and the case is in good shape save a few small scratches, but one channel has intermittent small pops (every minute or so).

How do I convince her to keep it? We already had to leave behind the JBL 100's when we moved so I don't even have speakers for it anymore.

If we keep it, I have to find the right speakers - do you have recommendations on that?

If I do sell it, should I get it serviced to fix the intermittent static first, and what do you think it's worth?

Thanks,

Phoenix G

Edited by PhoenixG - 11/4/12 at 8:08pm

I would keep it regardless. It's a nice bit of kit - a quick search marks it highly regarded. Else, I would say spray some DeOxit on the controls and work them around a bit. If you search this thread, there are multiple suggestions like that. It seems to really help the static.

 

Two birds, one stone. Sounds so cruel, though.  Anyway, I would send 'Silent One' a Private Message with an offer to sell. Doing so will take the relationship with your wife to newer heights, returning unmentionable dividends. 

Yup, I second all of that. The KR-9600 is a very nice receiver. Just get some deoxit spray read up a bit on how to spray controls (if you search over on AudioKarma I'm sure you can find a thread on that). That will very likely fix your problem, and you will continue to have a wonderful piece of gear to center a stereo around.

Great! But did you guys read the intro "I'm newly married and..."  I'm trying to help this cat out!  Looking deep inside my tea tins for cash as I type.

Does she hate it because of the vintage/wood look, or because of the small pops?

If it's the pops, assure her the small pops can be fixed (in the simplest case Deoxit as others mentioned). But you're not going to change the looks. If it's the looks, offer to set it up in a spare bedroom, loan it to a friend who you trust to give it back upon request, even store it in your closet (or wherever) if you don't have a spare room. Tell her it was your Dad's and has sentimental value if you really want to keep it. Once you get rid if it, it's gone and you may regret it later. So don't do that unless you're really indifferent to having it or not.

If you get rid of it, I would try to fix the pops yourself before selling it - paying to have it fixed would probably not return the extra you pay someone else to fix it, if you can't fix it, you may take a small hit on selling price, but I'd sell it as is because someone else will be confident they can fix it themselves.

If you keep it, I'm sure you have many options for speakers. I think Kenwoods are pretty neutral, so you don't have to go to one extreme or the other in terms of speaker characteristics to get nice sound.

Lastly, if vintage or audio in general is something you're really into, have a talk with the wife now about it being a hobby/passion for you. You don't want to be in a position of having to sell off cool stuff because she doesn't understand how cool it is for you. Good luck.

 

That's cool that you are having good results from that compact stereo.  Systems like that used to sell for about $299 back in the late 80's early 90's.  I say if you can get inside it and do some DeOxiting to it on its controls you might get a little bit better sound.  What headphones and tubes in the Lyr are you using?

Thanks everyone for the advice! I think I've convinced my wife that I should keep my Kenwood KR-9600. I'll definitely get some deoxit to try to get rid of the intermittent static. 

The headphones are the Senn Hd 600.

Tubes for lyr are NOS 6N1P tubes.

My house has way too many Pioneer receivers right now!!  Some picks I've seen on my local CL:

 

Sansui 5050 for $100 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/ele/3338968370.html

McIntosh MAC1700 for $500 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/ele/3357839858.html

Hitachi HTA-5001 for $50 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/ele/3336721391.html

Yamaha R300 for $80 http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/ele/3383647787.html

 

If I sell off what I want to of the Pioneers I am still holing sx-780, sx-950, and Luxman r-113!

Edited by Mr.Sneis - 11/8/12 at 10:49am

I love finding sites like this, the name alone is incredible: http://badaudioreviews.blogspot.com/

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Thanks for sharing that link. Thats a fun blog - i like his writing style

I enjoyed revisiting that old Stereo Review "Do all amps sound the same" article. I was a subscriber back then and remember that one. Good stuff!
Edited by palmfish - 11/8/12 at 11:48am

I can't tell the difference between my O2 and my Pioneer SX-850.  The O2 is slightly more transparent and detailed but it's so close.   

I was expecting a little more with the SX-850.  At leasts more dynamics and soundstage than the O2.

 

Anyone have both?