Indeed it is, with the iconic 1250 you get clean and LOUD without a hint of a clip. One of the best designed receiver of the 70's inside out, imho

You are well equipped! Regarding impedance matching it was only 20 or so years ago when I was already in my 30's that it dawned upon me that this spec was a helluvalot more important than what I had assumed was a more or less valuable figure that only engineers and techies would be interested in...

. Quite a coincidence, I happen to have a Pioneer SX-650 and a Kenwood KR-6600, both restored. I agree 100% that 50 series Pioneers sound clean and clear, some would even go as far as calling it a "West Coast" sound. I wouldn't describe the Kenwoods as "dark" however, but warm instead. They...

It is now (for those who can find some) but even at $1,000 it was worth the wad.

The Elear is indeed easy to drive... if you have an amp with the proper output impedance because that phone is one finicky person regarding what drives it. You seem to have the proper gear. For a while I used it with a Naim DAC V1, which was designed specifically for the lofty Utopia (Naim and...

That depends on many factors, but one could say they're "bunchy" in the good sense, that is you don't feel like a small jazz ensemble or rock band are too spread out. But for symphony and the Elear? IMHO not the best match. btw the Clear is pretty similar in this regard.

Hi all, long-time lurker first-time poster Regarding the Elear the bass is tight enough if you use Reference 4 like another member posted. Without Ref 4 I find them a little mushy at the lower end. With the calibration they sound a lot like the Clear, which I also own. I can't really tell which...