[PhoenixG]

   
after asking someone who's much more technically-minded and knowledgeable than i am about this, he said changing the headphone socket shouldn't alter the overall sound signature of the receiver that i'm enjoying,  if i were to change out the socket.
 
a couple of questions for all you guys who frequent this (very enjoyable) thread, here:  has anyone ever just swapped-out a h/p socket on an older receiver that they like the sound of?
 
 

Your friend is right and that's not an uncommon mod. You could easily even do it yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron and maybe a dremmel if the parts aren't a perfect match. Good to see that you've found a combo you like and I hope it works out for you!

 

[terry parr]

thank-you, PhoenixG.  (and, no i'm not "handy with a soldering iron"!!)  i've watched a few of the guys here on this thread do a lot of restoration work themselves and have been impressed with pics of their work here, but i'm better off leaving this headphone socket replacement to somebody with some experience. 
 
a sansui 551 just recently came up on CL locally, and from what i've read about it, it would probably offer just as good (if not better) sonics,
BUT looking inside of this sansui, it looks like a total beast to clean and replace parts in.
 
most japanese design aesthetics go for the "elegant, un-complicated, 'straight-line' layout" (as opposed to say, the german aesthetic, which seems to be: "let's see just how complicated we can make it!").  i'm being a little tongue-in-cheek here, but i
usually associate the japanese design approach, on the whole, as being a more straight-foreward and less "fussy" design
implementation.
 
but, seeing inside that sansui 551, it looks like a tangled and twisted rats-nest of a design where a lot of component parts look hard to access.
 
 
 
anyway, appreciate the reply, PhoenixG.  i knew a lot of people here on this thread would know what i was talking about.
 
i'm still looking to preserve this aging JVC if i possibly can!

 

[buson160man]

Whoa. Makes me wish I had jumped on this $600 deal for a pair of (similarly ginormous) Apogee ribbon speakers one time. It was local too... now I just have these cheese wedges haha (EPI model 150s)

 Some of those apogees were a tough load for amplifiers. A friend of mine had the scintillas which were tough for amplifiers of the time. My friend took things even further when he bypassed the load resistor on the apogees. He said his scintillas presented a half ohm load to the amplifiers. He was using a couple of lazurus ( man were the lazurus amps ugly looking) class a amplifiers to drive them one for each speaker. But he had to use the amps in ab mode because the amps just did not have enough power in the class a mode.

 

[Oregonian]

Just to keep the thread flowing.....................my first vintage amp I bought a couple of years ago still in use in my home office.  One of 8 operating systems in my world.................
 
Yoga 2 --->FiiO D5 DAC --->KA-5700 with blue LED lights. 
 

 

[SirMarc]

I really want a pioneer sa series integrated, or a sansui au series, but after a recent mad tear on vinyl, I need to stop for a while...
Nice Kenwood by the way

 

[SirMarc]

I'm very happy with my little dynaco sca-50 with headphones, but its not powerful enough to drive my dahlquist dq20's

 

[ssrock64]

  Just to keep the thread flowing.....................my first vintage amp I bought a couple of years ago still in use in my home office.  One of 8 operating systems in my world.................
 
Yoga 2 --->FiiO D5 DAC --->KA-5700 with blue LED lights. 

I have that same desk lamp, and I wish I had the same receiver.

 

[wotts]

I'll just leave this here:
 
http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/ele/4952853568.html

 

[harrinj]

I think there's an extra zero in there by mistake or a 2 that does not belong :/ 

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/4964031454.html

 

[wotts]

  I think there's an extra zero in there by mistake or a 2 that does not belong :/ 

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/4964031454.html

 
 

 
I think I saw one go for $500 on AK recently.

 

[harrinj]

   
 

 
I think I saw one go for $500 on AK recently.

My 4400 was $350. 

 

[wotts]

Wow. That's pretty awesome. I think my best deal was the 2265B for $150.

 

[harrinj]

  Wow. That's pretty awesome. I think my best deal was the 2265B for $150.

Good price! I try to find them at garage sales etc like some of the "score" stories you can read on Audiokarma and stuff but never have. I think the frustrating creepy old guy resellers who put these dumb high prices on them 'as is' beat me to them I think

 

[Exacoustatowner]

Oh Nice!! I had 6 ft tall Acoustat speakers way back. I had that listening experience you describe- but with a narrow sweet spot. Congrats!!
quote name="PhoenixG" url="/t/537704/calling-all-vintage-integrated-receiver-owners/14280#post_11462877"]Thanks gents; SkyLab, SirMarc, SpeakerBox; you are all very kind.

After playing them for a few hours, I do have a few impressions. If you've ever heard a pair of Klipsch Cornwall 1's, they sound kinda like them, but with a few differences. Both have a real effortless and visceral base. The xr-290's have a slightly cleaner base, but the cornwall is still pleasing. The midrange is even accross the range, but the highs are the biggest 'near'-field sonic difference. The xr-290's have very well defined and revealing highs and refuse to ever be harsh no matter where I stand. The Cornwalls could get the slightest bit harsh on some notes. There is no discernible distortion at any frequency or SPL that I can comfortably attain. So I'm happy with them. More than happy. 

Now here's a major difference : When I listen to them, I feel like the wall has opened and the musician is playing in the void behind where my wall was. I've never felt that before and it's really amazing. Say whatever you want about spaciousness - it just sounds like there is no speaker and instead the whole wall is open to a soundstage. Even when I'm right up on them, inches away. Ever driver is so quiet because of how they share the load that it always seems to be further away than it is. Even when my ear is physically touching it it seems far away.

Another cool effect, the sound field is hyper-uniform. I can lay on the floor, stand on a chair, be down the hall, whatever. Sounds the same. Obviously the stereo effect is gone down the hall, but just 1-2 watts is enough to have a conversation over in the room that they're in and still be able to hear them clearly in another room. Kind weird when you really notice that they attenuate differently than a point source. They're easily twice as loud far away as a point source would be if the same volume was attained in the same room.
[/quote]

 

[Oregonian]

I'll just leave this here:

http://kalamazoo.craigslist.org/ele/4952853568.html

Incredible..........drool inducing. When are you picking it up?

Buy for $10K and easily make your money back.