[Skylab]

The majority were indeed fair to bad, I agree. Frankly, looked at over its entire history, Pioneer made a lot of really mediocre electronics too. As did all the majors. What's fun, for me at least, is to find the stuff they made in the vintage era that was actually good and is still worth owning today.

 

[SpeakerBox]

The majority were indeed fair to bad, I agree. Frankly, looked at over its entire history, Pioneer made a lot of really mediocre electronics too. As did all the majors. What's fun, for me at least, is to find the stuff they made in the vintage era that was actually good and is still worth owning today.

 
100% agree!

 

[SpeakerBox]

I just picked up a Harman Kardon 330A (what I had as a brain dead teen).  Near mint with wood case.  Picked it up purely for nostalgic purposes and am guessing it won't sound as good as I remember (even after recap).   Once I get it back together I will post pics.  Listened briefly with my HD555s last night and it was OK - but not great.

 

[jnorris]

Pioneer made plenty of bad speakers, sure. However, they made some excellent ones too. The whole line of HPM speakers were highly regarded - the HPM-100 was designed by Bart Locanthi after Pioneer lured him away from JBL. And the early 80's DSS series was designed and build by Pioneer's TAD high end division. The DSS-9, which I own and use daily, were a serious loudspeaker that still sound fantastic - beryllium ribbon tweeter, boron cone midrange, dual-voice-coil polymer graphite woofer...this was a very expensive loudspeaker back in the day,and it sounds like it.

So I'm sorry but like most sweeping generalizations, it's just not true that every speaker Pioneer made sucked. Only the cheap sucky ones sucked

Let's look at the HPM-100 for the moment.  Here, the designers took developments made in the US and Europe (beryllium, boron, and ribbon drivers) and opted to throw them all in a box with a cheap woofer with a pleated paper surround.  No regard to driver placement, phase, diffraction, or sound - since they even provided level controls for the tweeter and midrange (but not the super-tweeter) because they had no vision as how these things should sound.  Mirror-imaging?  What's that?  
 
I'm glad you like the the DSS-9, but they seem to be of the same ilk, although the designers gave a nod to the mirror-image crowd.  But here again, no regards to diffraction or phase and level controls to adjust for the manufacturers lack of vision.  There is plenty of technology for technology's sake, though.
 
JBL has never been known for accuracy, refinement, or imaging, so to think that luring a designer from them would yield a worthwhile result doesn't make sense.  What JBL has is a house sound, just like Cerwin-Vega and Bose, and if you like it, great, but it has no similarity to the actual sound of the instruments played through them.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Does anybody know this? Any good?
 
 

Supex 901 Super MC Cartridge Specifications: Output voltage - 3.5 mV Frequency Response - 15Hz - 30kHz Tracking force - 1.8g Channel Balance - 0.5dB Mass - 9.5g Stylus Tip - elliptical 0.3 x 0.8 mil Load Impedance - 47k ohms Output Impedance - 80 ohms

 

 

[jaywillin]

does this "qualify" as vintage ??  

 

 
 
it's a 2216 and just arrived, got it hooked up, everything works, i haven't opened it up yet
at the very least it going to need a good cleaning, and a couple of lights
but all in all, i'm a happy camper !

 

[SpeakerBox]

Yup! That is vintage.  Very nice!

 

[Skylab]

Does anybody know this? Any good?

Supex 901 Super MC Cartridge

 

That's a very nice cartridge, assuming that the stylus has life left in it.

 

[AppleheadMay]

That's a very nice cartridge, assuming that the stylus has life left in it.

 
Yeah, really high output MC, just what the doctor ordered.
I'll contact him and ask. I don't see any other way to know how good the needle is.
As far as I know you can't put a new stylus on an MC.
I did deal with the guy before though, he was pretty sincere.

 

[headphones1999]

Just saw someone selling fisher c800 and this amp really got me interested, though im not sure i can afford it right now anyway but who knows.
 
Does anyone have experience with this amp?
 
edit: never mind he already sold it

 

[RAZRr1275]

So I know this question is speaking in terms of generalities and stereotypes but how warm exactly are amps like the Sansui 9090 in comparison to modern tube amps like the Zana Deux or DNA Stratus? I have my SX-1010 coming in soon so I suppose I'll find out but I'm curious what others say since from reading impressions it seems like the 1010, older Sansuis and Marantz amps are a fair bit warmer than most designers would make a SS amp today. 

 

[AppleheadMay]

My newbie vintage opinion?
 
Haven't listened much to the better vintage gear yet although I have a 9090 and SX-1250 but they're in for revision.
I did listen to a nice little Aiwa AX-7600 though and used it as a headphone amp.
I'm also a huge EC fan, of all the amps in my profile (some really nice and/or pricey ones) nothing beat the Zana for me.
The Aiwa however is just under the Zana for me and beats all the other non-EC amps I had as a HP amp. Says a lot I think.
I wonder how I'll find the EC BW, should be getting it soon I think, I was one of the first to order version 2.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

This thread inspired me to take my "back up" preamp out of storage.  It's a Phase Linear 3000 Series II.  Bought it back in 1980 after auditioning a number of preamps including the highly lauded Apt Holman.  I felt this unit was the best of the bunch to my ears and for my uses so I popped.  Only issues I've ever had were the volume control which I replaced with a high grade Alps and an aftermarket knob that fit the shaft.  Everything still works fine.  The CMOS logic and tactile switches along with the caps are all functional and in good shape.   I'm using an Odyssey Tempest preamp (US version of the German Symphonic Line) in my stereo system these days.  Made the switch in 2003.
 
Had an old RatShack passive stereo RCA switcher too which allowed me to take the Schiit Modi 2 and feed it through it to both the 3000 II and a Schiit Vali.
 
Bottom line is that the SQ out of the 3000 II brought back memories.  It's an excellent headphone circuit.

  Back in the day I used a 15' Grado Prestige headphone extension cable with my HD580s fitted with a HD650 10' cable out of this preamp.  My manual is in storage so I don't have the specs to share but it drives the HD580 / HD600 cans with ease.  Going beyond 11 o'clock is just too loud!
 
I actually had to shake my head and ask myself if I would have still bought the Vali had I set up the 3000 II first.  Yes they're both THAT good!
 

 

[SpeakerBox]

Mr. Carver was a wizard.  Would still like to get my hands on a Phase 400 someday.

 

[Hutnicks]

  Mr. Carver was a wizard.  Would still like to get my hands on a Phase 400 someday.

Did he pass away?