Calling All "Vintage" Integrated/Receiver Owners

[Oregonian]

I used to think that lower spec amps (10-40w) weren't that good, and i was proved wrong. The Marantz and Kenwood stopped my craving for more powerful amps, and the Kenwood was a pleasant surprise.




It's insane how the prices went through the roof lately; a Sansui G9000 (no recap) for $3,400. No, thanks.

Used to be so easy to find good vintage stuff..............even at Goodwill! Now they cull them when they come in and sell them on the bay. Was told that by a guy at the local Goodwill when I asked why there was no "silver faced stuff". We had it so good for so long................got my Pioneer Spec system for $280 about 12 years ago - full rack, full monty, in great shape. Went on eBay and the prices are over $5K now for a full on Spec 1/Spec 2 combo with Eq/Tuner/etc. I stand corrected.............just found three right at the top of an eBay search for full rack system - all over $9K. Wow............

Talk about a labor of love.............I spent about 3 hours on Saturday doing a Deoxit treatment on my Spec 1 preamp - had to take half the rack apart, DUST everything, clean up wiring and Deoxit the living heck out of things, since I was getting some random crackling. Worth every minute spent. Problem solved.

 

[wotts]

Used to be so easy to find good vintage stuff..............even at Goodwill! Now they cull them when they come in and sell them on the bay. Was told that by a guy at the local Goodwill when I asked why there was no "silver faced stuff". We had it so good for so long................got my Pioneer Spec system for $280 about 12 years ago - full rack, full monty, in great shape. Went on eBay and the prices are over $5K now for a full on Spec 1/Spec 2 combo with Eq/Tuner/etc. I stand corrected.............just found three right at the top of an eBay search for full rack system - all over $9K. Wow............

Talk about a labor of love.............I spent about 3 hours on Saturday doing a Deoxit treatment on my Spec 1 preamp - had to take half the rack apart, DUST everything, clean up wiring and Deoxit the living heck out of things, since I was getting some random crackling. Worth every minute spent. Problem solved.

I found my Marantz 2265B for $150. I loved it. Loved as in I sent it for recap and then the guy disappeared. I don't even want to look at the cost to replace it now.

 

[SpeakerBox]

Yeah I bought my Trio for £50 including shipping 6 years ago and they are selling now for £200-£300 One said tested or refurbished when looking at the pictures of the inside it looks stock and like mine was after I got the hoover in there Only cheap one was £85 and that was sold as untested with no plug lol.

The "upgrade kits" of new caps and stuff (not inc new lights) are £90 ha, ha. Could've just bought a replacement 6 years ago for half that if it gave up the ghost.

Wow, nice gear!

 

[Paco ignacio]

Yeah I bought my Trio for £50 including shipping 6 years ago and they are selling now for £200-£300 One said tested or refurbished when looking at the pictures of the inside it looks stock and like mine was after I got the hoover in there Only cheap one was £85 and that was sold as untested with no plug lol.

The "upgrade kits" of new caps and stuff (not inc new lights) are £90 ha, ha. Could've just bought a replacement 6 years ago for half that if it gave up the ghost.

The only thing i got really cheap ($35 usd) was the Sansui Au-317, a year ago. Lately i paid $280 usd for the Kenwood (both amp and tuner, tested and stock) and i think it was a decent deal compared to the ridiculous prices the market command nowadays.

By the way, that's a really nice receiver and the tt is gorgeous.

Used to be so easy to find good vintage stuff..............even at Goodwill! Now they cull them when they come in and sell them on the bay. Was told that by a guy at the local Goodwill when I asked why there was no "silver faced stuff". We had it so good for so long................got my Pioneer Spec system for $280 about 12 years ago - full rack, full monty, in great shape. Went on eBay and the prices are over $5K now for a full on Spec 1/Spec 2 combo with Eq/Tuner/etc. I stand corrected.............just found three right at the top of an eBay search for full rack system - all over $9K. Wow............

Yeah, this is getting out of hand, and it's really hard to find good stuff for cheap.

Speaking of Spec 1, i found this one days ago, in wretched condition. The seller wants $820 usd

 

[GreenNeedle]

By the way, that's a really nice receiver and the tt is gorgeous.

They're both heavily aesthetically modded. Made a nice veneered "Marantz" case for the receiver and then matching veneer on the turntable plinth followed by a cream enamel spray job on the chassis. lol. turntable is a Trio KD1033

 

[Paco ignacio]

Latest addition and another pleasant surprise. Got this Sony STR-7055a for $150 in mint condition, and i didn't know what to expect as i went more for the looks, and i never owned a Sony amp/receiver before.

Sounds really nice; warm, but not as warm as my Marantz, with detailed but not harsh mids and highs. Really well built, and that silver face with the wooden case it's beautiful.

 

[kid vic]

The Kenwood and the Scott anchoring my system. Doesn't hurt that they are rock solid and heavy!

 

[Paco ignacio]

The Kenwood and the Scott anchoring my system. Doesn't hurt that they are rock solid and heavy!

Is that Scott a tube amp? Looks gorgeous.

 

[kid vic]

Is that Scott a tube amp? Looks gorgeous.

Yes it is! I have to get some speakers thst are more efficient than my dynaudios for it soon.

 

[Oregonian]

The Kenwood and the Scott anchoring my system. Doesn't hurt that they are rock solid and heavy!

NICE! Which Kenwood is that? I have a KA-5700 that anchors my home office system..............

 

[kid vic]

NICE! Which Kenwood is that? I have a KA-5700 that anchors my home office system..............

That is a KA9100! Gotta love vintage japanese steel

 

[DrMorbius]

This lovely amp arrived days ago. I didn't have high expectations; never heard a Kenwood before, but i was blown away...

All i can say is that this beauty sounds amazing, i dare to say on par or a tiny better than my Sansui Au-7700 and that's saying a lot. I found later that this one and the Ka-8004 were one of the last TOTL models the Kasuga brothers designed before they left Kenwood and formed Kensonic/Accuphase.

And the headphone output is the best i've heard to date.

Those Kenwood units are sooooo beautiful!

 

[mjtbah98]

Hi all! So I have a JVC RX-9000V A/V Receiver, a very nice unit for what it is (I belive it was released in either 2000 or 2001, so vintage... but not quite Golden Age vintage). I also have a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X that I use with it. It has a speaker gain (low 4-6 ohm high 8 -16 ohm), the headphone jack is resistored off the speaker amp (470 ohm). My headphones are low impedance (38 ohm), and when using the headphone jack with the speakers set to high gain, I get the telltale sound of impedance mismatch (bloated bass, recessed highs). However when switching the speaker gain to low, the headphones immediately open up and bass and treble are tighter and more refined. I was wondering if anyone else has had experience switching gains on receivers and its affect on the headphone jack, if any! Thanks again!

 

[Geoduck]

The Kenwood and the Scott anchoring my system. Doesn't hurt that they are rock solid and heavy!

Kid, I briefly owned same model Scott years ago a fine sounding integrated. I've a buddy who rebuilt one and modified it to run in triode mode. WOW, magical. If you use it for headphones I would highly suggest changing it over to triode.

 

[Mataugust]

I have used a Harman/Kardon HK675 with a Robinette box(made with Mills resistors), and using a Grado GS1000 I could compare it with a Schiit Mjolnir 3.
There was a very small improvement i the Mjolnir, but I wouldn't consider it as an upgrade. The difference isn't big enough to justify the price difference.