Oh wow, that's a hefty price already! But it is probably worth it and hifi equipment is much more expensive in Australia (sadly; when I worked in Canberra, I looked up a hifi shop to buy a pair of k701s, but declined when the shop owner politely informed me they would be $1000 AUD....). I have its smaller sibling at home, a g3000 and it's wonderful. No frills, but beautifully engineered (the volume knob alone must be worth buying it for!) and great sound.
I keep being amazed by the (seeming) (differences in sound signature of the kenwood ka7002. I would say that it is a warmish amp, as you would expect of an early 70s Japanese overengineered amp, but I am now listening to an audiophile recording of vivaldi's four seasons and I've had to lower the treble tone controls because it is sounding brightish. The violins sounded as if they were piercing my ears. I've toned down the treble a bit and it sounds very good again. Spacious, detailed, good separation, musical. I'm liking the kenwood a lot, but understanding it less every time I listen to it.
Unfortunately my work schedule the next few weeks will prevent any sort of formal review soon - but my experience with the 3 vintage receivers I have certainly says that if they are in good condition, and that if their size and weight is not an issue for you, and that if you can get one at a good price, that you get WAAAAAY more for your headphone listening dollar this way than by buying dedicated amps. The Pioneer 1250 blows away any headphone amp I have ever heard for the $600 I paid for it.
Just received a Kyocera R-851 that I won on eBay for $77 shipped. I've been low ball bidding on these for a couple of years and finally got one because it has a little damage to the wood sides. It functions perfectly though except for some noisy controls. For those who like tone controls, this is the receiver for you. It has +- 10dB bass, mid, and treble stepped controls. Another set of knobs control which frequencies are effected. 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, or 500 Hz for bass, 500, 630, 800, 1K, 1.25K, 1.6K, or 2K for mids, and 2K, 2.5K, 3.2K, 4K, 5K, 6.3K, 8K, or 10K for treble.
Here's a picture of it sitting on top of the Optonica
I just have the SA9100 headphone out a quick listen. The sound quality is very acceptable. This is a very good vintage amp (~35 years old) and mine has had significant refurbishment work done. Due to age, all vintage equipment may require some refurbishing (capacitor replacement mainly).
youre welcome mon ami. as to how good the headout is, i think my vintage amps drives my headphones wonderfully & is as good if not better than anything i've heard. but let me clarify factually that i have not heard much headamps nevermind any of the TOTL stuff SS or tubes, lest the headfi nazis deem me guilty & banish me for such heresy! heh
me thinks its best of u to direct that question to Skylab as he has or atleast had access to a slew of headamps with the creme de la creme amongst them. now he even dabbled into vintage gear & currently has a few very respected receivers & amps to count amongst his playtoys. infact if im not mistaken, his review & comparo of his various vintage receivers&s with a dedicated headamp comparo thrown it should be out shortly.
u heard it Skylab - get ya ass in gear as inquiring minds want to know! LOL
You, sir, are the new Kyocera Ninja. That's what the AK guys call a scroe-- a really good score. You've got one from the first year of production. Let us know how it goes.
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You, sir, are the new Kyocera Ninja. That's what the AK guys call a scroe-- a really good score. You've got one from the first year of production. Let us know how it goes.
It's amazing how much the price drops with a little cosmetic damage.
It's sounding great. It's a bit warmer sounding than the Optionica or Hitachi I have at work. I'm listening with a Fostex T20v2 right now and it complements it well. The only real problem is that the gain is too high. I have the volume slider at less than 1.
The really good news is that the freon heat pipe is working. I've read on other sites that that could be a problem. The small heat sink is a little warmer than the big one, but not by much.
Reb, I saw that picture yesterday on this thread http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75731.
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The pic is from the cover of the May 1978 issue of Stereo Review Magazine showing some of the Monster Receivers together (from top to bottom they are the Nikko NR-1415, Hitachi SR-2004, Kenwood KR-9600, Marantz 2600, Rotel RX-1603 and Pioneer SX-1980)
Here is how good I think the Pioneer SX1250 is as a headphone amp - I just ordered a second pair of LCD-2's so I can have a pair for the office connected to the Pioneer full-time
The lcd-2's must have really good synergy with the pioneer. Everytime I save up a little for a vintage receiver, I spend it on something else. Last time it was tubes, this time another pair of headphones. But one day I will have one to go along side my fisher.
Here is how good I think the Pioneer SX1250 is as a headphone amp - I just ordered a second pair of LCD-2's so I can have a pair for the office connected to the Pioneer full-time
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