[wotts]

I did get around to playing with it today. It sounds...weird. The reverb almost sounds like honking feedback. I think it has to do with the spring inside that drives the mechanism. I'll need to read up on it more.

 
Quote:

 
 
I've always thought that thing looks extremely cool. I can't imagine ever using it for anything though. Does it actually sound any good?

 

 

[manveru]

Interesting...well, at least it looks nifty.

 

[Lou Erickson]

Quote:

Well I'm waiting for my ATH-AD700 to ship to me, along with X-FI titanium sound card, would that be a good combo? Btw I tested out the 2220B with my RP-HTX7 headphone, I know they are cheap and all but I couldn't really tell the difference. I can adjust the nobs for bass, mid, and treble much like a equalizer but I can't seem to notice a huge improvement. Am I missing something here? 

It may be that your inexpensive phones don't need much in the way of an amp, then.
 
I use a Marantz 2220 (not a 2220B, but the differences are very small) for much of my headphone listening.  They drive vintage Stax electrostats very well, and my Beyerdynamic 990DTs sing out of the headphone jack.  I've just got a pair of AKG K1000's plugged in and they're pretty sweet, too.
 
I know the Beyers sound flat and dull out of anything without enough power, and they work right on the Marantz.  They also work on the $1,200 worth of custom headphone amp I bought... but the Marantz drives them as well or nearly as well.
 
The vintage gear is great stuff.

 

[killer8297]

Quote:

It may be that your inexpensive phones don't need much in the way of an amp, then.
 
I use a Marantz 2220 (not a 2220B, but the differences are very small) for much of my headphone listening.  They drive vintage Stax electrostats very well, and my Beyerdynamic 990DTs sing out of the headphone jack.  I've just got a pair of AKG K1000's plugged in and they're pretty sweet, too.
 
I know the Beyers sound flat and dull out of anything without enough power, and they work right on the Marantz.  They also work on the $1,200 worth of custom headphone amp I bought... but the Marantz drives them as well or nearly as well.
 
The vintage gear is great stuff.

So I finally got my AD700 while the sound card is still on the way and I have to say the 2220B was quite astounding. When I had my new headphone plug in directly in to the computer, there was a noticeable lack of bass and sounded slightly harsh on the highs. When amplified they gave me a slight warmth to it with just enough bass impact. I had it for less than a hour so not much I can say about them, but the first thing I tired was gaming with them. It's a different experience that I still need to get use to.
 

 

[Bralleput]

Does anybody know anything about the: [size=medium]Pioneer [/size][size=medium]SA-408 ?[/size]
I can buy it for 40 euros, have no idea if this is a good deal or not..

 

[hamburgerladdy]

Quote:

Does anybody know anything about the: [size=medium]Pioneer [/size][size=medium]SA-408 ?[/size]
I can buy it for 40 euros, have no idea if this is a good deal or not..
 

 


I remember this guy had the 410:
 
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1680114

 

[Bralleput]

Thanks!, they look the same, I have no idea what the difference is. But 40 euro maybe is too much?...
Quote:

 
 

 


I remember this guy had the 410:
 
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1680114


 
 
 

 

[hamburgerladdy]

Although you will likely enjoy the amplifier enough to forgive the price, I would negotiate.
 
After using a relative's Pioneer SA-6800 to power my headphones, it then made sense to get a "old" amp for myself.
 
For $40 USD I got a Kenwood six blocks away from my house.
 
The parametric controller made it very much worth the price.
Quote:

Thanks!, they look the same, I have no idea what the difference is. But 40 euro maybe is too much?...
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 


 

 

[Taowolf51]

I have a question for you guys, it's something I've thought of a few times, but have been unable to answer.
Why is "vintage" gear so cheap? It works/sounds just as good as modern gear (and is usually built far better). The market for it seems to be there, the demand seems to be there, but the gear still sells for a fraction of what it should. My stereo setup was so cheap I'd have trouble finding a POS at Best Buy for the same price, yet it's a stellar system.

 

[MohawkUS]

I have a question for you guys, it's something I've thought of a few times, but have been unable to answer.
Why is "vintage" gear so cheap? It works/sounds just as good as modern gear (and is usually built far better). The market for it seems to be there, the demand seems to be there, but the gear still sells for a fraction of what it should. My stereo setup was so cheap I'd have trouble finding a POS at Best Buy for the same price, yet it's a stellar system.

Most people won't buy something that's not marketed all over the TV or internet, or that looks old and outdated. The lack of warranty plays into it a bit, but I think it's mostly marketing. After all this stuff isn't green, doesn't have 'HD Sound', nor will it work with surround sound. Those of us only concerned with sound quality luck out. The more attention we bring to this gear the higher the price goes. That's why Pioneer and Marantz units are so high in price, but you can nab a similar performing unit from another company for a much lower price.

 

[Bralleput]

So I should not buy it? (sorry my English isn't.. well..)
btw: does it matter if you have 2x10 watt or 2x20 watt if you drive a headphone on an amp...
Quote:

Although you will likely enjoy the amplifier enough to forgive the price, I would negotiate.
 
After using a relative's Pioneer SA-6800 to power my headphones, it then made sense to get a "old" amp for myself.
 
For $40 USD I got a Kenwood six blocks away from my house.
 
The parametric controller made it very much worth the price.
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 


 


 

 

[hamburgerladdy]

I would get it if it is convenient and you can afford it because you have the Koss closed headphones and your music preference is bass heavy.
 
I spent a week convincing myself that I should get the amplifier over what...$40 bucks.
 
Well, after I cleaned the thing out with an air dust spray and tightened the volume knob, the difference is clear that I got a bargain.
 
I can't answer the question about watts though. 
 
 
As to the question of the "vintage" being so cheap, well the new amplifiers have warranties, people in the line of production and design who want money and the extra dolby-type theatre tweaks for movies.
 
There are no guarantees that you are getting a perfect item and it may need some TLC.
 
Those who have the time and energy are typically rewarded with the sentiment that it was more than worth it.

 

[Skylab]

Vintage gear OFTEN needs some TLC. If you want truly plug and play and never have to touch it, then you buy new, or you buy restored vintage, which may not be so cheap. But if you are willing to do some cleaning of controls and switches, many times you can save a bundle and get better sound by going vintage.

Some vintage gear is utter crap. But much of that is already in landfills. The stuff that's actually good is what has tended to stay around.

 

[woody88]

hey guys and gals again,
 
while I am still debating on whether to get the SX-1050 that is about an hour away, a seller closer to me is selling his SX-780. and at a pretty big difference from the asking price of $250 of the 1050, I am slightly leaning towards the 780, the seller said there is just one issue for the 780. Here is his description: "The only problem I've had with it, is that occasionally the balance is off, and more volume comes out of either the right or the left. It may only be while using headphones (all I've used with it) or it may be with speakers as well, I'm not sure." I wanted to check with you guys to see if this is easy to fix it myself. Sounds like I need to use deoxit? I actually bought the ds5 from amazon, but really I have no clue on how to use it, even after reading the manufacturer's description page. for the ds5, can I just spray the entire board down with it? and where would I spray to address the 780's issue?
 
I bought the deoxit primarily for my existing Nad 3020, which I had a chance to peek with a flashlight. it has quite a bit of spiderwebs in it. could use a can of compressed air for sure. when I turn on the Nad, the unit itself makes a buzzing sound, and if I have speakers or headphones hooked up to it, the buzzing sound will come through there as well. however, it does not sound like hum, and it would go away in less than 1 min usually, then after that, everything is fine. do I just open the unit, use compressed air to get rid of the webs, then just use the ds5 to spray it throughout the entire board? sorry for such a n00bish question. I know this is like a 4 part question on this post, but if someone can possibly provide some feedback on, I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
I am on like page 270 of this thread, started from page 1, only 36 more pages then I am caught up!

 

[Meewoo]

I would suggest you go SX-1050. It's totally in different league with 780 regarding build quality and reselling value.
Besides, you already had very good low wattage NAD 3020, why not buy a high watts 1050.
 
As for the deoxiting, you don't need to spray all the circuit board, just focus on the controller pots. As for the buzzing sound,(turning on or off), I think the capacitors aren't in spec. I have some old ones have same problem, and was told recapping will solve the problems.