[moodyrn]

Sorry you had to go through that experience. It's really not fair that you had to be out of pocket 65.00. But on a happier note, I've just rediscovered my sansui au-517. When I first got it, the sound was a little grainy with the treble being harsh. But after adjusting all of the bias pots and a good cleaning that went away. The 517 is probably the least spectacular sounding of all of the vintage receivers/amps I've owned. But that's not a knock against it. As I posted when I first got it, it's still on par with any 1000.00 ss headphone amp i've listened to. Just everything else I've owned has been totl and sounded outstanding.
 
The only cans I've really used with it has been a pair of heavily modded d7000(previously owned), and my he-6. The gain was way too high for my jh13. They even hissed when I used a 75ohm adapter. I also got a good bit of hiss with my w3000anv, and unlike the 717, it lacks the -20db button. So last night I decided to experiment with it a little. I ran the preamp out from my flagship onkyo receiver(nr5008) and bypassed the preamp of the 517. My first reaction was "wow" this sounds so much better. My w3000 are completely silent now with a very black background, and even better, my jh13 are just as quiet. The soundstage became wider and deeper with less grain  on no matter whether I was using cans or speakers.
 
I'm completely baffled by this. I never even bother to compare the preamp in the past because a couple of other receivers I tried, the preamp was basically on par with the onkyo. I never though the preamp would be holding this thing back. Not that it sounds bad, but it's definitely not on par with the amp. It still don't sound as good as my marantz 2325, but it does sound better than it ever has. Who knew.

 

[Skylab]

It could well be that there is a cap going in the preamp section, or perhaps even a transistor.  But sounds like you found a cool way to get the most out of it!

 

[moodyrn]

I'll have to pop it open and check them again, but when I first got it, I checked all of the caps with my capacitor tester and they all were fine. The preamp doesn't sound bad, it was still completely silent with the denons, and even my sextetts. The only cans it hissed with  were AT's and jh13's. I believe it's functioning properly, but I'll go inside and double check tonight.
 
Another bonus; I'm still able to use the speaker selector switch. So I can still switch the speakers completely off or toggle between the two pairs of outputs whenever I want to run my he6 off the speaker outs. That probably won't happen much since I pretty much use them exclusively with my marantz. But it's good to know I have that option though. But I'm just thrilled I can use my jh13's without any type of adapter. I can't even say that about my marantz which still need the 75ohm adapter for the jh13's.

 

[ashbeowulf]

Just finished my refoam on my Genesis G10 speakers, and running John Coltrane vinyl through them and they sound AMAZING. My one question, though, is I want to get stands or something to bring the tweeters closer to ear level, and would prefer not to mount them on or near a wall. Does anyone know what I should use to this purpose? Thanks

 

[Meewoo]

Quote:

I am looking at picking up a NAD 7020e receiver for use with my Grados. Does anyone have any experience with this particular receiver? There is also a Sony STR-7065A up for sale as well. Which of the two would have a better headphone out? Any opinions would be very helpful.
 
Thanks,
Dan

I had same models before, all were stocked one. Sony sounds warm, but not warm as NAD. Sony also doesn't has same details as NAD. Sony sounds very smooth, NAD sounds very dynamic and lively. I would choose NAD over Sony for sound, but choose Sony over NAD for looks.
 
Just my 2 cents, YMMV!

 

[franklyshankly]

My apologies if this has been asked but I wasn't sure how to search for this question. My folks have a Sansui receiver they bought in Korea when they were stationed there during Korean war. Can't remember if its a 6060 or 9090 or 6000 but I think it's a pretty decent model, though not the best. We've kept perfect care of it and have used it to power a full Bose (dont judge! my parents dont know better) surround sound system and it always seemed to produce great sound.
 
Well, I'm inheriting this beast to use as a headamp, but I'm wondering if it would be worth "tweaking" it (or paying someone else to tweak it, i'm clueless about electronics) for headphone use or would I be better off using as is while saving for dedicated head amp.
 
I will be using iMac as source, with an entry level DAC like the HRT Streamer Pro (or whatever is best in sub $500 level) with HD650 phones.
 
I know I should probably have the thing cleaned and given a general tune up since it has never had one, but is it feasible to have someone tweak the headphone section of the receiver for customized performance with the HD650s?
 
If this would be really expensive (ie, more than the value of the amp itself) would if be worth it? Obviously asking people who may have done something similar and been happy with results. I know many people use vintage amps with headphones and are happy with results, just curious how much work is needed to get them to perform decently.
 
Thanks!

 

[franklyshankly]

Also, I'm in CT and I think I remember reading somewhere on here that there is a great vintage technician near Hartford, if anyone knows that would be helpful.

 

[ashbeowulf]

Generally paying anyone to do that kind of work gets expensive quickly, unless you have a friend who would know how to. I'd think a dedicated headphone amp would probably be better suited anyway, and leave the Sansui more for doing what it was intended for: driving speakers The 650s shouldn't be horrendously hard to drive though, I wouldn't think. Should be able to get a reasonably priced headphone amp in the 200ish range? I'm no expert though by any means. Good luck!

 

[Meewoo]

Quote:

 
Well, I'm inheriting this beast to use as a headamp, but I'm wondering if it would be worth "tweaking" it (or paying someone else to tweak it, i'm clueless about electronics) for headphone use or would I be better off using as is while saving for dedicated head amp.
 
I will be using iMac as source, with an entry level DAC like the HRT Streamer Pro (or whatever is best in sub $500 level) with HD650 phones.
 

 
As far as I know, you don't have to tweak receiver to fit your headphones. Low impedance headphones may have hiss from receivers, but not HD650.
As for sound, if your Sui is 9090 or earlier, it might not be a good fit for HD650. HD650 will sound too warm on early Sui, Marantz or HK.(at least for me). Sansui G will be a good fit, but I prefer Yammy and around 80 Denon. If you can find Denon PMA 7x0 or PMA 7x7 for cheap, they are best for Sennheiser cans. Just my 2 cent, YMMV!
 
P.S I forgot to mention Pioneer Sx-x50 or later models are also good fit for HD650. And Bose is not that bad, for low volume background sound, they are very good. They are just not worth their high price.

 

[scompton]

The whole point of this thread is how good some of these receivers work as headphone amps.  I agree that sending a unit out can get expensive.  For general clean up, just by a can of Deoxit and clean the controls.  Buy a cheap DRM and measure DC offset.  If DC offset is low enough and the controls are cleaned, it may not need any additional work.

 

[palmfish]

If it sounds good with your speakers, then don't worry about it. Don't waste your money on any services or new accessories (DAC, head amp, etc.) you don't need, just plug in your 650's and enjoy them.

 

[franklyshankly]

Thanks for the feedback! I guess I'll just wait til I have everything and see how it sounds as is. I tend to like a warmer sound, so I'm not too worried about that (unless it starts to sound muffled).

 

[Skylab]

Right! Get it, give it a little cleaning, and see what you think! That may be all you need.

 

[moodyrn]

For most people here, it's not about vintage gear being a novelty or a hobby(maybe for some). The reason this thread took off the way it did, was because of the pleasant surprise about how good some of this stuff sounds. And for many, including myself, it has change the notion of having to spend huge amounts of money on dedicated headphone amps to get great sound. But of course ymmv. I still get a chuckle when I go back and read the first few pages in this thread. Even the very first post was met with a bit of criticism. But oh my has this thread taken off. Depending on the condition, you may have no desire to go the route of a dedicated headphone amp.

 

[Silent One]

Well stated. After all, with the recent explosion of headphone listening, and large infusion of cash it continues to bring, we'll be adrift in a sea of new products, services and short-life cycles.

 
Now, if I could just persuade sluker to push that amp out the door...