2. amps-preamps
  3. 182832-1635

Did the Old Receivers Sound Good?

Before the high end started, we had all these receivers and integrated amps from Pioneer, Kenwood, Sansui, Sherwood, etc., all with incredible specs.  Then somehow we decided that specs didn't matter and we started moving to the more esoteric stuff from Ampzilla, Krell and whoever, but the specs were not as good.  My question is - Did the old Japanese stuff with the great specs sound better? I don't remember.  I'm asking because many seem to be moving back to the "specs are everything" mindset and I was thinking about all that old stuff with so many zeros to the right of the decimal point. 

chayro

Showing 3 responses by wolfie62

wolfie62
352 posts
 

The old stuff sounds better. Uncluttered by the placebo effect of high prices today, the old stuff sounded great and performed great. 

wolfie62
352 posts
 

Vintage gear has a certain easy laidback sound that I can enjoy, but head to head with an upper end Levinson or even Parasound system quickly reminds one what hifi sounds like.
 

Obviously, you only listened to one vintage receiver or integrated. Gave up the Levinson, CJ, Threshold, Mc, Carver, to go back to my Sherwood and A14 integrated. The sound is more articulate, detailed, and intimate with my older gear.

wolfie62
352 posts
 

True. Electronics have come “a long way.” Todays electronics are wave soldered using micro component SMDs and SMD semiconductors, robotically positioned on the computer designed boards, from computer designed and modeled circuits. 
 

The old stuff was designed by hand, individual circuits using discrete components.
 

Yeah, we’ve come a long way. But not sonically.

More to discover