I’ve heard a lot of receivers over the years. and the Nakamichis were some of the best.
Hard to come by these days though.
What speakers will be used?
Hard to come by these days though.
What speakers will be used?
Stereo Receivers from the past...
Perhaps a useless question, but even though I am not a politician I have the right to be useless sometimes!
In thinking about a second bedroom system...If I were to use a receiver any toughts on good sounding ones you have had. The best I have had, in the past, were the original Magnum Dynalab 208 and the Nakamichi SR-3a. I had sold both. But now with thinking of a bedroom system those do come to mind, but wondering if you have experienced a stereo receiver that you feel is better. I am not much into compressed streaming but do enjoy a local/public classic Jazz station and the Jazz and female vocals music I own. Thanks
In thinking about a second bedroom system...If I were to use a receiver any toughts on good sounding ones you have had. The best I have had, in the past, were the original Magnum Dynalab 208 and the Nakamichi SR-3a. I had sold both. But now with thinking of a bedroom system those do come to mind, but wondering if you have experienced a stereo receiver that you feel is better. I am not much into compressed streaming but do enjoy a local/public classic Jazz station and the Jazz and female vocals music I own. Thanks
48 responses Add your response
I've had two, both Marantz. Model 25 was my first, and I remember it fondly for its warm, rich, and clear sound. It was stolen, and I replaced it with a #2230. It was good too, though I liked it a little less than the 25. The 2230 is certainly more common today on the used market. I can recommend either. |
I will be using some two way bookshelf spekers for Quad, I am not remembering the model as they are in storage....is a 1.2 a model? I enjoyed them when I used them in the past. If I were to let the nostalgia bug bite me the old Tom Holman Advent Receiver would be a possibility, but my sister still has one and the last time I was at her place I was not overly impressed...she was using it with some older small Advents, the 3?. |
Quad 12l? http://www.audioreview.com/product/speakers/bookshelf-speakers/quad/12l.html Were it me, I'd put one of the old McIntosh tube receivers to those just to spice things up a bit. |
If ur looking for a small room system, get any descent receiver, Yamaha, onkyo etc, bookshelf speaks. It will sound fine, allow 2 weeks break in for amp and 4 weeks for new speakers. My third system is great. Yamaha receiver BIC v630’s and a technics sl1200. Which i I use to record my LP’s to my computer to burn on disc. smlal, inexpensive and a nice 3rd system. |
those speakers are very low efficiency, so consider desired volume before picking your amp's power wpc General Description: 2-way bookshelf speaker Enclosure Type: Bass reflex Midbass Driver: 125mm woven Kevlar cone Treble Driver: 25mm fabric dome Magnetic Shielding: No Crossover Frequency: 2.4kHz Frequency Response (+/-3dB): 48Hz - 23kHz Sensitivity (2.83v @ 1m): 87dB Nominal Impedance: 6Ohm Minimum Impedance: 3.8Ohms Recommended Amplifier Power: 50-150W Net Weight: 15.7 lbs. you will hear the speakers, no big difference from any decent amp, so go for enough power and features, ease of operation, looks. hook those speakers to an existing system, see if you really still like them. |
Nothing wrong with new stereo receivers and integrated amps. Vintage stuff is OK but not as massively superior as vintage fans like to believe. I am 62, been there, done that. I have a garage system based on a vintage receiver and a different garage system based on a new Pioneer SX-N30. The Pioneer is more convenient due to all the digital streaming and playback functions and can be full controlled via wi-fi from my phone. |
I put a Pioneer SX-205 in the garage and liked it so much I picked up a used one for the shed pushing 1 to 3 sets of speakers. Fed from the house feed via Chinese FM transmitter. They both chased out a cheap Sherwood that didn't like 4 seasons of weather. Yamaha is good enough for my bedroom, I got better things to do there. |
If you are willing to go with two pieces of gear instead of one it is generally better to go with an integrated amp plus a separate tuner. Integrated amps were built to be more robust than receivers and will often handle difficult speaker loads better. An example would be a Denon PMA 2000R or 2000IVR. I have the latter and it is an incredible amp. It puts out 80 watts into 8 ohms and 160 watts into 4 ohms. It is a brute of an amp (nearly 60 lbs) and has all the features you could want. It runs my desktop system where I've matched it with a Denon tuner and a Denon CD player of similar design and vintage. It's an attractive stack. I paid $500 for my Denon PMA 2000IVR in pristine condition with remote. One advantage of going with a separate amp and tuner is that if you are seriously into FM listening you can get a better tuner than you would typically find in a receiver. I've had several vintage receivers including a Pioneer 1010 and a Marantz 2325. These were beautiful pieces and I wish I had kept them. They now go for ridiculous prices - especially the Marantz 2325, but my Denon combination certainly outperforms them. |
8th note That is a good thought. I worked in the music and audio business at one time..then high-end Scandinavian and Italian modern furniture. I had a pretty stable system for some time and my new accomidations have me thinking of a bedroom system. Thanks for the input. Seems like Audio Research pre/power, the big Magnepans and a couple of high-end sources are, likely, too much for my bedroom...but then again, if I get rid of the chest of drawers and the Hans Wegner rocking chair...they just might.................... |
I have a small collection of the Monitor NAD receivers. The 7600 model is robust, still highly sought after. The lesser models 7100, 7300, 7400 have less power. All add in a remote with volume control, 7600 even balance. They also have pre-amp outputs so you could upgrade amplifier section if you wanted. I have a 7600 with a matching CD player and some old school original B&W LM1 speakers. Amazing sound from small sturdy package. |
My first was a Rotel entry level stereo receiver from Tech Hifi. My friends would tease me about the Rotel thinking it was junk. Little did we know............. Upgraded the speakers to the new hot Bose 301's. Later bought a beast of a receiver from Akai. It had Dolby NR built in. Loved the blue lights and meters. It was two feet wide but only 30watts per ch! In college bought a Advent 300. Kept it for decades. |
I used to own and love Yamaha Natural Sound receivers and integrated amps. The ones that were switchable into Class A on the front panel. I thought they sounded exceptional in Class A mode. They would only output about 20 watts in Class A, but sounded very sweet with the right speakers. In the early 80's, I had Yamaha integrated,(forget model number), that I used with Infinity Qa speakers, and a Rabco ST-7 table with Ortofon HOMC. 18-20 watts in Class A, was just enough in my small living room, to really enjoy my Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, and Who LP's. |
Had a Marantz 2270 and added the Quad adapter with the built in amps.. SQ-2 was the decoder module as I recall.. all powering 4 Fisher XP7 speakers, super heavy sand ballast jobs with 12" woofers and dual mid-range and tweeters .. 4 way I think. Add in a Dual 1219 and a Shure V something or other cartridge and it took a long, long time to get better sound with different gear and digital. The better sound came from Marantz PM500 series gear which has been replaced by now also vintage Sumo Andromeda !!A amps, Acoustat 1100 speakers, Audio research LS2 MKII R pre and a vintage Sansui 9900 max modded tuner. |
It appears the speakers are of moderate efficiency, but a low impedance load that varies a bit across the spectrum. These speakers will require current and an amp that is stable into low impedance loads. Listening space is of small to moderate size, so absolute power may not be an issue. NAD receiver. Monitor series, or the original 7200 (receiver version of the well regarded 3020 integrated amp). At 40yrs old, have it restored before use. While rated for 20wpc, it is capable of 80wpc+ in short bursts and can drive low impedance speakers without breaking a sweat. Just about any McIntosh receiver if you want to go in that direction. 1500 is tube tuner and amp, with a SS preamp. 1700 is tube tuner, the rest SS, and all models from the 1900 forward are SS. Early Marantz receivers are very well regarded, and have a nice warm sound with plenty of drive. Under the radar- Heathkit AA-1500. 60wpc at 8ohm and almost doubles into 4ohm. Very sensitive tuner section, quiet and clean preamp section. Plenty of power and current. Even the cleanest example will be 45yrs old, so it WILL need restoration. I inherited one from my father (he built it), and I then used it through HS, College and early adulthood...about 20yrs of hard use before it needed service. It drove a pair of AR3a and AR5 speakers to great effect. The former is a demanding 4ohm load. |
+1 for late 70's early 80's Sansui, Luxman, Accuphase. for Japanese anyway. built like tanks very good parts and a very good rep. the Sansui AU series were stellar but prices are climbing fast in the used market. The higher end Luxmans are all good (up to 1985) and if you can find a Class A unit grab it if you can stand the heat they are stellar. All the Accuphase stuff is a great buy, maybe their earlier stuff is a little on the homely side but inside they are up there with the best. glen |
I’ve never owned a receiver, having been advised early on that separates were the way to go, but my 45+ years in the HiFi business has given me a lot of perspective. Some favorites: the Pioneers of 1974-5 (SX-737, 838, SX-750 and up), Sansui 7 and 8, Marantz 2250 and its kin, Yamaha CR-800, 840. IMO, you can keep Kenwood, although their integrateds were great, ditto the Sansui AU/TU. I sold all the Nak receivers except their first model. The ones with Nelson Pass circuitry are probably the best sounding mid-fi receivers of all. I disagree with whoever said they break...the first 55 wpc model maybe, but from the SR series on they were solid. H-K had reliability issues, but the 930 was a beast. |
@whatjd I just posted a great Yamaha AVENTAGE receiver if you want to check it out: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa0fa9-yamaha-aventage-rx-a3000-receivers |