best high end classic gear

[audioaddict]

Was looking on some of the classic hifi sights last night such as the vinatage knob and vintahe technics. Now i.ve always been a technics fan and had another close look at some of their higher end pre power amps like the sea 3 and sea1 etc... the build quality was stupendous and something i would have today funds permitting... now i just wondered what other 70s or 80s equipment some of you.guys would rate or indeed have owned over the years that really stood out

 

[hoopsontoast]

Plenty of 'Jap Crap' as on thevintageknob is very good, but the biggest problem is a lot of it never made it over here.

http://www.thevintageknob.org/

I personally rate the Sony ES stuff, its still great value over here due to poor brand image with the hifi circle. Over in Japan or Germany is worth a lot more as its more in demand.

Everyone was having a crack at high end in the '70s and '80s, Kenwood/Trio and other 'low end brands' as well as even Mitsibushi, Kyocera and the like had a go.

There are lots of classic speakers, Tannoy Golds and HPD's as well as the SRM models are highly rated, I enjoyed a nice pair of HPD 315's (12") that are still very good IMO but prices have shot up a lot, a lot get exported overseas to Japan and the like. Original Monitor Red and Black models go for huge sums to collectors.

I am a recent convert to older Kef Reference, that can be had very cheap these days due to being out of fashion compared to modern 'lifestyle' speakers.

 

[audioaddict]

I love the.sony es.stuff.to and your amps a good un

 

[hoopsontoast]

Then there is the classic british valve amps like Radford, Leak, Quad etc that still have very high values due to their classic status.

The Radford STA-12 for example, is a lovely amp and still holds its own today considering its 50 odd years old.

 

[dansettemajor]

I still own a Pioneer SX1250 receiver bought in 1976. It's build quality is superb, and can take any speaker by the scruff of its neck and exert complete control

. The FM section puts any modern tuner to shame, with a flat response to 15 kHz. Sounds stunning, even by today's standards.

 

[audioaddict]

Aw an sx 1250 awsome i did have an sx1050 few years back was gutted to lose it

 

[MikeToll]

As I write this I am listening to a Pioneer TX -9800 Tuner with a matching Pioneer SA--9800 Amp powering Rogers Studio 1 speakers. Also have connected up a Technics SL-7 turntable. It all still sounds really good with excellent build quality. I also occasionaly use a Pioneer CT- F850 cassette deck which although sounding pretty decent is a definite notch down in build quality and reliability. The tuner is superb, the only annoying thing is the manual tuning of stations - I have got too used to presets.

Everything was bought in the 1980's and is till going strong. The amp needed new capacitors a couple of years ago.

 

[seasiders rock]

I still own a Pioneer SX1250 receiver bought in 1976. It's build quality is superb, and can take any speaker by the scruff of its neck and exert complete control

. The FM section puts any modern tuner to shame, with a flat response to 15 kHz. Sounds stunning, even by today's standards.

One of my Audio Memories.

1975 i worked at Lion House (Lindair) Tottenham Ct Road. 4 floors of Hi Fi Porn

The basement was the high end dept.

SX1250, top of the line Teac reel to reel. JBL Century 100 playing the theme from Hawaii 50. :dance:

 

[audioaddict]

aw wow awsome system ... i did have a tx7500ll bit lower down the range from yours but still lovely to use and sounded great ... i used to love the tuning knobs on the old ttuners ... great stuff

 

[nopiano]

Yes, all the big Japanese manufacturers made state of the art tuners (Yamaha was my fave) and great, big, amps and receivers. Marantz was still American then, wasn't it?

I loved the Harman/kardon recievers and the rare Citation separates.

Personally, I never saw Quad and Radford et al as high end. They were the best the British could do, but most of the ingredients in a Quad you could buy in a RS parts catalogue - and often needed to to keep them going. Armstrong and Leak were lower echelon, and after them came the A&R, Nytech, Creek era which never did it for me (I'd prefer a NAD3020 any day!).

In my day I had a HK75+ quad receiver, and then later a Sansui AU-919 amp, complete with in-built MM and MC preamps. Wish I still had it.

Real high end classic gear for me is Audio Research and Krell, along with conrad johnson, Koetsu, MIT, Martin Logan, and the like.

 

[eggontoast]

Aw an sx 1250 awsome i did have an sx1050 few years back was gutted to lose it

Well if your quick thers's a Pioneer SX-980 on eBay, no slouch by any measure.

Sansui, Pioneer and Marantz all made some very good equipment in the late 70's, not a lover of Technics equipment though. Cambridge Audio in the UK made some good amps designed by Hi-Fi guru Stan Curtis, The P50, P60 and P110's are nice amplifiers as is his T55 tuner, I also like the OA20 from Onix in the mid 80's.

 

[dansettemajor]

Does anyone remember the Goodmans 150 receiver, circa 1977,which was the highest powered British tuner amp with 100 watts per channel into 4 ohm speakers? This was very well reviewed in the HiFi press in the mid 70's and featured some hi end audio circuit techniques such as separate power supplies for each channel, and a novel preset FM tuning section.

What HiFi featured it on the cover of an edition focussing on the best of British hifi.

it sounded much better than a friend's Quad 33/405 set up into a pair of Wharfedale Airedale SP's, back in 1978.

 

[the record spot]

Sansui's n17 series amps were lovely pretty much from the 217 up to the 717, both of which I've had and they were terrific. Harman's higher ended HK6500, 6550, 6850 and 6950 amps are impressive, while Pioneer made some great amps too. Their Elite range is worth seeking out. Truth is there is a lot of great stuff ou tthere, but the older gear needs much TLC. You get the odd exception that's maybe New Old Stock, but for the most part, you buy and older amp, you should factor in the cost of a service if you're spending serious money. For £50/£100 it's a wise precaution.

 

[lindsayt]

Studer reel to reel tape machines. Shame that tape is such a dead format and that the software is so ridiculously expensive.

EMT 927 / 930 / 948 / 950 record players. Would love to hear Pioneer Exclusive TT's and amplification.

EV and Bozak speakers. Quad electrostatic speakers. Other contenders include Vitavox, Klangfilm, Altec 19's and VOTT, Klipschorns and Klipsch Jubilees, JBL.

 

[plastic penguin]

Pioneer made some cracking amps in the 70s/early 80s.

In speaker terms AR were the ones I wanted, alas couldn't afford. Likewise, Tannoy made some corkers too.

 

[audioaddict]

did anyone own a pioneer sx 1980 the biggest daddy of them all ????

 

[Singslinger]

It doesn't get any more classic and vintage than a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck...

 

[audioaddict]

aw yeah now youre talking did yoi get to own one ?? have you seen the price of those things on ebay ???

 

[audioaddict]

aw yeah now youre talking did yoi get to own one ?? have you seen the price of those things on ebay ???

 

[audioaddict]

One of the best classic amps i owned was the jvc j as 71 a behemoth integrated with more knobs and buttons than a concorde cockpit