Does vintage stereo sound better /and why.?

Here i talk about vintage stereo equipment and what effects the sound .

[@Pohlmeister63]

My Father passed away a few weeks ago and he had a Pioneer SX-650. I now use it all the time and love it!

[@slyspy9819]

I use mine everyday and it works great !

[@rotaxtwin]

Hang on to it!

[@carlj2979]

Picked up a filthy Sansui 331 at my local recycling shop. Piece of plastic fascia broken off one side, it had likely been dropped or knocked at some stage. It powered up, so I threw down $50 (AUD) and took it home. Disassembled, cleaned everything and removed all the dust and crap from years of sitting in a shed. I measured and reproduced the plastic fascia end pieces with a laser cutter I have access to, glued them on and then I rebuilt and polished the whole thing up. I then paired this with a set of B&W DM110's I also picked up at that same store for again, $50. People throw away amazing stereo gear. You just have to know where to look to pick it up for peanuts.

[@RennieAsh]

The 2nd hand places are beginning to learn how to look up prices on the internet though. It's more rare to get extreme bargains these days, though still possible. But if it needs fixing, then many people basically give things away. Except one place that prices almost maximum 2nd hand price BUT it also needs fixing or is trashed lol

[@jmad627]

Great job mate! Estate sales are a great place to get gear too.

[@simonzinc-trumpetharris852]

I picked up a Leak stereo 30+ for a mere £10 in perfect working order! Result!

[@2574mcu]

I remember in 1979 busting my rear end as a teenager to make money to buy a receiver. I paid 699 US dollars for my receiver. That was a lot of money back then. I still have it and it still works. The only thing I had repaired was the power switch. The unit was gone over and everything was fine. I tried to find a modern receiver but they could not match the sound quality of my vintage unit. Like they say, they just don't make them like that anymore.

[@joeygonzo]

Minimum wage was not even $2 per hour then

[@barnabyjones6995]

What model receiver is it?

[@donjohnstone3707]

I am certain that if you did some research you would find a few new options that would match or surpass your fine old receiver for sound quality and value for money.

[@benbradshawjr2856]

I totally agree they dont make them like they used to.ive bought quite a few new recievers,plug it all in and hated it.sold it.

[@benbradshawjr2856]

Id say the new recievers for stereo sound,the 5.1,7.1 surround are total trash!!500 watts,800 watts??? Hahaha yeah right.id say less than 50rms watts per channel

[@ap101081]

I'm 67 and still using my 18 watt Sony receiver here with a pair of Infinity speakers! The only thing I have had to replace is the dial cord due to old age. The turntable is a Yamaha P-450 belt drive and I have over 170 albums. This guy is spot on!

[@derekviveiros]

I'm actually looking at that same turntable for my first one! I've had a hifi set up for digital for years but am inheriting a record collection of about 100. So excited. That tables looks got my attention. How have you liked it? What cartridge are you using?

[@johnnytoobad7785]

The build quality and "eye candy" effect was much better back then. Once the "home theater" craze took hold, then the overall quality went down (along with price) since "audio" was now competing with flat-screen TV's and home computers. Also many (if not all) of the Japanese firms merged into a consortium and SONY even got out of the high-end audio business entirely. Today the 100% digital displays and cheap buttons all look like sh_t. (IMHO).

[@stereoreviewx]

I wouldn't argue

[@jogmas12]

Well, ok, but have you seen the original mission Cyrus amplifiers. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing about them. Just 3 knobs on the front panel. One for volume and the other two for input selection and recording.That’s it. They basically look like a shoe box with knobs on one side. They have classic AB type circuitry, and are capable of high current delivery (up to 40 amperes depending on the musical complexity) and can drive difficult speakers loads down to 4 ohms. No bells no whistles just good performance.

[@jackedkerouac4414]

I will never get those home theater bundles or soundbars. Sure they'll do the trick but I know cheap build when I see one

[@Wolfstanus]

@@jackedkerouac4414 I'm sure it has something to do with the target audience and affordability. Something about markets being trash and people these days don't earn as much money as they could have back then. Also, most people don't care too much about audio systems when a really good pair of headphones do just as well. Oh and interests such as video games and movies taking focus away from pretentious audiophiles world. Yes Audiophiles ruined their own thing

[@craigdoriety9798]

Nothing like the glow of and old reciever in a dark room with some great music on. One of my favorite places to be.

[@richardwhite2344]

In my opinion, the 1970's Vintage audio was 100 times better then the equipment they make now. I have a 70's Pioneer receiver and it works beautiful and the quality is top notch. I still have have my Technics separate components that I bought in the 80's and it still works perfectly to this day and I used it everyday for at least 2 hours. The vintage stuff was much better quality. Now if something you buy lasts five years, your lucky

[@TheLtData]

My 60ties record player and 70ties r2r work fine so the quality is beyond doubt.

[@waxmonkeys3841]

Generally true, though the high end stuff today will outclass the best stuff from the 70's. 50+ years is a lot of time in the electronics world and advances have been made.

[@burkholdst.rudderberg3574]

I can't tell you how much I miss VU meters!

[@tedtimmis8135]

And buttons and toggle switches and bass and treble adjustments.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Oh yes. I love having physical things on the devices. Be it audio, video, modular synths or whatever. There is this certain satisfaction when you can actually feel the interaction, when you can see actual things moving when you change stuff.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks Are you meaning because the Yamaha dsp gives you a digital vu read out anyway lol by any chance?

[@hifirulezzz]

What are you waiting for? eBay is for your convenience. Lots of good old stuff.

[@richardcrook2112]

I had a getto blaster with VU meters and servo motors under the switches. I still remember pressing the metal button in - click click shoong - dancing dials, flashing lights and DEAFENING NOISE!.

[@robertdavis5714]

I remember the 1970's living in the Valley and driving past Marantz Factory (in big bold GOLD letters M A R A N T Z in front of the building) in Chatsworth Ca. And HK right down the street in Northridge. The Valley (San Fernando) was crazy during the stereo Wars (especially late 1970's), A stereo store on every corner.

[@DMCCobra]

Robert, what street was the Marantz factory on - Desoto or Topanga Canyon? I seem to remember HK being on Nordhoff. Am I right?

[@markcarlisle5508]

i grow up out there and worked holden pest control and i went there to service that place it was huge and no i can't remember the street but i think it was on parthenia or nordhoff..the valley was GREAT in the 70s

[@Ramosism]

My brother got his first job at Marantz in the valley. Worked in the wood shop making speakers. $100 dollars a week. I thought he was rich!

[@jmad627]

That’s awesome to grow up there at that time.

[@brianshaw373]

Don’t forget Rogers Sound Lab…. DeSoto north of Roscoe, and somewhere in Van Nuys or North Hollywood before that. Just had my 3800’s overhauled.

[@cipiesan67]

My TT is 44 years old and I'm so pleased. Pioneer PL-300, with five headshells for five different carts. I'm only into vintage stuff, including cassette decks (one of them, a SONY, from 1977).

[@blairwooten8019]

I agree with all that you say. I own a Pioneer SX-950 receiver and a Pioneer PL-71 direct drive turntable. I'm 66, live in the States. We grew up in a amazing time. Today younger people don't know or care about the precision that went into vintage audio gear. I also have a collection of direct to disc albums. Great video by the way. I look forward to more of your videos.

[@megswaks1277]

You make some excellent points in this video. In 1977 I purchased a Marantz 4270 for $699 USD. In today’s money that’s almost $3,000. Given that I still use this receiver as the heart of my main stereo system, it was money well spent. At one time I thought I needed to update my system and I purchased a circa mid-1990’s Marantz 5.1 AV receiver that supposedly had 350 watts. My 4270 with 25-70 rms watts blew the knobs off the new unit which was promptly returned. The vintage receivers were built to last and with some periodic servicing, they will do just that, and sound great doing it.

[@dashriprock9014]

Those 70's Marantz receivers sound as good as they look. Too bad so many people's main sound source are their smart phones now.

[@RUfromthe40s]

lot´s of power on those stereo receivers

[@JUNO-69]

Why is it a shame? You can’t carry your Marantz receiver around in your pocket can you...

[@barnabyjones6995]

@@JUNO-69 yes I can, along with my rotary dial phone.

[@factorylad5071]

Classic 60s champagne look.

[@pietdebeste]

Or spotify, even a worse sound source

[@csaracho2009]

True story. A Nakamichi Power Receiver, 21 years old, made in Japan, sold to me for $150 dollars, definitely HiFi lovely equipment.

[@randyivie359]

Spot on , you sound just like me . These are the components i dreamed of back in the day. It’s like finding gold to our generation now .

[@francescotenti193]

Completely true, I built my "vintage vinyl corner" around a Pioneer SX550, beautiful to look at, sounds great and don't let those only "20 watts per channel" fool you, it's plenty powerful and I rarely have the volume passed 4-5. The best $150.00 I ever spent on gear. Thanks for you great and down to earth videos!

[@jogmas12]

Dude you could of did better. The Cyrus one amp by mission electronics from 1984 is true performer. Ugly to look at but very capable. How capable you ask? Well at only 25 wpc it can drive difficult speaker loads down to 4 ohms (basically 25 wpc into 8 ohms and 40 wpc into 4 ohms) and it’s high current design can deliver up to 40 amperes on musical peaks. It’s ugly, but will out perform your SX550.

[@francescotenti193]

@@jogmas12 Never heard of it but looked it up and you're right, it's ugly as sin. My Sx 550 is still playing well with no issues and still a pleasure to look at. Not bad for something over 45 years old and costing me $150.00 including shipping and just serviced prior of getting it. I'll stick with it for the time being. What happened to our host? He hasn't posted a video in a long time, I truly hope he's alright.

[@stevenjosephs9]

I had the SX 750 ( 60 WPC ) . Technics 1950 tt

[@RWong-wn3pv]

It’s 2021, I bought a new 1974 Marantz 2270 ($450/$650 USD). It moved to many USA locations, & was in storage for a good while. It needed a reconditioning ($220.) @ a local HiFi repair shop 3 years ago. @ that time this Marantz 2270, 70 W rms @ 8 ohms posted 95/97 W. Fitted a Bluetooth adapter & can now stream modern components, phono, & other components that can attach with RCA jacks. The headphone jack makes many to almost all sound great.

[@johnellis3550]

Bought my pioneer sx 780 in 78 the following year I bought the pioneer PL 518 turntable and technics SB-L200 speakers what a great system miss it a lot I'm now 67.

[@SlightlyDank]

I've got a nice harman kardon 330c receiver paired up with a set of b&o cx100's and the sound is just so warm and crispy, thank you for recommending these speakers in one of your vids!

[@jmad627]

This was my first receiver and had it for years. I just gave it to my 14 year old niece this past summer who’s getting good use out of it. I’m so glad I kept it.

[@richardmorgan1588]

I have vintage and modern audio equipment set up in my home. Two of my systems are powered by Parasound New Classic amps. One of those has a Pioneer SX939 receiver connected to it which I am currently using as just the preamp for the Parasound amp. There is nothing wrong with the Pioneer but my full sized Polk Audio speakers like power to deliver their best sound and the 70 watts per channel of the Pioneer just didn't and couldn't offer the same clarity, detail, base and yes headroom of the 200 plus watts per channel of the well engineered and modern Parasound! That Parasound amp was surprisingly affordable too for its performance! Some higher end vintage units were over engineered and they were great products for their day. Often their performance hit above their weight; however I would not discount the improvements in audio quality from some of the entry level audiophile brands of today such as Parasound! Speaker technology also has improved (to my ears anyway) and it is much better than SOME of what was considered high end at the time. Look I get it! There certainly is something about the styling of vintage equipment and my Pioneer SX939 makes for one hell of a great preamp! I do think, however, that there is something to be said about the understated beauty and clean lines of some modern units too. Another thing to consider is that contrary to what some may believe, vintage units like anything else have a shelf life. That is especially true of speakers! They don't last forever. They can be recapped/repaired and that's fine if you don't need or want to significantly upgrade; however there is a bigger and surprisingly affordable world out there when you are ready!

[@go86go]

I picked up a late 70's realistic receiver for a song from the original owner, it was rated at 25w. A pair of klipsch KG 3.5 in excellent condition (including the original box) from craigslist for $99. And I have a 10 yr old no name dvd player collecting dust. I was blown away when I played a chris botti cd while testing it.

[@grantwilson4696]

About '76 I bought a Hitachi SR-700 receiver (40W RMS) & a pair of ported Cerwin Vega HED (10" woofer) speakers. About 2000 I figured it was time to upgrade & bought a very high end Pioneer Elite Home Theatre system with all the bells, whistles, "concert hall" effects & more speakers than the houses of parliament. Pioneer system is long gone & not much missed... I still have my beloved Hitachi SR-700 & the sound is still amazing!

[@marcgoecke9401]

I got my parents 1978 Sony Stereo setup and I love it and use it every day. I know it was probably lower middle class back in the day, but I am sadisfied with the sound and the looks of it. Also the record player that came with it is still working great. With a new stylus/cartridge listening to my records is one of my favorite things to do. I even repaired the old stereo speakers and now they are back in my room and sound good.

[@josephpowell3949]

I loved those old stereos and had one of those pioneers like the top one you have there! And also had a good NAD system too!

[@scottdavis0801]

My 1st taste of vintage hifi, was a Harman kardon 330b receiver with a pair of EPI M100 speakers. There are many vintage audio pieces that can be had for little money, that sound amazing!!

[@HelmutWFanck]

Hi, it's so nice to hear that👍 Yes...into the 70th the "HiFi" was build maybe for the next 100 years. I own since years a set of Sony pre and poweramp from 1970 and I'm happy with the sound. It's so massive and well build...no plastic.👍 Have a nice and sunny day! 😎

[@beslemeto]

I believe that finding one of the best vintage amps and recapping it will give you better performance than the new units that cost x3 the price...

[@factorylad5071]

Recapping the PSU , yep.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks Experiment is fact. I have done that before by replacing the rectifier network with a great big industrial bridge The results were fantastic.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks Yep it transformed an ordinary B&O 4000 amplifier into something that was totally different. I can understand hardly anything about thermodynamics but yes your probably right.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks I grew up in the silicon revolution. When I was very young my Father came home from work one day and asked me , guess what I have here? And it turned out to be a silicon rectifier. That was before they had reached the market. I don't go out of my way to collect amps I buy them and try them and pass them on. I only keep a few oddities like my old Ferrograph F307 and I have a Quad feed forward which I hope to replace the semis with new stuff from China Rock On.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks oh yeh they sent rockets to the moon on Ge02 but manufacture was a mucky business with having to dip into hot melts. It is a lot nicer to work off a wafer and that was what enabled other degrees of sophistication to be achieved such as biased doping.And where would we be without it?

[@tech-centralusa9671]

I had a Kenwood Kr5400 receiver cranking 50 watts per channel. Paid $255 plus tax circa 1974 which was a lot of money for a lad earning $150 weekly. Great receiver, it lasted forever. It actually gave it away to a charitable organization while still operational.

[@jeffkelly5972]

I found this channel on a search for vintage audio and love it great channel.

[@m.9243]

Kevin, from the late 80's and up to about 2010, we went through a period where the word "Bass" was almost a dirty word! Many audiophiles wanted "purity in the midrange"and so it was suggested that, bass notes "mudded' that so they had to be controlled / removed / tamed!.. Manufacturers responded by eliminating tone controls, loudness booster circuits etc. Some "audiophile" systems came to sound - almost - like telephone lines!.. The liberal use in amplifier circuits of IC chips (instead of surface mounted components), had a very negative effect as each "chip" had a certain sound signature. In fact some manufacturers suggested an 'upgrade' of their product with a different / better IC chip!.. The Receivers you have on display are _real_ HIFI designs with everything in them 'top - notch', even the metal knobs as you correctly suggested. Having said this, there is now good sounding components but, one has to pay in excess of 4k or 5k ! Also, modern speakers became much more demanding ( less efficient in dB terms) so, more power was required to drive them.. but, that's a subject for another video I guess. Thanks for the video and the memories that came along with all this lovely equipment.

[@68wrko]

Yes, the 1970's was the sweet-spot of the audio era. Companies did more R&D to make the BEST product at ANY cost and competed against each other at all costs. When you look at the cost back then factored in today's dollars, they were expensive in its day, but today are still classics and still sound great. Aluminum engraved faceplates, knobs that are milled with 3 different finishes. I think as the mid and late 80's came, snake oil techniques were being pushed in the audio industry, as cheaper & compact systems came along and became the flavor of the month, and those still longing for a traditional stereo system, well there really was not any new technology, as the sound reproduction of 20hz-20khz electronics was already perfected, those folks had limited choices and then the esoteric market came in. To think that McIntosh tube equipment was available in the mid 60's at Allied Electronics for a few hundred dollars back then (still a lot of money, but doable if you really wanted it), and today that same unit is one of the most highly regarded amplifiers for beautiful sound and design. Personally, I remember "upgrading" in the late 80's to an Adcom Amp/Preamp from a '70's Yamaha CA-810, CT-810 Integrated Amp & Tuner. To look at that upgrade today, was it really an improvement???

[@killabee623]

It was all analog which sounded way better than digital that I had to get used to, like the class D AMPs.

[@mag4633]

Now you can get an amplifier for $250 (USD) that would blow away these vintage amps in sound quality (ie: S.MS.L DA-9)

[@nodaysback8390]

@@mag4633 Open that thing up and you'll see why it weighs 2-lbs and why 1.8 of those lbs is the case and connectors... I can almost guarantee that it won't survive to become a "vintage" amp itself... I hope the warranty is at least three years.

[@mkshffr4936]

70s the sweet spot for solid state, the 60s for tubes.

[@trevor245]

@@nodaysback8390 You know the processing power needed to go to the moon is porbably about 0,0000000001% of the processing power a 0.1 gram chip has now a days? Sure build quality is nice but that ic is going to do a better job at producing clean audio than the transistors in the old receiver ever will. Also there is no reason to assume it would break. If you don't use a lot of parts there is not as much that can go wrong and I'd much rather trust the caps on the new amp than the ones on the older ones, even if they where somehow frozen in time for 50 years and didnt wear down at all.

[@markwarne893]

Just purchased the Pioneer SX-450 and its currently getting a service and some new speaker connectors added to it rather than the bare wire that it currently has. Even after a quick setup, I was amazed at the sound that is pumped out. Marvellous.

[@idolhanz9842]

That was the first stereo I ever bought and that was back in 1978 at circuit city in North Charleston SC . Sold it in California to a dorm rat for cheap , 70 bucks and I went and bought Yamaha and Carver t preamp and amps + dsp.

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Very truthfull experience ,I share about the same impression , another interesting witness of this vintage story is the Grundig Story of Massimo in Italy , thanks dear , happy to watch this

[@jeffersononetwo]

I agree 100% ... I have a new Marantz 50 watt receiver with individual, discrete amplifiers for each speaker, and it sounds much more dynamic than my previous 90 watt per channel integrated Yamaha. I totally agree with your views on older equipment.

[@robertbrown2395]

Talking about what Marantz stole from Harman Kardon?

[@harlowcyclingpage731]

Real class, love my Quad 505 pre amp, very powerful, and the control unit spot on, massive amp.

[@therealchickentender]

All well said and true enough. Nowadays it seems "bit-perfect" and analytically leaning sterile flat curves are the pursuit on one end, and ultra-portable wireless bass-boosted in-the-bin-in-3-years piece at the other end of the spectrum. Just those two bit you've got front & center there are right after my own heart. For 2 decades (was my father's before mine) I had a lovely Pioneer SX-737 (or 727 I can't recall now) that my dad bought new. For the past 10 years now I've gotten along for 95% of my home listening with my Marantz 2235B. It'll never depart, but it is powering some relatively new Wharfedales that I quite love, likely because they sound between worlds - crispy sparkling highs and deep lows like newer kit, and musical mids and lower treble, very warm all around... like the older bits. It definitely is a maze out there.

[@geoffke24]

The problem is that people in general are not interested in how it sounds anymore, but more into if it produces a lot of “noise”. So the market shifted into making noisy stuff. You still have some brands making quality sounding products these days, but it will cost you a lot of money. I also refurbished a 70’s pre and end amplifier because it just sounds so much more detailed and warm. Not many people really take the time to really listen to a record these days... only audio enthousiasts still do :-)

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes interesting points you make are people interested in the finer points of it all

[@thevintagehifiambassador8524]

and there are still lots of audio enthusiasts and like somme call themself Audiophiles

[@LeoMkII]

just by taking a listen to what most people listen to you can see the love for real good music has vanished

[@socksumi]

These days most noobs idea of good sound is... it goes loud and has lots of bass.

[@bennycop]

The music that the people are listening today is that kind of music wich requires only bass and treble and a lot of noise

[@craiglarge5925]

I own 2 Yamaha 7 channel av receivers, a pioneer elite av receiver, as weak as a Realistic State 2100 receiver{1979] and a Marantz 2245 vintage receiver[1973] The sound of the av receivers tend to be rather flat in 2ch stereo mode but do really well in multi channel sound with sub woofers in use. My Realistic State 2100 receiver has a lot of bass without the use of a subwoofer. Now for the marantz 2245, it has over all warm sound to it, not as much bass as the Realistic STA 2100. Sufice to say, it appears that the majority of modern receivers are engineered to bu used with speakers and subwoofers.My Realistic STA receivers was 600.00 u.s. dollars in 1979 new, roughly $2500.00 today!

[@billturner6564]

Everyone should give this channel a thumbs up and write a comment I here it will help him with the KZbin algorithm This dam lockdown is a nightmare but after I found this channel I have been much more relaxed he has such an honest delivery and gives you his opinion no Bull. I have been influenced in to getting a vintage Kenwood receiver from the 70s and some Monitor audio speakers from the 80s This is a really nice hobby so Thanks a bunch Keep it up

[@JeffMcNeal]

Couldn't agree more. The introduction of the integrated circuit changed everything - for the worse. I'm listening to your video on my restored 1976 Marantz 2325 on a pair of JBL Century L100's. I use them in my recording studio for my amp and monitor. Cheers.

[@stephendacey4916]

Being a baby boomer myself I remember well those hifi days during the 70s and now watching your videos I am looking at setting up a vintage system myself based around my Goldring GL75 turntable which I have had from new (purchased from Greens in Upton Park 1970), imagine that, a hifi shop next to Upton Park station!! Anyway I am my interest in this is the many low power amps that were around then so I would like some direction on the speakers (vintage not modern) to purchase next that would be best suited to these amps. Great videos and very inspirational.

[@pgroove163]

I picked up a Fisher 400 stereo receiver and it's incredible.. those vintage tubes are fantastic

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes tubes are something else

[@deputy3690]

The mid to high end gear today sounds great also, it just costs 5 times more.

[@rikiastly4078]

Alfalfa Not every Vintage is audiophil, a lot of stuff, but nice look and haptic... not more, old loudspeakers most of them midrange. Today a 300€ box more soundfull and high end like the vintage monsters...

[@jm_1214]

Recapping ruins it. Metal film caps don't sound as good as film foil caps

[@coreyfellows9420]

And craps out 5 times faster

[@panblue43]

Hi! You're right, but I think the old flagships were also in horroristic price as in our days. I had lot of marantz amps/receivers and I could tell the pm-7005 sounds as good or better than some vintage marantz. I had marantz 2245,than sr520, pm80, pm52se, etc. Interesting but the most comfortable for my ears and warm sounded was the "commerce" sr520. It is a basic receiver with IC power amp stage but I loved it. Now the pm-7005 sounds clearer, more powerful highlight on the edge of the freq ranges. Wider stage, not that forced mids and not so much treble. Bass is tight and powerful without tone adjust or use subwoofer. Best regards

[@keithmoriyama5421]

$1000. in the 70's is around $5,000. today. In 1974 you could buy a Datsan 240Z sports car for $2,500. Parents bought a house for $54K in 1971. Sold that same house in 2007 for 1.1 million.

[@robmills537]

I know where your coming from & agree with you I got my first true hifi in 1976 at the age of 16 and it was all about the latest review in what hifi or other mags and the watts & distortion figures. It was a marantz receiver & wharfedale speakers and dual turntable, happy days.

[@rrcoster]

What i find neatest about vintage stereo is the work in them and tell they where made to last as quality show on both my vintage Marantz and MCS

[@juanvillanueva5267]

I was very young in the 70's. I got my first taste of hi fi sound in 1973. Wowww! I had never heard anything like it. It was a Sansui system matched with beautiful Sansui 5 way speakers. This was the beginning of the disco era and the music on FM radio WBLS back then was superb. I have no words for how wonderful this system sounded. The only thing better was the crazy sound system at the disco. Kids today don't have a clue! Albeit I guess it doesn't matter since today's sounds suck big time!

[@JukeboxAlley]

Vintage is hard to beat in alot of cases especially amps, rotel 1412, luxman l85v, sansui au-7900, pioneer sx-880 etc just to name a few, very tough to beat for the money, but modern speakers well there are alot of good ones out now at decent prices, the audio game is a strange hobby sometimes and what ive noticed for me is that "neutral" really isnt for me so much and really just adds up to boring in most cases for me anyway, ive had some speakers that just are too clean and tight, and amps that are too clean also and doesnt sound full bodied which is what ive noticed also with alot of newer amps, but to each his own, its a neverending journey of a hobby and everything is just different sometimes i guess, not necessarily better i would say.

[@droper683]

Thank you for your vid. this is why I am trying to replicate my neighbors component set-separates, sound. Back when I was younger he could rock his house with it and the neighborhood as well. I have all the components now even an active crossover as the new AV just sound like paper and audiophiles on this medium swear by them. Digital this digital that at the end of the day, sound is a personal preference.

[@hifi.david.]

I own a Akai AA-1175 and damn i just love the thing

[@michaelwright1602]

Subscribed! Vintage 1970 Sansui 4000 here... Best $200 I have ever spent in regards to audio, along with my Zu Dirty Weekends @ $1000. Not looking back. And the FM tuner! No static at all! That receiver in 2023 dollars would cost $3112.06 today, as it retailed for $395. My Zu speakers would have cost $154.52 if purchased in 1970 dollars. The sound out of these two pieces of gear continue to impress me, the Sansui does something that modern gear cannot do, at least the modern gear I have owned. The modern gear is and was lifeless, flat and boring, at least what I owned. Not even enjoyable after comparing to this old Sansui. I put a pair of modern KLH Model 5 speakers on the Sansui, these speakers dip to 3 ohm, they handled them without breaking a sweat. No clipping. And no, I do not play the gear that loud, just a test. In fact, the Sansui and the Zu's sound fantastic at low volume, which is my preferred listening level. And power? The Sansui has plenty, more than I will ever use, even with the KLH Model 5's I once owned. And the dynamics, simply incredible on this old Sansui, along with the incredibly huge soundstage.

[@rabit818]

We had a Pioneer SX-650 w matching speakers (idk the model), mom gave it to a cousin’s kid. Fuse was replaced and still working in 2024.

[@Elvis-dw7ux]

Zabardast cheers from Toronto....my 1975 Pioneer SX-535 with CS-511 Speakers still chugging along. The Cassette Deck Ct-2121 is now a pre-amp....

[@brooklynbummer]

I just put an old Pioneer receiver in the garage. I love the looks, all the options and it sound good.

[@howardj2878]

I just subscribed to your channel and watched your video for the first time. Excellent and very informative. Thank you.

[@peterrichardson9248]

Great review of what works and what doesn’t. I still have my Marantz 2252b and a host of Quad amps, tuners etc. Also now have modern Naim equipment too all sound great. As for modern Speakers the good ones knock the old stuff into the weeds.

[@rianredfield5252]

2252b is an awesome piece of gear complete with enough tonal adjustments to bring out the best in any speakers, new and old! Add a passive 4in-1out source selector and add the common source material, Bluetooth included! Like heaven.

[@onomehtenialb]

Love this. Yes you can have 200 watts a side and higher as long as you have that dynamic headroom he talks about for those intense & delicate moments in the music. Rock & Roll is awesome, but Classical can tax an amplifier to no end. I run all early 80s Nakamichi. PA-7ll, CA5ii preamp, LX 5 deck, and an ST-7 tuner Love the sound and the quality.

[@mashtunmoron4103]

Really enjoyed this. Getting into vintage stereo repair in my free time as a millennial. Sound is hard to explain as everyone perceives things differently but this did a great job of putting into words what I have struggled to tell people for a long time. Il take my old pioneer and marantz speakers over my newer Yamaha/Klipsch surround theater setup every day. The new system sounds good but it doesn't have heart. That's the best way I can describe it.

[@stereoreviewx]

You feel it in your soul not your ears

[@lmoore5264]

I really enjoyed this video. I like the way you talk about things in a down to earth sort of way. I can remember in 1981 when I was a senior in high school I set my sights on a high end stereo system. I started saving for a Realistic STA-2300 receiver which was $699. A short time later it came on sale for $399 and I scooped it up. That and 4 Mach one speakers, and several others items to complete my system. That was 40 years ago and you know what? I still have the whole setup and it still works well. It's a testament to the build quality of vintage stereo equipment. I just can't seem to warm up to surround sound with a subwoofer, I prefer stereo because it's what I am used to.

[@stereoreviewx]

Sounds good to me and just think you could’ve spent $15,000 by now 😜 cheers K

[@jlpcastro]

Love your style, hello from San Francisco

[@rotaxtwin]

I have owned a handful of 70s receivers over the last 10 years, As you mentioned, the build quality was fantastic even if you only had 12 W per channel. They are also very serviceable. Metal chassis, machine screws holding everything together. You could fix them.

[@spoonophosese2450]

You speak well and you speak a lot of sense. Thank you.

[@daniel89ph]

Soooo true! You really should hear the old Czechoslovak reel to reel recorder, which can be used also as an amp. It is Tesla B73. You would be blown away. It had some 75 watts power consumption but only 2x10 watts into sound, but you would be blown away by the quality, vividness, and liveliness of the sound. I am only 32, and heard quite a lot of modern Denons, NADs, Yamahas, but none of these approximates that old TESLA B73. Exactly what you are saying. So true.

[@GenrelessB]

Thank you for a great explanation for people who didn't live through those times. I bought an ESS preamp in 1974/75 with just incredible specs. It worst sounding thing you ever heard! I have a great digital recording studio. But there is that bench mark of putting a great piece of vinyl on my Thorne's turntable and playing it through my Marantz amp and large and small Advents.It was an incredible time for home audio! I only wish I'd kept all the stuff I had I had back in the seventies!

[@edtruman7694]

ive started collecting sansui receivers, i alway enjoyed going to someones home that had a bad ass stereo. a stereo was very important back in the day, i had a nice kenwood back then. so far now i have a 441,551, and two r5s. all of them are really good sounding. i enjoy listening to music again. thanks for you reviews, very interesting

[@eduardosampoia5480]

hoarding much?

[@ajvboston1]

Subscribed! I really like all channel. Very good information. Thank You!

[@tigerbalm666]

Vintages creates an aura in the room, changes the air pressure, generates electricity currents and magnetic fields, makes the hair on your neck stand up with anticipation!

[@stereoreviewx]

minimum

[@anthonylawrence60]

I have that same Pioneer [the one on the top] Bought it new back in 76 .Its still working as good as ever .i have listened to friends modern stereo systems with all their bells and whistles they all sound ok but my old Pioneer wipes the floor with them all

[@tyronee.4441]

Yes sir, I have vintage equipment and I stand on it that it definitely sounds better. Soundcraftmen power amp, vintage speakers, polks sda 1, Polk monitor 10, time window speakers, oringinal Bose 601’s. But I did get some updated equipment from Nad power amp, with all its components, newer Polk speakers sounds okay but it DOSENT have the depth like the soundcraftmen amp and the older Polk’s

[@keithsmith8250]

your hard facts is worth a subscription

[@jakefiersing]

This was an eyes opening video for me. Your explainations how the preferences for some technical spects destroyed the better 70s sound according to advertising needs, I heard of for the first time.---- Now I understand why the standard hifi gear of my parents from 1970, with bowl formed speakers, sized maximally like a soccer ball, sounded that good . Thank you very much.🙏👍🤗

[@cameronkrause4712]

Hey Calvin, I remember that it was right around 1980 that things in hifi changed drastically here in N america. I would walk into hifi shops and it was like a lot of the equipment had shrunk and turned into black plastic crap-there were still some exceptions , but as a young guy who was still struggling to afford my first system my options in the world of new gear had changed. To say that it was depressing was an understatement. I heard that a lot of the best engineers in Japan had taken early retirements. I don't know if that's really true but things sure felt and sounded different.Until this point, some of the best japanese gear was built to last, and the market was a little over saturated as people here didn't need to upgrade what they already had. A while back I heard a usa manufacturer refer to Sansui as Crapsui. I was a little surprised that he would say this, and frankly I would be shocked if any of his class d amps are working in 20 years let alone 40-50 years like my Sansui 661.

[@TELEFUNKENU47458]

still using mine daily.Sounds as good as class a.

[@michaelwright1602]

Sansui 4000 here. And so true about the 80's with much of the audio gear.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

These class D amplifier don't worth the repair. When they don't work anymore, people throw them in the rubbish where they belong.

[@erimerdi]

I'd also like to add that the mentality or approach to manufacturing and selling consumer electronics was different back then. In addition to what you said in your video, they were honest manufacturers and no doubt they used to build to last. They not only used to compete with other manufacturers due to the high demand of the public for stereo products they also compete within their own organizations and own products. They wanted to take the new products in line to reach the next level and they wanted to be proud of what they made all the time. Today however the consumer electronics market relies on consumers changing their products every 2-3 years so that they can make a profit. In order to do that, they no longer build stuff to last in fact they want consumers to go out and purchase new stuff or change what they have completely so we all should beware that after the warranty runs out your electronics can break down anytime. They compromise with the quality of the materials all the time to make money unless it's a high-end product. The problem with the high-end products is they use ridiculously expensive materials and to be fair they don't sound that good compared to what you pay for them. There is not enough demand from the public today as for most people listening to music means using the stock headphone that comes with their smartphones and playing something off of youtube or Spotify! Today the game is all about marketing and selling you things that you don't really need. Audio Companies also discovered that selling side products like cables is more profitable than selling the actual electronics. No one can persuade me paying 5-10-20K USD per meter for a stupid cable is nothing but the dumbest thing to do! They get you and get you good!

[@mazakaudio]

Super film,greatings from Poland.

[@jonmason1955]

You hit it dead on. I have a 1971 Harmon Kardon 330A. Bought during my college frat house days stereo wars. Still using totothis day. Only in the shop once to have lights replaced. A neighbor laughed and joked with me about having old-school equipment, including my two way floor standing Advent speakers and Dual turntable. He was blown away we I demonstrated the sound including the newer CD/DVD through it. What also shocked him was the "instant" sound from when off! But you are so dead on about vintage receivers!

[@stereoreviewx]

Nice one I just switched back to a vintage lamp from a naim power amp Accu phase preamp It’s not technically as exactly correct but it does deliver a gorgeous sound That’s sansui au 101 btw

[@archiemacdonald553]

Love your videos on vintage stuff I'm a bit vintage myself ,running 2 rotel rb850 power amplifiers ,linn index speakers mark 2 biamping ,rotel preamplifier newish rc1590 ,cambridge cd player ,😊😊😊

[@derekgriffith7248]

I running a rb850 amp with kef104/2 speakers 👌🏿

[@eazydraw4681]

A great film to see inside a store I’ve heard of but never been down to see thanks

[@davidgreen1504]

My 1st receiver in 1979 was a technic sa202 I still have this sweet. little piece of history currently using a recap rotel rx603 And a recap Kenwood 5700 nothing can touch vintage nothing!!! 👍

[@closerexamination4314]

I love this video. Explained it very very well.

[@callmebigpapa]

I have one of those Marantz and lots of other gear vintage and modern. The main difference that makes the old gear more enjoyable for me to listen to is the loudness curve. It seemed to accentuate the low end at lower volume making it seem fuller sounding. For me this makes the music pleasing. As for dynamics ....horns are the key.

[@milojenikolovski7522]

I drink my coffee and enjoy, regards.

[@doonray]

Good observations! I'm very impressed with both the build and sound quality of my old Sony STR-6800. But then again, in today's money it would have cost about £5000 originally! However I'm still convinced nothing today is really still built to the same standard of quality as these old pieces of kit. Even for equivalent cost.

[@TheThatoneguy12121]

I think Marantz still makes some high quality gear, all of their 'Made in Japan' units are great.

[@mikepxg6406]

Not true Take a look at Naim. Cyrus. PS audio Top end Marantz to name but a few. Some of those older receivers had very poor quality transistors that get noisy over time plus the inevitable leaky capacitors and noisy carbon pots, they are not all they are cracked up to be I have serviced quite a few. once the Transistors are replaced with modern quiet equivalents and re-capped they can sound very good, but not as good as equivalent high end equipment of today.

[@bobcat409]

I have a lower version of your Marantz receiver. Got it in about 9th grade. Still in my living room with the matching Bolivar speakers. 8 watts per channel and it will rattle my windows. I am 58 years old. This was fun.

[@frankcolliton10]

I have a 1977 mcintosh amp and a pioneer tuner from the mid 70s. Listen thru hoyt bedford monitors. Absolutely beautiful, amp has tremendous headroom.

[@rikiastly4078]

I have also some Vintage Hifi equipment. The throughs in the past 70s, early 80s also a lot stuff was sold, only some special equipment sounds good. Also the loudspeakers. Sound is okay also today, most of it you can repair cheap. Feel factor is very good, solid knobs and aluminium front plates. High End like Revox, NAD costs in the past a lot, esoacially in Germany or Austria, not in the USA. Today Hifi between 500€ and 1000€ you get good sounding Hifi! More better than old Pioneer, Sansui etc. Today to expansive, only for people that like this old Vintage style... Old Vintage, nice look, mostly cheap repairs, but repairings of Revox also realy expensive !

[@ricomartin8720]

Your video is spot on! Thank you👌👍

[@smugglersrun7779]

Excellent points you bring up great video new subscriber thx Bought a Yamaha CR 2020 with a pioneer PL 530.The best sound l have ever had for so little money.l used to buy all higher end gear like Bryston 4b ST 2500 dollars and Ribbon speakers. What a waste of time and money that was l was never happy with the sound. But l am now l just needed to hear vintage gear .

[@kevindavis4709]

You said it all at 6:26. Such a shame stores like Best buy do not appreciate good quality audio anymore. Some people just want to sit back in their recliner and listen to their favorite tunes

[@johncooper6246]

Power waiting is the point, exactly. Own (2) Nikko Alpha 220 and a Beta 20 Preamp (circa 1982) and gotta tell ya, when loaded with (2) pair of Klipsch Lascala the Nikkos' big TO-92 outputs really could deliver the headroom back in the day. Thanks for your post, cheers.

[@ampheat]

everyone had a stereo at home. i remember in the 70s and 80s every middle class home i went to has a stereo system. today i have been to upper class homes and most have cheap mini systems. boggles my mind. I opt for vintage because they built it to last. there was no built in obsolescence. even the japanese were copying and improving american and european audio products. they pulled on the stops on most equipment. No wonder this equipment even after 30 years and brought up to specs with a qualified technician, still sound good.

[@killabee623]

Yes man even poor folks back then had stereos they were furniture.

[@hoggravyandchitlins]

the 70s was the greatest decade ever for so many reasons.

[@rationalmartian]

@@hoggravyandchitlins 70s and 80s, for me. Man. I had a ball. Went watching my first two bands in late 77. Thin Lizzy, Bad Reputation, and Motorheads first tour. WOW. I thought I was a fucking bloke. I was just turned 14. Ha ha ha. But. Yeah. Everyone had a stereo of some sort. Quite a few had pretty decent stuff. Virtually everyone I knew, certainly all my mates, we were all mad into music. Even though we were spoiled to all fuck. We had so much choice of incredible music, with more incredible new stuff all the time. I remember about half a doz of us, sat waiting at Collie's for Hursty to come back from Bolton, with the brand new, just released Boston album. Heady days. LOL.

[@socksumi]

Owning good hifi was a status symbol of good taste in the 70s. Next to the car, a kick ass stereo was the greatest coming of age toy for young lads.

[@hoggravyandchitlins]

@@socksumi AND (as the AMPM guy says) there was so much good stuff to choose from! That was an era when consumerism worked for the consumer, the stereo manufacturers knew their customers were a demanding bunch, if they don't give you what you want and need, the next manufacturer surely would.

[@robertbarton3556]

Great video Kelvin. the trouble is now Vintage stuff is expensive, even spares or repairs are asking a lot as a buy it now or it goes for a lot in an auction, things are getting harder to find in both good/great condition and working order, although be prepared to spend some money restoring it to get it to sound as near to what it did when it was made. From the late 70s to 80s like you said it was all about figures, and amplifier modules (STK) etc were used for cost cutting, and if they break you can't even get original replacement parts for them and you have to chance your luck with a china copy rendering them a heavy door stop. My friend had a Kenwood KA-8004 amp from 1973-1974 which sounded decent although with the characteristic solid state sound, I think it's the admiration of the build quality and looks that people buy into prob more than the sound esp if it's something 40+ years old. Technology has moved on, not saying it's better sound quality, definitely more convenient, in some cases modern stuff will sound better if it's a good one, I like to listen to music in surround mode using my AV Receiver to get that all round sound, and use a mic to balance the speakers and get rid of any bass peaks, I know straight stereo fans will not agree, but for me to have a stereo amp and that's all it does it would have to do something really special

[@therealchickentender]

It's true. The heydey for coming to these great older units on the cheap was around the turn of century, as vinyl had declined to its low point the true digital era was taking hold. I had a rotating set of speakers and quad receivers that were literal fortunes in their day, bought for pennies on the dollar. Part of me wishes I'd held onto some of them longer, but it was great to finally get to use so many I'd drooled at many years prior. Finally settled on a modest system with 35wpc of true RMS, warm, Marantz goodness. I'll never let that one go. One bonus for us now though is that re-lamping these is, for the most part, a one-time affair now with so many replacement LED options available.

[@MrWallybones]

Thank you Kelvin for your videos. It's obvious to me that you know your subject matter and I'm navigating lots of information in order to choose a quality vintage receiver. I am sixty three and can fully relate to what you say about the costs of these things back in the day. I simply could never afford to purchase decent equipment. One thing I will say after going down this rabbit hole is that it is all so very subjective for most non audiophile folks. What got me to this point is my recent purchase of a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 225 bookshelf speakers. I thought they would sound so much better but now realizing that it's my amp and not the speakers. Cheers!

[@louisdefunes8952]

Of course there are differences in audio equipment qualities, but everythings stands or falls with how(the quality of) the song is mixed in the studio or during a concert.. I think.

[@timcorner2821]

I just picked up a Technics SA-5070 receiver this week off a guy locally. When I auditioned this unit at his place, he connected it to a large pair of floor standing speakers (Technics not sure what model) I was very impressed with the warm sound as well as the ease at which it could drive them. The receiver is in surperb condition and just needs some cleaning of the pots. Note this receiver is rated for 15 watts per channel. Amps in this vintage of receiver are just made well.

[@Gr8Passion4Music]

You are very much right. I have a 1979 National Panasonic vintage cassette deck with radio and it's speakers are rated at 8ohms, 40 watts but it's sound is very rich. Just as you said, in those days, wattage was not in "PMPO" values so it might have been 80 watts according to modern standards. It has a soft but deep bass. The speakers don't have a "back-reflex" hole, instead there's a lining of wooven felt like material attached to inner walls of speaker's box that dampens the air pressure on the speaker cone. You are right, in 70s, it was all about sound quality but as time progressed into the 80s and 90s, these sound systems lost the sound richness of their ancestors. This happened with car audios also. The sound became more of 'synthetic' type of feel rather than the close-to-original feel that sound systems had. Like you said, game was more about PMPO rather than emphasis on quality. Clarion had a good quality, so National but new arrivals like Aiwa and Beltek had higher PMPOs but lower on the side of quality. I guess there might also be something about the 'analog' and 'digital' sound. Just like a .wav file sounds better than an .mp3.

[@grob318]

I just got a Yamaha 'Natural Sound" A-400 amp for $30 US made in the mid 80's. I got it as a stop gap, because my Crown IC-150 pre amp has had a channel out for a long time now. So far I am liking it. It has a variable loudness dial which is interesting and can handle 2 sets of speakers and headphones. It is 40 watts and has 2 settings for phono input, although I don't have a turntable. I used to run the Crown in a bi-amp set up with a Hafler DH-500 and DH-200 and large EV speakers. Yes, I am a big fan of 1970's gear.

[@tedtimmis8135]

After the 70s, we really went through 25 years of dark ages for audio equipment.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yeah I would agree with you there

[@RUfromthe40s]

in late 80´s things start to improve a bit but from 79 to 80 ,some components were in brushed aluminium ,next year they look the same but mostly made of plastic ,i had a philips system that had a high quality sound next year the look was the same but instead of aluminium ,just grey plastic with some bit´s in aluminium ,pioneer did the same but in sound quality they keept some with other brands it seems the dark ages of hi-fi,this with mainstream brands others kept the quality but the price was high and they had to close doors or bought by other companies

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@toddblanks yes it´s true but some were just used to never clean the records and still using those needles that you could rotate to the other side and other spike there ,some said 33 on one side and 45 on the other, but those records only played once with those nedles when played in a diamond stylus the sound was already damaged ,so with cd´s they notice a super improvement in sound quality , i had some cd´s in the 80´s but prices were high, i could buy two vinil records with the money of one cd ,but early cd´s were made of a better and more expensive material ,only in the 90´s they start to release cd´s made of a cheaper material and prices came down but only started to buy cds instead of records in 93 ,most of the stores closed and opened only selling cd´s , this after a fair was held where you could buy any record even from independent labels at 50 cents each, this new records , i had to go there twice and fill the back of a mercedes (a big one from the 70´s) with new records, even some that i had but with some defects or to use as a dj ,i don´t remenber how many but i had to buy a new big piece of furniture with shelf´s to fit all the new records, at the time i remenber buying all catalog from 4AD and beggars banquet, regards

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks I know a lot of what you say is true but I would dispute what you say about amstrad entering people's homes because you probably never had to hear rigonda which was also in the homes of the less well off. You have to wind this one back to the beginning. It was either a Sinclair PZ 60 or the externally compensated OA Texan but you had to build both your self. I think the key is minimalism and high current. Long live Kelvin.

[@factorylad5071]

@@toddblanks I am terribly sorry you missed the golden age of import hi fi. I was around in the 70 s and got Tandberg 310 three motor cassette deck. My dad had a top of the range FM receiver which I still have to this day.

[@gino3286]

Very interesting and educational video. I think that sound depends 1) circuit design 2) parts selection I have a strong feeling that designs from '70s are simpler ... very basic Lower parts count In the 70s there were still tube amps and their sound could have been taken as a reference for solid state amps. They were trying to provide a tubey sound ... and people tend to like tube sound The weak point in solid state imho is midrange and ability to provide a well developed soundstage in the 3D ... two normal characteristics of tube amps The more i listen the more these two characteristics are important to me ... soundstage even more than midrange A system very good at soundstage cannot be that bad Thanks again and kind regards, gino

[@MarvinHartmann452]

The mcintosh 250 is good example of an amplifier that they try to get to emulate tubes, and despite sounding different from a tube amplifier, because obviously it's not, it's a very well made amplifier that sounds very good. The same amplifier today would cost thousands to make. I restored one to the original specification for a client and its very well made, very high quality. Oh and BTW, yeah you're right, they are simply made, sometimes, less is more. Another power amplifier that I like is the HK citation 12 with a twin power supply, it makes a huge difference, only rated at 70W channel, like the mcintosh, but it deliver more. It's the same thing for the receiver and other equipment.

[@gino3286]

@@MarvinHartmann452 hi thanks a lot for the very kind and valuable advice My dream amps are two monos perfectly equal placed as close as possible to speakers but i dont like powered speakers for having the amp inside I hate that I was even thinking to extract the amp from a powered speaker I am a little on DIY I love McIntosh amps especially for their very classy look Very beautiful I Love it The classics will never go out of style

[@franimal007]

RIGHT ON! I have a Sansui BA3000 amp and it is so much better than my new stuff.

[@WVMothman]

I use a JVC receiver from 1975 with a generic pair of bookshelf speakers and it's all I use. In the 90's I had the subs with 5:1 Bose speakers & a JVC receiver with DSP, it was all volume.

[@mafatone]

I have a Setton RS660 and a Sansui 990DB from Japan and it smashes any 2 channel receiver built today. Excellent point my good man about headroom which is nonexistent today.

[@technics-n-thuiast8346]

Vintage separates do sound amazing yet I’d try using some new speakers. It seams to me that old speakers don’t hold up as well as the components. Ok, some belt driven tape decks are prone to failure. But it does make sense to keep up maintaining and servicing them if you already have ‘em🤷🏻‍♂️