How good was audio equipment of the 70s?

Often our memories of the past don't live up to reality. Many people fell in love with high-end audio in the 1970s but how did that equipment really sound? Have a question you want to ask Paul? www.psaudio.com...
I am getting close to publishing my memoir! It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.
I plan a few surprises for early adopters, so go to www.paulmcgowa... and add your name to the list of interested readers. There's an entire gallery of never before seen photos too.

[@edmundscycles1]

Dear sir as a non US citizen and avid you tube viewer I find it remarkably refreshing to hear a north American contributer who speaks with good anunciation and well paced . I find many speak far to quickly and often mumbling or sluring words. Thank you for being so enjoyable to listen to as you divulge your knowledge.

[@bobc3895]

I wasa stationed on a very remote mountaintop radio site in S Korea in '69 and once in a great while we would take a trip to a large PX about 30 miles north of us. One thing I picked up was a Sansui 2000 40wpc receiver that for it's time was not bad (I can't say the same for speakers of that time), I shared half a quonset hut with a couple of guys and enjoyed the shit out of listening to music and drinking beer with an occasional doobie thrown in. At one time I ran a couple of wires up to the transmitter sck to a couple of wood PA speakers so we could have music up there, that worked out fine till we had a nasty thunderstorm. I can tell you a good thunderstorm is very different when your up on a mountaintop - you did not go outside. During the storm one of the channels of that receiver went out and I found a blown fuse inside. A little troubleshooting showed a shorted out transistor. Now there was no way in hell I could get this thing repaired given the logistics involved so I wrote Sansui a letter explaining what happened and asked them to send me an invoice for an output transistor and driver plus a schematic and I would send them a check. The next week I got a package from japan with a pair of output devices and a set of driver transistors plus a service manual and a letter with a contact phone number for one of their engineers if I needed any technical help. I replaced the output device and it's driver and everything was working again. I wrote them a letter and thanked them for their help and to this day I hold them in high regard for what they did for me 49 years ago

[@iceberg789]

i kinda guess they will not do the same today, if you write the same way.

[@ianpeck2719]

Bob C I was stationed in Korea twice and Japan once and agree with you. I was able to acquire from the Px/Bx some wonderful audio gear that was not available stateside. Nowadays AAFES don’t carry the same high end gear at the overseas exchange. Thanks for your service Bob.😃

[@bobc3895]

Back then we had the draft so lots of us got to enjoy uncle sam's accommodations, I enlisted in the army a month before I was to report for the draft so I could get a school I wanted. I think the larger force allowed the work to be shared more equally, the multiple tours that people go through these days cause a lot of problem with soldiers in and out of uniform. We have Cheney and Rumsfield to thank for that as they pursued their war on the cheap plan that didn't really care what burden they were placing on the men as long as it was "cheap". I kind of expected that from Cheney but hoped Rumsfield would have seen it differently It bothers me to see men treated like disposable assets. I'm glad we both were able to do our duty and come back more or less intact.

[@ianpeck2719]

Bob C so true brother, so true. I pray for our soldiers and their families, we all have them and us to thank for our freedom. I retired in 07 but still have my BDUs in the closet just in case. My wife tells me that I don’t have to worry because Sam won’t call me back lol.

[@wa9kzy326]

That's a great story Bob. Glad everything worked out for y'all. Had a similar experience with the FCC, while I was stationed in SE Asia. I was so worried that my ham radio license would expire before I could get home to renew it. Long story short, they bent over backwards to keep me legal. Cherished memories of being helped when we most needed it.

[@randolphmyers]

My hearing was better 40 years ago...

[@RichGuano]

What?

[@almog3875]

@@RichGuano lol

[@johnnycee5179]

Lol, ya listened to that great music too loudly no doubt, Bee Jees, Abba, Zeppelin, Floyd etc. I finally got me a good Yamaha receiver, CD player with a couple of Pioneer floor speakers, all vintage, speakers with 12 inch woofers, yea I'm as happy as a pig in chit with it.

[@atticusrussell1225]

@@johnnycee5179 what pioneers?

[@DARisse-ji1yw]

43

[@BlankBrain]

As I remember... In the early '70s, tube gear was being phased out because of the cost of good transformers and point-to-point wiring. Tube engineering had reached its peak, so the tubes were great. Much (most?) of the solid state gear used germanium transistors, which were often noisy and were very prone to thermal runaway. Less expensive speakers used ceramic magnets. Mylar dome tweeters were starting to be used, but paper cones were more common. Bookshelf speakers were introduced or becoming more common. Foam surrounds started being used on some woofers. By the mid-'70s, silicon was coming more into play. Coupling capacitors on the output were very common. Large amounts of negative feedback were used in an attempt to compensate for non-linear transistors. FETs were available, but were very low power and uncommon. Speakers got larger, but many were built with insufficient material in the enclosures, resulting in annoying resonances. The late '70s saw more direct-coupled output stages and much more linear silicon transistors. Opamps were starting to be used, but were still relatively slow and noisy. Discrete bipolar circuits were often excellent. Electrolytic capacitor quality seemed to improve. Better speakers used Alnico-V magnets. Sony introduced the V-FET (vertical field effect transistor), which was a power FET. Overall, some fantastic sounding equipment was available. Audio was a big deal in the '70s, so there were many shops. These shops were owned and run by people who cared about good sound. In the '80s, malls took over and many shops went under. The audio store chains cared about money, not good sound.

[@LakeNipissing]

I like 1970s audio equipment. I have Pioneer SX-1280, Sansui AU-20000 / TU-9900, Hitachi SR-2004, Kenwood KR-9050, and many smaller amplifiers and receivers from the same, and Akai, Technics, Sony. This stuff is solid, and was built to last forever. The specs on some of these things were crazy... THD 0.005%... frequency response 4 to 100,000 Hz... phono s/n ratio 115 dB... 7 gang FM tuners... ... and this was "consumer" electronics. Nothing like this will ever exist again.

[@socksumi]

I agree. There has been next to no advancement in amplifier design since the 70s except for parts quality which has really stepped up as of late. Most of the design effort and "advancement" has been into miniaturization and putting everything onto ICs. Virtually every type of circuit topology whether tubed or transitor was already invented by the tail end of the 70s. Just do a parts upgrade on some of the old classics by Sansui, Kenwood and Luxman and you'll end up with stunning sounding gear that easily stands up to anything made today.

[@amb3cog]

What had a phono s/n ratio of 115db? I want proof of that one. And you do realize how they got those low THD numbers right? Feedback. No thanks to that, unless it's done right. And THD, and for that matter almost all specs are just marketing hype, THD being the biggest hype of them all. New amps spank those old amps up, and down the street in sound quality. Now you may enjoy the old style, but listen to a good modern amp for a few months, and then try to go back to that old gear. Then talk to me. You'll see what I'm talking about. Remember the gear you speak of with those specs wasn't cheap. And accounting for inflation costs thousands in today's money. So you would need to compare it to some pretty high end stuff. It's not even going to come close to what thousands buys you today. It just isn't, and even the most devout vintage guys on the audio forums will agree with me on this. I know, because I talk with them all the time, and they're where I learned this all from. Paul is quite correct about that gear. It does sound great, if you haven't heard modern gear, that is. I know this also, because I own both. And my vintage has been sitting, since I went modern. I can't wait to step up to a good pair of new speakers now too, as soon as I find the ones I want. Technology doesn't just stop. It keeps on moving forward. And it doesn't have to be a completely new technology for it to make a difference, like the other person here implies either. The internal combustion engine hasn't really changed in years either, but there's no way you can say the old engines are better, because they can be properly measured to be junk compared to modern engines. Where as audio is subjective really.

[@chalocolina3554]

Those old pigs were so power hungry they might as well have been coal fired. They belong in the trash bin with incandescent bulbs. You can get good high fidelity sound these days from equipment that takes up almost no space, costs shockingly little money, runs fine on AA cells or a wall wart, and uses hardly any juice when it isn't making sound. I'd say that's progress.

[@phrtao]

Agreed - high end audio quality costs much less these days but is still a very rare thing to hear (even amongst audiophiles !!)

[@amb3cog]

@@phrtao That's because everyone is so concerned with the gear, and they don't spend money on the room. Or even a good quality room correction system. So they're hearing the room. Which is horrible.

[@raymond1672]

I have a 1970s luxman l80v integrated amp. And I love it. Best thing I have in the house.

[@daveduffy2823]

That older stuff was built to last. Things don’t today.

[@69eddieD]

Built to repair too. Robotically assembled surface mount boards aren't so easy to repair.

[@JoeStuffz]

You can get stuff that lasts today. You just have to pay a lot more for it.

[@opasion]

totally right, i buy crap from ps audio that wokr right for less than a year, while my marantz and sansui vintage receivers are still killing it ... this guys just want to sell more.

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Right? I keep buying vintage Sunn O))) cabs/speakers for that reason

[@younggunz4081]

I love the enthusiasm you display. It shows you care about what your are building but further you passing your knowledge to the next generation thank you. I will definitely in the future buy a ps product because I know the quality and care that went on behind the scenes.

[@MrSatyre1]

Paul, I take exception to the "trash" and "Pioneer" comment! LoL Pioneer Exclusive and TAD from the 70s and 80s was---and still is---exceptional! 😄

[@EddieJazzFan]

Pioneer integrated silver-faced amps were pretty darn good

[@UriahRoxx]

Yeah I totally dig My SX-727!

[@thgtchr6815]

Some of the Japanese gear from the 1970's was good. Some of it was very good. A lot of the Japanese gear one actually found in stores during that era was very poor quality. If you are a younger person, you have not seen the truly awful gear, because it burned up and blew away. decades ago. Paul gives a great answer to a question audiophiles love to debate.

[@NoosaHeads]

Pioneer made some superb equipment. (I prefer the sound of Yamaha, BTW) I would respectfully disagree that Pioneer was "rubbish". This is just an incorrect statement.

[@jusb1066]

@@EddieJazzFan my pioneer a400 , will kick the backside of anything american made, that stuff IS trash

[@diemman70]

The older equipment made by Kenwood or Sansui or Pioneer or Akai or Sanyo was just beautifully made and generally will last forever unlike today’s audio equipment. Colored? What’s wrong with some coloring?

[@buppie2000]

I'm no high end audiophile, but my early Marantz TT4200 kicks the crap out of most of the non-ultra high end turntables today. Paired with my TEAC cassette deck, Harmon Kardon receiver and ElectroVoice speakers, this was a modest system that sounded real nice. I was quite happy.

[@MicahS70T5M]

Hey, my friends Pioneer SX-1250 sounds great!

[@DeadKoby]

Mine too.

[@isettech]

Much of the stuff I bought in the late 1970's I have kept in good working order. Sold my AR3a speakers a couple of years ago, but kept the Yamaha NS1000 speakers. I still prefer a linear tracking turntable with a moving coil pickup. They are a little low in the bottom end so work great with a decent subwoofer. Receivers and amps from then far outperform the general consumer junk on the market today. Many pieces of equipment from then were better than 0.005% THD with both channels driven and power was measured in RMS watts per channel, not peak power or total power. I used to torture test some of that equipment into a dummy load on the bench with a sine wave at full rated power, and the specified performance most often was completely honest. An amp that can put out 150 Watts RMS per channel both channels driven at no more than 0.005% THD is not a low quality item. The main amp extended frequency range rolling off 3db is from 5Hz to 120 KHZ. 20HZ to 20 KHZ is flat to 0.1 db max. Check the specifications of most newer stuff. Why did we go from 0.005% THD max to reading system or peak power at 0.1%? I used to demonstrate to customers that a 30 Watt amplifier has much more power than a 250 Watt amplifier. You could get a peak 250 Watt square wave out of the amp at full clipping, but you were far from 250 Watts RMS in a sine wave. That amp tested to only 12 Watts per channel, less than 1/2 the power of the 30 Watt RMS per channel amp. Education of customers of the spec sheet was a big part of what I used to do. Back in the 70's most reputable equipment manufactures published specs. In the 1980's some non standardized measurements began to appear to inflate the Watt numbers to the point the Federal Trade Commission in the US became involved. I still see Peak power ratings, Total system power at 0.1 or 1% THD values on today's market. Even more typical today is stuff sold as quality for example Bose Soundtouch 10X2. Read the spec sheet. It uses 30 watts of power. It has Bluetooth and WiFi. Actual amp power is not listed. Amp power, SPL per watt at 1 meter, frequency response, amp THD, etc. missing. Wow It's great and wireless. Is it Hi Fi? Doubt it. It's more of a network and phone ap than a sound system. Bose touts that there is always room for better sound. I couldn't agree more.

[@johnnyf99music74]

Theres a comment below about how an old pioneer sx-1250 sounds great. Well, thats a 70s product. Feel the weight of the thing. Compare it to todays 2 channel stereo receivers. The power supplies back then were beasts. Music is about dynamics and range. It takes a lot of current to make that happen. And the whole thing was built on analog design. The rush for the industry to incorporate fledgling IC technology and make consumer audio products cheaper and cheaper has a tumultuous evolution. Look at the amount of DSP in todays consumer electronics. The never ending push to correct room characteristics and source characteristics and speaker characteristics... It can be lovely stuff, and with a LOT of money you can have a great sounding system, and travel to a boutique to audition... but in the consumer end.. good luck! .. Who ever even gets to listen to anything before you buy it any more? People who really care about the sound know what its like. Its not really about lighting up a space with sound any more. Its about how to quickly stream variety of mediocre content to the masses with their tiny players for earbud use. Its all good, but its not he same as building a crescendo level sound system.

[@wa9kzy326]

Couldn't agree more about dynamics range. Built my own transistor system in the early 70s with instrumentation op-amps and individually-biased transistor output drivers. Only 25 watts, class-A balanced end-to-end. Despite all that, I felt like the biggest difference came from a huge analog power supply with gigantic capacitor filters. This gave plenty of peak current for the dynamic range that LPs can deliver. Going back to tubes if I live long enough. :-)

[@DeadKoby]

I have the SX-1250... It's been serviced, and still works great.

[@zelmoziggy]

Back in the 1970s, there were easily a dozen stereo shops with listening rooms in my town. Now, there is one.

[@amarasovich2796]

I like collecting special pieces from every decade. But I love the cartridge-tone arm- SUT - tube phono - modern kick ass pre-amp - MC-30 monos to Cornwalls And I love the new stuff!!!

[@ChristopherdeVilliers]

I wish more CEOs would be as honest and transparent as Paul.

[@andydelle4509]

The 70s marked a huge transitional technology era for audio gear. I restore that stuff as a hobby. One of my retirement goals is to build a mock up of those 1970s stereo stores with the wall of gear and speakers where they had a big switch matrix so you could say. "I want to hear that tape deck, into that amp, to those speakers". Remember those days! Lafayette stores had some rather elaborate listening rooms based on that principle. Even early 1970s Radio Shacks had a wall with a switch matrix setup. Late 60s to Early 70s: (My HH Scott 342) Germanium transistors. Single rail topology requiring coupling and output capacitors. Simple single ended input stages. This is what gave solid state a bad name. The biggest problem was the gernamium power transistors and the gross lack of thermal stability. That led to some rather bad crossover distortion. Early 70s to mid 70s: (Lafayette, Realistc, Kenwood, Pioneer, Dynaco 120/80) Move to silicon transistors. Still a lot of single ended AC coupled amps with output capacitors. Input stages still largely single ended as well. Late 70s to today: Dynaco 400/300/150, Sansui, Kenwood, Technics (Panasonic) Introduction of split rail DC coupled topology. Differential input stages. Major advancements in stability. In fact modern class B amplifiers are still of this basic design and will have the much the same sonic attributes. Note I am not saying all modern amplifiers sound the same, but they are very similar. But I do hear quite pronounced differences between the 60s, 70s, and 80s forward technologies. Basically I find the old AC coupled stuff a bit flat sounding.

[@editorjuno]

Having lived through all those eras, I agree with your summary.

[@totaltwit]

I like the "Late 60s to" comment, indeed the germanium power transistors being a problem, I think some audio companies went out of business as a result, sadly not their fault. I think the next step came with the silicon pnp version of the power transistor that matched the npn became available. The compliment to the 2N 3055 (as used in the NAD 3020) I have a 200W power amp that has so few components it's unbelieveable, a mosfet amp, without looking at the circuit all done in 7 transistors! It has a bandwith of 10Hz-66kHz!! I measured it, don't know about the other THD etc.

[@michaelorton5823]

Some early fisher poweramps with germanium transistors sound amazing

[@RingwoodLive]

Sorry pal. Been working in pro audio since the 70s, and Kenwood and Pioneer made some classic gear that still commands respect today. The Pioneer CT-F1250 is a monster cassette machine I would take over the Nakamichi Dragon ANY DAY - I used to work in a pro shop repairing both. Crap was made then crap is made now. People still revere the Klipsh JBL and Altec units of that day. Computer aided design and materials technology have vastly improved what can be done with speaker designs and driver manufacture. Yet great designs and craftsmanship were there THEN and now.

[@cameronkrause4712]

i had the much cheaper pioneer ctf 650- my tapes sounded better than all my friends that spent so much more on other brands. i wish i still had it- i would still listen to tapes if i did. lol

[@Galiuros]

While stationed in Augsburg, Germany we had access to "Audio Clubs" where audio gear was sold to G.I.s, tax free. I remember buying a Pioneer 150w receiver, then a Marantz and the last one I got was a Kenwood. They sounded great and all did the job when we had our "stereo-wars" in the barracks. But, the piece of gear I still have and use everyday are the Pioneer CS 911a speakers. I bought them new in 1976 for $350.00. A lot of money back then. They have a 15" woofer, two mid-range, one tweeter and two "super-tweeters". It was called a 4-way speaker. They are still my main speakers, though I do let them warm up for about a half hour before cranking them any. I'm currently using a Harmon Kardon 3770 stereo receiver which is plenty enough to drive the Pioneer speakers. The only thing I can think of with the speakers are that the mid-range and high-range adjustment knobs are a little noisy. But, that's it. When friends come over and we start listening, I always remind them that the speakers are 42 years old. I did add a sub-woofer just to pick up the bottom notes.

[@rickmackay4758]

Thanks for your great shows Paul. My dad had ''' LEAK '' equipment. Beautifully made. England. The 12 ' speaker [ mono ] was in a bass reflex cabinet that was about as big as a refrigerator and the port you could just about drive a truck into. The Garrard turntable needed some work. I think they used a 4 penny nail for the stylus ? FORBIDDEN ! but. My guitar sounded pretty good through that rig. cheers.😁

[@zelmoziggy]

Not sure why I would take the word of someone with a monetary interest in selling new equipment.

[@gibby6904]

Still have my Sansui 8080 and speakers bought new in 1977....wonderful equipment....great video sir!! Just bought a Klipsch three ii bluetooth speaker nice sound and convenient but it's no vintage gear!

[@Maxxarcade]

I'm still using my Marantz 1060 as a daily driver, with a pair of ELAC B6.2. Restoring it was fun. Nowadays everything is surface mount IC based stuff that you can't really rebuild with normal tools. They sure take up a lot less space though LOL.

[@My-Pal-Hal]

I was lucky enough to have been brought up in the neighborhood of Carver, Speakerlab, and Speaker Factory. Worked with many of the speaker guys in the University District. Met Mr. Carver more than once in Lynnwood. And still have most of my Carver Equipment. Bob was AMAZING 🤣. And Super 7's and K-Horns could be heard throughout the land. Still. With the dozens of speakers I used at any one time. For shear concert sound. I used 4 of the Peavey SP-2's of the time. 2 Carver Cubes. A C-4000, and CT-7 sonic holography pre-amps and receiver with a DBX eq. Though attaining Clean, Clear Volumes, with the ability to Sterilize small animals 😂,.. it was when Laserdisc and CD's reared their heads, that you could really Turn It Up !!! Because even with the "Auto-Correlator". It is just hard isolating the turntables at volume. Which I still have as well. DD-75 Garrard, and T-45 Harmon Kardon. And 4 Peaches Records and Tapes crates full of albums. Yeah,.. More 80's to 90's equipment to be sure. But Bob Carver brought affordable Real Audiophile to the masses. (affordable considering comparable equipment ☺) And just as Speakerlab, and Speaker Factory taught us how speakers work, and how to build them. Bob Carver taught us so much about sound amplification and reproduction. Holograph is Still Cool. Takes 7 speakers today to do what you could back then with "2". Pink Floyd's "TIME" was unreal. You could close your eyes and be Floating in a World of Clocks EVERYWHERE. ...just ask my neighbors lol... As I think back. Had a C/Ku band satellite system with 10' dish, and 60inch Magnavox Rear Projection TV too. Which was not only cool as well. But the Magnavox had a REAL MIRROR in it, as opposed to Mylar. So it was easy to clean. And I learned that Baby Oil worked as good, if not better in the guns of the TV. But was a helluva lot cheaper too. I remember when STAR FOX came out on Nintendo. And one of my friends getting motion sickness from watching that big screen,.. And Puked right where he was sitting lol. As for my surround sound speakers for the ole Sony 5800es, I use today. 8 Baby Advents II's that I stuffed Speakerlab Cobalt Leaf Super Tweeters in, when I rebuilt the drivers. They look classy. And I Still have a bunch of old Speakerlab stuff to use. And 60lbs of DBX BX3 AMP sitting around here somewhere lol. Ahh... The Good Ole Days 😊 Enjoy

[@phonebackup8132]

I still have a pair of Speakerlab super 7's with the Electrovoice T-350's and Electrovoice 8 horns with the Atlas pd5 drivers. They have been recapped and are hooked up to a Heathkit ap1800 and a McIntosh MC2300. That is the only pair of "store bought " speakers I will ever keep. And Paul they will reveal the hair right off your head. No need for a subwoofer with that 1208R in them. More, better, tighter and lower than most modern subs. All of wich came from the 70's.

[@j.t.cooper2963]

The funny thing is, those "dreadful" sounding units from Pioneer are still working today.

[@yupimbackk]

Yes with a recap etc etc etc. Gee my 1948 rca table top radio works tooo. But recap etc etc etc

[@j.t.cooper2963]

@@yupimbackk Nobody cares about your 1948 RCA tabletop.

[@yupimbackk]

@@j.t.cooper2963 And nobody cares about your crappy pioneer that will need service every 3 months. When you have a 2 pairs of MC1.25KW ,, 2 McIntosh C1100 preamps and 2 pairs of McIntosh XRT2.1K speakers then you can talk. Until then clam it up.

[@j.t.cooper2963]

@@yupimbackk Well, for one thing I don't own any crappy Pioneers. And I couldn't give two shits less about your setup either.

[@wa9kzy326]

Paul, this is the greatest comparison of Hi-Fi, ever. Decades ago, my audiophile friend and myself rigged up a switch panel to rapidly switch between components and speakers. The differences were immediately clear. We didn't know why but everything produced its own "sound ". He borrowed a totally "flat" class-A tube setup for a week, and we thought it was so bland. Then we both knew that every circuit type added its particular coloration to the reproduced sound, Just like the rock-n-roll guitar players who select an amp to give them their "sound." Thanks for the justification. :-)

[@CapitolForest]

Long live 70's Hi-Fi - may it continue to appreciate in monetary and personal value.

[@billmyke746]

The audio was as good as whatever you were smoking at the time.

[@jackallen6261]

The BEST augmented audio on the planet. Think you need new speakers? Nah!! Just spark up another doobie and they sound wonderful!! I say this in jest BUT there is a fair amount of truth to it!!

[@diemman70]

I prefer natural high. 😐

[@bigsea1306]

I quit smoking 30 years ago still have over 12 70s integrated amps still sound great.

[@diemman70]

Big sea which one is your favorite?

[@VinylBlair]

I've heard the top audiophiles like to smoke a few pipes of crack before listening to their set up but the downside is losing your amplifier to CashConverters to buy more crack.....!

[@sylviarienzo6955]

I wish there were an easy way for me to determine whether I am suffering from a serious case of nostalgia or my ears are out of tune, or just what. But I have brought my old Pioneer SX-1050 out of the closet where it has been stored for 25-30 years and put it into service driving the audio in my TV system and I think it sounds pretty darn good! Compared to what, you say? Well, compared to my AV Stereo Receiver, the Arcam SR-250. I have my system set up so the Arcam does the switching between sources (DISH DVR, OPPO UDP-205, Pioneer CLD-99 laser disc player, etc), hosts the HDMI video, while the Pioneer manages the audio. Dialogue is noticeably sharper with the Pioneer playing. I listen to a lot of opera and I think music sounds noticeably clearer and more musical via the Pioneer vs the Arcam. I also have the feeling of lots of reserve power from the Pioneer. I have not changed a single capacitor and keep wondering if ought to send it away to be refurbished. Could I buy a much better amplifier for the $1000 it would cost to refurbish my Pioneer?

[@donnystrife1908]

If your speakers are power hungry it's a maybe... I'm thinking that sx would do pretty well against gear up to 3-4k but I'm not an expert. I've just owned a lot of vintage gear and got to sample some highend stuff. I will add my 1977 sansui holds it's own very well vs my 2018 mcintosh on 98db speakers

[@lorielagares439]

Thanks Paul... I agree.. I have a vintage system that consists of a RE-capped HK730 with ADS L710’s (1st generation) that I enjoy immensely and a newer system w/Musical Fidelity M6i integrated and Tannoy Revolution 8’s that is more powered and refined.. both beautiful, but the newer system is leagues beyond in terms of musical accuracy and definition... still, both are very enjoyable and I could be happy with the older system if it ever came down to it

[@bilguana11]

The SP-3A, with some mods, was my pre-amp for over two decades. The original Ohm F was a great sounding speaker but was hard to drive and the voice coils kept rubbing, something they could never solve without ruining the sound quality.

[@billwillard9410]

I pretty much owned junk in the 70’s (and I knew it) because of lack of funds. Now I can occasionally pick up a quality piece from years gone by that I couldn’t touch then. I did spring for new speakers but I still can’t spend $5k for new components that wouldn’t even be classified as high-end today.

[@swinde]

The Pioneer receivers of the 1970s were not that bad, however I was using Dynakit PAT-4 and Two Dynakit Mark III amps and Dynaco FM-3 stereo tuner with AR-3a speakers.

[@juliaset751]

Classic setup: you couldn't go wrong there. And don’t forget the AR turntable.

[@swinde]

I had an AR XA turntable, as well as a Dual 1009SK. I wound up with a Thorens TD 125 with a Rabco SL-8E arm. Also a Revox A77 open reel machine. The Dynacos were replaced with Marantz 3300 preamp, 250 power amp and 120 FM tuner. I still use this system today.

[@maxbouvatte]

AMT ribbons developed by ESS in the 70's- still used in ultra high end stuff today.

[@bestof.luckfellowhumans]

Paul. What a great human being you are.

[@kennethiman2691]

My Kenwood 4600 is the best sounding receiver I have heard. And I have owned over a dozen high end vintage receivers.

[@rogercobb3092]

Many would question if there were any such things as high-end receivers. Maybe the Outlaw Audio of current production? Or one from MacIntosh using tubes?

[@jonathansturm4163]

Kenwood Model 600 "trash" selling right now for $AU2,200 on fleabay here in Australia. Many fond memories of listening to my "dreadful-sounding" Kenwood amp in the 1970s. Really, Paul? How much will the Sprout100 be fetching 40 years from now I wonder?

[@PrimeHiFi]

Jonathan Sturm agreed. I think Paul was a little too harsh. I have a pair of Kenwood L-07M’s as my daily drivers and i wouldn’t replace them for anything!

[@mirabilis]

Sound quality is not measured in money.

[@cameronkrause4712]

in 10 years the sprout will be a paper weight.

[@phonebackup8132]

The Sprout is a class D amp. It will fail way before 10 years.

[@scottyo64]

My old Mach 1s with a Realistic receiver i though were great back in the day. And for a 15 year old kid they were!

[@ChadHargis]

That "colored" tone is what I enjoy about great listening gear.

[@mirabilis]

Sure. But it doesn't sound like the original recording.

[@ChadHargis]

And sometimes that's the point.

[@mirabilis]

@@ChadHargis Each to their own. Guess that's why people enjoy Beats by Dr Dre.

[@franimal007]

Funny. I was listening to my stereo last Friday and my speakers started to hissss. I assumed it was my vintage prize a sansui ca3000 power am connected to my new high end preamp so I took the ba3000 out and installed my vintage ba2000 and turned it on and in a minute.......crash ! Something blew up! Then I took my new high end audiophile preamp out of the mix and installed my sansui ca2000 preamp and it has been sounding beautiful since! I was worried that my Klipsch rf7’s bit the dust when the crashing sounds happen but they were ok! So my 4k$ preamp will be either exchanged or returned. I got one question about today’s equipment, Where’s the BASS?!?!?!

[@yupimbackk]

Want bass get a MAC7200

[@franimal007]

@@yupimbackk Yes the MAC7200 is a nice unit, I had a MA7900, with no bass, returned it, got a C22III and a MC275, did not like the sound and no bass, after changing out equipment, (trying to give the MC275 a chance to sound good), took that back and got TWO MC75 60 Anniversary amps, and there was my bass! McIntosh should have never discontinued the MC75. Now in one room I have my C22III and two MC301's and in the other room I have a C41 with the two C75's and I think this combination is really nice. BUT, I have vintage Sansui equipment that is rebuilt/serviced that is very hard to beat. I also have a Marantz 1070 that has been rebuilt/serviced and that little 35 was amp can sing and has such clean bass.

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

Some icons of that era that really sounded good : NAD 3020 amp , ESS air motion transformer , Quad ESL speakers, Nakamichi tape decks...

[@editorjuno]

The 3200 appeared very late in the 70s and is really more of an early 80s design. Designers like Edvardsen in Europe and Nelson Pass (for Adcom) in the U.S. really advanced the state of art for affordable amplification during those years.

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

Correct , 3020 released in 78 , but it did make a lot of waves . Big Nelson Pass fan here ! He really shares all of his secrets with the DIY community for free . Just like Siegfried Linkwitz R.I.P. Both are (were) audio heroes in my book .

[@editorjuno]

Amen to that!

[@mogshade66]

Hooray for Nakamichi 💚👍

[@jedw]

Nice to hear sombody mention NAD 3020, I'm using a very old 7020 which is the version with a Tuner. Nice to know the 40 year old NAD stuff is still held in regard.

[@animalcorvair]

i will take tube stuff over any thing out there but thats me .. tubes sound real

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

I know your not a Sansui fan but the truth is their higher is products are awesome , I just picked up the Sansui G-8000 secound biggest reciever ever made by Sansui I have had it for 2 months and just finished the servicing it ! The point to point wiring is much better than a circuit board and the Sound is amazing but yes it was hard work ! But it was 975.00 US in 1979 and i cant wait till i review it ! Sounds so warm and musical and large dynamics To be a 120 watts it sounds much lounder than my Emotiva 150 watt amp the Emotiva doesn't even come close to the scale of power

[@stevenjackson8226]

I got involved in the audio avocation as a teenager in the late '70s. Even then I was exposed to much earlier gear, though even then much of it was becoming collectible. A pair of Marantz Model 9s were quite pricey by the '80s. I was exposed to the most popularly sold brands of the day, but my interest quickly had me heading towards other things. The Absolute Sound, Stereophile, Sensible Sound, Audio Amateur were more my read than other publications. I had my father's old gear - Dynaco, Rek-O-Cut/Shure, AR. I remember the systems he and his friends had - lots of Dynaco, but also Harman-Kardon, Scott, Fischer. I built the the big Dynaco transistor kits, then took the turn back to tubes - mostly Dynaco, Audio Research, the then fledgling Conrad-Johnson, and a few others. I was interested in speakers from Magnepan, Dahlquist, Snell, Infinity, and the brilliant little BBC LS-3/5A. I've had the experience of listening to and living with gear of differing vintages over a long time. Exceedingly rare is the gear from way back that in its stock form compares well to good mid-priced products today; this is especially the case with speakers. Today we are living in the best age of audio ever with the greatest ever performance-for-money value. I had some of the top Sansui separates (beautifully made and finished), NAD and Adcom pieces, spent time with many different speakers and receivers. I had my C-J PV-2A and MV-75A-1 (I had the amp's original designer update it for me) until just a few years ago. Some of the electronics - amps and preamps - when just updated, not even so much modified, can sound very good. A good analog rig - a good turntable with a good tonearm like an SME, Grace, or FR arm fitted with a Grace F9E, Denon DL-103D, or whatever can still sound pretty darned good. Still, it's easy to get the same or better better performance than this for remarkably reasonable money today. With very, very few exceptions, speakers, though, have really gotten MUCH, MUCH better. Just across the board. We've come along way here. The '70s were bit of a moment of the beginning, the dawn, of the acceleration of our modern understanding of loudspeaker design. Especially within the last handful of years, the world of digital has gone to the level of excellent at mortal prices. For most of my time in this hobby, I recall that extraordinarily good-sounding audio was a very difficult to come across. Now, so much of what I listen to is very good, and even excellent.

[@pezza39817]

What a nice guy.

[@musicstevecom2]

You know what sounds Amazing, I hook my Denon AVR- for the sound around and processing, Yes you can't beat the quality of the Digital Processing sound BUT add some old Pioneer 2 to 3 Preamps (Front,center) and/or 2 to 3 w the Integrated amps, Pioneer , Kenwood (adding rear) or/w some preamp and add 2 to 3 Phase Linear amps and this will make the sound dances around and w the New Processing power it sounds Amazing And it so easy to turn the bass or treble up or down Lol and no need any subwoofer.

[@VitruviusXXV]

There was indeed some excellent equipment around in the 70s, but most people couldn't afford it. Pound for pound, hi-fi greatly improved by the 90s.Then I had a Nad cd player, Ariston turntable, Wharfdale speakers and a Kenwood amp. The Kenwood certainly wasn't rubbish. It had a warm yet detailed sound which did justice to the other equipment.

[@iggyfritz8796]

As a musician, recording engineer, 40 plus years, audiophile, I can attest I challenge anyone! I have SX 680 pioneer back in 1978 paid $109 for I will put it up against any thousand-dollar receiver made today, in build quality and sound quality. Trust me I already did the comparison.

[@ElixerSue]

Thank you. I have an old Pioneer quad unit that I love.

[@timcoker4685]

I have a room full of vintage gear I have purchased over the last twenty years. Picked most of these at our local flea market, Goodwill and yard sales. For one example I bought a Sansui 9090 in perfect condition for $20 about ten years ago. Most people thought these things were just big bulky heavy junk years ago....I knew better!!

[@simonwe]

I own a Pioneer SA-9500 from the 70s which I bought used recently, and it sounds very good

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Thank you for the invitation. I would like to visit sometime.

[@doylewayne3940]

numero uno, my stacked advents thanks Paul

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

Double advents? Where did my double advents end up?

[@doylewayne3940]

top advents turned upside down, still gotum but not used right now, wrapped up and woofer cones need to be replaced again , sound great . same voice coils and upgraded the caps and resistors to mil spec tolerances in the crossovers

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

I was actually more concerned about the fate of my double advents and son of ampzilla...

[@kenzuercher7497]

Still using a Son of Ampzilla with the preamp section of the Advent receiver. A Thorens 160 (I think) and a pair of Thiel 01 speakers and I still get very pleasing sound. The Thiel equalizer has 741 op amps which I'll swap out for at least 5534 someday.

[@danlivni2097]

The Japanese made some great stuff in the 70s. Sansui was top of the line back then. The Receivers and Integrated amps were built and all were 2 channels. Kennwood, Pioneer, Sansui, Yamaha, Sony, Technics, Toshiba made really good stuff. Yamaha made the CT7000 and T2 tuners which were amazing. Tape decks became very popular in the 70s. There were some really good tape decks back then that were built. I remember the Pioneer CTF1250 and how large it was. Record players were what was use for listening to Music. Thorens made the best record players back then

[@PrimeHiFi]

Dan Livni Accuphase, Luxman, Sansui, And Kenwood’s higher end stuff are what comes to mind when I think of top of the line from the 70’s. Unbeatable aesthetics and superb sonic quality. Vintage is the way to go IMO

[@danlivni2097]

I do remember Pioneer made the Spec 2 Amp and Spec 1 preamp. Technics made the SA-1000 receiver that was 330WPC. That Receiver was built like a tank. It weighed 87 pounds. Technics made the massive SE-A1 amp and SU-A2 PREAMP Someone on Ebay sold this Technics amp and preamp for 18,000. Yes 18,000. Look www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TECHNICS-SE-A1-POWER-AMPLIFIER-AND-SU-A2-PREAMP-/202455643899?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137

[@worldspacechina]

Dan Livni Thorens 125

[@amb3cog]

@@danlivni2097 A fool and his money................. 18 Large, and it's not even restored! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 It's amazing what nostalgia does to people. Could have gotten them fully restored, and cared for by a fellow audiophile for much less. Maybe the buyer had a few drinks in them, or just more money then they know what to do with. Either way. That's one of the craziest I've seen yet, but not even close to the craziest. The big watt receivers seem to put people over the edge more then anything else it seems. Especially Sansui, Pioneer, and Marantz too. Either way. A little research will save you a heck of a lot of dough when buying this vintage gear. Ebay is about the last place I would buy that type of gear from.

[@cameronkrause4712]

I think that it is hard for any present day manufacturer to admit that the equipment from the 70s was as good as it was because such an admission really negates the hype of "improvement ". Sure, things are different now, but I base my notions on whether or not a system is successful on the system's musicality. It's a pretty subjective thing that often defies specifications.

[@petergabriel8448]

Crap from Pioneer? I own a 1976 Pioneer SA-8500 and it is the best amp I have ever owned, and I have owned a lot of new, expensive audiophile amps from e.g. Naim, that didn’t even come close. The shear detail, musicality and engagement is amazing. No wonder it was called the golden decade of hifi.

[@Glock_4717]

Great Vid Paul keep me coming

[@_dave4460]

i’m still using the Kenwood Model 11 i bought in 1974 and a KR-6600 bought in 1985 with JBL (L26, L36) bought in 1974 and Klipsch (KG-4) bought in 1994. i also still have a Pioneer SG-9500 eq and a Royal 100a amp (Electro Voice s. korea) to push some cerwins. i also designed some speakers years ago and had them built by creative acoustics - butyl suspension before butyl was cool with flat wound voice coils; 3 in vc’s on 8 in cones had Marantz 6300 tt (with Shure and Pickering carts) a Marantz 5420 cassette deck. TEAC a200 cassette and TEAC 4300, Akai M-8 open reel machines (with hybrid preamps) and a Sony TC-377 i’ll stick with what i have after many years of live sound, foh some of the biggest names out there. i once brought home racks of my Crown CE 2000 amps but the neighbors claimed their little Magnavox 10 w sounded better - opinions are like...

[@davidf7076]

My dad has left me most of his stereo system that consists of early to late 70's Yamaha amps, preamps and a turntable. The sound quality is spectacular and he has had to spend only a couple of hundred dollars over the last 40 years to keep them up to task. I winder if it was a time before companies made products that would break so you had to replace them every 5 years. He spent 5k Canadian 40 years ago but damn if it doesn't work well to this day.

[@KarlHamilton]

I'd love a hug from Paul tbh

[@randomchannel1712]

Pure analogue coloured sound is always going to please my ears I ve heard a multitude of amps I own a Rotel RA-985BX And a Luxman L-230 The luxman paired with my handmade speakers is one of the most wonderfully sounding setups ive heard to date It has the sweetest low end ever and highs that are just sparkling without being harsh My speakers are 10'' three ways with all original vintage polish tonsil drivers My tweeters in particular are GWT-12-19 100FP the most amazing sounding highs you have ever heard

[@francisjoiner7248]

had my grandson bring in my marantz 2270 to my room and he couldn't believe how heavy it was. i told him, "that's how stereos were built when i was his age.

[@yupimbackk]

weight means nothing.

[@scottcleland9163]

Apt Holman is a joy

[@billimbriale8535]

And is so much better than Japanese stereo receivers from that time period. All the fanboys like the Japanese front panels... so do I... but for sound quality, no comparison.

[@MrRdpadgett]

Paul, I am listening to Advent Large Loudspeakers purchased new in 1975. New foam in the 1990s. Driving them is this great little integrated Class-D (albeit ICEedge Technology) amplifier, the SPROUT100. Yes, it sounds better than a recently overhauled Yamaha RX-350 receiver from the late 80's. I am listening to a Schiit Gungnir Multibit fed by SPDIF from a networked Music server. I said earlier in my posting on Affordable Audiophile, that Now is a Great time to be an Audiophile. Vintage and bleeding-edge technology making Music magical again for me.

[@kentonkirkpatrick5225]

Hi Paul, I owned a Kenwood KR-77 18 wpc receiver in1969. I used it with a pair of Allied Radio acoustic suspension horn speakers (which remind me a lot of my current Forte 4s). Front end was a Garrard SL95B. What were you using when you were 16?

[@jamesslick4790]

I became interested in radio gear in the 1970s, And I acquired a 1920s Westinghouse (being from Pittsburgh helped) radio. I don't remember the model, but it was a TRF and not a superhet. I sold it off, AND now audio gear that was new then are the same age. That's scary!

[@killernukem5914]

The best dream combo imo is the 1978 Pioneer SX-1980 with a set of Pioneer HPM 100s

[@Cimone90]

Haven't heard those speakers. But my dad is still running a pioneer sx-1980 with a pair of JBL L220

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Got a NAD 7020e (a 3020 with a electronic tuner) haven't touched a thing on it, sounds great. Not the most revealing sound but warm and musical.

[@vascoemyer]

Thank you, Paul, for a very entertaining vlog. I'm of a vintage that I clearly recall 1970s audio - the good and the bad and was intrigued to have an expert's opinion on this topic. So, the instrumentation was 'coloured'. I get that; I know some audiophiles ridicule Bose however we have a Bose soundbar with the subwoofer and satellite speakers - for me and my level of required audio it's great. There are some good things about 21st-century living, the quality of reasonably priced audio reproduction available to the average consumer for one, is fantastic. I remember you had to have big bucks to build yourself a quadraphonic or souped-up stereo system 40 or more summers ago ... glad your station appeared in my suggested channels, I've subscribed and look forward to more posts. Best wishes from Melbourne, Australia.

[@andrewreed1329]

Vascoe Myer lol with sound bar

[@wilcalint]

Another excellent video from Paul I think he was quite focused on tube equipment and I can understand that. There was some isolated 70's Solid State equipment that even by today's "sound" are every bit as good as you can get from the best of today. I have direct experience with one person, one line. I think I bought one of Nelson Pass's first 400a amps. That served me well until Threshold offered an upgrade to remove the original 400a electronics and upgrade to the Stasis level. That was in the mid 90's. I doubt that Pass Labs offers that service today. Clearly there was a betterment of the sound than I got from the original 400a electronics. But having said that those Threshold amplifiers, even today, are really excellent. Among the best Solid State amps from the 70's are Krell, Mark Levinsen, Conrad Johnson, Carver and a few others. There are small boutique companies who will refurb these things with new caps and freshen them up. I'd put the sound of one of those updated devices up against even the best of today. A side note. I still use a Crown amp to drive my subwoofer. Some of the vintage Crowns, like the DC-300a, make excellent subwoofer drivers and double as boat anchors. If you watch Ebay you can see these things go through there from time to time. Cost is a fraction of the best amps of today and will nearly equal the sound quality of something of today.

[@strangersound]

The trash comment was over the line, Paul. ;)

[@jeromemckenna7102]

I agree. Some of the Japanese made equipment in that era was very good.

[@goodun6081]

strangersound, I work on Vintage 70s Pioneer in Kenwood and Sansui all the time, much of it sounds very good once the bad caps are replaced. Not all of it, mind you, but much of the analog stuff is quite good. perhaps not 100% accurate, a little on the fat, warm, euphonik side, but way more revealing than a lot of tube equipment.

[@Royalbigness]

I totally agree. What an ignorant sweeping statement that was. How dare you trash Pioneer. Pioneer had one of the best sound and build quality. I have several 70s Pioneer SX 50 and 80 series and they sound amazing. Wash your mouth out with soap. You think you know everything.

[@amb3cog]

That's his opinion. He's not entitled to that? He deals with gear on a daily basis that's on another level, and has for years. It's like a Ferrari guy saying Corvettes are junk. Which they are compared to a Ferrari, but not to most people who would be happy to own one. It's still true to the guy who's driving in a car with handmade Italian leather, and a V12 under the hood. And it would also be true that the Corvette is great for an average guy, myself included, because I normally drive cars that aren't half as nice as the Corvette, just like Mr Average. Both people are entitled to their opinion, and both are right and wrong in their own way. But neither is completely wrong, nor completely right. Opinions are not facts. They are based around one's experiences. Myself I also own a few nice old receivers, and sure they sound great to my friends who aren't into HiFi, and they did to me one time too. But I've since found separates of higher (more modern) quality (IMO), and I don't listen to them anymore. I hate to sell them, but there's really no reason not too. I'll never go back to a receiver, or most likely even separates from the 70's mid fi era. I've heard better IMO. How could I? I certainly wouldn't call them trash either. But high end. They are not IMO. And it's pretty hard to go back to a lesser quality sound, especially when that gear many times costs more then new gear that sounds better, at least to my ears.

[@southjerseysound7340]

@@amb3cog well said

[@fred306801]

I was a 10 yrs old in 1970, I got a hold of an old stereo reciever. I went to a junk yard and pulled speakers our of the old cars. Then wired them up about every five foot or so around my bedroom. It may have sounded like crap but for a boy who had nothing this was cool. We had two TV's one showed a picture the other had sound. And both were black an white. So one evening I hooked my stereo to them. My dad an I watched , The Good the bad an the Ugly. He was not impressed he said it sounded like we were at the drive in. Back then things were simple to hook up, It was fun. Today it is a nighmare.

[@pickholder6189]

Interesting take and some great remarks. What I would say is I use a lot of old 70s/80s music gear and hifi gear. If you make fantastic things using high grade components it will sound great. Back in the 70s we had a larger tolerances in component manufacturer so one resistor may be plus or minus 20% in its value. Thus making different amps made to the same schematic sound different. Quality made products are always going to sound good - be it 50 years old or 5 days old. Colouration in sound is also personal. I do like bass end in my sound! I actually use Wharfedale speakers from 1967 which are 2 years older than me. A good quality modern speaker will of course sound different. This is the first video I have seem from @PS Audio and I have hit the subscribe button! That man knows his stuff.

[@retronartz1268]

Whats wrong with Pioneer?

[@LakeNipissing]

NOTHING (if it is pre-1980)

[@jusb1066]

nothing, pure jealousy, all americans can make is volume and booms

[@tomtaylor7292]

well said matey,,,

[@LincolnRon]

It was more concerned with extra knobs & flashing lights than sound quality. It wasn't until CDs became popular that Pioneer started becoming a respectable brand. In the 1970s Technics, Harman Kardon, Sansui, Revox, Garrard, Grado, Sony, Yamaha, and Marantz were the respectable brands.

[@ericelliott227]

Uh, small correction in a matter of opinion and point of hearing. I have a second system that is vintage based. Currently the engine if you will is a Sansui 8080db. They are called receivers, but as you know they are technically integrated amps with a tuner. Now, this Sansui of mine is soon 46 years old. (that's human years, dog years is 322 and if there is "HiFi years" it is 460 years old....ok, I just made that part up.....or did I)? Anyway, my Sansui has been recapped and I recently replaced my dying DCM TF-600s with Paradigm Monitor S6000f's. The only other modern gear in the system is the Marantz CD5004. (TT is a Pioneer PL510A). Upon hearing the first CD (and subsequent ones after that, including some vinyl) I nearly fell over. Sound stage was stunning, there was more detail than expected and the thing that really got me was the depth of image...3D and it was like you could walk around in it. I have been to four audio shows and hotel rooms are not all that different from bedrooms (where this system is located) and I have heard $20k and $30k amps. Upon this discovery of what must be called synergy as there is not another fitting name, most modern day high-end amps don't sound like this among the number I have heard! They are not terrible of course, that would be silly to claim, but they sure don't sound as good as what I have in this system currently. I will add that I have not heard any of the PS Audio stuff yet, so who knows? That doesn't mean something won't come along and maybe soon that would match or best the ol' Sansui, but at what price? That said, I imagine at least a few of those amps would sound as good or at least nearly as good if all the other gear had the same synergy, I mean synergy is synergy. However, for the sake of this discussion I have yet to find a match. Some of the "monster receivers" of that time were the "high-end" of that time, remember. Back then $700 or $800 was the equivalent to $15K or $20k today. Also remember back then those receivers such as my Sansui and Yamaha CR2020 were hand-built in Japan under quality control not matched today mostly (that is why they have lasted 46 years and if recapped are likely to go around 20 more). In fact, Technics and Yamaha have reopened their factories of old and are coming out with high-end gear that pays homage to the vintage gear and is also back to quality. This old gear is the foundation of what there is today. So I wouldn't be so quick to label all the old "non-high-end" brands from back then as terrible. I do agree that many of those same brands today (Denon, Sony, Harmon Kardon, etc. with the exception of Marantz somehow) are awful. Back in the 80s Kenwood had a pretty good run actually, but at end of decade didn't care anymore, turned into crap and went out. So I would like to say that your analysis when you said as long as the gear is in good working order, has been serviced and all applies equally to the big name integrated amps of that time. At least that is the way I would like to take it.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

Correction, if you take 1979 as the starting point, $700 will be roughly $2600 today (technically as of September) still, the point is, $700 was not exactly chump change in 1979 and you had more of a time to save for it than we do today as it is often covered easily by a single paycheck if paying cash that is, but $2600? Not so much for most of us.

[@ericelliott227]

I was comparing to "high-end" gear. Audiophiles (which I am far from) consider $2600 to be "low budget/consumer grade". (Typical snob attitude). Today as of right now it would take me about 2 years to save $2600. That is going to get far worse soon. So yeah, economies of scale. With our paychecks about to get even smaller due to wildly rising prices on the basics as well, I don't see how many audio makes are going to survive when only 1% of the population can afford to even look at the pictures much less hear or purchase such goods.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

True but high end even then, $700 was considered not high end pricing, but rather moderately expensive, but not esoteric high end but your point is true on that level. I have a pair of GOOD, solidly built speakers from ADS/Braun that are one of their mid line I think models, the L810 speakers and they DID cost about $700 or so for the pair in 1979 so they weren't cheap by any means, nor were they anywhere near the most expensive in the day but are highly conceived and well loved, then, as now. Now, I was given them back in March by a buddy that got them at a thrift store, not working for $20. They only needed fresh fuses for the tweeters and they work fantastically ever since. Now to find the official stands for them... As to the economy, I was at a point where cost of housing was rising much faster than my pay when I was still living in Seattle and renting, paying upwards of 70% of my income to rent, and that was just to rent hikes as a long term renter in recent years. I was paying 675/Month for a 600SqFt one bedroom with a view and a balcony in 2003 and when I moved out in 2016, I was paying $1,136, I think it was for a couple of months before I bought my house and moved out. Now my mortgage is just shy of $800/Mo but now have to pay all the utilities and ended up unemployed in June. Income here in town (Tacoma) is beginning to rise, thanks to Amazon now forcing the minimum pay to $15/Hr in Pierce County that is still at $11.00/Hr, Tacoma is at $11.50/Hr, King County and Seattle closer to the magical $15/Hr. Anyway, hoping to get on with the city here and the position I applied for is $19.71/Hr. So in my case, there is hope. So back to your point, I want to upgrade my meager budget turntable of 33 years, not that I've had it all those years, I've had it since 1999 when my now late mother gave me our late father's old stereo system. I'm looking to move up to something like a mid level Rega.

[@ericelliott227]

The turntable in my "reference system" (that is what I call it anyway due to the headache, time and labor it has taken to build and is almost done with this being year #5). I run a Denon DP47f currently with a Ortofon 2M Bronze. I paid $400 for it in NOS condition. (That is New Old Stock). I thought I was just buying a used legacy table that to me cost much more than my Pioneer PL510. I later found out that the Denon DP47f is coveted, but I do not know why as one can only adjust tracking force and alignment, everything else is automatic and you can not adjust VTA (I have found that I really don't need to). I'm thinking maybe part of it is condition, I don't know, but some self proclaimed audiophile once offered me $1200 for it, but it is not for sale. Not that my 2M Bronze sounds bad or anything, but when it is time to change carts though I am downgrading to a 2M Blue as I have learned it is a better fit. Audio gear can be weird at times, sometimes counter intuitive. A mid level Rega is a good table. I would also look at Pro-Ject in the same range.

[@Shermanbay]

"Replace the tubes"? In 1970's equipment? It would be difficult to find tubes in 1970's equipment! In 1968, Consumer Reports gave a special report on the new Heathkit AR-15 receiver (no tubes). They claimed that the unit was so good that it exceeded the measurable specs on their test equipment. You can't get much better than that!

[@spacemissing]

I have never used anything newer than a 1979 amplifier in my "main" system. That's not because of what it sounds like, but because it's what I've had the money for. I believe the Most Significant difference between then and now is circuit noise --- today's is a lot quieter. But 1970s stuff isn't bad in that sense at all, and it is at least interesting for people with more modern equipment.

[@steveearnshaw2216]

I still think about my Yamaha CR-620 and large Advent speakers. Wish I had kept them. Ex wife probably donated them to Goodwill!

[@TSUTENKAKU007]

Now as far as Pioneer is whether inferior or not compared to Audio Research, that is basically what each owner believe to be heard best to his ear. So anyone who heard reasonably good Pioneer the first time will naturally think and remember for a long time "Oh that sounded very good". But at the same time, he is not comparing with many other fine quality equipments, such as Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Goldmund, Jadis, and others. Until the person is to listen to many other fine quality equipments, can't say just one brand is what I like or I like the best and the answer is this is not possible. People just need to satisfy with what you got, be thankful, enjoy with your equipment and be happy. If a person is happy with the sound quality of Pioneer, Sansui, or Sony, no need to spend tens of thousands of dollars for another supposed to be higher end gear. Put that money for better use!

[@cat-lw6kq]

Well Paul everyone is different and probably being an engineer you are able to hear the. Difference. But to many of us our old gear sounds fine. Also you probably listen with high end speakers. Waiting to see your new factory hope to see you being successful in the coming year.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

I was born in the late '70s so my memories of the '70s are pushing in to the limit. It's funny how I perceived higher end technology back in the early '80s as being something special where as modern technology is just made of sophisticated machines. I guess it was because I was a young child. Why should a limit of 8 colors with pixelized video and square wave seem more magical to what we have today when we can consolidate all of that to a single chip now? Low color, resolution, and mechanical sounds were all unnatural though. The true colors and high definition just seem so much more natural that it should be meant to be. That, and I feel that the sophisticated yet tiny packaging takes a bit out of the experience. MicroSD cards have their place, but I don't like fumbling with them all the time. I thought GameBoy cartridges were a great size for media back in the day if not just a little smaller than Star Trek tapes, yet SD cards are even smaller. I don't like messing around with anything smaller than an SD card. Of course, there was something rather cool about putting your computer programs on an audio cassette. I wouldn't do that today, and they even have flash memory drives to take the place of cassette drives and cassette recorders for classic computers. One reason I prefer KZbin over modern cable is that it often feels more like early '80s cable programs when much of the content was amature if not a tad more polished. You get a lot of original creativity out of that. I'll take better content with a limited budget over poor content with high budget any day. Profit centered development will just never be able to compete with passion centered development. You will never get a creator that has their wings clipped to fly. It doesn't make sense to do that either when you can't make much of a profit that way.

[@nickhines5290]

No question about it, the equipment was far superior to what is around today.

[@exciter2506]

I don't have to rely on memory, I still have my Sansui receiver and also a late 80's NAD receiver. I recently compared them with a Sprout 100 which I purchased direct. I love the Sprout 100 and it lives up to what it is advertised. But, both the NAD (7220PE), and more so the Sansui(2000X) sounded far better. I only tested with the turntable input, so maybe the playing field would more level with other inputs.

[@iggyfritz8796]

Exactly mr. Tim Cooper I have done the same thing and lucky for us everybody wants the lightweight cheap made-in-china stuff I rewarded myself with a rack full of Crest amplifiers, $3,200 pair of rankus heinz line array speakers for $300. Evie boss Definitive Technology I have so much stuff I can explain it all here I have a system I put together for under $1,500 that will level a house.

[@airsailor6176]

Paul, I watch your videos all the time. It may be my device, but just as a friendly FYI, the lighting throughout this particular video was going dark to light. Not sure if you noticed or not during editing. Camera issues, perhaps? Bringing back to life a SX-580 as we type. Have not heard one since, well, 1978. Keep up the good work!

[@Troubleshooter125]

My Mark Levinson ML-2s have held up for 30-plus years (and I bought them used, at that!), and through my Martin-Logan reQuests, they continue to sound fantastic ... to my ears, anyway. Could I improve on them? Yeah. How much money would I have to spend? I shudder to think!

[@socksumi]

I recall 70s gear as being really musical even by todays standards. Especially amps and electronics. Spendor BC1... has there ever been a speaker with a more natural midrange?

[@cameronkrause4712]

yes, it was musical- it seems that manufactures of today have forgotten what musicality is

[@harrypothead42024]

First video of yours I ever saw in the first correspondence that you read is from my hometown coincidence, I think so, but still interesting.

[@pault151]

Hey Paul, when you move into your new digs, get a video camera that you can turn off auto-exposure. It looks sharp enough but every time you lean forward and back the exposure picks up whatever is behind you and lightens/darkens. Rather distracting.

[@Goldenhordemilo]

im still running pye iso-tronic 7000 speaker sysem ran it since the 1999 and as a dayly cranking

[@RennieAsh]

It's more accessible to get old gear that used to cost thousands for little money, then people compare them to entry level stuff. Even so, I couldn't tell any difference between my 90s Yamaha and a 2012 one of similar spec. I got the switching mixed up and realised that any notions of the newer one having a slightly "silkier" top end was just expectation bias!

[@socksumi]

Paul you are buying into some of the propaganda of the early high end audio days from the likes of Harry Pearson and others that typical Japanese consumer gear was inferior the the overpriced made in a basement stuff from snooty high end companies. This was unmitigated BS. Sorry to have to tell you this but I used to own one of your 1980s PS audio preamps and I wasn't impressed. It sounded rather harsh and sibilant. Much of the consumer stuff I owned... the preamp sections in integrated amps from Sansui, Kenwood and Luxman blew it away for transparent natural musicality. What I'm saying is that in many if not most cases the audiophile gear sounded worse and much of it had suspect engineering and reliability problems. Early Mark Levinson for example.

[@johnwalker283]

Absolutely,take the sansui 5000x once refurbished,superb.

[@cameronkrause4712]

i am still using a 24 watt sansui 661 receiver. one day i will recap it, but for now it still sounds more musical than just about anything i can find for under 1000 bucks. the phono preamp in it is a whole lot better than todays offerings for under 200 bucks. i wish i had john walkers's 5000x.

[@PiOfficial]

My kef Celestes from the 70s which you can buy on eBay for around 100 are the best sounding speakers I’ve ever heard.

[@johnlebeau5471]

Two systems I heard back in the seventies that I have not been able to forget due to the amazing sound: 1) Audio Research SP-6, D-79b, Acoustat 2+2. I forget the turntable. 2) Mark Levinson ML-2, ML-1, Magnapan Tympani IV, again I forget the turntable. I could not afford any of this equipment. Except for the listening session where I found my turntable for life, nothing has ever impressed me as much as these two systems. As an aside, both of these amplifiers, the ML-2 is mono and cost $4,000 a pair, $4450 for the D-79, would cost $15,500 and $17,000 today. At the time, the prices were shocking. Today, a pair of BHK Monos sell for $15,000, and those amps are actually very reasonably priced compared to most of the high end amps available today.

[@blueseruser]

John LeBeau vvv

[@simonwe]

I have a old Pioneer SA-9500 and I think it sounds better than some modern expensive amplifiers I've heard recently. It's from the 70s but Paul said in this video that Pioneer was crap in those days, is that really true?

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Just to be clear, Pioneer is certainly one of the better brands of receivers in the market. They, along with Sony, Yamaha, Denon and Marantz, were very good sounding for their class of product. When I suggest they are "crap", it should be in context. The whole receiver class is "crap" compared to what you can do with products that appeal to audiophiles building music systems that matter.

[@simonwe]

@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio wow, thank you for your reply! I watch your videos daily and think you are great! Specifically the SA-9500 not a reciever but a pure stereo integrated and weighs 17kg. I've heard that the SA-9500 was one of their best stereo amps Pioneer ever built. Don't know if that's true but I think it sounds very good and musical with my Audio Physic Classic 20 speakers. I also have a more modern Primare SPA21 integrated amp (made in Sweden where I live), and I think the Pioneer sounds even better with my speakers than my Primare integrated. In my opinion the SA-9500 sounds very dynamic, musical and quite transparent. I wish you guys at PS Audio all the best!

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

@@simonwe That's great, Simon. Thanks for sharing.

[@andershammer9307]

The late 70's through the 80's were the best times for audio as more and more stuff was sounding musical and less colored. My Audio research SP6 from 1980 was modded and recently I replaced the filter caps but it still has the wonder caps I put in and the original tubes I put in ( I tried new tubes and it made no difference so I put the old tubes back) and I am willing to compare it to anything new and I bet my preamp will usually sound better. I used to work in a stereo store back in the 80's and 90's and my bosses were a bit angry that my system sounded better than anything in the store. So all my stuff is from about 1980 but its all modified.

[@thomasstambaugh4832]

I have a Crown DC300 from 1975, a pair of Magnaplanars from 1983, and an active subwoofer. I'm about to add a video projection system, and I'm wondering whether to replace or maintain my existing equipment. Any thoughts?

[@jackallen6261]

Paul, I live in western Oklahoma and I am going to take you up on the "come by and visit" offer. I work on tube guitar amps and I would love to talk to you about design differences between instrument amps and Hi FI amps. I am planning on building a higher wattage tube amp as a Hi FI amp and It's hard for me to think about designing out the distortion, That just seems wrong!! lol. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!

[@h.carter9183]

My 1970 pioneer was the top of the line in the day, 5 way speakers with Cross overs

[@wymotome]

I've had a few modern amps/receivers (around the $1000-$1500 range) and none of them are even close to sounding as good as my restored Marantz 2285B. There's a reason why people seek out the old Marantz, Sansuis, etc. from the 70's and it doesn't all have to do with nostalgia...they just sound fantastic. I do use modern speakers, modern DAC's, etc...but my receiver is vintage. I wonder how much I'd have to spend on something modern to compare...

[@MrPINKFL0YD]

70s high quality is superb and still usable with caps, etc changed

[@editorjuno]

Actually, the Kenwood KA-6000 and follow-up, direct-coupled KA-7002 integrated amps were much better sounding than Dynaco's SCA-80, so categorizing all 1970s Japanese gear as inferior compared to Dynaco doesn't compute, and a Sony setup built around the classic TA-3200F power amp could easily measure up to competing "high-end" stuff -- e.g. from McIntosh and (pre-Superscope) Marantz -- back in the day.

[@andydelle4509]

Well the Dynaco 80 and 120 were very early simple AC coupled amps. Not very good. The 120 was designed in 1966! Their biggest selling point at the time was they used "state of the art" silicon transistors. Now the Stereo 400 was of modern DC coupled design and the later Stereo 150 / 300 were also the same topology but less power. These will compare favorably to the Japanese units you noted.

[@editorjuno]

The DC-coupled Dynacos were notoriously unreliable whereas their Japanese counterparts held up very well until they eventually succumbed to the usual leaky capacitor failures after decades of service -- warranty expenses incurred by those later Dynaco designs were a big part of why Dynaco went belly-up. I managed a Kenwood-authorized shop back in the 70s and never had to fix a single KA-7002 under warranty -- IIRC we did repair one(!) KA-8002 (the rare power amp version of the KA-7002, with the same DC-coupled output circuit) a few months out of warranty for a failed protection relay, but otherwise the Kenwood separates from that era were dead reliable.

[@andydelle4509]

Well I must agree the Japanese gear was for more reliable. Yes Dynaco as well as other early high power amplifiers had severe reliability issues. Phase Linear come to mind. But some of that was also due to the American power transistors of the day. Today a 200w per channel amplifier is rather easy to design and build with the quality of semiconductors available and computer simulation tools. But back then, it was a tall order.

[@hom2fu]

Japanese built great stuffs in the way it was affordable. To you it might be trash. To others people it might be GOLD.

[@baronofgreymatter14]

I beg to differ my Pioneer Spec 1 and 2 pre and power amp easily blows away a lot of high end stuff from today

[@Watcher4111]

Pioneer elite from 80s is not bad too

[@musicstevecom2]

I use 2 of them in my sound system (Front,Center) w Phase linear amps