Re: OK here's a challenge... - Bruce from DC

Amp/Preamp Asylum

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Re: OK here's a challenge...

Posted by Bruce from DC (B) on December 2, 2005 at 07:54:13

In Reply to: OK here's a challenge... posted by greygrl on December 1, 2005 at 12:33:01:

Well, you're looking for a "receiver" with a vintage of mid-1980s or earlier. (Newer ones are unlikely to have a phono input.)

The vintage years for receivers, IMHO, were the late 1970s. Some brands that were excellent were: Luxman (I still own one from 1978), Marantz, Yamaha and Pioneer. You should find some avaialble with power outputs of 40 to 100+ watts per channel. The only problem is that, with equipment of this age, the electrolytic caps in the power supply will need replacing.

If you want to go a little "deeper" vintage there are vacuum tube receivers made up through the mid 1960s. Fisher was the one of the best-selling quality brands. These will have much more modest power output -- 20 watts or so per channel -- and, of course will have the same age-related electrolytic capacitor issues. Typically, these have rather small output transformers, so the bass is rather soft and the treble is somewhat rolled-off. In my opinion, must non-SOTA tube-based FM tuners (as you would find in a receiver) were greatly inferior to their transistor successors in RF capability. Drift was a problem and stereo reception was often noisy.

If your friend wants to go "mix and match," there are any number of vintage tube integrated amplifiers that are going to be better than the amp section of a tube receiver; and then she could buy a transistor tuner. Bear in mind, that just about any tuner that's 20 or more years old is probably going to need alignment by an RF technician to deliver its designed performance.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - OK here's a challenge... - greygrl 12:33:01 12/1/05 (16)

Marantz 2200 series - Lemonbishop 14:30:40 12/4/05 (0)

Sherwood S-8900 if you can find one - rnhood 04:18:39 12/4/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - docw 17:56:05 12/2/05 (0)

Nad 1600 preamp/tuner and B&K ST-140.... - reelsmith 16:52:55 12/2/05 (0)

Highly respected sellers on ebay - edta 11:43:42 12/2/05 (0)

Vintage is the way to go but... - Doublej 11:21:58 12/2/05 (1)

Vanns has the HK 3480 for $315 shipped - mt10425 16:18:22 12/2/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - DBB 10:44:43 12/2/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - Bruce from DC 12/2/0507:54:13 12/2/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - mt10425 04:11:45 12/2/05 (0)

Vintage asylum is your best bet... - docw 18:02:59 12/1/05 (0)

Vintage? - deaf_j 15:59:16 12/1/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - GELewis 15:32:06 12/1/05 (0)

Could tubes be in her future? - Russ57 15:30:23 12/1/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - Craiger56@aol.com 14:51:54 12/1/05 (0)

Re: OK here's a challenge... - Martin Taylor 13:44:23 12/1/05 (0)

Follow Ups

Re: OK here's a challenge... - Bruce from DC 12/2/0507:54:13 12/2/05 (0)

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