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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy posted by RGA on May 14, 2022 at 03:59:17:
The year was 1996. I was upgrading my system and decided the Onkyo T9090II tuner was what I needed. It was called the Super Tuner, Stereophile Class B, 18 lbs. of computer controlled state of the art analog tuner with a full function remote and many other features. The tuner section itself was tops though the analog output stage, while very very good, produced sound a step behind the legendary Marantz and McIntosh units. List price was about $800.
It was being sold at J&R Electronics in lower Manhattan and since I was working in midtown I got on the subway to get the Onkyo during lunch hour. But when I exited the subway to my surprise there was a huge ticker tape parade going on for the NY Yankees, who had won the 1996 World Series, and with the many thousands of people, floats, dignitaries, etc., the police would not let me cross Broadway to get to J&R to buy the unit. I was beginning to think the Onkyo purchase was not going to happen.
So I watched and enjoyed the parade for quite awhile, seeing Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and other great players pass by on various floats while I decided what to do. Finally, I headed north to City Hall and was finally able to cross the street and buy the tuner. And I had the unexpected benefit of seeing the parade for one of the great NY Yankee teams.
Great tuner it was and it still is. I liked it so much that several years later I looked into upgrades but was told by several experts that the tuner section was of such high quality that any changes would not really produce an improvement.
So, I had the analog output stage professionally upgraded with top quality components. Fine improvement. And just last year I decided that it was time to finally remove the attached power cord and replace it with an IEC outlet, to which I attached a $1,000 Shunyata power cord. WOW! I couldn't believe how the unit now sounds. I think it's better than my friend's Marantz 10B. I'm not kidding.
Built like the proverbial tank, everything still works perfectly, including the remote. Many super high end manufacturers would be proud to produce a unit with the Onkyo's quality. I use it less nowadays but enjoy it immensely when I do and consider it a prized part of my audio system. And I still smile when I think of the trip to buy it and the World Series ticker tape parade that I got to see.
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Follow Ups
- My Onkyo story - Ned 05/14/2217:17:52 05/14/22 (0)
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