This joint needs some more vintage hifi

boston1450

Attachment not found.Thought id post my beloved Yamaha cr-2040 otherwise from a couple lights out it is FANTASTIC. And does the job just fine

jon s

Here is my mint TOTL Sony TA-8650 V-FET Integrated Amplifier, that I have owned since 1976. It weighs about 55 lbs for a 80-watt per channel stereo amplifier. The theory for V-FET amps is that the output transistors act like tubes. Only Sony and Yamaha made V-FET amps, and it is said that they sold these amps at cost as they were prohibitively expensive. I had this overhauled a few years ago and still sounds wonderful. This sold for $1300 in 1976 (or about $6000 in 2013 dollars).

Sony never made a matching tuner to go with this model, but they did with the lower models. The matching turntable was the famous PS-8750 turntable, the first direct drive with quartz locked PLL circuitry and a carbon fibre arm in a mass market turntable. This also sold for $1300.

mhardy6647

The Sony V-FET amps are near-legendary; treat it gently as the replacement components are, as I am sure you know, made of the purest unobtanium.

Sony's hifi machinations are kind of funny; the audiophile cognescenti has never held 'em in much regard, but they've produced many fine and a few world-class products (the amp above, several speakers, and the early SACD players, e.g.) over the decades. Sony long made very high value (performance per unit cost) tape decks (cassette and reel to reel, heck, even Elcasette!) and tuners, for example.

mhardy6647

cnh

Nice Sony. That lone cap in there looks like its the size of a Foster's can!

cnh

Glen B

It should be huge. It clearly looks like a dual cap.

jon s

Right now, the Sony is connected to an Oppo BDP-83SE through the analog outs and driving a pair of modded Polk LSi15s... The LSI15s crossover caps were upgraded to Sonicaps and Mills resistors. The woofer was replaced with DB840 subs.

The sound is simply sublime and three dimensional. It sounded okay before but when I started using the Oppo player it really transformed. I have to admit, the ESS Reference 9016 DACs really impresses me. I plan to change the player to a newer Oppo BDP-95 (the latest Oppo BDP-105 uses the ESS9018 DACs as well but it is implemented differently. The -95 uses all 8 channels of the DAC for the analog out, while the -105 only uses two channels for the analog out) with the newer ESS 9018 DACs soon. I understand it improves the sound even more.

I have listened to players with Burr-Brown, Wolfson and Cirrus Logic DACs. They do not even come close to the ESS DACs. Unfortunately, not many manufacturers use it because of its cost (it's several times more expensive over most DACs). I know the latest top-line Yamaha receiver uses the ESS9016 DACs.

The only issue I have is that the amplifier uses really funky speaker connectors. It has a small opening which you insert bare (16 guage max) wire and you press a lever that clamps down on the stripped wire. I really want to change the connectors to banana types but it entails some cutting of the rear panel which I am hesitant to do.

boston1450

Little g2000 Sansui

mhardy6647

that is one of the little ones... from the tail end of the "big knob" era
;-)

gertk

Sitting in the basement... Recently restored to working order with some really unique speakers..
The speakers are branded 'Spital a Theal product, made in Japan' and are square 4 cone/coil speakers of modest power rating (perfect for this radio) and it sounds absolutely great.

ZLTFUL

gertk wrote: »

Sitting in the basement... Recently restored to working order with some really unique speakers..
The speakers are branded 'Spital a Theal product, made in Japan' and are square 4 cone/coil speakers of modest power rating (perfect for this radio) and it sounds absolutely great.

My grandpa had one exactly like that...granted, without the rubberband/shoe lace mod but...

Timothy Smith

I bought this in a small town in Michigan in the middle of winter. In my excitement, I walked out the front door of the seller's house and slipped on an ice patch, the turntable flew up in the air, but I managed to catch it before it was smashed into 1000 little pieces.

mhardy6647

Nice tt and arm - what cartridge is in it?

Timothy Smith

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Nice tt and arm - what cartridge is in it?

Kind of embarrasing, but it is mostly "fer lookin at".

It looks cool but is maddening and fragile to set up. I tried some modest cartridges like a Stanton 681EEE, a 881EEE and a Shure M97.

I still prefer my old Thorens TD-160 for actually playing most records.

But when I just want to stop **** around and simply LISTEN to my Partridge Family records I use this one:

pitdogg2

gertk wrote: »

Sitting in the basement... Recently restored to working order with some really unique speakers..
The speakers are branded 'Spital a Theal product, made in Japan' and are square 4 cone/coil speakers of modest power rating (perfect for this radio) and it sounds absolutely great.

Dude the sexiest thing about that is the wooden tuning stick!! I don't know how many gizmos I've seen just like that;)

mhardy6647

Timothy Smith wrote: »

Kind of embarrasing, but it is mostly "fer lookin at".

It looks cool but is maddening and fragile to set up. I tried some modest cartridges like a Stanton 681EEE, a 881EEE and a Shure M97.

I still prefer my old Thorens TD-160 for actually playing most records.

But when I just want to stop **** around and simply LISTEN to my Partridge Family records I use this one:

I've got one of those... :-)
(I guess it's part of my "Fisher" collection)

George Grand

The Clockwork Orange table.

mhardy6647

actually and FWIW I think that the table in A Clockwork Orange was a Transcriptor Hydraulic Reference tt. The Skeleton was a later product (mid 1970s). http://www.transcriptors.net/

I saw the Skeleton with its companion Vestigal arm quite convincingly demoed with a Grado cartridge at a bizarre little hifi store in downtown Baltimore "back in the day"... yes they're finicky, but when properly set up they're quite capable.

The JA Michell decks - as I understand it - are direct lineal descendents of the Transcriptors.

Timothy Smith

George Grand wrote: »

The Clockwork Orange table.

Bingo. One of my favorite movies, but not really a good "date" movie unless your girlfriend is crazy and violent.

I read that the Transcriptors turntable shown in the movie was Stanley Kubrick's personal turntable, and that he didn't get it back after filming. It looked really futuristic in 1971, and still looks futuristic today 40 years later.

Dawgfish

mhardy6647 wrote: »

The Sony V-FET amps are near-legendary; treat it gently as the replacement components are, as I am sure you know, made of the purest unobtanium.

Sony's hifi machinations are kind of funny; the audiophile cognescenti has never held 'em in much regard, but they've produced many fine and a few world-class products (the amp above, several speakers, and the early SACD players, e.g.) over the decades. Sony long made very high value (performance per unit cost) tape decks (cassette and reel to reel, heck, even Elcasette!) and tuners, for example.

Don't forget about their turntables. I'll never part with this baby, Sony PS-X75 Biotracer.

mhardy6647

Yes, the Biotracer arms worked well - one of the local hifi guys has one of those tts and it works well.

Mikey081057

2252b

mhardy6647

From my favorite local emporium (goes without saying). This one's been a shelf queen for years; I think I've talked myself into trying to sell it at NEARC this weekend.

Of course, I made the mistake of hooking it up and listening to it last night... the FM sounded darned good in it...

mhardy6647

Well, the Sam Sui didn't sell for the 50 smacker asking price, so it's still with us :-)

I did pick up this ol' girl for twenny-five Samoleums; looks fair and works amazingly well... my first Sherwood vacuum tube tuner with on board MPX stereo decoder (and it even works).


Sherwood S3000 V 2 by mhardy6647, on Flickr

EndersShadow

I swear 90% of the terminology you use I have to google to find out what it is :biggrin:....

pitdogg2

MAN THAT IS SWEET!!!!

I've had many tuners Yammies,Carver Tx11b but once I got the Sansui Tu719 as the saying goes the buck STOPPED there

mhardy6647

QUOTE=pitdogg2;1969308]MAN THAT IS SWEET!!!!

I've had many tuners Yammies,Carver Tx11b but once I got the Sansui Tu719 as the saying goes the buck STOPPED there[/QUOTE]
You probably wouldn't say that if you ran across a Sansui TU-X1 ;-)

EDIT: oh, speaking of Sansuis... I did try to take some photos of it all lit up - too much caffeine, though...

[




... as to my lexicon :-) unfortunately, since I like to coin neologisms, looking up words in my posts could be a futile endeavor ;-)

pitdogg2

mhardy6647 wrote: »

You probably wouldn't say that if you ran across a Sansui TU-X1 ;-)

Well DUH but then again I sometimes stop and ask myself, Do I really need a 2500.00 tuner ummm NO! As tuners go I'm at the top of the heap for me. I watch them every time I see them come up. I'd need a winning lottery ticket to play in the ball game.

mhardy6647

oh, I did manage to sell this poor little guy for a very modest sum - the power amp section was kaput, but the preamp/tuner section worked fine.

cnh

EndersShadow wrote: »

I swear 90% of the terminology you use I have to google to find out what it is :biggrin:....

Some of that may be generational? You're probably less than a half century old? lol Those of us over that now span the terminological repertoire of the greatest generation (our parents), ourselves, and some of, though by no means "all" of, the more current lingo!

I have a 5000A as well. Thinking about firing it up later. Problems: Tuning meter is not functional though all lights work. Tuning can be a little temperamental at times. But sounds good enough powering a couple of B.A. A100s in the basement room.

But, at the moment, I'm running a couple of Optimus ? (Minimus 7 successors) and a Polk sub with a JVC CD changer that has some Brubeck in it.

Couldn't sell a Sansui 5000A for $50? Tough times. I believe I paid $75 for mine. lol

Well, I should really be lifting some weights instead of hanging out on the forums, now, shouldn't I?

cnh