Was 1967-1971 really the best sound?

My3kidsdad

Vintage, Where Art Thou?
I have been reading everywhere about better receivers while trying to buy the best vintage stereo with a merger budget to start. I admit when I was really interested in stereo back in the seventies I really wanted a big power sound. On returning to stereo this year I began with a search for big receivers for great sound but kept bumping up against others learned opinions that better sound resides in vintage old power from the early seventies- actually ending by 1971!

You know how it can be hard to let go.. Of an idea that is really just wrong? It has taken me a few weeks of searching the net's wisdom to confirm again that the better sound resides in rebuilding a early receiver to better than new specs with better caps, etc. So ok I accept it. Now I'm looking at the Sansui G-6000 i wanted to buy with suspicion as it is past the time of better sound.

I dont know if there a few receivers brand/models out there that were built before 1972 that will provide 40 wpc rms for my Paradigms. I may have to compromise a bit and by a later model Sansui, maybe the G-xxx series.
 
What are we talking about here? Tube sound or solid state? Because if it is solid state, there are certainly MANY receivers made in the '70s that are "classics" and sound wonderful.

That includes pieces by Yamaha, the famous Harman Kardon twin power series (430, 630, 730, 930), Marantz (if you like that sound), and the Pioneer SX-X2X, and X3X series, etc.

Have many people, here said that vintage receivers "peaked" before '71? If so, I haven't come across that.

cnh2
 
Be careful what you read and believe on the internet. Look around you as you walk around a mall. These are the same types of random people that are giving you advice online. Would you trust that all of them, all of these random people, know what they're talking about? Everybody that talks like an expert isn't one. I hope I'm not talking like one, because I'm not...but I certainly know that what you've been told, is very wrong.

If you want the G-6000, buy it. Early solid state from 67-71 isn't inherently better than the late '70s solid state. Everybody has different preferences and each era, old, very old, somewhat old, less old, newer, newest and modern, or whatever you want to call it... has stuff that sounds better and worse than some gear from another era.

But seriously, the whole '67-'71 thing isn't true. Whoever told you that needs to own a wider variety of gear, because there's no way to come to that conclusion if you're listening to a wide variety of stuff with an open mind.
 
What are we talking about here? Tube sound or solid state? Because if it is solid state, there are certainly MANY receivers made in the '70s that are "classics" and sound wonderful.

That includes pieces by Yamaha, the famous Harman Kardon twin power series (430, 630, 730, 930), Marantz (if you like that sound), and the Pioneer SX-X2X, and X3X series, etc.

Have many people, here said that vintage receivers "peaked" before '71? If so, I haven't come across that.

cnh2

I too like H/K very much- I remember lusting after a 330c when they were new because I made a mistake and bought a Sony T1150 ( sounded like crap even with headphones). Those Marantz are right up my alley as are the Sansuies - sounds better for sure.
 
Be careful what you read and believe on the internet. Look around you as you walk around a mall. These are the same types of random people that are giving you advice online. Would you trust that all of them, all of these random people, know what they're talking about? Everybody that talks like an expert isn't one. I hope I'm not talking like one, because I'm not...but I certainly know that what you've been told, is very wrong.

If you want the G-6000, buy it. Early solid state from 67-71 isn't inherently better than the late '70s solid state. Everybody has different preferences and each era, old, very old, somewhat old, less old, newer, newest and modern, or whatever you want to call it... has stuff that sounds better and worse than some gear from another era.

But seriously, the whole '67-'71 thing isn't true. Whoever told you that needs to own a wider variety of gear, because there's no way to come to that conclusion if you're listening to a wide variety of stuff with an open mind.

I have read a number of times of other guys talking about IC's in the output path corrupting the purity of the sound, etc. and a number of other cost-cutting cheapening of the designs. I really had begun to wonder if the sound was not as fine so to speak.
 
The only part of a circa 1970's receiver that might just be better then a modern receiver would be the AM receiver section. You could get the Sansui 600L at this time which was a really nice receiver with Short and Medium wave reception. I nearly purchased one and now I don't remember why I didn't, probably didn't have the loot. You often ran into the 500L or the 600L in Navy PX's at the time they where considered a receiver for international sales. I notice there are some for sale at eBay right now. As I remember this was a really great sounding unit just like other Sansui's at the time.

2731372261_234c06b92c_o.jpg
 
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Most of my friends then had Pioneer and Marantz receivers and listed to less than well cared for rock records. It was very difficult to make comparisons. I ended up starting out with a Yamaha CR-600 because I liked the cleaner sound.
 
The only part of a circa 1970's receiver that might just be better then a modern receiver would be the AM receiver section. You could get the Sansui 600L at this time which was a really nice receiver with Short and Medium wave reception. I nearly purchased one and now I don't remember why I didn't, probably didn't have the loot. You often ran into the 500L or the 600L in Navy PX's at the time they where considered a receiver for international sales. I notice there are some for sale at eBay right now. As I remember this was a really great sounding unit just like other Sansui's at the time.

2731372261_234c06b92c_o.jpg

That is a fine looking piece the 600L. So maybe that Sansui G-6000 i found would be just fine for my first foray back into it.q I like my new old 9esMk3's and am looking forward to hearing them with a decent receiver for the first time.

By the way hello I am new here.
 
I had one friend circa '75 with Sansui. It was a console he brought back along with a new wife from living in Tokyo for a couple of years. I could not believe a console could sound good, especially that good.
 
I am glad to hear what your saying as without the benefit of the experience all you people have it would take me years to determine your right and miss out on the newer stuff to try.
 
Do you have a particular one in mind? I just committed to a rebuilt Luxman R115 to get me by until I can find a 'proper' silver receiver.

Hello ,

I had few of the rated recievers during this era 73-88 , models used were from Sony, Scott, Sansui, pioneer , Technics, Kenwood and lastly Onkyo. Sansui's always had good sound and looked good, but the real sleepers amongst them were the Technics and Onkyo.

The big Technics with power display IMO was the best sonically of the Jap recievers, good drive as the Sansui's , but without the darkness and i did go thru quite a few sansui amps , pre's and recievers during that era, the recievers were not as open as the seperates.

At the time the big technics was a match for my ML-9 power amp , talk about rude awakening ..:)
 
There's a couple of points where vintage has an advantage over new stuff.
It's usually cheaper - yesterdays TOTL whatever is going to be cheaper than today's. Pretty much anything 40-50-60 years old, the company is long out of business, and is still desirable to people that have been into the hobby for a while must be at least good, if not great. If you don't over pay you can usually sell it for what you spent if it's not to your taste.
 
In my opinion receivers (and amps),peaked around 1979 in terms of sound quality and build quality (I'm not talking about hi-end specialist gear).

Receivers are a completely different 'kettle of fish' nowadays,therefore are not built for simple two channel stereo,instead most of the money go's into cinema/computer features.As for build quality,well I won't even go into that!

My Arcam AVR 300 won numerous awards back around 2004,and to be perfectly honest,'can't hold a candle' to most 70's receivers in-terms of two channel sound quality/build quality.It's MRRP was around £1500 at the time,nowadays that would probably be even more due to inflation.I've owned other modern receivers too,from the likes of Sony,Technics,Panasonic etc,all have been a let down.

Simple two channel stereo doesn't really matter anymore when it comes to receivers.
Sadly cost cutting has been 'the name of the game' for decades now,e.g.,make a tiny heat sink (less weight and less expensive to produce/ship),then add a cheap chinese made fan instead sorta thing that can be recycled.
 
IMHO two channel audio, especially receivers, peaked in the late 70's/early 80's, just before the advent of the black plastic crap and big box store marketing. After that, all the "major" brands just kind of went to hell, riding on their reputation/name and selling junk for a few hundred bucks at any store that would stock them. Anything built prior to the era of "high efficiency" chip amps and switching power supplies, it is pretty easy to judge what you are getting--buy it by the pound... power supplies and heat sinks that weigh a ton are a good sign. Granted, modern amplifier technology has changed, and you can buy a 2500w pro amp that weighs less than 12lbs, but I don't expect to see those still in service 30-40 yrs down the road...
 
In the 45 watts/channel class, I have found 1967 to 1973 to be the peak years for build quality and sonics in Japanese made receivers. This is when the Japanese were designing them for sonics rather than for cost cutting. I think too high damping factors, too much over use of negative feedback, IC circuits in tone circuitry, and nasty ceramic caps in tone circuitry began making a lot of receivers sound inferior to the older models. I have owned many, many receivers and amplifiers over many, many years. In solid state, my Sansui 4000 is my favorite of the lot. Back then too, these units weren't as a rule discounted either. Which meant they could afford to build them better too. For me, in say Pioneer, the -50 series were the last really good models. I also as a rule dislike anything with STK modules in it, a sign of lazy design.
 
There's a couple of points where vintage has an advantage over new stuff.
It's usually cheaper - yesterdays TOTL whatever is going to be cheaper than today's. Pretty much anything 40-50-60 years old, the company is long out of business, and is still desirable to people that have been into the hobby for a while must be at least good, if not great. If you don't over pay you can usually sell it for what you spent if it's not to your taste.

You may fix this a bit off but I have come to a point where if I find the best of what I am looking for, I just pay. Long after I have forgotten what it cost I am still glad I got it.. And this is what I hope to do with whatever I end up with (probably a Sansui G-6000 not far from here.)
 
I have a G5000 and a G7000 and I like them very well. Excellent all around performers especially with the right speakers. However...that being said...I prefer the sound of my Pioneer SX9000 (1971), my Sansui 3000A (1967), and my Sansui 2000X (early 70's) in most of the set up's I have heard them in.

I do really like the G series receivers though, so as it has been said before, it's really just a matter of preference. All the items I mentioned are quality units from different era's. Those era's tend to sound different from one another, but both sound good. Get one from each time period and do some experimenting. Have fun.
 
The only part of a circa 1970's receiver that might just be better then a modern receiver would be the AM receiver section.

...and not just am...the fm section on this 70's aiwa brick gives a hitachi ft-5500 MK2 a very hard time.
And as for the phono stage and amplifier section..there's not a modern budget amp i'd consider swapping it for.
Zero hum , not a hint of hiss and none of that grainy presentation you associate with modern cheap electronics.
 

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