Looking for Help Building a Modest, Vintage System

Sounds Good!

Sounds Good!

I gazed a gazeless stare . . .
Subscriber
My introduction to and love for stereo equipment started in 1975 when my dad bought a Pioneer Quadraphonic stereo system, at Lechmere, as a family Christmas present. I remember listening to the system late Christmas night, by myself, and my mom came down to listen with me. I was playing Greetings from Asbury Park and a Donnie Hathaway/Roberta Flack album. It's a moment I will never forget. I've been hooked ever since.

I have a handful of receivers, including a Pioneer QX747, Sansui G5700, an HK AVR20, and a new Yamaha 677 7.2 (the last three I bought new; the Pioneer is a recent nostalgic buy). I also have few speakers, but not much worth mentioning (AR 410s I bought new).

I am looking to improve my vintage equipment by adding a high powered receiver or similarly priced separates, two pairs of vintage quality speakers, a vintage turntable and a quadraphonic 8-track player.

I am looking for advice on the receiver, speakers and turntable.

A local guy has a mint set of Polk 10A Monitors with stands, but I don't know if these would be a good addition. Also, I remember fondly a pair of EPI 100s I had.

I'd love to open a dialogue with some knowledgeable people who could make some recommendations. Budget somewhere $2000 to $3000.

Thanks, Sounds Good!
 
For that amount you will have wonderful stuff. I tend to listen to receivers because that is where most of my interest has been but do have nice vintage integrated also. (High end receivers are on par to a larger degree for sure.)

From the sound of it your previous listening probably has your ears tuned for liking the warm but detailed "smooth" sound (me too) and beings you like Sansui I don't think you can go wrong with that brand's popular gear at all. G-8000 and up (in receivers) is truly top notch and if purchased in good shape sensibly? Money in the bank and will be a positive experience. (Early nice Pioneer is no slouch in "warm and detailed" either......Sansui is just more clear up top and choice is all about what you enjoy.)

Special for me is:
Upper Sansui G
Sansui 717 family and above

Pioneer SX-1010 (Still can't understand how these are so deserving and still so inexpensive.....Value!)

Luxman R-1050 and above.

Marantz (Signal path type can really shine in lower wattaged.....close comparisons in large units mostly.)

Onkyo TX-6500 (MKI and MKII) and above. (Smooth to the inth and breathless with force.)

Nikko Integrated (Top end vintage clarity that is silk and manages to have a creaminess to it......unknown mostly and embarrassingly under appreciated.)



Speaks and source? Source components can be so undervalued so good research is king. Speaks.....same so listen to many but ADS, nice EPI, nice AR, upper Dahlquist, upper KLH, early to mid era KEF.......others (and nothing wrong with buying smart and changing out until you "hit" on this most important component.)
Can't speak concerning gear I haven't had ears on but I have enjoyed this stuff and know it's solid and not a misstep for a smart path.
 
I have a Nikko Beta 20 and a Alpha 220 power amp. This combination sounds really nice.
I am driving a pair of JBL 4411 monitors and believe me, those speakers have plenty of bass.
You can find these components on Ebay for around $2,000. The Beta 20 has a phono stage
that sounds quite nice. These are all older components dating to around 1980 so they may need
some minor component upgrades. But you will find this in any vintage audio. Nikko is a company
that made very nice gear but which was not well known. Another company that makes really nice sounding
audio and sells for reasonable prices is Proton. I have a D-540 integrated amp that sounds fantastic.
I bought it new in the early 80's and have been using it every since.
For small bookshelf speakers, I like the older Mirage "iS" series. Don't confuse them with the "i" series or the
series with no "i" or "iS'. The 190iS and 290iS sound amazing. KEF speakers are always a good bet as well.
Polk are nice, but not as good as KEF or Mirage.
 
Here are your four speakers:

Edit: search flea-bay for Quad ESL 63 - two pair are advertised now

Scrounge the rest.

But, your system is no longer modest.
 
Sansui G-8000 or G-9000, Marantz 2325 or 2500.
Polk Monitor 10
DCM TF700 or TF1000
Vandersteen
B&W
KEF
 
I would shoot towards the upper end of that $3K budget, and I would get:

Speaker System: Vandersteen 2Ci -- $700.00

Integrated Amplifier: Pioneer SA-9500 -- $550.00

Turntable: Technics SL-1200 Mk II -- $400.00

Phono Cartridge: Audio Technica (I would leave you on your own here, hopefully you a little bit about Phono Cartridges in general, but I would choose new here) -- $150.00 to $250.00

System Total: $1,900.00 (with plenty left over for Price Appropriate Cables, and your Vintage Quadrophonic 8-Track Tape Player)

--Charles--
 
I second the opinion about the Nikko gear. I have Alpha I and Alpha II amps along with the corresponding preamps, the Beta I and Beta II. I use the Alpha I and Beta I with a Mitsubishi LT-30 turntable, some JBL 530 studio monitors and a Martin Logan subwoofer. The system sounds wonderful and I highly recommend the Nikko gear. The Alpha I is a 220 wpc power amp. Right now I am bypassing the Beta I preamp and using a Yaqin ms23b (Les Box modified tube phono stage) connected to an Aric Audio 3.7 tube preamp running into the Nikko Alpha I and it sounds terrific. The tube combo going into the power amp produces a great sound that you can modify by doing some tube rolling. I would search for the Nikko gear if you can find it. I see them on flea bay quite frequently, but be aware that the Alpha I power amp probably weighs about 40 pounds. They really built them back then. Shipping could be a killer. I was able to do a local pickup on mine. Just do some research on this forum and some others and you will come up with some good ideas. I personally like vintage gear better than the new stuff, but then, that is a matter of personal choice and opinion. I have over 20 different turntables, and after a lot of experimentation. I am winnowing out the herd. I do love the Mitsubishi turntables..both the linear trackers (LT-30, LT-22, LT-20) and the pivot arm (DP-EC1, DP-EC2, DP-EC8). They are beautiful tables that produce excellent sound, but I also love the old Elac Miracord 50h turntables with idler wheels that I have as they look really cool and produce some surprisingly good music if they are refurbished. The Technics direct drive tables are foolproof, sound great, and will last forever if you get a good one. For 3000 dollars you could probably get the Nikko gear, an excellent turntable from the brands mentioned, or others, (Pioneer, Denon, Thorens..........the list goes on), and get some decent speakers. The latest hot number that I am lusting for are the KEF ls50's. They are supposed to be phenomenal. I have read nothing but rave reviews about them. Adding a decent musical ,(not a home theater roof rattler), sub woofer should not be too expensive if you need one. I have a very inexpensive Martin Logan powered subwoofer that I love that is used strictly for music. Search around. It is fun...but beware....it can become an addiction :)
 
If I had $3000 to spend on a vintage stereo system I would go out and listen to new speakers at a price range of ~$2000. I would put up to 66% of that money into new speakers. I would make sure the speakers match the room size and décor. If I really had to have vintage Speakers than I would find something that compares to the new ones as a reference, but spend less than 66% of the budget, leaving more for the other components.

I would then spend the remaining on vintage Turntable/Cart and the Amp/receiver ---> How this divides up is a wildcard. You never what you will find and prices for vintage gear depends on many things, especially location.

I would also strongly consider having the vintage receiver/amp restored by a known high quality tech at some point, or just buy a restored one from Barter Town. 40 year old electronics needs restoration.
 
ooops.....just stumbled back onto this thread. OP referenced a 2000-3000 dollar budget....was working with that. I agree that you can do it much cheaper. My Nikko Alpha I/Beta I amp/preamp combo was around 250. My Elac Miracord 50h ii was 75 bucks plus a wood plinth/dustcover combo that I already had for 50 bucks.
Speakers....ah....that's another story....picked up a pair of Infinity Rs-4000's for 125, and I like the them quite a bit....but I have to say that my JBL studio 530's do sound much better....and my Definitive Technology speakers blow them both away.
I could live happily with the Elac Miracord 50h ii , Nikko gear, and the Infinity Rs-4000's that would have come in for 500-600 bucks with I guess an Audio Technica AT95 phono cartridge or something similar. I would be jumping for joy with an Audio Technica AT160ML. The phono cartridge and the speakers add or subtract the most from this setup.....probably the phono cartridge first... then speakers....but its a tough call...chicken or egg.
It seems that you can find decent speakers at a bargain price if you are willing to shop around a bit and pick them up locally yourself, but a good phono cartridge is not something that I have been able to find cheaply unless it was unwittingly included with a turntable being sold by someone who didn't know what they had.
I guess the point is that if you are patient, occasionally lucky, do some research, and are somewhat knowledgeable, then you can put together a nice system over time at a pretty reasonable price. Everything I said is verysubjective and completely my own opinion only .....your mileage and tastes may vary :).....just keep listening to that vinyl.
 
bd1886 said:
For that amount you will have wonderful stuff. I tend to listen to receivers because that is where most of my interest has been but do have nice vintage integrated also. (High end receivers are on par to a larger degree for sure.)

From the sound of it your previous listening probably has your ears tuned for liking the warm but detailed "smooth" sound (me too) and beings you like Sansui I don't think you can go wrong with that brand's popular gear at all. G-8000 and up (in receivers) is truly top notch and if purchased in good shape sensibly? Money in the bank and will be a positive experience. (Early nice Pioneer is no slouch in "warm and detailed" either......Sansui is just more clear up top and choice is all about what you enjoy.)

Special for me is:
Upper Sansui G
Sansui 717 family and above

Pioneer SX-1010 (Still can't understand how these are so deserving and still so inexpensive.....Value!)

Luxman R-1050 and above.

Marantz (Signal path type can really shine in lower wattaged.....close comparisons in large units mostly.)

Onkyo TX-6500 (MKI and MKII) and above. (Smooth to the inth and breathless with force.)

Nikko Integrated (Top end vintage clarity that is silk and manages to have a creaminess to it......unknown mostly and embarrassingly under appreciated.)



Speaks and source? Source components can be so undervalued so good research is king. Speaks.....same so listen to many but ADS, nice EPI, nice AR, upper Dahlquist, upper KLH, early to mid era KEF.......others (and nothing wrong with buying smart and changing out until you "hit" on this most important component.)
Can't speak concerning gear I haven't had ears on but I have enjoyed this stuff and know it's solid and not a misstep for a smart path.
Click to expand...
 
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