$1500 to spend a Amp/Reciever, What would you get for Classic Rock ?

I drove the 901's that I repaired for my brother-in-law with a Kenwood M2 and C1 basic combo. They sounded great, nice tight gut punching bass. I think I lost some shingles from the roof.

You should join AK and take a look in Bartertown for a nice amp.
 
What speaker do you select for 70s rock music??? In my opinion, it totally depends on what you are looking for out of your sound. Not all speakers are made equally.

Bose for example, to me, is your classic midrange centric speaker system. It doesn't have super brilliant highs and it doesn't have super low bass...but what it has is an amazing mid-range quality, one of the best! So if you focus is on vocal qualities and you love the blaring guitar sound, the Bose is a great choice. By the way, if you look at all of Bose's marketing videos and materials, they emphasize vocal and symphonic music tracks. Again...midrange stuff!

JBL has a different approach. If you like the sound of drums and the bass more than the clarity of the midrange, then JBL is a classic for this type of sound. Distinctive highs with heavy bass and good midrange is what made the JBL L-100s famous and the absolute standard speaker monitor in almost every studio in the 70s.

So it depends on what you are looking for. There is no right answer to your question. It's all personal taste. Keep in mind...one man's food is another man's poison.

Marine0811 recommended the JBL L100t. For me, I love the JBL L100t for rock. It's a fantastic speaker! I don't own any...but I have heard them before and they are awesome!!!

I own two pair of Cerwin Vega U-321 speakers. Don't even try looking for these. They are impossible to find in good condition. These speakers are monsters with rock, funk, jazz and fusion. Not so strong with classical and vocal tracks. I drive them with a Marantz 250M. Van Halen's Unchained never sounded so good!!! :)

Before switching to Marantz, I used Kenwood KA-801s to power my stereos. Here is a picture of one of them that I sold on eBay:

DSC_A0269.JPG

My strongest suggestion is to take a lot of time to pick out speakers. The speakers will represent about 75% of the sound of your stereo. So invest the time.

I hope this helps.
 
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What speaker do you select for 70s rock music??? In my opinion, it totally depends on what you are looking for out of your sound. Not all speakers are made equally.

Bose for example, to me, is your classic midrange centric speaker system. It doesn't have super brilliant highs and it doesn't have super low bass...but what it has is an amazing mid-range quality, one of the best! So if you focus is on vocal qualities and you love the blaring guitar sound, the Bose is a great choice. By the way, if you look at all of Bose's marketing videos and materials, they emphasize vocal and symphonic music tracks. Again...midrange stuff

If you are ever in Kansas City I would like to let you listen to what a pair of Bose 501 Series II can do. When they are positioned correctly, they are in the corner of the room sitting on the floor. This is how they were designed to be positioned. The bass is full, plentiful, clear and not muddy. The highs from the dual tweeters bouncing off seperate walls is by no means dull or flat. And best of all, you need all of ten watts (like JBL's). A hundred helps but by no means required to achieve lifelike volume levels. Have you heard properly set up Bose speakers? Like Magnepan's they respond marvelously to proper positioning. Some consider that a handicap. I am sure the OP's 901's can sound real nice and full, with proper amplification and positioning, especially since he has the EQ.

The 501's I referred to are 40 + years old and have never been serviced. In the past I owned JBL L36's (good speakers) and I enjoy these a bit more as they are more balanced.

Again YMMV - Thanks for reading
 
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Unfortunately, I live nowhere close to Kansas City. I wish I could hear your speakers.

This aside, I do know Bose very well. I knew 3 guys that had 501s. It's a wonderful speaker in many ways. It's my observation that you are right...it takes a little work and effort to maximize the sound from the Bose 501.

To me, even though Bose is typically a very well balanced speaker, it can not compete on any level with the JBL L-100T, JBL L-100, Cerwin Vega U-321, Ohm C-3, Klipsch Forte or a host of other speakers when you are playing heavier rock music with heavy bass transcients. They (Bose) are not optimized for this type of music. Check out this link from Bose's Marketing Department...no heavy rock music heard here:


James Taylor's You Got a Friend sounds amazing on Bose! Rage Against the Machine's Testify doesn't sound so great on Bose. To produce big sound (bass), you need big cabinets. It's the physics that you can't escape. Bose typically have relatively small cabinets. Those cabinets produce OK treble and wonderful midrange and barely OK bass. To get a Bose based system going, you need to run an EQ or add a sub-woofer, or best, add both! With the add-ons, Bose becomes competitive with rock tracks.

With Marine0811's recommendation of JBL L-100T, you get a rock speaker with huge sound immediately out of box. Placement doesn't matter. No EQ necessary. No Sub-Woofer necessary unless you want to shatter any nearby glass faster!!!

So maybe we need to define rock a little better:

1) Soft Rock - Fleetwood Mac, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Eddie Money, Eric Clapton, Hall & Oats, Jackson Brown, Moody Blues, Pat Benatar, Pink Floyd and etc.

2) Heavier Rock - AC/DC, Aerosmith, Allman Brothers, Average White Band, Bad Company, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Foreigner, Grand Funk Railroad, Heart, Helmet, Jimi Hendrix, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and etc.

In my opinion, I think Bose is better suited for list number "1)", than list number "2)". Again...it's just my opinion.

Back when I was in college, I worked part-time at a stereo shop called "Tech-HiFi". Back then I watched very carefully how people selected speakers. It was fascinating watching people do it because everyone hears music differently. There is no right or wrong to any of this.

I have given my opinion above based on what I hear. My opinion is only correct for me...and maybe a few others. If you have found magic in the Bose 501, that's awesome! You aren't alone, others like them too. I feel that you are very fortunate because I think most people are still searching for the sound that will please them best.

So, I meant not disrespect toward Bose. My only point was, generally speaking, different speakers do different things well.
 
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Your Yamaha is 40 years old and could probably benefit from a tech giving it a once over. Caps don't last forever. I love some of the old vintage speakers but they really don't sound as good as quality new ones.Tech has just gotten better. I have the Altec Boleros that are a great old speaker but the Martin Logans LX16's at 11" tall are much better speakers and they are both playing through a totally recapped Luxman L450. The A-B comparison doesn't lie.The Luxman is a couple years newer than your Yamaha and the before and after sound was dramatically better after the recap. There are bookshelf speakers from many makers for less than a grand that are just outstanding without all the fiddleness of setting up Bose and will sound a heck of a lot better. I agree with another poster that the Outlaw RR2160 for 800 bucks and a new set of speakers will go a long ways to better sound then save up for a new cart. Outlaw has a 30 day money back so if you don't like it send it back The Outlaw will be in my stocking.
 
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I'm thinking about upgrading or adding to my system. I currently have a Yamaha CR-1020, Thorens TD165, Bose 901 Series II, and Dynaco A25's. I'd like to hear some opinions on a good amp upgrade. Most of the stuff I listen to is on vinyl and most is Classic Rock, Blues, and a little Jazz. Thanks for any help.
Opinions vary but, IMNSHO, while not the most expensive or impressive option out there, the ne plus ultra system from the early 70's would be a Marantz 2270, a pair of JBLL-100's and either a Dual or Elac/Miracord turntable.
 
Opinions vary but, IMNSHO, while not the most expensive or impressive option out there, the ne plus ultra system from the early 70's would be a Marantz 2270, a pair of JBLL-100's and either a Dual or Elac/Miracord turntable.

I've had a pair of JBL L-100's that were mint. They were good but just wasn't the sound I wanted. It would help if I knew exactly what I wanted. :( I'll just keep experimenting.
 
I've had a pair of JBL L-100's that were mint. They were good but just wasn't the sound I wanted. It would help if I knew exactly what I wanted. :( I'll just keep experimenting.
Same with me. Brother had a pair of 100's and they were excellent for low level listening but as the volume went up I just wanted to get away. We revisited those same speakers 35 years later after he bought them back from a friend. My opinion hadn't changed and my brother who has climbed the audio ladder saw that they couldn't come close to what he had now. Had a pair of the L-36's and I couldn't get rid of those ice picks quick enough. JBL's are just not for me.
 
Stick the cash in your sock drawer, or maybe somewhere that will give you some interest on it. Then just sit back (or stand up and play some air guitar) and enjoy what you've got. Sooner or later, either (a) something is going to break, or (b), you're going to know exactly what you want. And there's you, all flush with cash.

(disclaimer: Although I talk a good show, I would spend the money on a big assed power amp, Kenwood KA-9100 minimum up to Phase Linear 700B WOPL or such.)
 
Once I get my system back from my son...:rolleyes:

I have been running Bose 901 Series II's since their inception (1974?)...never found them wanting. Coupla years ago I got a first generation pair of Realistic Optimus 1's from and estate sale. Very disappointed with the Opt-1's, all highs and lows, but no mids (clearly need recap :(), nothing like I remember when I was selling them in 1969...then, by accident, I ran both the Opt-1's and the Bose and OMG! Perfection! I never thought the Bose lacking until I added some acoustic suspension lows and highs. (no equalizer of course, with it added, get a lot for acoustic feedback with turntable).

Get your equalizer recapped, and try running the Bose and your Dyna speakers together in the same frontal field at the same time ( if they are all 8 ohms impedance)...with and without eq...the eq may overwhelm the a/c speakers. But the combination works great for me. Will have to try it with my (also "son's") Beovox 2600's, though I imagine the single woofer and tweeter will not be as good as the Op-1's...
 
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skip the TOTL Pioneers/Marantz - they are nice but command $$$ - sometimes more than your budget
and unless re-capped by an AK expert you might have to add a few hundred to do so.

keep your amp or buy some used (but checked out or recapped) older NAD amps that can be bridged
and you can get 200-300w per channel at about 50cents per watt total or about $3-4 per pound.

get D9s or some monster JBLs. make sure they're refoamed or checked out. or continue using your Bose,

then upgrade the cart. lots of choices here.

I suggest recapped versions since I am seeing a lot of abused equipment (not necessarily needing recapping)
and stuff that is now OLD - so they need a refresh of caps at a minimum. and after recapping, you will get a
few more years than the Flipper versions you find on the bay.
 
OK, ANOTHER item for your wish list! Yamaha has just come out with the R-N803. This is a true heavyweight receiver in the deeper chassis. 8 ohms 100 RMS watts/channel at extremely low distortion, 4 ohm handling ability, also with low distortion. It has AM/FM, Bluetooth and WI Fi internet reception, a phono input and sub woofer out. Digital and analog inputs are also included. Oh yeah, it also has a sound measuring system where you place the included microphone in your listening area and the system measures the dimensions and furniture to give you the best sound for your room!

Selling for $750
 
I have been using a Yamaha A-S500 for a bit. While it is not massively powerful, is it super musical and clear. You can get it for a lot less than $1500
 
Cartridge and speakers will make your biggest improvement.Anything left over take your receiver in to the shop and have a tech give it the once-over.
 
Cartridge and speakers will make your biggest improvement.Anything left over take your receiver in to the shop and have a tech give it the once-over.

I think this is going to be my first move. I bought my 1020 5-6 years ago and really have no idea what kind of shape it's in. It took a year but I was messing around with the placement of my 901's the other night and all at once..... Boom! I still have to run a sub with them to get the amount of bass I like but everything else came to life with the Bose. I'm still going to get something else for speakers but I'm gonna be patient.
 
I think this is going to be my first move. I bought my 1020 5-6 years ago and really have no idea what kind of shape it's in. It took a year but I was messing around with the placement of my 901's the other night and all at once..... Boom! I still have to run a sub with them to get the amount of bass I like but everything else came to life with the Bose. I'm still going to get something else for speakers but I'm gonna be patient.
Yep.The shape of your room,all the stuff in it and where you place your speakers is a big factor as well
 
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