M Jarve
Audio Geek and NGE Freak
I posted some time ago about maybe buying a Nakamichi SR-4A in the new Dollars and Sense forum, but my mind was already mostly made up.
I bought it today, for a little more than I intended to (the seller had no change). It was just as well, as it did need just a thorough cleaning and new power fuses. I took the liberty of replacing some of the dreadful "pig-tale" soldered-on fuses with smaller 20mm fuses with holders (the holes and solder points were already on the PCB's). I also noted a dark area on the inside of the power cabinet where corresponding to the location of a power regulator.
I switched it on, the fuses did not blow, and protection did not kick in. All good signs in my view. Checked DC offset (-0.01mV in one channel, 0.03mv in the other).
I then cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned the inside (it reeked of smoke), and did the same to the outside. I removed every knob and cleaned them. It is now tolerable, though I would prefer it to be cleaner inside.
I then got around to hooking it up. To start with, I connected up the Altec 890C. I put the tone controls to their center position, adjusted the variable loudness to its minimum setting, and placed the CD.
My first observation was that it was very quiet. Not in background noise or anything (which it is), but it seemed that the volume needed to be turned up higher than I would have thought to obtain a given power level. Granted, it was being used for the first time in about a decade, but I was a little surprised none the less. I then turned up the loudness, and it seemed to bring up the volume to where I would expect, but it created a “smiley-face EQ” sound that I had to counter with the tone controls.
After I had the tone controls, volume, and loudness thing figured out, I started to listen. The Altecs, despite being “west coast” speakers, are very flat in their frequency response, and with the SR-4A, they need a little boost in the treble to get a little sparkle. I adjusted the receiver to that and everything fell into place.
Bass is very strong, quick, and clean, but it seemed to be missing the very lowest octaves. Mids are a little laid back, but highs are clear and “sparkle”. Basically, this is what I would have expected it to sound like with the Altecs. It has been said before that the 890C is a revealing truth teller. Indeed, it seems to allow you to listen to the equipment without adding any bias or prejudice of its own.
After listening to the Nakamichi, I connected the Equasounds so as to hear its potential. I installed the active EQ in the processor out-in loop (preamp out/main in) so that, like with the SAE/Kenwood setup, the active EQ can do its job on the signal after it has already been processed.
The Equasounds sounded a little disappointing on the SR-4A. The normally strong, yet balanced mid range was gone, and the overall sound again had a “smiley-face EQ” sound. It tended to be a little boomy and one-note sounding in the bass, and highs were a little edgy. The most noticeable thing was the mid-range deficit. The woofers seemed a bit much for the amp to handle too, judging from the slightly sloppy sound.
With the Equasounds needing more from the SR-4A than it could provide, I went in the opposite direction, to a set of bookshelf speakers, the Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 ALE. Now it found its pace. The Diamonds matched up to the SR-4A like peas and carrots. Bass was full and punchy from the little CD-sized woofer, and it had midrange, bless it! The highs were squeaky clean, with the slightly dry character British mini-monitors are known for.
Now that I had found a set of speakers that complemented it, I tried out some of the other functions. The tuner works pretty well, pulling in local stations cleanly, but it cannot pull in some of the more distant stations that do no trouble either my Mitsubishi DA-F30 or Sansui TU-7900. Compared to my Denon HT receiver, it does as well or better, but it is still no match for a good separate tuner.
The SR-4A was definitely worth the money and time I put into it, but it cannot stack up against something like a comparable h/k 680i, when it comes to larger speakers. The slump in the mid-range and slightly sloppy bass when confronted with a low Fs woofer put it at a disadvantage, at least with large speakers. When used with smart bookshelf speakers, it is more at home, with plenty of power and gusto to fill a medium sized room with clean, smooth music. I was expecting a little more given the Nakamichi pedigree, but when taken as a 1980’s 60WPC receiver, it certainly holds its own.
I bought it today, for a little more than I intended to (the seller had no change). It was just as well, as it did need just a thorough cleaning and new power fuses. I took the liberty of replacing some of the dreadful "pig-tale" soldered-on fuses with smaller 20mm fuses with holders (the holes and solder points were already on the PCB's). I also noted a dark area on the inside of the power cabinet where corresponding to the location of a power regulator.
I switched it on, the fuses did not blow, and protection did not kick in. All good signs in my view. Checked DC offset (-0.01mV in one channel, 0.03mv in the other).
I then cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned the inside (it reeked of smoke), and did the same to the outside. I removed every knob and cleaned them. It is now tolerable, though I would prefer it to be cleaner inside.
I then got around to hooking it up. To start with, I connected up the Altec 890C. I put the tone controls to their center position, adjusted the variable loudness to its minimum setting, and placed the CD.
My first observation was that it was very quiet. Not in background noise or anything (which it is), but it seemed that the volume needed to be turned up higher than I would have thought to obtain a given power level. Granted, it was being used for the first time in about a decade, but I was a little surprised none the less. I then turned up the loudness, and it seemed to bring up the volume to where I would expect, but it created a “smiley-face EQ” sound that I had to counter with the tone controls.
After I had the tone controls, volume, and loudness thing figured out, I started to listen. The Altecs, despite being “west coast” speakers, are very flat in their frequency response, and with the SR-4A, they need a little boost in the treble to get a little sparkle. I adjusted the receiver to that and everything fell into place.
Bass is very strong, quick, and clean, but it seemed to be missing the very lowest octaves. Mids are a little laid back, but highs are clear and “sparkle”. Basically, this is what I would have expected it to sound like with the Altecs. It has been said before that the 890C is a revealing truth teller. Indeed, it seems to allow you to listen to the equipment without adding any bias or prejudice of its own.
After listening to the Nakamichi, I connected the Equasounds so as to hear its potential. I installed the active EQ in the processor out-in loop (preamp out/main in) so that, like with the SAE/Kenwood setup, the active EQ can do its job on the signal after it has already been processed.
The Equasounds sounded a little disappointing on the SR-4A. The normally strong, yet balanced mid range was gone, and the overall sound again had a “smiley-face EQ” sound. It tended to be a little boomy and one-note sounding in the bass, and highs were a little edgy. The most noticeable thing was the mid-range deficit. The woofers seemed a bit much for the amp to handle too, judging from the slightly sloppy sound.
With the Equasounds needing more from the SR-4A than it could provide, I went in the opposite direction, to a set of bookshelf speakers, the Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 ALE. Now it found its pace. The Diamonds matched up to the SR-4A like peas and carrots. Bass was full and punchy from the little CD-sized woofer, and it had midrange, bless it! The highs were squeaky clean, with the slightly dry character British mini-monitors are known for.
Now that I had found a set of speakers that complemented it, I tried out some of the other functions. The tuner works pretty well, pulling in local stations cleanly, but it cannot pull in some of the more distant stations that do no trouble either my Mitsubishi DA-F30 or Sansui TU-7900. Compared to my Denon HT receiver, it does as well or better, but it is still no match for a good separate tuner.
The SR-4A was definitely worth the money and time I put into it, but it cannot stack up against something like a comparable h/k 680i, when it comes to larger speakers. The slump in the mid-range and slightly sloppy bass when confronted with a low Fs woofer put it at a disadvantage, at least with large speakers. When used with smart bookshelf speakers, it is more at home, with plenty of power and gusto to fill a medium sized room with clean, smooth music. I was expecting a little more given the Nakamichi pedigree, but when taken as a 1980’s 60WPC receiver, it certainly holds its own.
