Your stopping point amp/receiver...

superdog

AK Member
I would think this thread is for those who have been at this for a while or maybe not.Its been a bit since I started a thread here but after being at this pretty hard for twenty years I finally found what I like best and desire to go no further.Remember everybody has a different agenda here for many different reasons.Not everyone wants to reach the upper limits of audio just as there are those who do.Its what works for you.For me I found out for my budget,speakers,room and life situation I like receivers.I have a couple of separate systems but the receivers is what I do 90% of the time.Its the versatility that they offer is what I like.I have had about thirty receivers of various makes and ages this is what I consider the best. the Yamaha RXZ9/RXV1.For one I like the Yamaha sound.These work best with the vintage speakers I have.Especially when I want to really apply the volume.It didn't come immediately to me.Initially I thought Yamahas were thin and weak.It took a couple of years to realize how clean and uncolored the sound really is.Once that epiphany happened I eventually sought out the totl models from the early 2000s.These I consider these some of the best sounding, very affordable and not the age related issues that are common in 70s units.
Clean, detailed and powerful with a nice degree of depth to the sound are some of the characteristics I like and although I'm sure most would prefer int or straight separates I like the versatility of these receivers.I like the ability to run 5.1 or tailor the sound of different sources.I know many have said "I'm done" (me included)and although they mean it something else comes along.For amplification this is it for me.Now for speakers...I'm not quite there yet but close.Anyway I just thought I would throw this out there as I pretty much live on a deserted island when it comes to audio and I am always interested in what others are doing.
 

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The point at which it would be very expensive to get worthwhile upgrades to the components I now have. I too use receivers, but for pre-amp duty. On the very good ones lotsa features you won't find on pre-amps.
 
I know exactly what you mean , you and I have discussed this many times in other threads that the totl or what they call (Uber) receivers were built in a time when some manufacturers had a cost no limit attitude with those receivers. Yamaha made some of the best back then and are well worth investing in now as they are going for fairly short money these days and you get much better performance than receivers of today and a lot less reliability issues than vintage receivers have . I still have my RX-Z1 I can’t bring myself to part with it, even though it serves as my home theater amp it is a workhorse and does an excellent job .

I forgot to add , I have gone back to separated or in this case an integrated for my 2ch listening a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista m3 and I have found that perfect to my ears synergy for my Vandersteens, paired with the MF TriVista 21 Dac and it truly is a match made in heaven, but I do believe I will always have an Uber receiver in my rig if not just to use as the centerpiece of an awesome Home theater .

Audiofreak71
 
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I've reached stopping points twice. The first was with the Linn LK1/LK2 preamp/power amp combination. About two decades in, the preamp failed and there was no longer factory parts/service available for it. After that, I reached another stopping point in the Audio by Van Alstine OmegaStar preamp and Insight 240 power amp. The preamp is getting along in years, and if AVA cannot service it when it dies, then I'll be looking for another stopping point.
 
I’ve pretty much reached the end as far as SS amps. I’m very content with what I’ve gone through in the last 40 years. I would still like to experience some tube gear before I cease the search.
 
Aside from the media player, I've been about 10 years on the gear in my sig line. No desire to change anything. My next 'stopping point' will be the new listening space I'm building in the basement.

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I know exactly what you mean , you and I have discussed this many times in other threads that the totl or what they call (Uber) receivers were built in a time when some manufacturers had a cost no limit attitude with those receivers. Yamaha made some of the best back then and are well worth investing in now as they are going for fairly short money these days and you get much better performance than receivers of today and a lot less reliability issues than vintage receivers have . I still have my RX-Z1 I can’t bring myself to part with it, even though it serves as my home theater amp it is a workhorse and does an excellent job .

I forgot to add , I have gone back to separated or in this case an integrated for my 2ch listening a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista m3 and I have found that perfect to my ears synergy for my Vandersteens, paired with the MF TriVista 21 Dac and it truly is a match made in heaven, but I do believe I will always have an Uber receiver in my rig if not just to use as the centerpiece of an awesome Home theater .

Audiofreak71
Yeah we discussed these at length and I know it was just a stopover for you with this experiment.As we know these ubers are quite capable of being the end for some as is the case with me.I'm primarily a vintage guy so I have a Yamaha M50 with a couple of good preamps for 2 channel.So will the Nu Vista be it or just another until the itch strikes for something else?
I’ve pretty much reached the end as far as SS amps. I’m very content with what I’ve gone through in the last 40 years. I would still like to experience some tube gear before I cease the search.
I'm kind of like you in the sense that I've through a lot of SS primarily vintage receivers and the Yamahas sound the best to the point that I'm done.
No stopping point. They come they go. Sometimes the newest goes. Sometimes there's a new king.
Thats cool.That was me for years.Now it would take a bit to better these Yamahas unless you go into good separates and after so long just don't care to.

It feels good to finally come to this point.I was bogged down with gear for years and still have a good number but now I no longer feel the need to look anymore at or think about upgrades.I'm a receiver guy at heart I guess and I feel these are some of the best sounding examples.Not saying these are the end all in sq but for me its good enough for where I am at in life because I still work and raise grandkids alone so I can't get too deep into audio.This is about as deep as I want to get even after years at this.
 
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I slowed on the receivers and have been buying integrated amps....vintage for me and with the ones I have now I think I am done for a while. The vintage speaker acquisition has been ramping up lately however. I have a set of Klipsch KG2s coming Tues since I like 8 in two ways so much. Like we have discussed, I still regret selling my Nova 6s. .
 
So will the Nu Vista be it or just another until the itch strikes for something else?

Well I can say that I will never sell the NuVista M3 the TriVista 21 Dac or the AR-XA because A. They sound incredible and right now my Analog and Digital is exactly how I like it , I truly believe that if people who gave up on Vandersteen 2ce Signature’s heard my setup they might just think differently about there decision and B. They are all fairly rare pieces at only 500 of the NuVista m3’s made and 1500 TriVista 21 dacs and there is only one Lacewood marmorin/Avfan AR-XA .

However I will probably experiment with other gear from time to time just for fun . I also would like to find some used Vandersteen Quatros and let that be it for my speakers but I tell you right now how this setup sounds with the Vandersteen 2ce Signature ii’s doesn’t have me looking for anything else , yet.

One other thing. The combination of a tube pre stage with Solid State amps are a beautiful thing , I have holographic sound a huge sound stage and such a layered sound it’s scary and at 305 wpc and 40amps it can drive just about any speakers, I’m very happy with these pieces .

Audiofreak71
 
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Oh and btw, it is so refreshing to hear from somebody, just a normal guy, doing the best he can and is happy with what he has. I happen to think that is what makes this hobby so cool, normal people don't have to spend a fortune to get really nice sound. If one is smart, frugal and patient an entire awesome world opens up for them.
 
Oh and btw, it is so refreshing to hear from somebody, just a normal guy, doing the best he can and is happy with what he has. I happen to think that is what makes this hobby so cool, normal people don't have to spend a fortune to get really nice sound. If one is smart, frugal and patient an entire awesome world opens up for them.

This is true and proves that it’s all about what sounds good to you , doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to be good .

Audiofreak71
 
Great thread topic. We are all so different with different situations and needs.
I had reached my stopping point a few different times. Unexpected changes led me down a different path the last year or so. I was as happy as I could be with my rather large vintage collection, TOTL models from Onkyo, Marantz, Sansui and Yamaha. The Onkyo TX 8500 MKII was the favorite. All I could ever want.
My kids got me a flat screen TV for Christmas, so I had to completely redesign my entertainment center. This now allowed me much more flexibility to experiment. That, and having some cash fall into my lap, let me buy a barely used Mac tube amp, a 275 MK VI. Which I liked but it was down on power so I traded for a lightly used MC452. This amp is magical and is way better than anything I deserve to have. It's now paired with a C47 preamp, and some brand new Tekton Double Impacts speakers. I'm pimpin' like a Mac daddy (no pun intended) now and if I ever feel the need to go further I'm out of my mind.
 
I’m pretty sure I just reached it last week. I know...that’s too soon to say that, but I acquired the final piece that I wanted in order to achieve the balance I was looking for: a Rogue ST-100 power amp. It provides the smooth power I wanted and it perfectly matches my Rogue preamp, which my slight OCD demands. Everything else in the signature system is keeping me quite happy.
 
So will the Nu Vista be it or just another until the itch strikes for something else?

Well I can say that I will never sell the NuVista M3 the TriVista 21 Dac or the AR-XA because A. They sound incredible and right now my Analog and Digital is exactly how I like it , I truly believe that if people who gave up on Vandersteen 2ce Signature’s heard my setup they might just think differently about there decision and B. They are all fairly rare pieces at only 500 of the NuVista m3’s made and 1500 TriVista 21 dacs and there is only one Lacewood marmorin/Avfan AR-XA .

However I will probably experiment with other gear from time to time just for fun . I also would like to find some used Vandersteen Quatros and let that be it for my speakers but I tell you right now how this setup sounds with the Vandersteen 2ce Signature ii’s doesn’t have me looking for anything else .

One other thing. The combination of a tube pre stage with Solid State amps are a beautiful thing , I have holographic sound a huge sound stage and such a layered sound it’s scary and at 305 wpc and 40amps it can drive just about any speakers, I’m very happy with these pieces .

Audiofreak71
I use an Audio Research SP8 tube pre into a Hafler DH200 through KEF 104/2 to spin vinyl on a Sony PS8750.Even though these pieces are old and unrestored it still sounds pretty damn good.For cds though which is the majority of my listening the Yamahas are the go to units
Oh and btw, it is so refreshing to hear from somebody, just a normal guy, doing the best he can and is happy with what he has. I happen to think that is what makes this hobby so cool, normal people don't have to spend a fortune to get really nice sound. If one is smart, frugal and patient an entire awesome world opens up for them.
Thanks.I've been at the vintage game for quite a bit and enjoyed it immensely as I was pretty fortunate to come across a lot of vintage cheap.I knew I would eventually come to the end point and it is here now for amps.I still have a few 70s receivers to fiddle around with and have said before they give one a pretty good level of good sound that I still enjoy.
 
I’ve hit a stopping point in 1975 when I bought my first “good” stereo. A Marantz 2275. She served me well for many many years and is still with me.

About 10 years ago, I started to dabble with the 70s stuff again. I found some pieces at the thrift stores and yard sales and stumbled onto some good vintage speakers and learned to refoam.

Game on!!!

Then I have a vintage Pioneer get flaky and started poking around and found Audiokarma and MarkTheFixer walked me through a repair. The problem was intermittent and took months to fix. That gave me time to read up on electronics and think and when we got that one fixed, I was addicted to vintage audio repair.

Game on!!!

I hunted old cheap gear to fix on. I found tons. This was a few years ago before supply dried up and thrift stores got into the business.

This place taught me all sorts of things.
Fixing gear and gear I didn’t know about.

Over the years, I’ve had 100s of things. Found some incredible sound in odd places. Kept rotating because I kept finding new-to-me old things and fixing things.

I found combinations that made me stop, for a while. They stayed set up, ready to go but fresh repairs or fresh finds must be listened to.

As I got better at repairs, friends noticed and I started repairing their stuff and eventually a friend hooked me up with a friend.

That ended up being a hook into the recycling world at that hooked into high end newer gear.

Now, I get to wade through tons of gear and play with stuff you cannot believe and may not have even heard about.

Game ON!


I found out that many perceptions were wrong.
I found out that there was/is some really good stuff in places I never thought of.
I found a whole new world of audio I never heard of.

I have some favorite pieces that I don’t see ever leaving. Ive stopped looking but am now playing with so much new-to-me stuff, I can’t keep up.

Every time I see someone say they reached a stop, I have doubts but I know there are many people perfectly happy with their rigs. I have seen many stops that were only pauses.

I do find that as the units I acquire move up the food chain, there are upper levels that would be hard to improve or rotate much at current prices.

I am still exploring and going through the 80s and 90s and 00s gear. There are real gems in there. Lately, some very interesting things have started to show up.

I don’t see a stop coming at all.
 
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I'll stop buying 'em when they stop making 'em. Or maybe...

amp_tombstone.jpg
 
I’ve hit a stopping point in 1975 when I bought my first “good” stereo. A Marantz 2275. She served me well for many many years and is still with me.

About 10 years ago, I started to dabble with the 70s stuff again. I found some pieces at the thrift stores and yard sales and stumbled onto some good vintage speakers and learned to refoam.

Game on!!!

Then I have a vintage Pioneer get flaky and started poking around and found Audiokarma and MarkTheFixer walked me through a repair. The problem was intermittent and took months to fix. That gave me time to read up on electronics and think and when we got that one fixed, I was addicted to vintage audio repair.

Game on!!!

I hunted old cheap gear to fix on. I found tons. This was a few years ago before supply dried up and thrift stores got into the business.

This place taught me all sorts of things.
Fixing gear and gear I didn’t know about.

Over the years, I’ve had 100s of things. Found some incredible sound in odd places. Kept rotating because I kept finding new-to-me old things and fixing things.

I found combinations that made me stop, for a while. They stayed set up, ready to go but fresh repairs or fresh finds must be listened to.

As I got better at repairs, friends noticed and I started repairing their stuff and eventually a friend hooked me up with a friend.

That ended up being a hook into the recycling world at that hooked into high end newer gear.

Now, I get to wade through tons of gear and play with stuff you cannot believe andmay not have even heard about.

Game ON!


I found out that many perceptions were wrong.
I found out that there was/is some really good stuff in places I never thought of.
I found a whole new world of audio I never heard of.

I have some favorite pieces that I don’t see ever leaving. Ive stopped looking but am now playing with so much new-to-me stuff, I can’t keep up.

Every time I see someone say they reached a stop, I have doubts but I know there are many people perfectly happy with their rigs. I have seen many stops that were only pauses.

I do find that as the units I acquire move up the food chain, there are upper levels that would be hard to improve or rotate much at current prices.

I am still exploring and going through the 80s and 90s and 00s gear. There are real gems in there. Lately, some very interesting things have started to show up.

I don’t see a stop coming at all.
I hear what your saying and like you have went through a lot of gear that I found mainly in thrifts starting around 2000.Eighteen years later I find that whatever I get, it doesn't displace my main setups.The Yamahas have risen to the top displacing a number of 70s totl units.They are there and I have no desire to change them or switch anything out anymore including the speakers..When I want to hear music like I like and as good as I can,these are the (2) main units I go to powered by Yamaha TOTL receivers.I like vintage speakers...my newest pair are probably thirty years old.They include KEF,Vandersteen,JBL EV,Bozak,CV,Polk,AR,KLH.The Yamahas are no slouches and are a perfect match for them to my ears.I have a small back room that has a couple of smaller units to futz around with and I don't think that will ever change but for my main amplification needs these are it.This epiphany found me.After so many years I think for some like me its just something that comes to you. "this is it.I'm done" with amplification anyway.I look at it as part of the process of simplifying your audio world.I did toy with the idea of an Aragon or Yamaha pc amp but decided for my purposes these TOTL avrs are good enough.Something really special would have to fall in my lap for anything to change.The speakers are next to face the cut.Speakers were always my favorite part of the chain so it may be a bit harder.
blhagstrom if your still having a blast, cool.Keep enjoying it.I know I did.
 
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