Technics SA-101 receiver, are they decent?

Just picked this up today at the Goodwill outlet store for $10...



Just spent about 45 minutes cleaning it up to like-new. This thing was Goodwill-store filthy, let me tell you. I mean it was gross. But it was 10 bucks and working, minus some Deoxit on the pots, etc. Sounds decent through headphones, haven't even brought it home yet to test it out on my regular system. How should it stack up against my Yamaha CR-600? I love the Yamaha...

I figured I'd keep this one at work in my shop hooked up to some Optimus speakers I'm not using... it would give us something better to listen to than those crappy computer speakers cranked to 11...

For 10 bucks is more than good, it is a nice low power receiver. The sound is not bad

I've actually repaired one of these and did an LED conversion for the owner. Good tuner section, low power consumption, interesting single semiconductor output per channel. The bias was incredibly low, to the point that the sound was rough if it was on remotely decent speakers. Lots of potential though and easy to work on.

Decent, obvious cost cutting measures in the build, but very listenable.

Oh good. Yeah, I was going to bring it to work and set it up in the shop but funk that... I have been listening to it via the tuner section for a little while now and it sounds pretty damn good. If I wasn't so anal about my turntable setup I'd A/B it against the Yamaha but I don't like disconnecting my stuff to do that I think I'll put it out in my living room and connect my Airport Express to it and stream iTunes so my girlfriend can listen to her Katy Perry and Lady Gaga in style... :drool:

I have a sa-301 which is a little bigger with the same build quality issues, and decent sound. I think you did fine for a ten spot.

This was the first generation of Technics' downfall. This was where the BPC spirit started to grow. Almost tolerable but nowhere near the generation that came out before it. Worth 10 dollars but not much more.

When were these made? I thought I saw something on the web indicating 1980/81?

Yes it was the beginning of the great downfall of sound of the eighties but these are not bad. Like you said it was the beginning. Things def got much worse.