Vector Research Receivers

I have a vector research receiver (VRX-9000) and cant find any concrete info on RMS per channel. I have read that it was top of the line but have seen info on VRX-9100, VRX-9200& etc. I have read that it is 80 watts to 125 watts RMS. Any body have the info on these guys as far as output and TOL models?

Vector Research was the house brand for Federated when I moved to San Diego in the late 1970's. Not sure the brand was sold elsewhere or not, but locally at least they were Federated's answer to the Quadraflex and Concept lines at Pacific Stereo (or vice versa, don't know the exact chronology). The company itself was located in Chatsworth.

Some interesting links relative to this:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=273990

http://technologizer.com/2008/11/10/old-retail-ads/

in the comments there's a link to a TV ad for Federated by Shadoe Stevens...

John

VR was also sold in Michigan at Lafayette Electronics.

The resemble NAD if I am recalling correctly. The VR 7000 I had (search) was just great all around. One of the better tuner sections too. It held its own against my Marantz 2275 although neither had been aligned.

I've still got an old VA-1450 power amp. It looks just like the NAD's and Proton's of the same era. Its a nice amp, using discrete outputs and solid construction. I used it to power my Yammy 1000's for several years.

I need to "rejuvenate" it.

Vector Research

Vector Research was owned partially by a Audio Sales group called
Tech HiFi. They were in Chattsworth, Ca. When Tech HiFi folded so
did the fate of the original company too. The following models were
built by NEC and not near the quality of the original design.
The VRX line went from VRX-2000 up to VRX-9500. The ones following
from NEC were VRX-9200 etc.
The parts for these units are scarce to NONE. My VRX-9500 got a
A/C spike after a power outage that hit the N.E. many years ago, and the
proprietary IC chip which governed the unit turning on got zapped.
I just picked up another one in excellent condition, but another problem with these units is they choose OMRON relays that had removeable clear
plastic covers. This allowed dirt and moisture to get at the relay parts
and then certain functions on the reciever would not work correctly. I actually did some research and found that Omron did make a Sealed replacement that VR was even aware of. This unit had plenty of HeadRoom and was hard to beat with the clean power it put out.

:saywhat: Wow - the misinformation. AFAIK Vector Research were originally made by Crown Radio of Japan, and was their attempt to get into the HIFI market. They were quite good, but probably got hurt by many of their dealers going out of business in the early to mid 70's. AFAIK they weren't anybody's private label or house brand, but were heavily marketed through limited distribution. Some sources indicate that they were later made by the same company that made Rotel. Of this I have no knowledge.

I had the 25 watt/ch receiver that VR made and it was nothing short of impressive. I gave it to a buddy who had nothing while I had too much. It is his favorite and every time I hear it at his place I am quite surprised at how pleasant it sounds.

Not Missinformation

You are partial correct. The design was ALL American and the units were built in Japan by Crown. Tech HiFi was a 1/3 partner in Vector Research and they carried the entire line. That's were I bought my VRX-9500 an VCX-800.
They were most probably vended elsewhere, but I can only talk about the North East.
Jeff James was the LEAD repair technician and when the company lost Tech HiFi they then scrambled to find another source to build.The later models were NOT for crown and if you do some research you'll see it was a NEC who built their last units. Those were OK but not as innovative as the first model line.
If you're talking about the clear plastic covers onthe Omron relays on this particular model, that where MOST of this unit's problems came from (and that's a fact) I replaced 2 of them with the updated SEAL Omron relays(those are now hard to find too).
The VCX-800 suffered from a POOR design on the Rubber Tire which toggeled between the forward/reverse function. The tire would not offer
enough gripping power when it was pushed against the knurled drive wheel.
I replaced those wheels twice and in short order the deck would begin slipping shortly after that. Now as me where both units worth their design flaws?? Maybe. I gave up on the 2 VCX-800 that I have. The VRX-9500 suffers from NO PARTS available since most IC chips were of a proprietary nature(That's a fact). I will say when the VCX-800 worked, I had tapes that would rival a CD in quality if you were using Metal Oxide tapes. The VRX-9500was rated at 90 watts but it had loads of headroom and was one of the most powerful receivers I ever owned. In combination with the VCX-800, they were a great pair!!
If anyone is interested in buying my original VRX-9500(that's the one which lost it's IC chip that governs the "ON" function, its up for sale. It's a good buy for someone who needs replacement parts OR if you going to use it as an amplifier alone only.

I had a later Vector Research unit (made in Taiwan) and it had a great tuner section, otherwise it was nothing special. I think I ended up giving it away.

Federated had the Vector franchise in SoCal, but the products wee sold elsewhere as well. Good stuff, but nothing spectacular.

PacificStereo said:

Federated had the Vector franchise in SoCal, but the products wee sold elsewhere as well. Good stuff, but nothing spectacular.

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I dunno, all three Vector Research components (2 receivers and one cdp) I had were actually pretty incredible in their own right.

I'm working on a vrx9500. right channel bias problem but the output amp block looks ok. something in the power supply or control circuit. Not easy to get to anything . The relays have been replaced last year. anyone have any tips on the vector reseach vrx9500 ?