bigaltx24
Super Member
Last July I bought a new LCD TV. I am really getting into this whole big screen, high def thing but the sound on this thing really blows. The sound is so bad that after about the third day the wife says to me "you've got a closet full of old electronic junk and a bunch of speakers laying around, make it sound good". Well as any red blooded American with a bunch of electronic stuff laying around would do, I set about the task of making it sound good.
After some wrangling with the wife over decor related issues, we agreed on wall mounting a pair of KLH Model 32s and using a vintage receiver to power them. I also robbed a Denon DVD-900 out of my main system to use as a source for movies and CDs.
I was left to me to chose which receiver to use. The room is not real big, so I figured a nice 40 to 60 watter would be the ticket. Going by what I had in the closet that gave me four choices, a Nikko 8085, a Sansui 881, a Pioneer SX-838, and a Sony STR-7065. None of these had ever been recapped, they all had nice low DC offsets and had been used on a regular basis at one time or another so I knew they were reliable. After thinking about it for a while, I remembered that i hadn't paid more than $40 for any of them.
What I wound up doing was running each receiver for two weeks to get a good impression of each one. Then ran them all again for another two weeks each to confirm my initial impressions. The KLH Model 32s used for this have had their crossovers redone with film caps, and the cloth surrounds have been redoped. All of my critical listening was done with music, mostly rock and blues with some jazz and classical thrown in for good measure. So here are the results as I see them, your mileage may vary.
#4 The Nikko 8085. A decent sounding receiver but lacks low end grunt and the mids seem a little veiled. It also lacks some of the detail of the other contenders. The tuner pulled in weak stations fairly well but seemed to drift off after a while even on strong stations. The controls are well laid out but have a light cheap feel to them.
#3 The Pioneer SX-838. Better in the low end department than the Nikko but still lacks a bit of grunt. Really sounded it's best with acoustic music and jazz. Detail was nice until things got energetic then it would start to sound kind of constricted. While the SX-838 sounded like the most powerful receiver of the four, it seemed to be the slowest at fast transients. The tuner was the worst at pulling in weak stations but did a good job on stronger stations. Controls had a nice solid feel. The push button source selectors on this receiver can be problematic and need frequent cleanings.
#2 The Sony STR-7065. Very nice sounding receiver, great overall balance. The bass, mids and highs are all there and in their proper proportions. The detail and air around vocals are spot on. It handles fast transients very well. The tuner is the best of the bunch, pulls in weak stations easily and sounds good doing it. The controls feel good, but I didn't like the balance control. It is a ring type affair under the volume knob and is easy to move off center without knowing it. I am also not a fan of the screw type speakers connections which can be a pain to work with in close quarters.
#1 The Sansui 881. This was a real tough one. These two top receivers are so close. I knew I kind of favored the Sansui, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Both have great tonal balance, nice detail, good transient response etc. I finally figured it out listening to Son Seals Live and Burning CD. I'd seen Son live on numerous occasions before he passed and was amazed by the sound of his guitar. He played pretty clean but with a small bit of distortion on top that gave his sound a gritty, edgy finish. The Sansui has a certain transparency that let that edge come through. The tuner on the Sansui is just a tick behind the Sony's. The controls are solid, no complaints there. The Sansui also offers 2 Aux inputs which is a nice touch.
Right now I am seriously think about having both the Sony and the Sansui recapped, then doing another shootout, stay tuned.
After some wrangling with the wife over decor related issues, we agreed on wall mounting a pair of KLH Model 32s and using a vintage receiver to power them. I also robbed a Denon DVD-900 out of my main system to use as a source for movies and CDs.
I was left to me to chose which receiver to use. The room is not real big, so I figured a nice 40 to 60 watter would be the ticket. Going by what I had in the closet that gave me four choices, a Nikko 8085, a Sansui 881, a Pioneer SX-838, and a Sony STR-7065. None of these had ever been recapped, they all had nice low DC offsets and had been used on a regular basis at one time or another so I knew they were reliable. After thinking about it for a while, I remembered that i hadn't paid more than $40 for any of them.
What I wound up doing was running each receiver for two weeks to get a good impression of each one. Then ran them all again for another two weeks each to confirm my initial impressions. The KLH Model 32s used for this have had their crossovers redone with film caps, and the cloth surrounds have been redoped. All of my critical listening was done with music, mostly rock and blues with some jazz and classical thrown in for good measure. So here are the results as I see them, your mileage may vary.
#4 The Nikko 8085. A decent sounding receiver but lacks low end grunt and the mids seem a little veiled. It also lacks some of the detail of the other contenders. The tuner pulled in weak stations fairly well but seemed to drift off after a while even on strong stations. The controls are well laid out but have a light cheap feel to them.
#3 The Pioneer SX-838. Better in the low end department than the Nikko but still lacks a bit of grunt. Really sounded it's best with acoustic music and jazz. Detail was nice until things got energetic then it would start to sound kind of constricted. While the SX-838 sounded like the most powerful receiver of the four, it seemed to be the slowest at fast transients. The tuner was the worst at pulling in weak stations but did a good job on stronger stations. Controls had a nice solid feel. The push button source selectors on this receiver can be problematic and need frequent cleanings.
#2 The Sony STR-7065. Very nice sounding receiver, great overall balance. The bass, mids and highs are all there and in their proper proportions. The detail and air around vocals are spot on. It handles fast transients very well. The tuner is the best of the bunch, pulls in weak stations easily and sounds good doing it. The controls feel good, but I didn't like the balance control. It is a ring type affair under the volume knob and is easy to move off center without knowing it. I am also not a fan of the screw type speakers connections which can be a pain to work with in close quarters.
#1 The Sansui 881. This was a real tough one. These two top receivers are so close. I knew I kind of favored the Sansui, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Both have great tonal balance, nice detail, good transient response etc. I finally figured it out listening to Son Seals Live and Burning CD. I'd seen Son live on numerous occasions before he passed and was amazed by the sound of his guitar. He played pretty clean but with a small bit of distortion on top that gave his sound a gritty, edgy finish. The Sansui has a certain transparency that let that edge come through. The tuner on the Sansui is just a tick behind the Sony's. The controls are solid, no complaints there. The Sansui also offers 2 Aux inputs which is a nice touch.
Right now I am seriously think about having both the Sony and the Sansui recapped, then doing another shootout, stay tuned.
