List of the most underrated Vintage Receivers?

The Fisher receivers from the Sanyo era are very underappreciated. Units such as the RS-1060 and RS-1080 compare very favorably to the high-end Pioneer and Marantz receivers of the time (mid-late 70's).

I had a RS-1050 and a RS-1060 for a while. This is a picture of the RS-1050 sitting on top of the RS-1060. The RS-1060 was a beast.

IMG_0668.JPG
 
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Realistic STA-2200, best sounding receiver by RadioShack

Nakamichi 730, one of the best receivers, super under the radar, very expensive in 1978

Nakamichi 730 ￥248,000(1978年頃) and just to compare

TRIO KA-9900 (KA-907) ￥200,000(1978年発売)

jk9ycbpa9p551.jpg
 
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grindfix said:
Philips High Fidelity Laboratory series gear. Made in US. Solid construction and really good sounding stuff. Black face in mid-70s was an eye candy too!
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Yes, I'd agree. I picked up one of those at an estate sale and kept it for a little while. I sold it to trade up but it had good sound and looked neat like you said.

Edit: Here's a pic of my old Philips 796:
Philips 796.jpeg
 
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Onkyo TX-2500 (Mk 1), which might be the best-sounding small receiver I've owned (and I have had quite a few). I found one at a garage sale five years ago for $15. After a couple of Deoxit baths, it was functioning as it should, and hasn't stopped since (I eventually sold it to a former co-worker who is still using it). The original owner told me it had never been worked on, and that he used it all the time for parties at college, where the volume was turned halfway up for hours at a time. What a workhorse. Excellent tuner, too--better than the tuner on my Marantz 2226B (which had been serviced, the Onkyo hadn't).

OnkyoTX-2500.JPG
 
jefferylhenr said:
Anyone can spend $100 and get a very good bottle of Cabernet, the art is finding one even better for $20… Why are the marantz units so highly rated? Is it because millions were made in the 1970’s?
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I have limited experience with Marantz, hearing just the 2216B, 2230, and 2245 extensively through OLAs and a few lesser speakers, but to my ears, the Marantz sound is really something special. My only problem is that my Marantz receivers are a little underpowered compared to other brands, especially for using with my OLAs. Of the mid-powered Pioneer, Sansui, Philips, and Realistic receivers I've tried (along with a few other brands), the Marantz sound beats them all--to my ears.

The Sansui 4000 had the edge over my Marantz 2245 because it drove the OLAs better, but I'm sure a higher-powered Marantz would beat the Sansui sound (not that the Sansui sound isn't something special, too! It is.).

The only satisfying mid-powered receiver that I've found that can hold a candle to the Marantz sound is my Luxman R-1030. That 30 watt Luxman drives the OLAs better than my 2245 and it has a really sweet sound, much along the lines of the Marantz but with a better overall balance and consistency. Still, I've found nothing so far within my budget that can match the Marantz-OLA pairing for vocals and acoustic guitars, which are really important to me. The Luxman is dang close, though. I have a hunch that an 85-125 watt Marantz would beat the 75-120 watt Luxman in this line, but it would be a good fight. So I just think the Marantz sound is really, really good--for me and a lot of others. The expense is what limits me.

I guess to get back to the original question for this post, I'd say that there might not be any underrated receivers that can match the brands we already think or know have the best sound. Luxman is known for great sound, so I don't think it's underrated as much as lesser known, like DSwankey alluded to above. So it's my opinion that we'll only find underrated receivers that can be found for less money than the best receivers, but they just won't quite match the best vintage receivers out there. (Sorry, this turned into a long post.)
 
This one might get some pushback?

3) Luxman R - 1040.

Same exact boards as the 1050 but just missing the speaker protection relay and a couple Capacitors? Without the speaker protection circuitry, a cleaner sound and it can still dig deep. This one came in mangled, but managed to get it straightened, new glass and fully restored. A real delight matched up with the infinity’s
upload_2021-8-27_12-35-39.jpeg
 
jefferylhenr said:
This one might get some pushback?

3) Luxman R - 1040.

Same exact boards as the 1050 but just missing the speaker protection relay and a couple Capacitors? Without the speaker protection circuitry, a cleaner sound and it can still dig deep. This one came in mangled, but managed to get it straightened, new glass and fully restored. A real delight matched up with the infinity’s
View attachment 2326671
Click to expand...
Power output: 40 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 10Hz to 50kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.03%

Damping factor: 60

Signal to noise ratio: 69dB (MM), 89dB (line)
 
jefferylhenr said:
Anyone can spend $100 and get a very good bottle of Cabernet, the art is finding one even better for $20… Why are the marantz units so highly rated? Is it because millions were made in the 1970’s?
Click to expand...

It's because the average loafer isn't an expert, and they buy what grabs their eyes, most often. Marantz is good stuff, but remember, you're preaching to the choir.

Blind listening tests reveal hidden truths, or some such as one AK member's sig once stated.
 
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