I finally can sleep at night. Or, why people fight about audio online...

I know someone who deals in vintage Italian racecars. He opines that men are like baby birds - when the testosterone kicks in, they pattern-imprint on the desirable car / actress / Hi-Fi of the moment, and carry that as the platonic ideal for the rest of their life. (Greatest generation guys like blower Bentleys, baby boomers like GTOs and GT40s*; millennials like e30 M3s)

Olivia Hussey.

Screen Shot 2019-03-11 at 2.11.15 PM.pngI saw Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet when I was 12 or so. Juliet, as played by Olivia Hussey, became the prototype for "attractive woman" (or, at the time for 12-year-old me, attractive girl). This has stuck with me for my entire life. My first girlfriend looked like her. My wife looks a bit like her. Blondes need not apply.

I think, for most things in life, there's an Olivia Hussey. Including stereos.
 
Olivia Hussey.

View attachment 11312I saw Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet when I was 12 or so. Juliet, as played by Olivia Hussey, became the prototype for "attractive woman" (or, at the time for 12-year-old me, attractive girl). This has stuck with me for my entire life. My first girlfriend looked like her. My wife looks a bit like her. Blondes need not apply.

I think, for most things in life, there's an Olivia Hussey. Including stereos.
Oh my, yes. When in school we were taken to a screening of the film and yes, smitten we were. Olivia didn't imprint though for some reason. Redheads somehow did, though I didn't date many of them due to relative rarity. I did marry one, though!
 
Sorry you got sucked into the vintage receiver vortex. At least you escaped into the light of day which is more than can be said for many. I started out as a kid with tube separates, bought an integrated and didn't own a receiver until relatively recently. Even then it was strictly because they looked like fun, could be useful and were either free of close to it. Yes, they can be fun and cool. No, they are nowhere near the best audio in history.

Of course the same is true in any particular field/hobby....
I had one receiver back in the early 1970s (a Quadrophonic Lafayette LR4000). Bought it brand new. :)

Heard my friend's Altec A7s. Sold all the Quadrophonic stuff. Bought Altec 873a Barcelonas. Ended up getting out of transistor separates pretty quickly in favor of a Marantz 7C and McIntosh MC275.

Never looked back.

I do have a couple of receivers: a Marantz Model 19, a Scott 340A a Sherwood SEL200 and a Marantz 2270. Love the way the Model 19 and the 340A look. :)

Just my opinion. :)
 
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I do have a couple of receivers: a Marantz Model 19, a Scott 340A a Sherwood SEL200 and a Marantz 2270. Love the way the Model 19 and the 340A look. :)
Oooh, did you ever post a photo of that Sherwood? Askin' for a friend. :p

On-ish topic -- I like the imprinting idea. That would explain my nonlinear attachment to real Ford Broncos. I don't think I'll ever again be able to afford one, though.

Mrs. H doesn't look much of any of the women I imprinted on (or vice versa) -- if she did, she'd probably look like Kate Jackson :p
I do love my wife, though -- very much. :)
 
Ia Marantz Model 19,
I always wanted either a Model 18 or 19. Thought they were the classiest of the Marantz receivers.

I will eventually get my MAC-1900 all spiffied up. It's been doing "listening to music while doing dude stuff with power tools in the basement" duty for a few months now after being on a shelf for almost a decade. I like it for that. Quite a bit.
 
Oooh, did you ever post a photo of that Sherwood? Askin' for a friend. :p

On-ish topic -- I like the imprinting idea. That would explain my nonlinear attachment to real Ford Broncos. I don't think I'll ever again be able to afford one, though.

Mrs. H doesn't look much of any of the women I imprinted on (or vice versa) -- if she did, she'd probably look like Kate Jackson :p
I do love my wife, though -- very much. :)
A engineer friend I've known for 30-odd years now has an early 70s Bronco that he's had since new. It has been his main vehicle all that time, though he's had a few toys (Mercedes convertibles etc.) to play with as well.
I always wanted either a Model 18 or 19. Thought they were the classiest of the Marantz receivers.

I will eventually get my MAC-1900 all spiffied up. It's been doing "listening to music while doing dude stuff with power tools in the basement" duty for a few months now after being on a shelf for almost a decade. I like it for that. Quite a bit.
Receivers do really well in a workshop or a kitchen system for that matter. Where I've used them at any rate. Agreed on the Marantz 18 or 19, though I don't mind the look of my 4300.
DSC_6377 by fiddlefye, on Flickr
This little Scott I ran in a bedroom system years ago was kind cute as well.
IMG_5992 by fiddlefye, on Flickr
No, one doesn't really need 100w/ch in a kitchen system but what the heck...
DSC_6918 by fiddlefye, on Flickr
 
I love receivers for when my focus isn't on audio the whole time. I honestly don't even think I could remember all of the receivers I've had in the last 10-15 years.

Memorable ones:

Sony STR-6800sd. Just sounded nice.
Yamaha CR-2020. Pretty :). Didn't care for the sound, though. I wanted to like it I swear!
MAC-1900. Classiest, which is why I kept it.
MAC-4100. Just different looking. Cheap vinyl clad cabinet was its death sentence.
Sherwood S-8900a: Oddly antiquated looking. Very heavy for its size. Made down the street from where my apt is in Chicago.
Sherwood S-7100a: It's like they grown on trees in Chicago. They're everwhere. I had at least 2, maybe 3 of them.
Pioneer SX-1280: memorable for how terrible it sounded.
Sansui 9090db: My first vintage receiver, one of the last I sold, and still one of my favorites for sound. Yucky phono stage, though. (Like most of them, in my opinion).
Scott 737: Nothing notable except it looked pretty much like my KLH (OEM scott?) and sounded awful.
KLH Model 52: Nothing notable except that it looked almost exactly like my Scott, but sounded better and my niece still uses it.
Pioneer SX-939: gave to my neighbor's store. They promptly used it to blow up the Geneses Model 10 speakers I gave them.
HK 430: So pretty. Made me want a Citation Receiver.
Marantz 2275: Pretty!
Onkyo TX-2500mkII. Actually had a nice phono stage, better than any other receiver I had I think.
Onkyo TX-4500: sounded worse than the two 2500s I had.
Sansui 5000x: Just sold this. According to my wife who handled the sale the young guy was thrilled, which makes me happy. It was well taken care of, hope it treats him and his records well.

There were more but those are what I recall. See, now I'm getting all nostalgic for my receiver fetish days.. and the above list is also why I roll my eyes when somebody tells me I don't know what I'm talking about when I say I prefer modern solid state to vintage. That, and my list of separate 1970s amps is almost as long...
 
I love receivers for when my focus isn't on audio the whole time. I honestly don't even think I could remember all of the receivers I've had in the last 10-15 years.

Memorable ones:

Sony STR-6800sd. Just sounded nice.
Yamaha CR-2020. Pretty :). Didn't care for the sound, though. I wanted to like it I swear!
MAC-1900. Classiest, which is why I kept it.
MAC-4100. Just different looking. Cheap vinyl clad cabinet was its death sentence.
Sherwood S-8900a: Oddly antiquated looking. Very heavy for its size. Made down the street from where my apt is in Chicago.
Sherwood S-7100a: It's like they grown on trees in Chicago. They're everwhere. I had at least 2, maybe 3 of them.
Pioneer SX-1280: memorable for how terrible it sounded.
Sansui 9090db: My first vintage receiver, one of the last I sold, and still one of my favorites for sound. Yucky phono stage, though. (Like most of them, in my opinion).
Scott 737: Nothing notable except it looked pretty much like my KLH (OEM scott?) and sounded awful.
KLH Model 52: Nothing notable except that it looked almost exactly like my Scott, but sounded better and my niece still uses it.
Pioneer SX-939: gave to my neighbor's store. They promptly used it to blow up the Geneses Model 10 speakers I gave them.
HK 430: So pretty. Made me want a Citation Receiver.
Marantz 2275: Pretty!
Onkyo TX-2500mkII. Actually had a nice phono stage, better than any other receiver I had I think.
Onkyo TX-4500: sounded worse than the two 2500s I had.
Sansui 5000x: Just sold this. According to my wife who handled the sale the young guy was thrilled, which makes me happy. It was well taken care of, hope it treats him and his records well.

There were more but those are what I recall. See, now I'm getting all nostalgic for my receiver fetish days.. and the above list is also why I roll my eyes when somebody tells me I don't know what I'm talking about when I say I prefer modern solid state to vintage. That, and my list of separate 1970s amps is almost as long...
Interesting list. Apart from what I posted pics of I have an Advent 300 (nice little thing and a good phono stage), an Onkyo TX-4500 MkII (the MkII was much nicer than the first version) currently in the kitchen system and an Onkyo TX-810 digital receiver that makes sound for movies in the art studio. I also had another Marantz 4300 (because one heavy monster wasn't enough). I think that does it.

As to the Yamaha - I've always preferred the models that ended in either 00 or 10 to those that followed, not that I ever owned a receiver, just the integrateds.
 
I had some of the Yamaha integrates. The CA-1010 and the A-1. The A-1 was really nice. I wish I'd kept that, it was just an all-round great integrated amp. And those Marantz 4300s are huge!
 
I had some of the Yamaha integrates. The CA-1010 and the A-1. The A-1 was really nice. I wish I'd kept that, it was just an all-round great integrated amp. And those Marantz 4300s are huge!
Yeah, the 4300 is huge and really heavy. The huge chunk of transformer is near the back so if one makes the mistake of picking it up facing one there can be damage to the back. I'm sure that chunk of iron constitutes well over half of the nearly 60 lb weight. In all honesty I think the 4300 is the most musically satisfying receiver I've heard. I think Punker X would agree with me on that, he ran one for many years, maybe still does.
 
Yeah, the 4300 is huge and really heavy. The huge chunk of transformer is near the back so if one makes the mistake of picking it up facing one there can be damage to the back. I'm sure that chunk of iron constitutes well over half of the nearly 60 lb weight. In all honesty I think the 4300 is the most musically satisfying receiver I've heard. I think Punker X would agree with me on that, he ran one for many years, maybe still does.
I'm not sure which I'd put at the top. I'd probably put the Citation Receiver at the top but its still not up there with (some of) my tube gear or more current solid state.
 
Its not lost on me that I'm all "Yuck! That vintage solid state!" and then I go on and on about all the fun I had with it :)

Favorite of the lot, and still in use, Accuphase E303x. There is better sounding gear but that integrated amp is badass.
 
Its not lost on me that I'm all "Yuck! That vintage solid state!" and then I go on and on about all the fun I had with it :)

Favorite of the lot, and still in use, Accuphase E303x. There is better sounding gear but that integrated amp is badass.
I've never used a receiver for really serious listening so I can only say which made my ears happiest in the context when I have used them. I've not compared a E-303X with an E-202, but of all of my old solid state stuff that is still my favourite. It just sounds lovely in a relaxed, distortion and grain-free manner at any volume level from whisper to shake the windows and the phono stage is really nice. I can and do listen to it for extended periods due to fatigue-free nature of the beast.

I've had tons of fun with all manner of things I wouldn't want to live with again..... most of them with wheels.
 
I've never used a receiver for really serious listening so I can only say which made my ears happiest in the context when I have used them. I've not compared a E-303X with an E-202, but of all of my old solid state stuff that is still my favourite. It just sounds lovely in a relaxed, distortion and grain-free manner at any volume level from whisper to shake the windows and the phono stage is really nice. I can and do listen to it for extended periods due to fatigue-free nature of the beast.

I've had tons of fun with all manner of things I wouldn't want to live with again..... most of them with wheels.

When I started out with this obsession around 2007 I had a girlfriend who was into it with me. She had a good ear and we liked the same music. She'd even go to stores with me and pass judgment on systems. We'd go around to thrift stores and find stuff then run back to my loft, hook it up, and listen and compare. It was great fun. The thrifts started to dry up after the 2008 crash and I eventually got into more expensive gear that wasn't on such a frequent rotation. But I still miss those early days. I know, not as 'early' as they were for some of you but I lived a good 30+ years before getting into it at any obsessive level. I guess that was an accomplishment in some way. I saved a lot of money.
 
Well I agree with the statement that receivers work well in some situations.
My wife's living room system sports this old Marantz, and it also is fed to our patio. Everyone always likes the retro look.
20180825_205112.jpg
 
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Well I agree with the statement that receivers work well in some situations.
My wife's living room system sports this old Marantz, and it also is fed to our patio. Everyone always likes the retro look.

I owned a 2325 for a while, and, to me, it comes probably the closest to encapsulating all the things I like about 70s mass-market solid state, right alongside all the things I dislike about 70s mass-market solid state.

I'd love to have one I could display in my second or third system, but if I ever got another one cheap enough to bite on, I couldn't economically justify keeping it.
 
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