Welcome to Our Newest Forum - Vintage Solid State!

[prime minister]

Correcting a long time oversight. While vintage solid state gear is certainly discussed and popular on the Haven, we have never had a forum dedicated to it. The world of receivers, integrated amps and separates are certainly a unique corner of the hobby, and are deserving of their own space. I look forward to learning about your vintage SS gear and systems.

 

[Mortsnets]

I love my SS Sherwood S-2300 Tuner.

 

[Thermionics]

Is this going to be one of those forums that @JohnVF loves to hate, or hates to love?

 

[prime minister]

Is this going to be one of those forums that @JohnVF loves to hate, or hates to love?

Why would a guy who uses a vintage receiver and a vintage integrated amp daily feel either way?

 

[JohnVF]

Is this going to be one of those forums that @JohnVF loves to hate, or hates to love?

It's definitely a love/hate thing but I WANT to love it....it just doesn't always want to love me. I'm still rolling with about 1/3 vintage gear with 2/3 of my amplification being vintage

 

[Sean.m.miller1]

I do have a fondness for all the lights and buttons. It's actually been replaced by tubes lately but here's a shot of my Sansui 7070... I think I might just keep it on the shelf with the lights on while I listen to the tubes...

 

[prime minister]

I do have a fondness for all the lights and buttons. It's actually been replaced by tubes lately but here's a shot of my Sansui 7070... I think I might just keep it on the shelf with the lights on while I listen to the tubes...View attachment 42913

There is something to be said for that. They are astonishingly beautiful units.

 

[JohnVF]

I do have a fondness for all the lights and buttons. It's actually been replaced by tubes lately but here's a shot of my Sansui 7070... I think I might just keep it on the shelf with the lights on while I listen to the tubes...View attachment 42913

It was a 9090db that got me into this hobby, and I regret selling it 7 years ago before a move. It was one of those units that sounded better than others of the same type, for whatever reason. There was just something right about it. And it was so big and impressive!

 

[Doghouse Riley]

Apart from the Hohner guitar valve amplifier in the loft.

Everything I have is vintage solid state.

This Rock-Ola 443 from 1969.

This Rock-Ola 468 from 1976.

These Rock-Ola Tri-Vue Jukebox wallboxes from 1975. (1975 Leak 2000 tuner/amp. 1972 Philips 308 turntable with a Shure M75 EJ cartridge, a 1972 Sharp 442H cassette deck) 1972 Goodmans Havant speakers.

1978 Rotel RX 152 Tuner/amp and 1962 Rock-Ola Phonette 504 jukebox wall box

Even my Binatone clock radio is from 1986.

 

[geoff]

This Sherwood S8900A just fell into my lap. It is noisy and needs servicing - I’m trying to decide it it’s worth having it done.

 

[MikeO]

It's definitely a love/hate thing but I WANT to love it....it just doesn't always want to love me. I'm still rolling with about 1/3 vintage gear with 2/3 of my amplification being vintage

Love/hate with me as well. Over time realizing that most of the hate comes from problems finding a good tech who can make these units reliable again. When they work properly, it is great. When they break, I keep promising myself I am done with it for good. I know good techs still exist but finding one locally seems necessary as shipping brings its own risks.

 

[prime minister]

My last receiver was a, ahem, THE Citation. I do miss that beast.

 

[Sean.m.miller1]

It was a 9090db that got me into this hobby, and I regret selling it 7 years ago before a move. It was one of those units that sounded better than others of the same type, for whatever reason. There was just something right about it. And it was so big and impressive!

I was lusting over the 9090 when I found my 7070 on Craigslist, non-functioning and quite a bit cheaper for it. That made the decision for me

 

[JohnVF]

My last receiver was a, ahem, THE Citation. I do miss that beast.

I know where you can buy one.

 

[240sx4u]

I know where you can buy one.

That guy never sells anything. Good luck. haha

 

[Thermionics]

Currently, the only two pieces of vintage (how old is old enough to be vintage?) solid-state gear I have is the Yamaha C-4 in the main system, and the somewhat hard-to-find Adcom GCA-510 integrated in my home office. Used to have a Luxman L100 but it had too high of a noise floor, even after being serviced, to play with my Klipsch Heresy X's.

 

[JohnVF]

At one point my list would have scrolled off the page and now I only have:

Harman Kardon "The Citation Receiver"
Onkyo A7 integrated amp.

I can't believe that's all I have left but there it is. I still have several vintage turntables, though, and some vintage SUTs and carts. My main system revolves around a Luxman L-507u integrated amp that looks vintage-ish with its big blue meters, but its decidedly modern inside. Has tone controls, though. The few amps I have laying around unused are from after 2000. And somewhere there's a vintage Fisher tube preamp hiding.

 

[fiddlefye]

While there is a fair load of vintage SS in use around here at any given moment in time the main system is almost modern and not SS. Alternate power amps to the CJ MV-45 tube amp are both vintage SS though - Heybrook P-2 and McIntosh MC-250. In spite of having sold off quite a few pieces to create vintage systems for several people locally I still have quite a bit in play.

Living room - Yamaha C-4 and Epicure M1
Bedroom - Accuphase E-202 integrated
Desktop - Luxman 5L15 integrated
TV room - Teac A-X75 MkII integrated
Katrina's art studio - Yamaha CA-1000 integrated
Katrina's Beatnik Art Supplies - Yamaha CA-1010 integrated
Kitchen - Harman Kardon HK560 receiver
Garage - Harman Kardon 630 receiver
Shop - Marantz 4300 receiver

Enough vintage SS for ya? Yes, I have a thing for integrateds. All working just hunky-dory.

 

[mhardy6647]

I love my SS Sherwood S-2300 Tuner.
View attachment 42910

I have owned two of those -- neither of which worked right. I wouldn't mind having one that did work... or at least having a chance to play with (and, more to the point, to hear).

 

[mhardy6647]

It's definitely a love/hate thing but I WANT to love it....it just doesn't always want to love me. I'm still rolling with about 1/3 vintage gear with 2/3 of my amplification being vintage

I think that the best thing to do -- and I am not being entirely facetious -- is to strip the guts out of any vintage component that really appeals to one aesthetically, and put a coupla of the really good, current production Class D amp modules inside of it.

Sorta like this (current production) McIntosh multichannel amp.





source: McIntosh MI254 Power Amplifier Teardown