Apr 18th, 2012 Posted in Onkyo, TX-2500 | No Comments »
This Onkyo TX-2500 receiver is a low to mid-range offering from Onkyo with the TX-8500 being the big dog at the time. I've always liked the look of the Onkyo receivers - even the bolt on front dial glass. When all the bulbs work and they are lit up they have the warm glow of candle light. This particular TX-2500 is the MK II version which does differ slightly from the regular TX-2500. I believe the TX-2500 came out around 1976-77 and the revised MK II around 1978. The MK II had a retail price of around $360.00.
Onkyo's TX-2500 is listed at 27 watts per channel while the Tx-2500 MK II is listed at 40 watts per channel. Of course, the late 70's were the height of the receiver wars where each manufacturer was trying to outdo the other with more watts per channel and other features. This is probably why Onkyo decided to up the ante with the power output. Total harmonic distortion was lowered as well from 0.5% to 0.1%.
The late 70's Onkyo receivers are very good performers and you be hard pressed to find someone that does not like them. They very regularly sell for quite a bit less then a comparable Pioneer or Yamaha receiver. So, for the money I would consider them sleepers and if you have a chance to pick one up cheaply you should do so.
This particular receiver sold in April of 2012 for $140.00 and was in great shape and had been recently serviced with new bulbs. I've seen sales of clean working units for around $50.00 to $80.00 as well.
Tags: Onkyo, Onkyo TX-2500, TX-2500 Mk II
Apr 15th, 2012 Posted in SA-1000 | 1 Comment »
This giant Technics SA-1000 receiver is one of the rarer monster receivers. You don't see them come up for sale very often. And, while they may not be as popular as Marantz or Pioneer they still bring big bucks on the auction market. They were produced from 1977 to 1979 at the height of the receiver wars when every manufacturer was trying to outdo the rest.
The SA-1000 probably isn't the best styled receiver from the late 70's but it does look nice and has the distinctive Technics / Panasonic look of the time. What really got people's attention was the performance. Are you ready for these stats? The SA-1000 put out 330 watts per channel! That's far more then most other receivers on the market at the time. It did this with less than 0.03% total harmonic distortion. It also cost $1800.00 which, back in the 70's, was a lot of money. And, you would need help getting it to your car as it weighs in at an astronomical 87 pounds!
It also featured:
- Triple push-pull, Darlington-connected, pure-complementary OCL power amplifier
- Four 18,000 uF filter capacitors
- 12 power-level LED's per channel (24 total) with 3-step range selector
- SEPP phono output stage
- Phono overload of 300 mV (1 kHz, RMS)
- Switchable phono resistance and capacitance for matching cartridge characteristics
- Steep-slope (-12 dB/oct) high and low filters
- Baxandall-type bass/midrange/treble controls plus "Acoustic Control"
- Midrange control center frequency variable between 250 Hz and 5 kHz
- Two-way tape dubbing
- 26-position true attenuator volume control
- Three-fold circuit and speaker protection
- Automatic load impedance detector
- 8-gang variable tuning capacitor (5 for FM, 3 for AM)
- 4-pole MOS FET utilized in both RF and mixer stage
- Local oscillator with FET buffer amp
- 85 dB selectivity
- 19 and 38 kHz signal cancellors
- Phase locked loop IC in FM MPX section for wideband, stable stereo separation
- MPX hi-blend reduces noise on weak FM stereo signals
- Ratio detector minimizes FM distortion
- Main and remote speaker facilities
- Jacks for adding future 4-channel FM and stereo AM adaptors
- Pre-out/Main-in jacks.
As I mentioned above the Technics SA-1000 rarely comes on the market. When they do they can sell for over $3000.00 in excellent working condition.
Tags: Technics, Technics SA-1000
Apr 10th, 2012 Posted in QRX-5500 | 2 Comments »
This Sansui QRX-550 is one of Sansui's Quadrophonic offerings. It puts out 30 per channel to four channels into 8ohms. It is part of the early beginnings of surround sound. I believe Sansui had six QRX quad offerings and the QRX-5500 was the middle of the spectrum receiver. It was produced in the early 70's. There was also a QRX-5500A version that reflected a change in the syntax of the decoding from QS to QA and SQ. It has that classic early Sansui styling that was also found on the 9090DB.
The QRX-5500 had a number of decoding options such as:
- QS Synthesizer
Surround + Hall
- QS Regular Matrix
Surround + Hall
- Phase Matrix
- Discrete
- 2-Channel
The Sansui quad receivers are all fairly popular. They are difficult to find in full working condition but, when they are, they sell for reasonable prices. While the top of the line QRX-9001 sells for over $500.00 the middle of the road QRX-5500 sell for under $200.00.
Tags: Quad, Sansu, Sansui QRX-5500
Apr 8th, 2012 Posted in 7075, Nikko | No Comments »
Mention a Nikko receiver and you'll find opinions on both sides of the aisle with regards to build and sound quality. Most will agree that they are great looking receivers and they do have a nice clean look to them. In fact they look a little like a Kenwood. They were made in Japan from about 1976 to 1980 and were intended to be lower priced high margin unit for retailers. In other words you'd go in to the audio store to look at a Pioneer and you'd get led over to the Nikko and they would try to sell you that instead. Happened all the time with house brand audio components as well.
Still, from what I've heard, some of the Nikko receivers really do sound good and will last for years. This is the Nikko 7075. It puts out 42 watts per channel and retailed at $400.00. It also features:
- Tone control for Bass and Treble
- Loudness switch
- High and Low Filters
- Inputs for Phono, Tape 1+2
- Microphone (¼”)
- Mono
- Speakers A, B, A/B
- Capable of 4-channel audio
- Headphone Jack (¼” Stereo on the Front panel)
- Dimensions 480 x 160 x 360 mm
As you can see it has a nice blue dial with tuning and signal meters. It also has click stop potentiometers which is a nice feature. The Nikko's aren't that popular and still aren't consider as equal to the major top brands of the time but they are a good value for someone just entering the vintage audio market. This Nikko 7075 was in great condition, had been cleaned inside and out and worked perfectly. It sold for just over $100.00 in March 2012.
Tags: Nikko, Nikko 7075
