mattsk8 Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 10 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: Still looking for an integrated, haven't really made up my mind on what I want 100% so I'm surfing the classifieds and seeing if anything in my list pops up. I've found some decent luck on Amazon for brand new vinyl - I need to make it out to the record stores to find some more for sure though. Music Direct is awesome for new records, their "wish list" is cool. http://www.musicdirect.com/ Just curious and not that there's anything wrong with it, but why integrated? IMO, if you're looking at used, best bang for buck and reliable... Adcom amps are the way to go. Preamps would be different; bang for buck used 2 channel preamps (IMO) would be B&K, Rotel, Perreaux, NAD (but check reviews, NAD also had some hits and misses), Bryston (but these can be hard to come by on a budget), some of the Adcom pres review well but I personally don't have experience with them. I'm sure others here have other good options too, these are what come to mind at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 20 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: Still looking for an integrated, haven't really made up my mind on what I want 100% so I'm surfing the classifieds and seeing if anything in my list pops up. I've found some decent luck on Amazon for brand new vinyl - I need to make it out to the record stores to find some more for sure though. That would probably be your best bet - I got lucky on eBay a few years back when I was replacing the fuses in an old Sound Project (made by Pioneer) receiver from the early 70s and got a whole bag of a very specific and hard to find fuse from China Look for NAD 3020, 3225, or any NAD integrated with a PE or BEE after it as well. Theyre very reasonably priced and sound great. The 3020 and 3225 have amazing Phono circuits.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 10 minutes ago, mattsk8 said: Music Direct is awesome for new records, their "wish list" is cool. http://www.musicdirect.com/ Just curious and not that there's anything wrong with it, but why integrated? IMO, if you're looking at used, best bang for buck and reliable... Adcom amps are the way to go. Preamps would be different; bang for buck used 2 channel preamps (IMO) would be B&K, Rotel, Perreaux, NAD (but check reviews, NAD also had some hits and misses), Bryston (but these can be hard to come by on a budget), some of the Adcom pres review well but I personally don't have experience with them. I'm sure others here have other good options too, these are what come to mind at the moment. Why integrated? No space for separates right now and no need for the power, really. I have a set of small, efficient bookshelf speakers. Budget too - looking to buy a house within the next year and I have a cap on all things audio for the next foreseeable few years. 9 minutes ago, Dick Dastardly said: Look for NAD 3020, 3225, or any NAD integrated with a PE or BEE after it as well. Theyre very reasonably priced and sound great. The 3020 and 3225 have amazing Phono circuits.. I do like NAD gear but the few BEE units I've seen for sale haven't had phono stages. Been a while since I've seen a PE unit as well. If I were going new I'd look at a Marantz PM6005, Rotel RA-12 or best case scenario Hegel H80. Used I'm open to a lot of things and waiting for the right NAD or maybe a Rotel RA-1062 to pop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 2 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: Why integrated? No space for separates right now and no need for the power, really. I have a set of small, efficient bookshelf speakers. Budget too - looking to buy a house within the next year and I have a cap on all things audio for the next foreseeable few years. I do like NAD gear but the few BEE units I've seen for sale haven't had phono stages. Been a while since I've seen a PE unit as well. If I were going new I'd look at a Marantz PM6005, Rotel RA-12 or best case scenario Hegel H80. Used I'm open to a lot of things and waiting for the right NAD or maybe a Rotel RA-1062 to pop up. There's always NAD 3020 family amps on eBay.. Early BEE amps had phono but they're more rare. My 3225pe powers my Vandersteens very well. (Eventually I'll add a 100watt power envelope amp when I find a good deal and use the integrated as a pre) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 3 minutes ago, Dick Dastardly said: There's always NAD 3020 family amps on eBay.. Early BEE amps had phono but they're more rare. My 3225pe powers my Vandersteens very well. (Eventually I'll add a 100watt power envelope amp when I find a good deal and use the integrated as a pre) eBay has the biggest selection by far but the Canadian dollar + shipping to Canada has almost killed it for me The local classifieds are a much smaller pool unfortunately, but I can audition stuff and not have to pay shipping so I'm holding out a bit Curious about matching a Rotel to my B&Ws as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 31 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: Why integrated? No space for separates right now and no need for the power, really. I have a set of small, efficient bookshelf speakers. Budget too - looking to buy a house within the next year and I have a cap on all things audio for the next foreseeable few years. Have you considered vintage? Some of the vintage receivers had great phono inputs, and they sounded incredible. Pioneer, Sansui, Yamaha, Kenwood... etc. The Pioneer SX-950 is a personal favorite. If you're looking for something right now for cheap, I have this Kenwood I'd sell cheap (like $50), don't remember the model and I'm at work. I picked it up at Goodwill and cleaned and lubed all the pots and switches, so no more scratchy balance/volume/bass/treble/etc. Shipping to Canada might be spendy though, guessing at least another $50 cuz they're heavy. It cleaned up very well, looks new. If you're interested I can get you better pics; if not I totally understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 7 minutes ago, mattsk8 said: Have you considered vintage? Some of the vintage receivers had great phono inputs, and they sounded incredible. Pioneer, Sansui, Yamaha, Kenwood... etc. The Pioneer SX-950 is a personal favorite. If you're looking for something right now for cheap, I have this Kenwood I'd sell cheap (like $50), don't remember the model and I'm at work. I picked it up at Goodwill and cleaned and lubed all the pots and switches, so no more scratchy balance/volume/bass/treble/etc. Shipping to Canada might be spendy though, guessing at least another $50 cuz they're heavy. It cleaned up very well, looks new. If you're interested I can get you better pics; if not I totally understand. I actually have 2-3 vintage Pioneers...a QX-747, a Sound Project (basically a Pioneer, super low end), and another I can't remember the model of. They all need work to some varying degree - they've all been sitting in storage for decades without much or any use. I'm okay with my h/k right now - it isn't broken or awful but I am looking for more power and a better phono stage. I appreciate the offer of the Kenwood but the shipping, especially in US dollars, would be close to $75 Those speakers look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 9 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: I actually have 2-3 vintage Pioneers...a QX-747, a Sound Project (basically a Pioneer, super low end), and another I can't remember the model of. They all need work to some varying degree - they've all been sitting in storage for decades without much or any use. I'm okay with my h/k right now - it isn't broken or awful but I am looking for more power and a better phono stage. I appreciate the offer of the Kenwood but the shipping, especially in US dollars, would be close to $75 Those speakers look great! IMHO, I'd stop looking for an integrated and fix your QX-747, that is BAD ASS!! 40w/ch might not seem like enough, but 40 watts in 1975 compared to 40 watts today aren't the same (at all). What's wrong with it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 7 minutes ago, mattsk8 said: IMHO, I'd stop looking for an integrated and fix your QX-747, that is BAD ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!! 40w/ch might not seem like enough, but 40 watts in 1975 compared to 40 watts today aren't the same (at all). What's wrong with it?? Scratchy sound, static, uneven power distribution (you can see on the little radar scale) and pops on start up/shut down. After taking a look at this http://www.oldbrokenjunk.com/wordpress/?cat=22 I'm not sure if I want to dive into this myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 1 minute ago, ruecatinat said: Scratchy sound, static, uneven power distribution (you can see on the little radar scale) and pops on start up/shut down. After taking a look at this http://www.oldbrokenjunk.com/wordpress/?cat=22 I'm not sure if I want to dive into this myself. It's easy, all your issues are typical of simply needing a good, thorough cleaning. I'll help walk you through it if you want. Start by ordering these 2 cans of Deoxit. I know that's pricey, but that will fix your Pioneer. Basically, to do the job you'll first pull all the knobs off, then remove the wood case, then remove the silver face (good time to clean those as well). Then, all you do is spray the Deoxit D5 into an access hole in one of the pots (the knob) and rotate the pot from one end to other MANY times. You'll do the same with any buttons or switches as well. After you clean all of them thoroughly with the D5, you spray a little of the F5 lube in them and that protects and lubes them. FWIW, the left channel in that Kenwood in my pic didn't work at all, and the right channel was super scratchy. In addition to that, every time I moved the selector it would pop like crazy. I did the cleaning (took about 2 hours) and it's good as new and silky smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 2 hours ago, mattsk8 said: It's easy, all your issues are typical of simply needing a good, thorough cleaning. I'll help walk you through it if you want. Start by ordering these 2 cans of Deoxit. I know that's pricey, but that will fix your Pioneer. Basically, to do the job you'll first pull all the knobs off, then remove the wood case, then remove the silver face (good time to clean those as well). Then, all you do is spray the Deoxit D5 into an access hole in one of the pots (the knob) and rotate the pot from one end to other MANY times. You'll do the same with any buttons or switches as well. After you clean all of them thoroughly with the D5, you spray a little of the F5 lube in them and that protects and lubes them. FWIW, the left channel in that Kenwood in my pic didn't work at all, and the right channel was super scratchy. In addition to that, every time I moved the selector it would pop like crazy. I did the cleaning (took about 2 hours) and it's good as new and silky smooth. I'll have to hunt down some DeOxit and take a peak. Sounds like a weekend job for when the girlfriend is travelling on business. Is it merely a preference in sound that makes vintage a thing? I look at these polished metal and wood 1970s behemoths and then a compact, slick NAD and the Pioneer doesn't accept banana plugs, doesn't have a detachable power cord, and has maybe 1 AUX input. Also no remote control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsk8 Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 18 minutes ago, ruecatinat said: I'll have to hunt down some DeOxit and take a peak. Sounds like a weekend job for when the girlfriend is travelling on business. Is it merely a preference in sound that makes vintage a thing? I look at these polished metal and wood 1970s behemoths and then a compact, slick NAD and the Pioneer doesn't accept banana plugs, doesn't have a detachable power cord, and has maybe 1 AUX input. Also no remote control No remote can be a killer, but honestly for 2 channel audio how much remote controlling do you really do? And 1 aux yes, but are you going to hook a cassette player to it? That's 2 more. IMO, it's the sound and the looks of the old ones. They have TONS of headroom and sound incredible compared to some of the thin sounding new options. Obviously there are options out there today that would sound as good and maybe (debatably) better, but you said you were trying to save some money and you already have the Pioneer. I had a Pioneer SX-1050, and I had to go to a B&K preamp with a Adcom 5500 amp to even compete with the headroom and sound quality. Before the Adcom/B&K, I tried a Harman Kardon HK-3490 receiver first and it was a sad joke compared to the power and sound of the old Pioneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted March 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2016 Try the Deoxit, that stuff is important for vintage audio. If it doesn't work for your uneven output, it could be bad output transistors too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfishing3 Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 Here you go http://ventura.craigslist.org/ele/5510187791.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatinat Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 14 hours ago, flyfishing3 said: Here you go http://ventura.craigslist.org/ele/5510187791.html Out of my neighbourhood In other news, picked up one of these over the weekend... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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