Home Stereo Replacement - Any Suggestions?

[Old Moparz]

Some of my vintage stereo equipment is dying off & I am trying to make up my mind as to what to replace it with. Some of what I currently have, & still use, goes back to the mid to late 1970's & still works fine, but the receiver & equalizer have just about cranked out their last tunes. Here's a list of what I have with what I plan to keep using in bold print.

Hitachi Receiver - 100 watts per channel (From about 1976)
ADC Soundshaper EQ - 12 band with tape monitor (From about 1977)
Marantz Turntable - direct drive quartz (From about 1976)
TEAC Cassette Deck - belt driven (From about 1978)
Sony 5 CD Changer - carousal type (From about 1994)
Infinity Speakers - tower type w/ 8" drivers (From about 1996)

I'm not too interested in a home theater set up since my wife & I will use this system for music 98% of the time. I do know I don't want a packaged system in a box, & only need a receiver & EQ, or maybe an amp/tuner & EQ combo. I'd love to say money is no object, but it is. I'm thinking about maybe $1000 or less for a receiver, or amp/tuner & EQ.

I see prices all over for components that seem comparable, but I haven't shopped for this stuff since I replaced a set of old Fisher speakers with the Infinitys about 10 years ago. There used to be audio shops everywhere, but now the only option with less than a one hour drive is Best Buy, Circuit City & Wally-Mart. (I don't think so.)

I'm planning to make a trip one weekend this month to go listen & that will be to a higher end shop in NYC or NJ. I can use a few suggestions from anyone who may be able to help, but of course if you can't help, I'll still listen for the entertainment factor.     Any ideas or comments?

Thanks, Bob

[Ponch ®]

if all you need it for is music, stereos are kinda obsolete nowadays. I'd say buy a computer with a nice size hardrive and a good sound card (with 'rca' audio outpouts), hook it up to your receiver/amplifier, and you can play CD's and MP3's on it.

[Charger_Fan]

That reminds me, I need to see if I can snag a turntable somewhere. My kids broke the last one I had about 10 years ago...haven't listened to records since. (yes, I'm old )

Oh & for the rest of your question...umm...beats me. I haven't been stereo shopping in 113 years.

[Old Moparz]

It's a good idea, but the receiver is one of the things I need to replace first. It's getting distortion in some of the knobs & adjustments just like the EQ. Besides, it doesn't have any additional inputs to add equipment, or tie it into a TV/DVD player for an occasional movie or concert. I've lost count of the CD's I have, maybe close to 900 or so, & I have lots of vinyl still, maybe 600 albums. I will replace the PC later this year & will make sure it has provisions for hooking it to the stereo, but I don't want to download existing discs, albums & tapes.

It kills a lot of time & I find it pretty simple to just pop a bunch of CD's into the changer. (Same in the cars.) I do want to be able to make a CD from an album, especially one that's been out of print. A friend of mine does that & it's pretty cool. I'll probably go with the bigger hard drive, the good sound card, MP3's & such, but I still have one foot planted firmly in the last century. I don't have any '78's or need to crank a handle to play something, so at least I ain't in the stone age.   

[Ponch ®]

It's a good idea, but the receiver is one of the things I need to replace first. It's getting distortion in some of the knobs & adjustments just like the EQ. Besides, it doesn't have any additional inputs to add equipment, or tie it into a TV/DVD player for an occasional movie or concert. I've lost count of the CD's I have, maybe close to 900 or so, & I have lots of vinyl still, maybe 600 albums. I will replace the PC later this year & will make sure it has provisions for hooking it to the stereo, but I don't want to download existing discs, albums & tapes.

It kills a lot of time & I find it pretty simple to just pop a bunch of CD's into the changer. (Same in the cars.) I do want to be able to make a CD from an album, especially one that's been out of print. A friend of mine does that & it's pretty cool. I'll probably go with the bigger hard drive, the good sound card, MP3's & such, but I still have one foot planted firmly in the last century. I don't have any '78's or need to crank a handle to play something, so at least I ain't in the stone age.   

my last stereo died 2-3 years ago. I still have it, but the CD changer/player doesnt work anymore. I only use it for the radio (and now that I have Sirius Satellite, not even that anymore) and as an amplifier,   since I play CD's and MP3's on my computer and its hooked up to it. The tape deck still works, but at this point I think that I've replaced pretty much every song   I ever had on tape with CD's or downloaded the MP3's. I have a couple of rarities (like my "ROIR Records" compilation) that I would like to transfer from tape to my computer. I think I know how, but I keep forgetting to actually do it.

As for records...wait, whats a record?

[TruckDriver]

I love my Kenwood reciever. If you got a Kenwood dealer in your area, check them out. I don't know if all dealers, but some of the Kenwood dealers around here sell factory refurbished stereos too which is done by Kenwood, and comes with a year warrenty too. I have always bought the refurbished Kenwood stuff and never had any problems with them. The best thing is you can buy them for half the price of a new unit, and you can really get some goodies for the price too. My reciever I bought 2 years ago was a $600. unit, and I paid around $325. and it was a year old unit at that time when I bought it. It has all kinds of home theater stuff in it too. Kenwood run a low impedance level so they have a low distorion rate which is great for all speakers. I have 4 - 16" woofer, 3 way Cerwin-Vega speakers and I can't even turn the stereo up half way without hurting my ears. It rocks when watching movies through it.

[GTX]

I was going to suggest going with Adcom but you'd be past your budget with only maybe one or two components. Maybe Denon or Carver??
Honestly though the best amp I've ever had was a Sansui AU-7900 from the mid 70's. Hard pressed to get better sound now even out of an Adcom and still highly sought after. Snap one of them for around $200.00 and then get the matching TU-7900 tuner and add a cd/mp3 player to them with some good speakers.  You'd probably be very well within your budget and have a very nice system although older but old school is not always bad as we know.
They are around on Ebay fairly often but go fast.

Other nice Sansui's are the AU9900 and the AU2000.


I do have a Kenwood amp/tuner and a dual cassette deck I'd sell you for a very good deal. Amp/tuner comes with 2 remotes and does theater with surround if you want. I don't recall the model numbers off hand. I'm using it as an amp for my movie booth and want another Sansui!

[Brock Samson]

 i got the ADC soundshaper too,..   

  Haveing a home studio and a total of four rehersal/recording studios since 1980 i used to actualy be up on all that stuff...
  as regards the amp. i love my natural sound Yamaha, i got for 300 bucks, it was a dealer demo. and actually cost about 700,..
  all the newer stereos are disposable,.. i know i have three of them,...
  i belive all the stuff i used to know about is obsolete now...
  i simply haven't been able to keep up aymore, and i used to educate myself by buying the audiophile mags like stereo review..
  all i care about these days is that there are enuff ins and outs to hook up all my stuff... which is about 1 tenth of what i used to run.
  cudaken is into this stuff, where's he at?.
 

[last426]

Gosh, I can only recommend some vintage stuff -- if you can find it.  Long, long ago I did not go components and went with a Pioneer SX1250 receiver.  Along with that (at its time) monster I bought some Pioneer HPM 200 speakers.  Man oh man, what a huge and great speaker.  Now, these 30 years later, they are still rocking, the speaks have not yet been re-coned, and all is well.  Oh, at the time I got a Garrard zero 100c turntable and an Optimus cassette player -- while I liked the Garrard's zero tracking error because the arm was articulated, I really can't recommend it.  I would vote against the Optimus player -- it was the one with the seek function.  Kim

[ChargerBill]

OM, I was at target last week and they had a BOSE home theater system on dispaly that was simply amazing. I am a stereo nut, love it loud and clear and at around 6 inches by 8 inches these speakers were probably better sounding than any full sized floor speaker I have EVER heard. This old guy (around 65) was standuing there in amazement...blasting (BLASTING!!) these speakers...we had the whole electronics dept watching and listening...you couldn't hear anything else. I know you need a receiver, but when you get to speakers I highly recommend that you look at the BOSE home system compact speakers.

These were the speakers - Bose Cinemate:

  and here's the link:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=cinemate_surround_index&linksource=avb_txt_cinemate&intcmp=USE04002&ck=0

As far as receivers go, I would stick with Pioneer, Harmon Kardon or Denon....

[Afflyer]

I have owned Yamaha components since 1985- in fact, I still have my R-70 reciever from 1985 and it's still going strong!

Would any of you have paid $1100 for a stereo VCR?  I did!  That's what I paid in 1985 for my Yamaha YV-1000 and it's still playing on!  Yeah, that's a helluva lot of cash for a VCR, but I was 19, still living with my parents and had two jobs.  And that was the going rate for a stereo VCR, and a Yamaha at that.

I rate Yamaha components  and always will.

Bradley 

[Wakko]

I was in Walmart a few weeks ago and they had a five speaker Sony stereo for about 250 that sounded incredible.  Seriously deep bass, I was impressed.  I use a five year old Philips Magnavox that I paid $125 for and it sounds really good still.  Stereo technology has come so far it's incredible.  Just remember to get higher wattage RMS at <.05 THD. 

[Old Moparz]

my last stereo died 2-3 years ago. I still have it, but the CD changer/player doesnt work anymore. I only use it for the radio (and now that I have Sirius Satellite, not even that anymore) and as an amplifier,   since I play CD's and MP3's on my computer and its hooked up to it. The tape deck still works, but at this point I think that I've replaced pretty much every song   I ever had on tape with CD's or downloaded the MP3's. I have a couple of rarities (like my "ROIR Records" compilation) that I would like to transfer from tape to my computer. I think I know how, but I keep forgetting to actually do it.

As for records...wait, whats a record?

A record? It looks like one of those flat, round, dough things you roll burritos up in, but you can't roll it. It's hard vinyl, has grooves that have music on it, & usually your favorite ones sound like a crackling campfire. 

Well, since my turntable, cassette deck & CD changer all work & I still want to use them, I am replacing the receiver. I was in New Jersey today & went to an audio store called "Sound City"  http://www.soundcity.com/  that I had bought my turntable cartridge from 15 years ago. Nothing like an audio only  store with sound rooms instead of the unit sitting on a shelf in a warehouse setting & high school salespeople playing the one in the next aisle at high volume.

After explaining what I needed, the salesman weeded out some things I didn't need, like most of what was in the store since I don't need a surround theater system. He showed me a 2 channel, integrated amp made by NAD that sounds unbelievable. I may not get the tuner because radio has a lot to be desired, but I'm still thinking about it because I do like the local college station. The amp is 150 watts per channel, & NAD also makes a preamp so I can hook up my turntable to it. I don't play records that much, but once in a while I have to get one out.

http://www.nadelectronics.com/hifi_amplifiers/C372_framset.htm

It also has a tape monitor, which is also necessary to hook up an equalizer if I need one because of horrible room acoustics. (Which my house has.) I'll wait to see how the new set up sounds before I invest in an EQ just yet, but at least I can use it. There aren't to many EQ's or receivers, amps & such with turntable inputs. Onkyo makes one, but it wasn't in stock to see. At some point I'll go back with my wife & bring some CD's to give it a listen. The whole set up with the integrated amp, the tuner & the preamp will run about $1000 or so. Not bad considering the Nakamichi set up on display was 10 times more at $10,000   

I do have a Kenwood amp/tuner and a dual cassette deck I'd sell you for a very good deal. Amp/tuner comes with 2 remotes and does theater with surround if you want. I don't recall the model numbers off hand. I'm using it as an amp for my movie booth and want another Sansui!

Thanks for the offer, but I'm looking at new components.

i got the ADC soundshaper too,..

Haveing a home studio and a total of four rehersal/recording studios since 1980 i used to actualy be up on all that stuff...
as regards the amp. i love my natural sound Yamaha, i got for 300 bucks, it was a dealer demo. and actually cost about 700,..
all the newer stereos are disposable,.. i know i have three of them,...
i belive all the stuff i used to know about is obsolete now...
i simply haven't been able to keep up aymore, and i used to educate myself by buying the audiophile mags like stereo review..
all i care about these days is that there are enuff ins and outs to hook up all my stuff... which is about 1 tenth of what i used to run.
cudaken is into this stuff, where's he at?.

That's exactly how I'm looking at it. I want to simplify things & use my existing equipment to play stuff I already have, & not get into downloads on a computer, MP3's, IPODS, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 & more. All the info we have from back then is almost obsolete. 

OM, I was at target last week and they had a BOSE home theater system on dispaly that was simply amazing. I am a stereo nut, love it loud and clear and at around 6 inches by 8 inches these speakers were probably better sounding than any full sized floor speaker I have EVER heard. This old guy (around 65) was standuing there in amazement...blasting (BLASTING!!) these speakers...we had the whole electronics dept watching and listening...you couldn't hear anything else. I know you need a receiver, but when you get to speakers I highly recommend that you look at the BOSE home system compact speakers.

These were the speakers - Bose Cinemate:

   and here's the link:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=cinemate_surround_index&linksource=avb_txt_cinemate&intcmp=USE04002&ck=0

As far as receivers go, I would stick with Pioneer, Harmon Kardon or Denon....

The little Bose systems are  pretty nice, & I may look into one if I decide to set up a better system for a TV in a different room.

[Brock Samson]

 yeah a "Tape Monitor" is a nessesity,. i forgot about that...