My top 5 Receivers and speakers form the 70s. These are the products that made an impression on me and furthered my nascent journey into the world of Hifi. Let me know your thoughts. If you wish to join the channel and become a member please click here: www.youtube.com/@OldGuyHifi/membership
I have a 330B that I listened to for years, a couple years ago when I began watching some RUclips content I learned just how special they are. I began shopping for a 730, found a very nice one near me for $350.00 and pounced on it. I have no interest in any other vintage receivers outside of cosmetic appeal. Love my Harmon Kardons.
I came of age during this period of HiFi. I decided to forego getting myself a car as a teenager and instead used my summer job income to buy a Marantz 2230 receiver, Large Advent speakers and an AR turntable with a Shure V15 cartridge. This decision along with exploring the Jazz Fusion renaissance of the time especially the ECM record label gave me untold hours of bliss.
I still have all those pieces -- except for the turntable. (My first standalone turntable in 1973 was a Pioneer changer model -- I forget which one -- but I had that same cartridge!)
I'm in my 30s and fairly new to Hifi - really enjoyed the history that you bring to us. I felt like I had nostalgia even though I never lived that era.
A year ago I had my Yamaha CR-2020 recapped/rebuilt. I purchased it back in 1977. I needed speakers to pair it with and after many months of research, I decided on a pair of Vandersteen 1Ci+. They are absolutely incredible! In addition I hooked up my DBX 3BX Series II Dynamic Range Expander w/ Impact Restoration, a Denon DP37F Turntable with a Signet TK7E Cartridge and a Yamaha CDC805 CD Changer. At 70 years old I'm reliving the good old days again!
Big fan of the first series of Yammies myself - had both CA and CR 1000s, along with NS670s. Favourite speakers was an interesting range; QUAD ESL 57, SpicaSC50, KEF 101, Celestion Ditton 66 and Dahlquist DQ10. There were at least half a dozen far less memorable models during that era - then the family started growing, and - priorities, ya know😂
@@OldGuyHifi Was in the retail trade at the time, so had opportunity to borrow quite a few more pieces of every device type than I can readily remember. The list of turntables / tonearm/ cartridges would be run into the dozens - and as much as the original Oracle was an interesting piece, probably my favorite table was the Dual 701 with either Sonus Blue, or Supex 901.
Re NAD; if I’m not mistaken the “little amp that could” - 3020 preceded the 7020 receiver by a year or so, and eventually became the best selling individual model of amplifier in the history of HiFi. As noted above, I was in the retail trade for a bit, and owned several pieces of those two models as well.
My dad in 70's had a Luxman reciever that was /is amazing (my brother still uses it). Paired with even less known ESS Towers(replaced Advent). I was teen and played every type of music from classical, jazz to Chicago. Soundstaged big room and could blast rock. Even recorded over air concert so good everyone wanted copies (NAD cassette) & I digitized it eventually. So today I can A/B it against other live recordings and it stands up. My 80's HK integrated Amp was one of my favorites (I'm in my 60's)
Andrew, Thank you so much for your support. We are close in age. 66 in Sept. I just picked up a gorgeous NK PM655VXI integrated in the Champagne (gold) finish. It is very sexy. I will be doing a review on it soon along with a history of HK. Luxman was good stuff until Alpine Car Audio bought them in the mid 80's and then they went down market. Now I understand they came back under they own ownership and are back to making great Hifi. Thanks for tuning and contributing. I do appreciate it.
Ed - thank you!!! Finally!! I was going to start calling this channel "Old guy NEW hifi" WE CRAVE the VINTAGE GEAR!! Thank you, "This is gonna be a fun one"
Ed, i just found your channel, so enjoy your comments. It is refreshing to find someone who understands the nuances of the design features such as with vintage HK receivers; i.e. high current, ultra wide bandwidth, etc. I have been told double Advent Large's were quite good, never heard them. As a young hi fi nut hearing Dahlquist DQ 10's through a GAS Ampzilla was a revelation
Thanks for the memories! I was just getting into audio at that time. Earliest funding came from my paper route. I owned some of the equipment you mentioned, such as the NAD 3020, Rogers LS3/5a, and Vandersteen loudspeakers. I built loudspeakers using Utah drivers, and later utilized KEF drivers The B200 and B139 often found their way into transmission line loudspeakers designs. Another notable loudspeaker is the Dahlquist DQ10; AR and Dynaco also deserve mention. While I mostly had integrated amplifiers, I later went to separates: amps, preamps and FM tuners. The Advent Model 300 Receiver is interesting as it could be used as a preamp/tuner with a power amplifier. Its phono stage was highly regarded in it's early years. I worked briefly at Radio Shack, then opened up a small audio shop where I got to play with and own many brands and models. Servicing, building and modifying audio equipment led me to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering. As they say, those were the days!
Another great video Ed, that brought back a lot of memories. The father of a friend of mine in high school introduced me to hi-fi. Our family had a console back then that contained a record player and speakers. I enjoyed listening to music on that, but my friend’s father showed me how much better quality components sounded. He owned McIntosh amps, Tannoy speakers, a TEAC reel to reel and a Thorens record player. He went with me to negotiate and buy my first nice stereo system from a local hi-fi dealer. The equipment was all used, but in excellent condition; a Harman Kardon 430 receiver, JBL L65 Jubal speakers, Pioneer PL-12D record player and a JVC CD-1970 cassette deck. I wish I still owned that equipment. Thanks for the trip in the way back machine!
David, Thank you. That is a great story. That HK430 was an awesome piece. The rest of the system sound like you were Hifi heaven. Have a great weekend.
Really great and insightful comments. So positive to hear someone talk about music image rather than watts/ power. Only in last couple years have ' newer' vintage collectors started to realise the importance of the quality of sound produced .
What a great overview! I appreciate the pictures of the products, so I’m not trying to Google them while watching your video. I also enjoyed your explanations of why a certain product deserved to be on your list.
I grew up with Dad's Realistic Mach Ones playing on a Pioneer SX-780. I'm 50 years old and I still have both. I have purchased and refurbished 2 other sets of Mach Ones, replacing woofers in both sets, and crossover components in one set. I need to get the Pioneer recapped and left side amp replaced. I've purchased a 2nd Pioneer to repair and recap and I plan to gift to my niece, who is getting into audio. Dad would have loved that.
I came across a Montgomery Ward model 450 receiver that sounded outstanding. Turns out it was a Harman-Kardon custom build and design for wards. I had it serviced and was informed that the 450 utilized the HK-402 amplifier that's very similar to the HK 730. The build on the model 450 is outstanding. Buttery metal knobs and a thick aluminum face plate with a heavy flywheel.
I appreciate how you back up your recommendations with useful information that lends credibility and context. You openend my eyes to brands that I'm less familiar with. Thanks!
I have an HK 330C, HK 430 (my fave) and an HK 930 (more power -- not that it's needed with efficient speakers). Now you've made me want to look for a 730! I love the look of the three-strip radio band. I've heard stories from people who say they prefer one X30 model over another, even though they have the same "Twin-Power" architecture (I'm assuming the primary differences are in the transformers). I also have a slightly later HK 670, a silver-face model from 1979 (60 wpc), that I love. That's the greatest thing about '70s HK receivers, I think: In addition to their detail and transparency, they have a clean, stylish look like nothing else. Very '70s "modern" -- and you can spot one from across the room!
Woohoo a Realistic made the list. My favorite vintage receiver that I currently own is a Realistic 65-B. I love the rich warm sound of this receiver. Very reminiscent to me , of the stereo my dad had, a Sansui 2000-X. Utah speakers are a brand that I knew about when I was a kid. None of my family or friends had a pair of Utah speakers. But I do remember them being revered as a high end speaker that few could afford. Which probably was not true. But that is how I remember them. Love your channel Ed.
Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers lead me to study loudspeaker design. Pair those with a Hafler power amp and spin the Radio Shack direct-to-disc demo vinyl for a fun treat! Honorable mention to Acoustic Research AR-9 or AR-90 speakers also. I liked the build quality and feel of Pioneer receivers x50 series but my NAD and Yamaha receivers sounded better to my ear.
Thanks for adding NAD. I bought a NAD 7000 in the early 90s. 25watts per channel that sounded much bigger than that. Eventually I added more power and used it as a preamp for years. Just recently sold it. Very nice receiver.
This is a really great Review. So much I would like to also share about your review. 1. I am happy the jbl l100s were not on your list. To me they are shouty, forward and are not very relaxed sounding. 2. The Mach One Speaker owners tended to turn the horn attenuation knobs, all the way up , and this was part of their harshness , the bass could never catch up to the horns volume, this is similar with the Heresy. Driver balance is off. 3. If you like the advent sound, have you ever listed to Epi, Epicure . They are the best sealed enclosure speakers I’ve ever heard, the tweeter and bass response is glorious. I owned the M1000. 4. The vandersteens reminded me of the Dahlquist DQ10. They are fantastic.
Good points all. I am familiar with EPI but only during the 80's when we would get them in on trade. I met John Dahlqist but again it wasn't until the 80s that had any hands on with them. Thx for the great comment.
Good morning, first time on your channel, but not new to HiFi! I've been into hifi since being young teenager of the early 70s.I'm very familiar with H/K ..... my first component system was a Pacific Stereo entry system consisting of an H/K 230 receiver, BSR changer, and audio design house brand speakers. I was blown away from the sound of that system and have been chasing that feeling I got ever since! I can't agree with you more about the H/K and small Marantz receiver in your list ....in my experience, the sweet spit in most brands lineups are the 20 to 70 watt receivers. Especially the H/,K that truly have that magical and musical sound that even today most audiophile brands fail to produce. And as far as speakers go the large and small Advents are some of the best buys in the vintage market! Another favorite of mine is the AR2ax...I just love the clean bass these speakers produce! (I'll give you a tip there's another vintage twin power amp out there that will surprise you.Its the MCS 65w/ch dual mono integrated amp . Built by NEC for JC Penny....very similar sound to the Twin Power H/Ks!)
Love the Big Advents - still have my original pair along with 2 sets of the Small Advents. Still using the preamp version of thr NAD 7030 - a 1020b preamp into a Halfler DH-200 kit I built. Spent 9 years working for Radio Shack - if you shopped carefully they had some awesome gear. Thanks - really enjoyed the video
Found your video very informative. I couldn't afford this equipment in the 70's (just looked & appreciated them as a young teen), but now I've started looking again. Appreciate your straightforward presentation based on your years of experience. Always have been a fan of the 70's & 80's KEFs until they lost their way. The HK receivers look interesting. The Mararantz is the prom queen for sure. Nice to see different perspectives on RUclips regarding vintage equipment. Cheers!
I still have early 80's Advent 4002 speakers . You have inspired me to do a long over due refoam.on the bass.looking forward to hearing come back to life!
Great informative video - Thanks. Totally agree about the twin power. Ive had a lot of receivers over the years. My top 5 are HK930, Sansui G5700, Pioneer sx-727, Sansui 7070, Pioneer SX-737/7730. In 6th would be my 2235B, Im picking up a pair of large Advents tomorrow , my favourite vintage speakers are my HPM-60
Thanks for your videos. I just bought HK A402 recently and it's the best one I have comparing to Akai A-1150, Denon PMA-520, Denton 3803 and Kenwood A-900
The original Advent Loudspeaker used a cone tweeter. They did not not switch to a cone tweeter until 1977, long after some other companies. Acoustic Research introduced a dome tweeter into their product line with the AR-3 in 1958!
@@OldGuyHifi regardless of what you call these Advent fried egg tweeters. They have a good sound and they don't seem to act like a cone or dome tweeter. They can be crossed over fairly low. I have a pair of these tweeters front mounted in a pair of Bose 301seris II. The Bose rear tweeters are still used and a new crossover and a L-pad ( at -3 or 4 decibels) . They actually sound nice now and it's 💯 due to those fried eggs.
Hey, enjoy that review of your top five favorites, educated me on the two Harmon Kardon Receivers I did not know that about the twin power units. Knew the name but had no experience or heard any reviews with mordaunt shorts speakers. I have had experience with a variation of that Harman 330c and you may be familiar with it. It was the small integrated that they made which was the 20 W channel. I believe it was the A 401, Very nice sounding amp. I remember from the day it came in about six years ago and bad shape, from the time I fired it up. It even sounded good then. About a year and a half later, we recapped it fixed the problem in the phono section, put in slightly better output, transistors and it’s been sounding good until another problem recently i suspect in amp board driver transistors, anyway so I can attest to Harmon. I’ve had experience with the first generation vandersteens model 2 had to do a tear down and re foam sounded great, of course I prefer the later versions , my favorites of you pick are large Advent speakers. I Had at one time as many as three pairs. of course I experimented with them in the infamous stat configuration and love them. Sold them to a good friend. I would like to own two or three sets again to try them out with these newer current CHI FI budget chip amps and different ranges of new amps on the market today to see how they’d pair up. Anyhow, great overview and video
Hear all of these except the Utah back in the day. Had the 1st Maggie model sold. Sounded goid but not great bass punch and they didn't age as well as cones. Recently purchased a pair of JBL 4412s. But these are from the 80s. 47 pounds of speaker and they sounds very good to my ear.. Far better sound that I expected. Bass drivers have been reconed of course and itvwas cleaned up inside and out. They play loud and clear. Loved the Dalquest Back. They were too wide for my room. Had great big old Altecs with 15" woofers and a great big horn. Loud but not great sounding until the "tangerine " driver was installed for much better highs. Great for a huge room but not so great in my small living room. Had a Crown power amp which was rock soild. My try with an earlier Phase Linear model ended when it blew up! Loved the early Hafler power amps. Really sounded much better than other transistor amps to me then. My ARC transistor preamp was a disappointment ad well as a Mac 6100. ARC power amps (d52 & 129) sounded good but I didn't want to spend the bucks especially after being underwhelmed by their preamp. The old dual mono 40 watt wide band tube (HarmonKardon Citation) sounded better than any of the early products I tried until it needed a major rebuild and I sold it. Bad move on my part. Loved my old Dynaco tube preamp. I had to replace the power supply frequently but some l how It managed to sound musical to me. Sold it to vintage guy who rebuilt it and sold it on Ebay. Nice selection of speakers. Never got into receivers but really appreciate the information here
Glad you liked the Advents. Worked for them in the early '70's until shortly after they were bought out. Tom Holman (later known for Apt pre & power amp and then Lucas Film THX) both of us started at Advent the same week.
@@OldGuyHifi Years before Jensen purchased the company Peter(?) Sprague bought a controlling interest in the firm. Things began to change immediately for the worse. Advent got into financial difficulties due to the high costs of developing the large projection screen television - everything was developed and manufactured in house. The very successful audio side sales just could not keep up with the expense of the video development.
@@OldGuyHifi I have the Large Advent 25th anniversary model with dome tweeters. I find them very good sounding but I've heard people say the Large Advents with the 'egg' tweeters were the best.
I always do the same thing over and over, in the 70s I was anti-reciever, I used seperate power/preamp sets, mostly Luxman stuff, as I fell in love with the treble presentation, paired with the B&O cartridge on my turntable.. Various speakers, but it had to be a silk soft dome tweeter to capture that delicate treble. Audio sounded GOOD back then. Mid 70s some of that Radio Shack stuff was alright, lots of hobby gear.
I have a twin powered 100+ in a shop getting internally restored now. It has taken months due to it being a quad. I use it in 2 channel bridged mode. You get 2 amps per channel with dual mono power, only rated at 57 high current watts 😏. I also have a 120wpc Technics. The HK absolutely blows away the Technics with power, clarity, stage presence, imaging, everything. To get the same volume levels as the HK at just a 1/4 turn of the volume knob with the same speakers, you need to be at over a 1/2 turn with the Technics. In fact my neighbor whom has serious monies in his PS Audio gear was blown away by the sound quality. Playing through some early 90s Boston Acoustic towers. Once it's back in the house I think I'm going for some Cerwin Vega 15s.
I had a tube stereo Harmin Kardon Citation amp I wish I still owned. It was wide band and sounded great. 40 watts per channel and it played loud and clear. The early transistor amps sid not come close to the musical performance of that old amp. I have a dual mono, high current amp sounds very good since being rebuilt. I gave the old Citation to an engineer wanting to us it to drive electrostatic tweeters in a speaker system he designed. He rebuilt it using 1% parts and called me to say it sounded amazing. It least the amp found a goid home and was resurrected
Previous owner BIC Venturi 4's (not very good), then I got into the good stuff - Rogers Ls3/5a (later paired with M&K sub), Dahlquist DQ10, 2 different pair Vandersteen 2B's (The Vandys were like an evolved version of the DQ's), Acoustic Energy AE1's with Duntech Subs. Electronics - Marantz 1030 integrated to start, Sony 4650 VFET (very interesting integrated), then moved on to separates - Audio Research SP4 preamp (later heavily modified), Audionics CC 2 power amp, PS Audio Power amp. Turntables - Garrard, Pioneer, Technics, Rega Planar 2 with grace arm, Oracle Delphi IV (later heavily modified) with Well-tempered arm. Per dollar, the Rogers ls3/5a-M&K sub/ARC SP4/PS Audio/Rega system really hit the mark, perfectly matched. I loved the Vandys but never really had the right amp for them. Incredible bass for the dollar. Other speakers I liked but never owned - Advents, KEF's.
You would have, as I did, experienced and had to make a decision on how to deal with “speaker rot”. The surrounds didn’t last 8 years. It’s an easy fix these days, but was more challenging in 1990. Loved mine too, but let them go when I bought his next idea in the Ensemble. The buyer wasn’t fazed by the Advent rot. I guess he had a tech and bought all four without blinking.
I think one speaker you may have missed is the ESS/Heil AMT-1AM. BTW, I kived in Chicago for 40 years. I was a regular customer at a store you may remember. United Audio.
@@OldGuyHifi I remember Shelly. I understand where you were coming from with your 5 best. I enjoyed watching it. It brought back memories of some Hi-Fi gear I've had in the past. I had some weird stuff. Like a Bose 4401 quadraphonic preamp. And an Ampex AX-50 reel to reel.
Thanks for mentioning ESS. They were very popular in the 70's. I was the proud owner of ESS/AMT 3's. Also known as Rock Monitor 3's. Rock they did! I had them paired with a Crown DC-300A amp and IC-150 pre-amp. I still own them! John from Canada 🇨🇦
Hi Ed, loved this video. I sold audio in the seventies and eighties. In the mid-seventies Large Advents outsold everything we had. We were selling fifty pair per month. And for awhile there were two different cabinets. One of them was more antique style... We had other memorable speakers like EPI 100, Fried Q. We had others, that I tried not to focus on, because of sound quality . Bose, Kenwood, Sansui etc. Later, we had ADS which liked a lot.
For sure; these were also interesting brands. ADS products were quite good; I believe they had a relationship to Braun in Germany? While I didn't own any ADS loudspeakers, I had their PowerPlate 120 power amp in my car with an Alpine head unit. Nice combination.
The EPI 100 had great natural sound for such an inexpensive speaker. I believe there was a slightly smaller version of the Large Advent as well as real wood cabinets and optional vinyl clad ones for lesser cost. I have/had Jensen Model 6, Design Acoustics D8, Large Advent, and Bose 901 series VI. Enjoyed every one of them.
New to the channel. Not a serious vintage hi-fi person, but I do believe that vintage media deserves to be played on vintage equipment. I just added a second pair of A3s to my system. I love the sound and love the look. Eventually I will swap out my modern-ish Yamaha receiver for something vintage.
A friend of mine in the 70`s bought a receiver and speakers from Radio Shack and of course all the people that had Pioneers, Technics, Yamahas and the like were giving him grief about it at a party he was throwing and I got him off to the side and told him that his system sounded great to me. Many times you just need throw all those brands and hype out the window and just close your eyes and just listen because sometimes it`s a lot more about one-upmanship and hype than actual sound.
Webman my friend you NAILED it. It is worse now with all of these hyped brands. Many of those Realistic units came out of the same factory as some famous brands. If the largest reseller of Hifi in the world (Radio Shack) comes to you and says we will give you an order for 5000 80 watt receivers now and 5000 more in 90 days, and we want the same quality as the others have, who isn't going to say YES? It is still that way a bit. Great observation. Thank you so much.
@@OldGuyHifi Thanks! Although I never owned one personally, I had friends that owned the Radio Shack branded Optimus receivers, and they looked and sounded right up there with the others, and they were well above the old school stuff by Zenith and other old school brands from the 60`s.
I agree, Radio Shack has some fine gear but it was obvious that it was not one unified design team. Some receivers & integrated amps had an unusual loudness contour dial instead of a switch. The idea was to set the volume knob high then dial the loudness to your normal loudest level. This supposedly tuned the EQ properly.
@@billgaber4282 There was a rumor that Yamaha built some units for Tandy and that's why they had loudness dials. Just a rumor. I don't know that it is accurate.
I've been an audiophile since I was in junior high school thanks to my dad. I've had several systems growing up from Sansui to Pioneer and Marantz. I've always heard about stereo imaging but never really pursued it for it was always out of reach and I never had a good listening room to bring it out even if the system was capable of it. I now know what stereo imaging sounds like and I wouldn't trade it for the world. With a properly setup room and a good system, it's like having 3-channel sound. I now have a small home theater room (supposed to be a bedroom or small game room). The equipment I listen to most are a Sony HAP S1 music server, McIntosh C50 pre-amp, and McIntosh MC452 power amp driving Legacy Audio Focus 20/20. The sound is highly detailed, with low realistic bass and non-shrill highs. I literally listen to music for 2 1/2 hours straight each weekend without suffering from sound fatigue. I love my system, it only took me 56 years to get it!
Being an "Audiophile", is a journey. It is very rare for many of us knuckle heads to be satisfied. They may have had that system but, second guessed all their choices and changed it up. For many there is no destination which is kind of sad in a way. There is no reason for anyone to feel like they don't measure just because they don't have the latest, greatest whizz bang set up. Remember what the Buddha said: "There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path."
I am currently running a Pioneer SX-1250 through a pair of Vandersteen Model 2Ce Signature speakers. I highly recommend Vandersteen. Fantastic speakers.
I had a pair of original Vandersteen 2C back in the early 80s and loved them. Sounds like you have a nice set up. Thanks for sharing it and for tuning in.
@@OldGuyHifi No worries. Thank you. I'm very happy with it. The aforementioned Pioneer, the Vandies, a Fluance RT85, an old Sony DVD player (SACD capable), a WiiM Pro streamer, an Aiyima DAC. AFAICS I have good stuff - some of it cheap, some of it not so much. It satisfies an itch I had as a young man that I never could scratch. I don't envy my kids. When I'm gone they're going to have so much media they have to figure out what they're going to do with - not to mention a bulky old 2.0 system that I can't say they'll be particularly excited about. But I love it. So....there's that. Cheers!
Huge NAD fan here, had the 7240 receiver, then went to 304 integrated, and now a c316bee, which I believe is their last class AB design. Sadly, like many others, NAD has gone in a different direction at least for my sound preference. They used to have a warm, detailed punchy sound.
Great video as usual Ed. Lots of memories. You mentioned the "watt wars." While that was a reality, you made a point to separate current from wattage. Here's the thing, Ohm's law is rather inviolable and it clearly says that at a given resistance/impedance, there is one and only one set of current and voltage values which will derive from a particular wattage. If your receiver is rated at 40 watts into 8 Ω it's 2.25 amps at 17.9 volts. All day long every day. It makes no difference who's name is on the receiver. At 100 watts into 8 Ω it's 3.5 amps at 28.3 volts. So the P/M/S receiver rated at 100 watts will put out MORE current than the H-K at 40. The difference comes in as impedance goes down. All speakers have impedance dips and peaks across the frequency range, and many are lower than 8 Ω to start with. At lower impedance, the speaker is going to draw more current (a "200 watt" light bulb draws twice the current of a 100 watt). If the amp runs out of current to supply, the voltage and thus the delivered power will decrease and/or the amp will clip. At 2 Ω for example, the current at 40 watts is now 4.5 amps at 8.9 volts. Notice how much more current is being drawn? If the 100 watt P/M/S receiver can't produce that 4.5 amps while being driven at 40 watts, it's going to have problems with impedance dips or low impedance speakers, and sound will suffer, whereas the higher-current H-K will still have capacity on hand. So while current is important and speakers are current sensitive loads, amplifiers don't make current, they supply it based on the impedance of, and voltage presented to, the load. It's all Ohm's law. I'd never buy an amplifier based upon a current rating alone. Nor on a power rating alone. Power is the ability to do work (e.g., moving the drivers back and forth). Current is the movement of electrons past a point in the circuit. Voltage is the driving force for moving those electrons through a given resistance. What may be most impactful would be an energy rating. Energy, measured in Joules or watt-seconds (1J = 1 watt delivered over 1 second) is power delivered over time. This would take into account all of the various factors including the amp's ability to sustain the higher power (not just relying on reserves in the filter caps and transformer for peaks). What I want to know about an amplifier CAN frequently be gleaned from its power ratings however, based upon comparing its power spec at 2 different impedances. Given an amplifier producing 40 watts into 8 Ω (2.25 amps at 17.9 volts), if it has an adequate source of current, it should produce exactly double the power into 4 Ω. Same voltage but now at double the current. (4.5 amps at 17.9 volts). If the power rating at half the impedance is less than double, the amp is running out of current and will suffer in performance on those impedance dips. With an 8 Ω nominal speaker, it's possible to see an impedance of say 1.5-2 Ω at certain frequencies. If that happens to be in the bass region where a lot of power is usually spent, your amp may have issues outputting enough current and suffer a perceived decrease in response at a given group of frequencies. You may get muddy or recessed bass response in this example or maybe even clipping on bass peaks. This is where our higher-quality amplifiers come into their own. They have enough current delivery capacity (beefy power supplies, large circuit board traces, good wiring, high quality output devices, good heat sinking, etc.) to deliver the demanded current in a given situation.
Hello from Des Moines! I picked up a pair of Vandersteen 1B's for a couple hundred bucks earlier this year - they make some special speakers for sure. It's come with the unfortunate side effect of realizing just how "bloated" a lot of the entry-level speakers are that I'd previously listened to. I'm a 24-year-old newbie, so I don't remember when they came out... but they sure sound good! 🙂
Many entry level/affordable speakers have what I call "Demo tuning" Bumped bass so they sound good on the floor at Best Buy. The Vandersteen's are very good and they have been around for a very long time. Thanks for the view.
My first job out of high school was at Schaak Electronics and I sold HK equipment. Love their gear. We used to use the Citations with Advent's or DLK's to see how long it would take for Gimbels call us to turn it down. We were on the far end pf the mall in the Sears court. I had a pair of CA260's in my 1980 Tercel, nicknamed them Point Beach Unit 1 and Unit 2. Currently, have an AVR347 as my main gear.
My speaker dream was, but could never afford them, the Kef 104ab's. And when I became fascinated with Folded Horns. I had a pair of Birch Heresy's and loved the sound minus the lack of Bass and paired them with another speaker whose name I forget. They might have been my HPM-60's.
My favorite speakers from the 1980's were the Snell Acoustics Type E/II. Celestion was another British speaker company from back in the day. Vandersteen definitely was a benchmark of mine, and so was Magnepan. Edit: my only experience in the 1970's was a Tech HiFi special: small 6" KLH speakers, a Cambridge receiver (~15W/ch? or maybe less?) and a BIC turntable. My personal hifi stuff is 1980's - Bose 501 Series II with a Bose 40W/ch receiver (made by Panasonic, I think?) and a Dual turntable. After a poor BIC cassette deck, I happily landed on Nakamichi. Man those 501's were exciting at first - and then I realized how much better speakers could be - and ended up with the Snell Type E/II.
@@OldGuyHifi Right - I have a friend who got a co-op job at our technical high school at Bose - and never worked anywhere else! He did a whole bunch of different projects there. I want to have him come and listen to my speakers soon - talk about unexpected connections!
Ed, great trip down memory lane. Yu mentioned one of the hifi legends called Henry, Henry Kloss. The other Henry, who I worked with, was Henry Azima, one of the cofounders of Mission. I'm curios as to why no mention of Mission. Best always, James
Yamaha was another brand that did not participate in the "watt wars" during the 1970s. It is actually a good thing that many YT'ers tend to ignore them, since that helps keep vintage Yamaha prices MUCH lower than the "PMS" brands.
They are one of the last of the audio companies that haven't changed hands and have held true to their origins. They can be bargains. Thanks for tuning in.
@@marvinmurakami8828 Great point. Yamaha is the last main stream Hifi company hasn't been sold off and bastardized. I respect them for staying true to their principles.
Another comment. My parents had the large Advent's. Wow they were amazing. They bought them not long after hitting the market. The early models had problems with the dome tweeters and Advent sent out a revised version that worked great until mom sold the house in 2012. Sadly, I was unable to get them or the Kenwood (forgot the model) receiver or the Dual 1218. It was decided they were more valuable in the estate sale. She made some cash off of them.
Great video. Forget the tuner. Give me an NAD 3020 or 3020A! Just a side note: it is reported that Henry's personal favorite was the Smaller Advent. That gets my vote. Since the original NAD 3020 was really designed for "high current" and not as "impedance sensitive" as some other receivers, and only had one pair of speaker terminals, NAD and Smaller Advents! Oh baby! OK, I've got one for you and it uses the same woofer from the Chicago Telephone Supply Co as the Utah speaker: that speaker being the Rectilinear XIa. Two-way system from a company that deserves far more respect than it gets (I believe it was Duke Ellington's favorite brand).
@@thelowprofile9767 The early designs used what was called a "soft clipping circuit". You could switch it on or off. Later designs used the "Power Envelope (PE)". I never really understood if this was one and the same. So, my NAD 3020A has a "soft clipping" circuit that can switched on or off. I prefer it off.
@@edwardgonczy3170 the Power Envelope was implemented in a slightly different model which was the NAD 3020PE to improve the power handling and the dynamic headroom.
I bought a Realistic STA-2080 new and should have kept it. It drove my old-school Arnie era Infinity speakers with ease. It utterly blew away the Pioneer receiver it replaced. Bought Advents new as well. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana - which is near Huntington where Utah speakers were made. They are still very common here, especially the WD-90 and HSC-1. Nice cabinets.
It was a great unit. That's why it made the list. I lost track of Utah speakers after the 70's. It was good stuff in the day. Alan, thanks for sharing your experience. That is one of my favorite parts of doing this.
My kind of video, Ed! Loved it. I had Nikko receivers before I went with separates. I thought Nikko was a real steal. In the late 70s I had an Advent 300 receiver with the round knob. I had a NAD 3020 too for grins. I bought the latter two to use as preamps. I started with Marantz separates first, then moved on to poor man’s McIntosh (Crown). My fav speakers are my beloved ADS L710s. Oh my, I forgot my first speaker was an Original Large Advent.
Love your channel. I've been an HK guy since buying my first A402 / T403 amp/tuner combo in 1976. Sill use it, though it's going to be serviced soon. At the time, I paired them with a set of those big Pioneer CS-99a speakers with the 15" woofers, which were super-efficient (sealed cabinet, not ported BTW) and a Rotel direct-drive turntable. Still have those, too. Since them, I acquired a PM645/TU910 combo in the mid-80s, a 330i from the same period, and a 430 twin power receiver that I recently had serviced. I was wondering how you'd compare the 70s twin powered units with the 80s units - the latter lacked the twin power but featured an even broader frequency response and also maintained the high current capability. They both still sound wonderful to me. Keep up the great work. 👍
I have a "Best of the 80s" video coming out soon. I currently have a PM655Vxi. We sold ton's of those when we had the stores. I do think the 80's & a few of the 90s stuff was the pinnacle for HK as far as sound & power. I agree the bandwidth and current delivery increased markedly during that period. Great comment and thank you for tuning in.
You are right. It had been such a long time since I had them and I couldn't find much in the way of info on them. I just forgot. Thank you for reminding me.
@@OldGuyHifi No problem. The only reason I remember it because I was deliberating, at the time, whether to get Calinda or 104AB. At the end I opted for the KEF Kit, which they were selling officially.
I sure no one remembers Electro Research speakers but I had a model 320 that I loved. Electro Research was the child of the legendary John Iverson. I had circumstances where I had to sell a lot of my stuff and the sold the speakers to a friend, who I recently found out is still using them after all these decades.
@@OldGuyHifi I had two other brands of speakers in the '80s. One had a cult following but I'm sure no one back East heard of them. Qysonic or Lantana (made by my friend Mark Merlino and he holds two patents on speaker design. One of those got a good review in Stereophile. He used to work for John Iverson. He designed these small tower shaped speakers about 2' high called the Tads, then designed one twice as big, and one half as big. I owned the big tower model and wish I still had it. He designed a different kind of port, hence the patent. The other I'm sure you've heard of, the Spica TC-50. That and a PS Audio Elite Plus integrated amp, and an AR The Turntable with a Linn arm on it were my bedroom system,
Good list, yes the HK was the best balance sonically. I would add from the 70’s IMF TLS 50 & 80, Dalquist, tens, Magnepan , ADS 810, OHM F. Electronics , audio re-search, phase linear, SAE, Mark Levenson, and a little Advent 300 integrated. Of course there’s more, but that’s just what came to mind.
@@OldGuyHifi we used to have a good Radio Shack where I grew up. Sad when we lost them around us. I have some Utah loudspeakers my dad bought in the mid 70’s paired with a Sansui 441. I was 7 years old and I thought what a great stereo. BSR turntable as well. Into the early 80’s my dad bought an NAD 7240 PE receiver. Nad 6155 tape deck. Nad 5240 cd player. Happy to say I have all of my dads gear from my childhood.
Hey Ed…! Just wondering if you could review some of the low power vintage receivers from the 70’s - 80’s. For example: the Realistic STA-52. And other low powered, entry level receivers. We all appreciate your reviews on the new equipment, however, how about a review of these vintage receivers as well with 10 - 15 watts. Did they sound as good as the more powerful receivers of that era? Thanks in advance for honoring my request…
I wish I had access to those kinds of units. Because they were inexpensive if they broke they got tossed. I will see what I can do but, no promises. Thanks for the view and comment.
Ed, I see you love Harmon Kardon! I have a beautiful Citation XX power amp. I live here on the North side of Chicago if you’d like to visit for a listen.
Harman Kardon 730 twin power is built for hip hop and reggae. The otzer brands blink when heavy bass hits. The Harman Kardon twin power doesn’t blink at all. The receiver doesn’t even heat up. Just amazing build quality and a superior Soundstage.
I can’t help but wonder what great speakers Kloss could have made had he kept Advent. He only offered then to make enough money to develop the Videobeam TV. He apparently had no input on the updates to the “New” Advent speakers, which was by then owned by Jensen. I guess he was done with loudspeakers after all of those years at AR, KLH and Advent. When he eventually dipped his toe again, he came up with one of the earliest satellite systems at Cambridge Soundworks, so he still had great ideas in him. One of the greats for sure, but I think it was almost too easy for him to pop out a new speaker idea. I don’t think it was challenging enough for him in the latter days.
I remember the whole Videobeam train wreck. He did ok on that sale and I think he wanted a new challenge. I remember Cambridge Soundworks. You could be right. Thanks so much for commenting.
I was the proud owner of a Harmon-kardon 930 receiver. My friends with Marantz and Pioneer gear looked down on Harmon-kardon because it was under powered. Until they heard it! Thanks for taking me back to a wondeful time in my life! John from Canada 🇨🇦
The perception back in the day that has carried over to today is that it was watts that made the receiver, and I used to believe that as well until I bought a Harman Kardon AVR 130 that I bought off of Facebook Marketplace for $50 to put in a mother inlaw house we have. It came out in 2003 and only has 40 watts per channel but oh my goodness, the cyrstal clear and balanced sound that it pushes out it amazing! Of course, now I have to shop around for some better speakers than what I have on it now.
John, Yes. That was the fun with HK. When people would discount it because it didn't have 100 watts. Once they heard though things were different. My family came to the US from Canada in the 20's. Hamilton and St Kates were the home base. Thanks for making the "International" journey! 😉
@OldGuyHifi I grew up in Niagara Falls. St. Catharines was the next city over. It is known as St. Kitts. There was a fantastic electronics store in St. Catharines called Teletron. They had all the top gear. The owner really knew how to take care of his best customers. He had a private room upstairs with the best equipment. He also had a fully stocked bar! Sadly he went through a bad divorce and lost the shop. I truly loved my H/K 930. Best wishes to my former Canuck!
Have you heard of Laffeyett Electronics, like their Criterion speaker series and there receivers?? I believe back in the 1960's and 70's.. I love my Criterion 666 speakers..
I used to sell HK in the 70's and we had a number of returns on those units so I stopped selling them and sold Pioneer instead. No problems with the Pioneer stuff
Are you familiar with a now defunct speaker company from the 1970s called Audioanalyst? I have a pair of acoustic suspension speakers from them. The 100x 3 way designed. 10 inch woofer midrange driver and tweeter. Plus 2 toggle switches on the back for the treble and midrange.
I remember their ads in Stereo Review magazine. I think the ad featured a small facial drawing of a wide eyed Frankenstein-like guy amazed by the speakers sound.
Pioneer's 50 series is great 850 and 950 are work horses. Marantz w a 1090 amp is awsome receivers have a funky sideways tuning knob. Sansui is a very nice rcvr for sure.
I won't claim to have anything close to your experience, but I do have a couple of quibbles with some of your comments. Harmonics occur at higher frequencies, not lower, so a signal at 100 kHz may have harmonics at 200, 300, 400 kHz, not 50, 25, and 12.5 kHz. My understanding of wide frequency response is that it avoids the phase shifts that occur near cutoff, but there's not much to be gained by going over 2-4x (one or two octaves) above the human hearing range. And, dome tweeters weren't something new in the '70s. Acoustic Research started using them in the '50s in their AR-3s, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were not the first or the only ones. I think the entire AR line had dome tweeters and probably mid-range, too, all thru the '50s, '60s, and '70s.
I would love to se a "review" of the top-5 "separates" (amps and pre-amps) from the 70's. Of course there were also a lot great Tuners back then too...☺
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My top 5 Receivers and speakers form the 70s. These are the products that made an impression on me and furthered my nascent journey into the world of Hifi. Let me know your thoughts. If you wish to join the channel and become a member please click here: www.youtube.com/@OldGuyHifi/membership
I have a 330B that I listened to for years, a couple years ago when I began watching some RUclips content I learned just how special they are. I began shopping for a 730, found a very nice one near me for $350.00 and pounced on it. I have no interest in any other vintage receivers outside of cosmetic appeal. Love my Harmon Kardons.
@@insolentstickleback3266 I just picked up an HK PM655Vxi integrated so I am also done looking for vintage. 🤞
I came of age during this period of HiFi. I decided to forego getting myself a car as a teenager and instead used my summer job income to buy a Marantz 2230 receiver, Large Advent speakers and an AR turntable with a Shure V15 cartridge. This decision along with exploring the Jazz Fusion renaissance of the time especially the ECM record label gave me untold hours of bliss.
ECM records. That was Pat Metheny 's label. Good stuff. Thx for a great comment.
I still have all those pieces -- except for the turntable. (My first standalone turntable in 1973 was a Pioneer changer model -- I forget which one -- but I had that same cartridge!)
@@bacarandii That's so cool. Thx.
I'm in my 30s and fairly new to Hifi - really enjoyed the history that you bring to us. I felt like I had nostalgia even though I never lived that era.
Thank you my friend.
A year ago I had my Yamaha CR-2020 recapped/rebuilt. I purchased it back in 1977. I needed speakers to pair it with and after many months of research, I decided on a pair of Vandersteen 1Ci+. They are absolutely incredible! In addition I hooked up my DBX 3BX Series II Dynamic Range Expander w/ Impact Restoration, a Denon DP37F Turntable with a Signet TK7E Cartridge and a Yamaha CDC805 CD Changer. At 70 years old I'm reliving the good old days again!
That's terrific. Enjoying your Hifi is one of the great things in life. At least for me. Thanks for tuning in and commenting.
Big fan of the first series of Yammies myself - had both CA and CR 1000s, along with NS670s. Favourite speakers was an interesting range; QUAD ESL 57, SpicaSC50, KEF 101, Celestion Ditton 66 and Dahlquist DQ10. There were at least half a dozen far less memorable models during that era - then the family started growing, and - priorities, ya know😂
@@fonkenful Good stuff all.
@@OldGuyHifi Was in the retail trade at the time, so had opportunity to borrow quite a few more pieces of every device type than I can readily remember. The list of turntables / tonearm/ cartridges would be run into the dozens - and as much as the original Oracle was an interesting piece, probably my favorite table was the Dual 701 with either Sonus Blue, or Supex 901.
Re NAD; if I’m not mistaken the “little amp that could” - 3020 preceded the 7020 receiver by a year or so, and eventually became the best selling individual model of amplifier in the history of HiFi. As noted above, I was in the retail trade for a bit, and owned several pieces of those two models as well.
Thanks Ed. This is a great stroll down memory lane for us “seasoned “ listeners.
Digital Dan, Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I am glad you enjoyed it.
My dad in 70's had a Luxman reciever that was /is amazing (my brother still uses it). Paired with even less known ESS Towers(replaced Advent). I was teen and played every type of music from classical, jazz to Chicago. Soundstaged big room and could blast rock. Even recorded over air concert so good everyone wanted copies (NAD cassette) & I digitized it eventually. So today I can A/B it against other live recordings and it stands up. My 80's HK integrated Amp was one of my favorites (I'm in my 60's)
Andrew, Thank you so much for your support. We are close in age. 66 in Sept. I just picked up a gorgeous NK PM655VXI integrated in the Champagne (gold) finish. It is very sexy. I will be doing a review on it soon along with a history of HK. Luxman was good stuff until Alpine Car Audio bought them in the mid 80's and then they went down market. Now I understand they came back under they own ownership and are back to making great Hifi. Thanks for tuning and contributing. I do appreciate it.
Ed - thank you!!! Finally!! I was going to start calling this channel "Old guy NEW hifi" WE CRAVE the VINTAGE GEAR!! Thank you, "This is gonna be a fun one"
Rock on!
Ed, i just found your channel, so enjoy your comments. It is refreshing to find someone who understands the nuances of the design features such as with vintage HK receivers; i.e. high current, ultra wide bandwidth, etc. I have been told double Advent Large's were quite good, never heard them. As a young hi fi nut hearing Dahlquist DQ 10's through a GAS Ampzilla was a revelation
Gas amps were amazing.
Thanks for the memories! I was just getting into audio at that time. Earliest funding came from my paper route. I owned some of the equipment you mentioned, such as the NAD 3020, Rogers LS3/5a, and Vandersteen loudspeakers. I built loudspeakers using Utah drivers, and later utilized KEF drivers The B200 and B139 often found their way into transmission line loudspeakers designs. Another notable loudspeaker is the Dahlquist DQ10; AR and Dynaco also deserve mention. While I mostly had integrated amplifiers, I later went to separates: amps, preamps and FM tuners. The Advent Model 300 Receiver is interesting as it could be used as a preamp/tuner with a power amplifier. Its phono stage was highly regarded in it's early years. I worked briefly at Radio Shack, then opened up a small audio shop where I got to play with and own many brands and models. Servicing, building and modifying audio equipment led me to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering. As they say, those were the days!
Indeed they were. Great comment.
Another great video Ed, that brought back a lot of memories. The father of a friend of mine in high school introduced me to hi-fi. Our family had a console back then that contained a record player and speakers. I enjoyed listening to music on that, but my friend’s father showed me how much better quality components sounded. He owned McIntosh amps, Tannoy speakers, a TEAC reel to reel and a Thorens record player. He went with me to negotiate and buy my first nice stereo system from a local hi-fi dealer. The equipment was all used, but in excellent condition; a Harman Kardon 430 receiver, JBL L65 Jubal speakers, Pioneer PL-12D record player and a JVC CD-1970 cassette deck. I wish I still owned that equipment. Thanks for the trip in the way back machine!
David, Thank you. That is a great story. That HK430 was an awesome piece. The rest of the system sound like you were Hifi heaven. Have a great weekend.
@@OldGuyHifi Thanks Ed! You have a great weekend too.
Really great and insightful comments. So positive to hear someone talk about music image rather than watts/ power. Only in last couple years have ' newer' vintage collectors started to realise the importance of the quality of sound produced .
Great observation. Thank you for the view and comment.
What a great overview! I appreciate the pictures of the products, so I’m not trying to Google them while watching your video. I also enjoyed your explanations of why a certain product deserved to be on your list.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the kind words. I also appreciate your watching and commenting.
I grew up with Dad's Realistic Mach Ones playing on a Pioneer SX-780. I'm 50 years old and I still have both. I have purchased and refurbished 2 other sets of Mach Ones, replacing woofers in both sets, and crossover components in one set. I need to get the Pioneer recapped and left side amp replaced. I've purchased a 2nd Pioneer to repair and recap and I plan to gift to my niece, who is getting into audio. Dad would have loved that.
That's a great story. Thank you for sharing it. Good luck to your niece in her journey.
I came across a Montgomery Ward model 450 receiver that sounded outstanding. Turns out it was a Harman-Kardon custom build and design for wards. I had it serviced and was informed that the 450 utilized the HK-402 amplifier that's very similar to the HK 730.
The build on the model 450 is outstanding. Buttery metal knobs and a thick aluminum face plate with a heavy flywheel.
HK also made Heathkit kits. Very interesting stuff. Thx.
@@OldGuyHifinow that I never knew before.
I appreciate how you back up your recommendations with useful information that lends credibility and context. You openend my eyes to brands that I'm less familiar with. Thanks!
I am so glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you very much.
Hey Ed, nice to hear some love for the HKx30 series. Great styling on those as well as sound quality.
I have an HK 330C, HK 430 (my fave) and an HK 930 (more power -- not that it's needed with efficient speakers). Now you've made me want to look for a 730! I love the look of the three-strip radio band. I've heard stories from people who say they prefer one X30 model over another, even though they have the same "Twin-Power" architecture (I'm assuming the primary differences are in the transformers). I also have a slightly later HK 670, a silver-face model from 1979 (60 wpc), that I love. That's the greatest thing about '70s HK receivers, I think: In addition to their detail and transparency, they have a clean, stylish look like nothing else. Very '70s "modern" -- and you can spot one from across the room!
I agree with you. Thx for watching and sharing your experience.
Woohoo a Realistic made the list. My favorite vintage receiver that I currently own is a Realistic 65-B.
I love the rich warm sound of this receiver. Very reminiscent to me , of the stereo my dad had, a Sansui 2000-X.
Utah speakers are a brand that I knew about when I was a kid.
None of my family or friends had a pair of Utah speakers.
But I do remember them being revered as a high end speaker that few could afford.
Which probably was not true. But that is how I remember them.
Love your channel Ed.
Thank you Eric. I appreciate your kind words and your view.
I have a sta-65b on my 15yo daughters system along with lab-400 TT. Great receiver.
I still have my Harmon Kardon twin powered 430. It is just wonderful to listen to through my recently re-coned Epicure 10 speakers.
Nice.
Great video and fantastic history. Thank you!
Thank you for returning for more!
Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers lead me to study loudspeaker design. Pair those with a Hafler power amp and spin the Radio Shack direct-to-disc demo vinyl for a fun treat! Honorable mention to Acoustic Research AR-9 or AR-90 speakers also. I liked the build quality and feel of Pioneer receivers x50 series but my NAD and Yamaha receivers sounded better to my ear.
Thanks for adding NAD. I bought a NAD 7000 in the early 90s. 25watts per channel that sounded much bigger than that. Eventually I added more power and used it as a preamp for years. Just recently sold it. Very nice receiver.
Agreed. They did sound very good. Thank you for tuning in and commenting.
This is a really great Review. So much I would like to also share about your review.
1. I am happy the jbl l100s were not on your list.
To me they are shouty, forward and are not very relaxed sounding.
2. The Mach One Speaker owners tended to turn the horn attenuation knobs, all the way up , and this was part of their harshness , the bass could never catch up to the horns volume, this is similar with the Heresy. Driver balance is off.
3. If you like the advent sound, have you ever listed to Epi, Epicure . They are the best sealed enclosure speakers I’ve ever heard, the tweeter and bass response is glorious. I owned the M1000.
4. The vandersteens reminded me of the Dahlquist DQ10. They are fantastic.
Good points all. I am familiar with EPI but only during the 80's when we would get them in on trade. I met John Dahlqist but again it wasn't until the 80s that had any hands on with them. Thx for the great comment.
Great points, I believe that the DQ-10s had a 10" Advent woofer.
@@billgaber4282 Could be. John soured parts from all over.
Lot of choices back in the day. Good quality just a matter of preference and budget. Great video. Thanks
Couldn't agree more!
Nostalgia is a powerful thing -- perhaps more than watts or current 😊
You are so right. Thank you.
Good morning, first time on your channel, but not new to HiFi! I've been into hifi since being young teenager of the early 70s.I'm very familiar with H/K ..... my first component system was a Pacific Stereo entry system consisting of an H/K 230 receiver, BSR changer, and audio design house brand speakers. I was blown away from the sound of that system and have been chasing that feeling I got ever since! I can't agree with you more about the H/K and small Marantz receiver in your list ....in my experience, the sweet spit in most brands lineups are the 20 to 70 watt receivers. Especially the H/,K that truly have that magical and musical sound that even today most audiophile brands fail to produce. And as far as speakers go the large and small Advents are some of the best buys in the vintage market! Another favorite of mine is the AR2ax...I just love the clean bass these speakers produce! (I'll give you a tip there's another vintage twin power amp out there that will surprise you.Its the MCS 65w/ch dual mono integrated amp . Built by NEC for JC Penny....very similar sound to the Twin Power H/Ks!)
Thanks for sharing your memories and experience. I remember Pacific Stereo. I bought a B&O Beolab 8000 system from them.
Love the Big Advents - still have my original pair along with 2 sets of the Small Advents. Still using the preamp version of thr NAD 7030 - a 1020b preamp into a Halfler DH-200 kit I built. Spent 9 years working for Radio Shack - if you shopped carefully they had some awesome gear. Thanks - really enjoyed the video
Great comment. Thanks so much for tuning in.
@OldGuyHifi almost forgot the HK 330i driving one of the sets of Small Advents. Seems like we both like a lot of the same gear 😅
Yes that a great combo.
Thanks for the rundown, great stuff on this list!
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
Found your video very informative. I couldn't afford this equipment in the 70's (just looked & appreciated them as a young teen), but now I've started looking again. Appreciate your straightforward presentation based on your years of experience. Always have been a fan of the 70's & 80's KEFs until they lost their way. The HK receivers look interesting. The Mararantz is the prom queen for sure. Nice to see different perspectives on RUclips regarding vintage equipment. Cheers!
I am so glad Glad it was helpful! Thank you for your view and comment.
70's Speaker I liked: Kef, Polk audio, B&W, Infinity, advent, A/R, vandersteen (I had the later 2ce and 2ce sig II)
I still have early 80's Advent 4002 speakers . You have inspired me to do a long over due refoam.on the bass.looking forward to hearing come back to life!
Let me know how it goes Roy. Thx.
Great informative video - Thanks. Totally agree about the twin power. Ive had a lot of receivers over the years. My top 5 are HK930, Sansui G5700, Pioneer sx-727, Sansui 7070, Pioneer SX-737/7730. In 6th would be my 2235B, Im picking up a pair of large Advents tomorrow , my favourite vintage speakers are my HPM-60
Thank you so much. Nice top 5. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your picks.
Nice informative video. The Advents you have shown are the 2nd generation. The Original had the inverted foam surround. I still have my set from 1972.
It was difficult to find a good picture on the net. I did the best I could. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks for your videos. I just bought HK A402 recently and it's the best one I have comparing to Akai A-1150, Denon PMA-520, Denton 3803 and Kenwood A-900
The original Advent Loudspeaker used a cone tweeter. They did not not switch to a cone tweeter until 1977, long after some other companies. Acoustic Research introduced a dome tweeter into their product line with the AR-3 in 1958!
Great info. I was working from memory. Which in my case is fallible.
@@OldGuyHifi regardless of what you call these Advent fried egg tweeters. They have a good sound and they don't seem to act like a cone or dome tweeter. They can be crossed over fairly low. I have a pair of these tweeters front mounted in a pair of Bose 301seris II. The Bose rear tweeters are still used and a new crossover and a L-pad ( at -3 or 4 decibels) . They actually sound nice now and it's 💯 due to those fried eggs.
@@stevengagnon4777 Great info, thx.
Hey, enjoy that review of your top five favorites, educated me on the two Harmon Kardon Receivers I did not know that about the twin power units. Knew the name but had no experience or heard any reviews with mordaunt shorts speakers. I have had experience with a variation of that Harman 330c and you may be familiar with it. It was the small integrated that they made which was the 20 W channel. I believe it was the A 401, Very nice sounding amp. I remember from the day it came in about six years ago and bad shape, from the time I fired it up. It even sounded good then. About a year and a half later, we recapped it fixed the problem in the phono section, put in slightly better output, transistors and it’s been sounding good until another problem recently i suspect in amp board driver transistors, anyway so I can attest to Harmon. I’ve had experience with the first generation vandersteens model 2 had to do a tear down and re foam sounded great, of course I prefer the later versions , my favorites of you pick are large Advent speakers. I Had at one time as many as three pairs. of course I experimented with them in the infamous stat configuration and love them. Sold them to a good friend. I would like to own two or three sets again to try them out with these newer current CHI FI budget chip amps and different ranges of new amps on the market today to see how they’d pair up. Anyhow, great overview and video
Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your experiences.
Utah was in Huntington Indiana, about 25 miles southwest of Ft Wayne. I had a friend who had 2 sets with a quadraphonic receiver.
I have a HK 430 Twin and a Pioneer SX 650. I refurbished both and had them re-capped. I really enjoy these and cannot cull either.
Understandable. Great units both. Thanks for watching and commenting.
My cousin worked at Tech HiFi and Tweeter in the 70's/80's.
"Don't touch my stereo!!!!" I heard it a million times.
Oh, I remember my days in retail. Too many "key to key" days wore me out. Thanks for watching.
I enjoy my Vandersteen 1's and my late 70' early 80s La Scalas. I find both of them quite warm and detailed.
Great speakers both. The enjoyment is the most important thing. Thanks for tunin in.
Hear all of these except the Utah back in the day. Had the 1st Maggie model sold. Sounded goid but not great bass punch and they didn't age as well as cones. Recently purchased a pair of JBL 4412s. But these are from the 80s. 47 pounds of speaker and they sounds very good to my ear.. Far better sound that I expected. Bass drivers have been reconed of course and itvwas cleaned up inside and out. They play loud and clear. Loved the Dalquest Back. They were too wide for my room. Had great big old Altecs with 15" woofers and a great big horn. Loud but not great sounding until the "tangerine " driver was installed for much better highs. Great for a huge room but not so great in my small living room. Had a Crown power amp which was rock soild. My try with an earlier Phase Linear model ended when it blew up! Loved the early Hafler power amps. Really sounded much better than other transistor amps to me then. My ARC transistor preamp was a disappointment ad well as a Mac 6100. ARC power amps (d52 & 129) sounded good but I didn't want to spend the bucks especially after being underwhelmed by their preamp. The old dual mono 40 watt wide band tube (HarmonKardon Citation) sounded better than any of the early products I tried until it needed a major rebuild and I sold it. Bad move on my part. Loved my old Dynaco tube preamp. I had to replace the power supply frequently but some l how It managed to sound musical to me. Sold it to vintage guy who rebuilt it and sold it on Ebay. Nice selection of speakers. Never got into receivers but really appreciate the information here
Great story. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Nice list. I had a Sansui 7070 paired with a set of ESS speakers. Served me very well.
Always liked Steely Dan and Dire Straits. For the way they were engineered.
I can imagine. Thank you for tuning in.
Glad you liked the Advents. Worked for them in the early '70's until shortly after they were bought out. Tom Holman (later known for Apt pre & power amp and then Lucas Film THX) both of us started at Advent the same week.
Wow. That's really cool. Yeah, things changed a lot when Jensen bought them.
@@OldGuyHifi Years before Jensen purchased the company Peter(?) Sprague bought a controlling interest in the firm. Things began to change immediately for the worse. Advent got into financial difficulties due to the high costs of developing the large projection screen television - everything was developed and manufactured in house. The very successful audio side sales just could not keep up with the expense of the video development.
@@OldGuyHifi I have the Large Advent 25th anniversary model with dome tweeters. I find them very good sounding but I've heard people say the Large Advents with the 'egg' tweeters were the best.
@@marvinmurakami8828 Great stuff for sure. Thx.
Thank you old Guy , I had a Harman Kardin as my first amp in the early 80's , Everything was great and Loud :) QC
That's cool. Thanks for tuning in.
I always do the same thing over and over, in the 70s I was anti-reciever, I used seperate power/preamp sets, mostly Luxman stuff, as I fell in love with the treble presentation, paired with the B&O cartridge on my turntable.. Various speakers, but it had to be a silk soft dome tweeter to capture that delicate treble. Audio sounded GOOD back then. Mid 70s some of that Radio Shack stuff was alright, lots of hobby gear.
I have a twin powered 100+ in a shop getting internally restored now. It has taken months due to it being a quad. I use it in 2 channel bridged mode. You get 2 amps per channel with dual mono power, only rated at 57 high current watts 😏. I also have a 120wpc Technics. The HK absolutely blows away the Technics with power, clarity, stage presence, imaging, everything. To get the same volume levels as the HK at just a 1/4 turn of the volume knob with the same speakers, you need to be at over a 1/2 turn with the Technics. In fact my neighbor whom has serious monies in his PS Audio gear was blown away by the sound quality. Playing through some early 90s Boston Acoustic towers. Once it's back in the house I think I'm going for some Cerwin Vega 15s.
Sounds like a plan.
I had a tube stereo Harmin Kardon Citation amp I wish I still owned. It was wide band and sounded great. 40 watts per channel and it played loud and clear. The early transistor amps sid not come close to the musical performance of that old amp. I have a dual mono, high current amp sounds very good since being rebuilt. I gave the old Citation to an engineer wanting to us it to drive electrostatic tweeters in a speaker system he designed. He rebuilt it using 1% parts and called me to say it sounded amazing. It least the amp found a goid home and was resurrected
I had several Citation amps but none were tubes. I did have a Marantz 8B though. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Previous owner BIC Venturi 4's (not very good), then I got into the good stuff - Rogers Ls3/5a (later paired with M&K sub), Dahlquist DQ10, 2 different pair Vandersteen 2B's (The Vandys were like an evolved version of the DQ's), Acoustic Energy AE1's with Duntech Subs.
Electronics - Marantz 1030 integrated to start, Sony 4650 VFET (very interesting integrated), then moved on to separates - Audio Research SP4 preamp (later heavily modified), Audionics CC 2 power amp, PS Audio Power amp.
Turntables - Garrard, Pioneer, Technics, Rega Planar 2 with grace arm, Oracle Delphi IV (later heavily modified) with Well-tempered arm.
Per dollar, the Rogers ls3/5a-M&K sub/ARC SP4/PS Audio/Rega system really hit the mark, perfectly matched.
I loved the Vandys but never really had the right amp for them. Incredible bass for the dollar.
Other speakers I liked but never owned - Advents, KEF's.
Great stuff all. You are a lucky fella.
Chuckled at the PMS reference... I had the Advent Bullnose paired with the Advent 300 in college. Loved that sound. Wish I had never sold them.
I wonder how many people actually get the reference. Thx.
You would have, as I did, experienced and had to make a decision on how to deal with “speaker rot”. The surrounds didn’t last 8 years. It’s an easy fix these days, but was more challenging in 1990. Loved mine too, but let them go when I bought his next idea in the Ensemble. The buyer wasn’t fazed by the Advent rot. I guess he had a tech and bought all four without blinking.
I think one speaker you may have missed is the ESS/Heil AMT-1AM. BTW, I kived in Chicago for 40 years. I was a regular customer at a store you may remember. United Audio.
I knew Shelly the owner. I didn't forget them. I was only talking about my personal involvement with whatever product.
@@OldGuyHifi I remember Shelly. I understand where you were coming from with your 5 best. I enjoyed watching it. It brought back memories of some Hi-Fi gear I've had in the past. I had some weird stuff. Like a Bose 4401 quadraphonic preamp. And an Ampex AX-50 reel to reel.
Thanks for mentioning ESS. They were very popular in the 70's. I was the proud owner of ESS/AMT 3's. Also known as Rock Monitor 3's. Rock they did! I had them paired with a Crown DC-300A amp and IC-150 pre-amp.
I still own them!
John from Canada 🇨🇦
@@johncain7949 Very nice.
Cool. 😁👍 Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish you all the best.
Thank you.
Hi Ed, loved this video. I sold audio in the seventies and eighties. In the mid-seventies Large Advents outsold everything we had. We were selling fifty pair per month. And for awhile there were two different cabinets. One of them was more antique style...
We had other memorable speakers like EPI 100, Fried Q. We had others, that I tried not to focus on, because of sound quality . Bose, Kenwood, Sansui etc. Later, we had ADS which liked a lot.
ADS were very good. I didn't get much exposure to them until the 80s. That's why they weren't on the list. Thanks for tuning in.
For sure; these were also interesting brands. ADS products were quite good; I believe they had a relationship to Braun in Germany? While I didn't own any ADS loudspeakers, I had their PowerPlate 120 power amp in my car with an Alpine head unit. Nice combination.
@@fredjoel8113 I did a review of some Braun speakers a while back if you are interested. Thanks for tuning in.
The EPI 100 had great natural sound for such an inexpensive speaker. I believe there was a slightly smaller version of the Large Advent as well as real wood cabinets and optional vinyl clad ones for lesser cost.
I have/had Jensen Model 6, Design Acoustics D8, Large Advent, and Bose 901 series VI.
Enjoyed every one of them.
@@marvinmurakami8828 I could only comment on the gear I had a lot of experience with. Thx.
New to the channel. Not a serious vintage hi-fi person, but I do believe that vintage media deserves to be played on vintage equipment. I just added a second pair of A3s to my system. I love the sound and love the look. Eventually I will swap out my modern-ish Yamaha receiver for something vintage.
Thank you for finding the channel.
A friend of mine in the 70`s bought a receiver and speakers from Radio Shack and of course all the people that had Pioneers, Technics, Yamahas and the like were giving him grief about it at a party he was throwing and I got him off to the side and told him that his system sounded great to me. Many times you just need throw all those brands and hype out the window and just close your eyes and just listen because sometimes it`s a lot more about one-upmanship and hype than actual sound.
Webman my friend you NAILED it. It is worse now with all of these hyped brands. Many of those Realistic units came out of the same factory as some famous brands. If the largest reseller of Hifi in the world (Radio Shack) comes to you and says we will give you an order for 5000 80 watt receivers now and 5000 more in 90 days, and we want the same quality as the others have, who isn't going to say YES? It is still that way a bit. Great observation. Thank you so much.
@@OldGuyHifi Thanks! Although I never owned one personally, I had friends that owned the Radio Shack branded Optimus receivers, and they looked and sounded right up there with the others, and they were well above the old school stuff by Zenith and other old school brands from the 60`s.
I agree, Radio Shack has some fine gear but it was obvious that it was not one unified design team. Some receivers & integrated amps had an unusual loudness contour dial instead of a switch. The idea was to set the volume knob high then dial the loudness to your normal loudest level. This supposedly tuned the EQ properly.
@@billgaber4282 There was a rumor that Yamaha built some units for Tandy and that's why they had loudness dials. Just a rumor. I don't know that it is accurate.
I've been an audiophile since I was in junior high school thanks to my dad. I've had several systems growing up from Sansui to Pioneer and Marantz.
I've always heard about stereo imaging but never really pursued it for it was always out of reach and I never had a good listening room to bring it out even if the system was capable of it.
I now know what stereo imaging sounds like and I wouldn't trade it for the world. With a properly setup room and a good system, it's like having 3-channel sound.
I now have a small home theater room (supposed to be a bedroom or small game room). The equipment I listen to most are a Sony HAP S1 music server, McIntosh C50 pre-amp, and McIntosh MC452 power amp driving Legacy Audio Focus 20/20.
The sound is highly detailed, with low realistic bass and non-shrill highs. I literally listen to music for 2 1/2 hours straight each weekend without suffering from sound fatigue. I love my system, it only took me 56 years to get it!
Being an "Audiophile", is a journey. It is very rare for many of us knuckle heads to be satisfied. They may have had that system but, second guessed all their choices and changed it up. For many there is no destination which is kind of sad in a way.
There is no reason for anyone to feel like they don't measure just because they don't have the latest, greatest whizz bang set up. Remember what the Buddha said: "There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path."
I don't remember who said it but it stuck with me, "It's a wise man who knows when he has enough".
@@jeffm1896 Sage words to be sure. I think for a lot of our Hifi enthusiast contemporaries it is "He with the most toys wins."
@@OldGuyHifi I get that, I guess. To each their own.
I am currently running a Pioneer SX-1250 through a pair of Vandersteen Model 2Ce Signature speakers. I highly recommend Vandersteen. Fantastic speakers.
I had a pair of original Vandersteen 2C back in the early 80s and loved them. Sounds like you have a nice set up. Thanks for sharing it and for tuning in.
@@OldGuyHifi No worries. Thank you. I'm very happy with it. The aforementioned Pioneer, the Vandies, a Fluance RT85, an old Sony DVD player (SACD capable), a WiiM Pro streamer, an Aiyima DAC. AFAICS I have good stuff - some of it cheap, some of it not so much. It satisfies an itch I had as a young man that I never could scratch.
I don't envy my kids. When I'm gone they're going to have so much media they have to figure out what they're going to do with - not to mention a bulky old 2.0 system that I can't say they'll be particularly excited about.
But I love it. So....there's that.
Cheers!
Hi Ed, this was great. Love the history. BTW my lovely wife is from suburban Chicago, Highland Park :) Thx Ed
I am further south in Naperville. Give her my regards.
Love my big boxed 15 " tannoys... Guess I'm just stuck in the 70's and a really old hifi guy
There is nothing wrong with that. Thank you for tuning in and commenting.
Huge NAD fan here, had the 7240 receiver, then went to 304 integrated, and now a c316bee, which I believe is their last class AB design. Sadly, like many others, NAD has gone in a different direction at least for my sound preference. They used to have a warm, detailed punchy sound.
I also had a 7240 and loved it. Yes NAD has different priorities these days. Thx for tuning in.
@@OldGuyHifi Still running my 7240 into ADS L400s and a M&K V2B sub. Regularly astonishes visitors.
Good one! Thanks, man.
You are welcome.
Great video as usual Ed. Lots of memories. You mentioned the "watt wars." While that was a reality, you made a point to separate current from wattage. Here's the thing, Ohm's law is rather inviolable and it clearly says that at a given resistance/impedance, there is one and only one set of current and voltage values which will derive from a particular wattage. If your receiver is rated at 40 watts into 8 Ω it's 2.25 amps at 17.9 volts. All day long every day. It makes no difference who's name is on the receiver. At 100 watts into 8 Ω it's 3.5 amps at 28.3 volts. So the P/M/S receiver rated at 100 watts will put out MORE current than the H-K at 40.
The difference comes in as impedance goes down. All speakers have impedance dips and peaks across the frequency range, and many are lower than 8 Ω to start with. At lower impedance, the speaker is going to draw more current (a "200 watt" light bulb draws twice the current of a 100 watt). If the amp runs out of current to supply, the voltage and thus the delivered power will decrease and/or the amp will clip. At 2 Ω for example, the current at 40 watts is now 4.5 amps at 8.9 volts. Notice how much more current is being drawn? If the 100 watt P/M/S receiver can't produce that 4.5 amps while being driven at 40 watts, it's going to have problems with impedance dips or low impedance speakers, and sound will suffer, whereas the higher-current H-K will still have capacity on hand. So while current is important and speakers are current sensitive loads, amplifiers don't make current, they supply it based on the impedance of, and voltage presented to, the load. It's all Ohm's law.
I'd never buy an amplifier based upon a current rating alone. Nor on a power rating alone. Power is the ability to do work (e.g., moving the drivers back and forth). Current is the movement of electrons past a point in the circuit. Voltage is the driving force for moving those electrons through a given resistance. What may be most impactful would be an energy rating. Energy, measured in Joules or watt-seconds (1J = 1 watt delivered over 1 second) is power delivered over time. This would take into account all of the various factors including the amp's ability to sustain the higher power (not just relying on reserves in the filter caps and transformer for peaks).
What I want to know about an amplifier CAN frequently be gleaned from its power ratings however, based upon comparing its power spec at 2 different impedances. Given an amplifier producing 40 watts into 8 Ω (2.25 amps at 17.9 volts), if it has an adequate source of current, it should produce exactly double the power into 4 Ω. Same voltage but now at double the current. (4.5 amps at 17.9 volts). If the power rating at half the impedance is less than double, the amp is running out of current and will suffer in performance on those impedance dips.
With an 8 Ω nominal speaker, it's possible to see an impedance of say 1.5-2 Ω at certain frequencies. If that happens to be in the bass region where a lot of power is usually spent, your amp may have issues outputting enough current and suffer a perceived decrease in response at a given group of frequencies. You may get muddy or recessed bass response in this example or maybe even clipping on bass peaks. This is where our higher-quality amplifiers come into their own. They have enough current delivery capacity (beefy power supplies, large circuit board traces, good wiring, high quality output devices, good heat sinking, etc.) to deliver the demanded current in a given situation.
Thank you for the explanation. I always thought that ohms law assumed a resistive load at fix frequency. I stand corrected. Thank you.
Great Job as normal Ed. I really liked the glowing lights and big woofers of those days.
Yes. those were fun especially after passing the pipe around. Thank you.
Hello from Des Moines! I picked up a pair of Vandersteen 1B's for a couple hundred bucks earlier this year - they make some special speakers for sure. It's come with the unfortunate side effect of realizing just how "bloated" a lot of the entry-level speakers are that I'd previously listened to. I'm a 24-year-old newbie, so I don't remember when they came out... but they sure sound good! 🙂
Many entry level/affordable speakers have what I call "Demo tuning" Bumped bass so they sound good on the floor at Best Buy. The Vandersteen's are very good and they have been around for a very long time. Thanks for the view.
My first job out of high school was at Schaak Electronics and I sold HK equipment. Love their gear. We used to use the Citations with Advent's or DLK's to see how long it would take for Gimbels call us to turn it down. We were on the far end pf the mall in the Sears court. I had a pair of CA260's in my 1980 Tercel, nicknamed them Point Beach Unit 1 and Unit 2. Currently, have an AVR347 as my main gear.
I bought my first system from Schaak at the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora IL. Funny thing was I was working for Radio Shack at he same mall.
@@OldGuyHifi When I went through Sound Fitter training, two of the instructors were engineers from HK.
My speaker dream was, but could never afford them, the Kef 104ab's. And when I became fascinated with Folded Horns. I had a pair of Birch Heresy's and loved the sound minus the lack of Bass and paired them with another speaker whose name I forget. They might have been my HPM-60's.
The 104abs were really interesting speakers. I had more experience with the Ref 104s as we sold lots of those. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I have been using HK430 since the early 80’s with a bookshelf Fulton 80’s to the full range Fulton Premieres speaker system.
Nice
My favorite speakers from the 1980's were the Snell Acoustics Type E/II.
Celestion was another British speaker company from back in the day.
Vandersteen definitely was a benchmark of mine, and so was Magnepan.
Edit: my only experience in the 1970's was a Tech HiFi special: small 6" KLH speakers, a Cambridge receiver (~15W/ch? or maybe less?) and a BIC turntable. My personal hifi stuff is 1980's - Bose 501 Series II with a Bose 40W/ch receiver (made by Panasonic, I think?) and a Dual turntable. After a poor BIC cassette deck, I happily landed on Nakamichi. Man those 501's were exciting at first - and then I realized how much better speakers could be - and ended up with the Snell Type E/II.
Snells were/are very good for sure. Being that close the the "mountain" in Framingham, I bet Bose was everywhere. Thanks my friend.
@@OldGuyHifi Right - I have a friend who got a co-op job at our technical high school at Bose - and never worked anywhere else! He did a whole bunch of different projects there.
I want to have him come and listen to my speakers soon - talk about unexpected connections!
Excellent and very enjoyable video ❗️
Glad you enjoyed it
Ed, great trip down memory lane. Yu mentioned one of the hifi legends called Henry, Henry Kloss. The other Henry, who I worked with, was Henry Azima, one of the cofounders of Mission. I'm curios as to why no mention of Mission. Best always, James
I didn't really get exposed to Mission until the early 80s. Hint:they will be mentioned in the next best of video.
One of my regrets was selling my hk 730 in 2000.
A fantastic receiver.
They were well ahead of others.
Agreed. If course I am a bit biased.
looks at my HK 430 and large bullnose Advents 👀
Yamaha was another brand that did not participate in the "watt wars" during the 1970s. It is actually a good thing that many YT'ers tend to ignore them, since that helps keep vintage Yamaha prices MUCH lower than the "PMS" brands.
They are one of the last of the audio companies that haven't changed hands and have held true to their origins. They can be bargains. Thanks for tuning in.
I agree. They were well-made and well-engineered, too.
Yamaha mostly concentrated on their receivers offering the cleanest sound with the lowest total harmonic distortion.
@@marvinmurakami8828 Great point. Yamaha is the last main stream Hifi company hasn't been sold off and bastardized. I respect them for staying true to their principles.
love your videos!
Thank you so much. I love your views and comments!
Another comment. My parents had the large Advent's. Wow they were amazing. They bought them not long after hitting the market. The early models had problems with the dome tweeters and Advent sent out a revised version that worked great until mom sold the house in 2012. Sadly, I was unable to get them or the Kenwood (forgot the model) receiver or the Dual 1218. It was decided they were more valuable in the estate sale. She made some cash off of them.
Thanks for sharing that. It is funny how gear can trigger memories. Thanks for tuning in.
I got the chance to listen to the Vandersteen 2C's at a high end store and was impressed.
They are quite good for sure. Thx.
Great video. Forget the tuner. Give me an NAD 3020 or 3020A! Just a side note: it is reported that Henry's personal favorite was the Smaller Advent. That gets my vote. Since the original NAD 3020 was really designed for "high current" and not as "impedance sensitive" as some other receivers, and only had one pair of speaker terminals, NAD and Smaller Advents! Oh baby! OK, I've got one for you and it uses the same woofer from the Chicago Telephone Supply Co as the Utah speaker: that speaker being the Rectilinear XIa. Two-way system from a company that deserves far more respect than it gets (I believe it was Duke Ellington's favorite brand).
I agree. I loved my 3020i. Thanks for swinging by the channel.
I still remember that 3020's design that they called Power Envelope (PE).
@@thelowprofile9767 The early designs used what was called a "soft clipping circuit". You could switch it on or off. Later designs used the "Power Envelope (PE)". I never really understood if this was one and the same. So, my NAD 3020A has a "soft clipping" circuit that can switched on or off. I prefer it off.
@@edwardgonczy3170 the Power Envelope was implemented in a slightly different model which was the NAD 3020PE to improve the power handling and the dynamic headroom.
I bought a Realistic STA-2080 new and should have kept it. It drove my old-school Arnie era Infinity speakers with ease. It utterly blew away the Pioneer receiver it replaced. Bought Advents new as well. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana - which is near Huntington where Utah speakers were made. They are still very common here, especially the WD-90 and HSC-1. Nice cabinets.
It was a great unit. That's why it made the list. I lost track of Utah speakers after the 70's. It was good stuff in the day. Alan, thanks for sharing your experience. That is one of my favorite parts of doing this.
My kind of video, Ed! Loved it. I had Nikko receivers before I went with separates. I thought Nikko was a real steal. In the late 70s I had an Advent 300 receiver with the round knob. I had a NAD 3020 too for grins. I bought the latter two to use as preamps. I started with Marantz separates first, then moved on to poor man’s McIntosh (Crown). My fav speakers are my beloved ADS L710s. Oh my, I forgot my first speaker was an Original Large Advent.
Steve my friend I need to get you on a live stream talking about Hifi. Let's see what the future holds. Maybe I will see you tonight. Thanks.
@@OldGuyHifi sounds like fun
@@stevezeidman7224 👌
Wow I’ve never heard of Vandersteen. It’s amazing they have been producing that model for so long. I’d love to hear them in person.
They were/are very, very good. They have been able to maintain a very high level of performance since the beginning. Thx.
Love your channel. I've been an HK guy since buying my first A402 / T403 amp/tuner combo in 1976. Sill use it, though it's going to be serviced soon. At the time, I paired them with a set of those big Pioneer CS-99a speakers with the 15" woofers, which were super-efficient (sealed cabinet, not ported BTW) and a Rotel direct-drive turntable. Still have those, too. Since them, I acquired a PM645/TU910 combo in the mid-80s, a 330i from the same period, and a 430 twin power receiver that I recently had serviced. I was wondering how you'd compare the 70s twin powered units with the 80s units - the latter lacked the twin power but featured an even broader frequency response and also maintained the high current capability. They both still sound wonderful to me. Keep up the great work. 👍
I have a "Best of the 80s" video coming out soon. I currently have a PM655Vxi. We sold ton's of those when we had the stores. I do think the 80's & a few of the 90s stuff was the pinnacle for HK as far as sound & power. I agree the bandwidth and current delivery increased markedly during that period. Great comment and thank you for tuning in.
Just a slight correction, Kef Calinda used B200 mid/bas driver and B139 passive membrane as a bass reflector!
You are right. It had been such a long time since I had them and I couldn't find much in the way of info on them. I just forgot. Thank you for reminding me.
@@OldGuyHifi No problem. The only reason I remember it because I was deliberating, at the time, whether to get Calinda or 104AB. At the end I opted for the KEF Kit, which they were selling officially.
@@dusantomic9983 Tat's cool. I vaguely remember the kits. Truthfully I vaguely remember the 70's. Thx.
I sure no one remembers Electro Research speakers but I had a model 320 that I loved. Electro Research was the child of the legendary John Iverson. I had circumstances where I had to sell a lot of my stuff and the sold the speakers to a friend, who I recently found out is still using them after all these decades.
I vaguely remember that brand. Never had a chance to hear them. You should get them back!
@@OldGuyHifi I had two other brands of speakers in the '80s. One had a cult following but I'm sure no one back East heard of them. Qysonic or Lantana (made by my friend Mark Merlino and he holds two patents on speaker design. One of those got a good review in Stereophile. He used to work for John Iverson. He designed these small tower shaped speakers about 2' high called the Tads, then designed one twice as big, and one half as big. I owned the big tower model and wish I still had it. He designed a different kind of port, hence the patent. The other I'm sure you've heard of, the Spica TC-50. That and a PS Audio Elite Plus integrated amp, and an AR The Turntable with a Linn arm on it were my bedroom system,
I had a pair Spica T50s. Great but not much bass. Good imaging. Cool stuff. Thx.
Good list, yes the HK was the best balance sonically. I would add from the 70’s IMF TLS 50 & 80, Dalquist, tens, Magnepan , ADS 810, OHM F. Electronics , audio re-search, phase linear, SAE, Mark Levenson, and a little Advent 300 integrated. Of course there’s more, but that’s just what came to mind.
Thank you. I only talked about gear I had lots of experience with. They're was much more in the 80s. Thx.
@@OldGuyHifi Me too, keeping it real. I sold hifi in nyc and owned a ton of gear.
What a trip down memory lane Ed. Such good stuff. Later I will say more here. I have a pair of Utah’s currently. My late fathers.
I need to give you your gear back. I am running out of room!
@@OldGuyHifi I will e mail you this week.
Thx.
@@OldGuyHifi we used to have a good Radio Shack where I grew up. Sad when we lost them around us. I have some Utah loudspeakers my dad bought in the mid 70’s paired with a Sansui 441. I was 7 years old and I thought what a great stereo. BSR turntable as well. Into the early 80’s my dad bought an NAD 7240 PE receiver. Nad 6155 tape deck. Nad 5240 cd player. Happy to say I have all of my dads gear from my childhood.
@@adsph Chris, That's great. I had some of my Dad's stuff. I only got rid of it because Marantz wanted to buy it back for their HQ museum.
Love the old cameras 😀
They are for sale.
I still regret selling my HK430 and still hoping one of these days I'll stumble on a 730 to buy!
I had a long and great time with my Sony STR-7065.
Nice unit for sure. Thx for stopping by.
Hey Ed…! Just wondering if you could review some of the low power vintage receivers from the 70’s - 80’s. For example: the Realistic STA-52. And other low powered, entry level receivers. We all appreciate your reviews on the new equipment, however, how about a review of these vintage receivers as well with 10 - 15 watts. Did they sound as good as the more powerful receivers of that era? Thanks in advance for honoring my request…
I wish I had access to those kinds of units. Because they were inexpensive if they broke they got tossed. I will see what I can do but, no promises. Thanks for the view and comment.
@@OldGuyHifi Thank you Ed…!
Ed,
I see you love Harmon Kardon!
I have a beautiful Citation XX power amp. I live here on the North side of Chicago if you’d like to visit for a listen.
Write. That's a rare beast. Reach out to me after the holidays. Thx
Harman Kardon 730 twin power is built for hip hop and reggae. The otzer brands blink when heavy bass hits. The Harman Kardon twin power doesn’t blink at all.
The receiver doesn’t even heat up. Just amazing build quality and a superior Soundstage.
They were so good. I may need to get one. Thx for watching.
I can’t help but wonder what great speakers Kloss could have made had he kept Advent. He only offered then to make enough money to develop the Videobeam TV. He apparently had no input on the updates to the “New” Advent speakers, which was by then owned by Jensen. I guess he was done with loudspeakers after all of those years at AR, KLH and Advent. When he eventually dipped his toe again, he came up with one of the earliest satellite systems at Cambridge Soundworks, so he still had great ideas in him. One of the greats for sure, but I think it was almost too easy for him to pop out a new speaker idea. I don’t think it was challenging enough for him in the latter days.
I remember the whole Videobeam train wreck. He did ok on that sale and I think he wanted a new challenge. I remember Cambridge Soundworks. You could be right. Thanks so much for commenting.
I was the proud owner of a Harmon-kardon 930 receiver. My friends with Marantz and Pioneer gear looked down on Harmon-kardon because it was under powered. Until they heard it!
Thanks for taking me back to a wondeful time in my life!
John from Canada 🇨🇦
The perception back in the day that has carried over to today is that it was watts that made the receiver, and I used to believe that as well until I bought a Harman Kardon AVR 130 that I bought off of Facebook Marketplace for $50 to put in a mother inlaw house we have. It came out in 2003 and only has 40 watts per channel but oh my goodness, the cyrstal clear and balanced sound that it pushes out it amazing! Of course, now I have to shop around for some better speakers than what I have on it now.
John, Yes. That was the fun with HK. When people would discount it because it didn't have 100 watts. Once they heard though things were different. My family came to the US from Canada in the 20's. Hamilton and St Kates were the home base. Thanks for making the "International" journey! 😉
@OldGuyHifi
I grew up in Niagara Falls. St. Catharines was the next city over. It is known as St. Kitts. There was a fantastic electronics store in St. Catharines called Teletron. They had all the top gear. The owner really knew how to take care of his best customers. He had a private room upstairs with the best equipment. He also had a fully stocked bar! Sadly he went through a bad divorce and lost the shop.
I truly loved my H/K 930.
Best wishes to my former Canuck!
Have you heard of Laffeyett Electronics, like their Criterion speaker series and there receivers??
I believe back in the 1960's and 70's.. I love my Criterion 666 speakers..
I have a vague recollection of that brand. No personal experience. Thx for commenting.
I used to sell HK in the 70's and we had a number of returns on those units so I stopped selling them and sold Pioneer instead. No problems with the Pioneer stuff
Thanks for tuning.
Good review! I found the NAD to be a little dull sounding. I had to get rid of it. I wish I had tried the HK.
Ah, I remember the 1970’s well!
I bet you looked great in a onesie.
@@OldGuyHifi I still do.
Are you familiar with a now defunct speaker company from the 1970s called Audioanalyst? I have a pair of acoustic suspension speakers from them. The 100x 3 way designed. 10 inch woofer midrange driver and tweeter. Plus 2 toggle switches on the back for the treble and midrange.
I had not heard of them before. Some many speaker companies came and went in that period. Sounds like a neat pair. Thanks for sharing that.
I remember their ads in Stereo Review magazine. I think the ad featured a small facial drawing of a wide eyed Frankenstein-like guy amazed by the speakers sound.
Pioneer's 50 series is great 850 and 950 are work horses. Marantz w a 1090 amp is awsome receivers have a funky sideways tuning knob.
Sansui is a very nice rcvr for sure.
@@raygarafano3633 the famous Marantz gyro-touch tuning knob.
I won't claim to have anything close to your experience, but I do have a couple of quibbles with some of your comments.
Harmonics occur at higher frequencies, not lower, so a signal at 100 kHz may have harmonics at 200, 300, 400 kHz, not 50, 25, and 12.5 kHz. My understanding of wide frequency response is that it avoids the phase shifts that occur near cutoff, but there's not much to be gained by going over 2-4x (one or two octaves) above the human hearing range.
And, dome tweeters weren't something new in the '70s. Acoustic Research started using them in the '50s in their AR-3s, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were not the first or the only ones. I think the entire AR line had dome tweeters and probably mid-range, too, all thru the '50s, '60s, and '70s.
Great info. Thank you for your view and comment.
I would love to se a "review" of the top-5 "separates" (amps and pre-amps) from the 70's.
Of course there were also a lot great Tuners back then too...☺
I wish I could do that but, to find any decent examples. especially speakers, would be neigh on impossible. Thanks for coming back to the channel.