So what is your favorite vintage stereo amp? McIntosh, Marantz, Fisher or???

I am a SS era McIntosh user now. I own a MC 2505-2 power amplifier, a MX 114 tuner-preamplifier, and a MA 5100 integrated. I also still own my Sansui 4000 receiver too.

 

What are your thoughts on the 2505? Not sure how the -2 may compare to an earlier model but just based on the serial I'm guessing mine is a fairly early model. I picked one up this weekend and am currently having a qualified tech look it over as it did have a couple of issues, namely dim bulbs and a bit of a transformer hum that's hopefully solvable.

 

as much as i love the Marantz stuff I've always liked the Yamaha CR series of receivers...

 

MC 2505-2 had the latest circuit changes applied. Which were very few. It sounds great. Basically it is a blue metered modern style version of the MC 50/MC 250 with the same early tube like McIntosh SS sound. You'll enjoy yours once fettled really well. I love mine. Cost me $100 with a MX 114 (both with wood cases). They needed some cosmetic repair and minor electronic repair. The MX 114 needs new glass.

 

Nothing really vintage here, perhaps my 1975 Realistic STA-90 (it was dubbed the sleeper back then as it blows the doors off it's specs when tested). A solid 45 RMS per channel. It has a good array of inputs for tape to tape dubbing too. Still runs perfect and sounds great.

 

Oof. That sounds like a deal. Mine definitely cost me a bit more than $100 hahah I'd be happy if the servicing alone cost that much!

 

I'm a big fan of 1970s Marantz stereo receivers. My 2235b sounds glorious when playing movies (BD, DVD, LD) or music (Sony PS-X600, Dynavector 10x5, Pro-Ject Tube Box SE II, Mullard 12AX7 tubes).

As always, a full restoration of vintage stereo gear is a must. You need to swap out old caps and wires, and make sure everything is tuned up.

Every now and then, I'm tempted to upgrade to something newer or more powerful, but I honestly don't know where to go. A modern receiver would probably have to cost a lot to equal the Marantz. Probably should wait until I upgrade to the $2k components. Hah!

 

Is that always the case ? I bought my Pioneer SX-980 mint used in '95 and had a tech recaliber the radio tuning string and perform a check. Said no need to recap, everything's fine, I'd be stealing your money etc.

Same thing 10 years ago when it developed a problem (non-related)

Same some months ago when I had the phono selectors cleaned.

Are they telling me the truth and they really don't want my money ? Are they just lazy or incapable to perform the service ? Same with my Technics SU-V5 amp.

Just wondering. The thing has never had a long period of inactivity except when I went abroad for 6 months. Been told that helps.

 

Some brands of electrolytic capacitors last longer than others. Also, long terms of inactivity are very bad for equipment because the electrolytic caps will deform over time. And heat is another enemy which will cause caps to dry-out faster. And certain brands of capacitors are absolutely notorious for failing short, whereas most tend to fail open.

So if unit runs hot, or if it has been left unpowered for years, the odds that it will require a recap to be reliable increase greatly. Sometimes you can get lucky with such equipment and it will run for 6 months or a year before releasing the smoke after a very long period of inactivity. But as a general rule of thumb, most equipment which is over 25 years old is running on borrowed time if it has not been recapped yet. And the odds of a failing capacitor causing something else to fail which is not nearly so easy to replace, goes up dramatically.

 

I used to own one of these:


The best amp I ever owned, this sucker weighed about 75 pounds. (Yeah, I know it's a receiver...) Anyway, it finally futzed out one day in the late 80's and I stupidly thought I could just replace it with another Marantz. Nope.

However, the best sounding amp I've ever had experience with belonged to my dad.



I remember his amp was in a wood case. This thing had POWER! Listening to music on this beauty is what fueled my lifelong obsession with hi-fi. Playing with the adjustable Stereo/Mono blend was really fun.

 

I use a Marantz 2285 as my main. Bought it from the original owner a few years back with the original literature. I also own a Pioneer SX-980 and a Yamaha CR-820 (mentioned above), but the Marantz provides better balance and detail to me.

 

I like my old Fisher for sound but I like my old Marantz for durability --I think it's finally giving up the ghost, but it's a 40 year old receiver I bought ten years ago and it's been kept constantly turned on every day since then!

 

I have an HH Scott 355 tuner/preamp and 208 amp that I love. The industrial design on the 355 is a work of mid century art. I must admit however, those Mac 240's may be my favorites.

 

Loved the Heathkit W5s I had in my main system for about a decade. Scott 299s can be absolute magic. Marantz model 9s. Always thought they were the absolute pinnacle. I remember as a young 24 year old audiophile in the 80s, there was a high end store that had a big room with nothing in it but those huge Acoustat speakers and the owners pair of Marantz 9s with a Linn turntable. That remains the single most incredible system I ever heard. The owner was really cool and after my classes were over in the afternoon I used to go there and listen to music for hours on the couch he had in there.

 

Tandberg TR-2045, McIntosh 1700, Dynaco stereo 400, and a (USA) Marantz 1200 (no longer have the Mac receiver nor Dynaco 400 power, though...but they "educated" me on what *was* possible beyond Technics and Pioneer for sure!). Want to get into the SAE stuff James Bongiorno did, next.

 

1971 Sony STR-6055 receiver. Have two of 'em; one in my main stereo system and one in my computer audio system. Run them with the Loudness turned On; don't play them loud.

 

Fast forward a few years, and I am now favoring an EL84-based 1959 Fisher X-100. This is an early version with a tube rectifier. Despite having nominally less power than the 400 (14wpc vs. 28wpc), it seems possibly a bit louder. Tonally, the X-100 is not as thick and lush than the 400, but is quicker and more airy; it also has a lot more useful controls on the front panel.

(I ended up selling the 400 because I preferred the X-100.)

 

I like 6L6 amps like the MC 30. I also like old RCA 6L6 amps and I particularly like Northern Electric 6L6 amps (after they have been reconditioned and modified and made less prone to humming or buzzing). In the same family, the best amp of this type, to me is the Western Electric 124 running the 350 tube instead of 6L6s. At slightly lower power, I actually prefer the Western Electric 133 amp (runs 349 tube). I have a sort-of 133 amp that is a modern build with vintage parts, including the correct WE input and output transformers.

 

Pioneer SX-980. Although I'd love a McIntosh.

 

Looks like the one my dad built as a kit. He had a H.H. Scott tuner as well, a Dual turntable and AR-2 speakers, IIRC.

 

Yamaha M4 is my all-time fav power amp thus far. Yamaha M-4 - Manual - Stereo Power Amplifier - HiFi Engine

 

The perfect pair.

 

For me it’s the British made Quad 33/303....owned three of them in my lifetime..sold my last setup a few years ago. My ears ain’t what they use to be and i didn’t want to spend the money on getting the caps replaced.

 

My Pioneer Spec1/Spec4 system

 

Here are a couple of Marantz beauties that I've had but that have since been moved on: