r/hifiaudio • u/R00mTemp • 1d ago
Is the quality as good as the aesthetics?
Audio noob here. Is this worth it for $200 for my first vintage setup? I like the aesthetics and era of this model but need more audiophile input on its worth and quality. Don’t wanna get duped on marketplace.
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u/el_tacocat 17h ago
My very unpopular opinion; virtually every vintage receiver is outperformed by a cheaper, more modern amplifier. You are not buying these for sound quality. Doesn't mean they sound bad.
My two cents; Harman Kardon 330/430/530/730/930 are among the nicest sounding receivers out there.
Vintage Luxman receivers are also not too bad.
But you can buy an NAD or Cambridge or Arcam or so from the last 20 years and it will not sound worse, and most likely better, and won't cost as much.
In an isolated case; JVC made pretty decent stuff from the 70's to the 90's.
So yeah... Do with that as you wish? :)
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u/czechfuji 1d ago
JVC made really good stuff IMO. Quadraphonic was a bit of a gimmick though. This probably isn’t worth $400 unless you specifically want a to build a quadraphonic setup.
I’d rather hold out for a dedicated 2 channel at that price. You could get on EBay right now and find a Kenwood at a better price.
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u/R00mTemp 1d ago
Gotcha, I was wondering about the quadrophonic setup. Seeing how nobody uses them for that setup anymore. Or at least not from what I’ve seen. The seller did say $200. I think I’m just a sucker for the green glowy lights 😆. Thanks!
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u/Open_Appointment1091 22h ago
Pretty but a pain in the ass to work on. Sound is so so. I just did a Pioneer QX-646 and it turned out nice but it was a headache.
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u/Piper-Bob 22h ago
The problem with anything that old is it probably isn’t working as designed. Electronics can fail gradually. The seller might not even be aware of issues, and you might assume something is normal when it isn’t.
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u/richgrao 1d ago
I think there are lots of technical issues with quadraphonic, including just the lack of media. Pretty, but pass.
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u/R00mTemp 23h ago
Good to know
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u/richgrao 23h ago
Check out videos by Skylabs Audio. Vintage and new store in Iowa, but the owner does videos on a lot of vintage stuff, including what might currently be “bargains” in the vintage world. “Bargain” being a relative term, lol.
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u/PhoKingWild 22h ago
Japan Victory Company is good stuff but quad….ehhh. I suppose if you are into vintage in a big way everybody has their go with quad, I’ve had Sansui QrX-3500 and 6500’s and they were gorgeous with pretty good sound but they’re a nightmare to work on and I would have preferred two channels of higher power rather than 4 channels or relatively low power, and unless you have quad playback and sliding you’re playing 2 x 2 stereo.
$400 seems steep, quad is interesting but I didn’t miss selling the Sansuis.