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best vintage stereo receiver

Hi, looking to step back in time for a vintage stereo receiver for my home office.
I have owned McIntosh, Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha & Kenwood units in the past.
I need a moderate sized unit that has good turner performance and smooth sound. What would you people recommend? I have been told that Sony and Techniques are out due to cheaper parts used and Marantz units are getting pricey. I will need switchable FM muting and an Aux input for CD use. Thanks
jihley
audiogabby's avatar
audiogabby
183 posts
 
I had Sansui and Yamaha and like them both but the Sansui was so much more transparent and faster than the Yamaha that it left an impression on me. I'm talking the Sansui 7070 against Yamaha CR-420 and CR-640.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Sansui 9090DB!
normansizemore
601 posts
 
Sansui 9090DB
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty
1,079 posts
 
Breathing life into a dead thread!  Agree on the Sansui 9090/8080DB.  I regret selling the Marantz 2330 I owned around 20 years back.
oblgny's avatar
oblgny
848 posts
 
I gifted two receivers to my now ex-gf, a Marantz 2250B which we used in the master bedroom, and a Pioneer SX-1080 which we used in the den. 


Back in the day my first receiver was a Sansui 7070 - I couldn’t afford the 9090DB. 


Frankly speaking, they were/are all good. Not as refined as newer, current gear, but able to reproduce decent sound. Besides that, they just look cool. 


To my humble ears, IMHO, I give the nod to the Pioneer. While the Marantz is super cool with the horizontal dial and blue lights, compared to the Pioneer I found its sound somewhat restrained even though it has the bass/treble/midrange dials. I just found the Pioneer to sound more...spacious? 


One other cool thing about these brands is that they are still able to be repaired.  I have a guy...





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