Classic Integrated Amplifiers!

[Count Arthur]

Nice. The brand is a surprise as I only have known it for printers. Maybe a generic product with a Kyocera badge on it?

I think there are quite a few Japanese manufacturers that make quite diverse, and seemingly unrelated products.

Yamaha - motorcycles, speakers and audio equipment and musical instruments including violins and grand pianos.

Mitsubishi - cars and air conditioning

Kawasaki - motorcycles, ships, ship engines, manufacturing plants and robots, materials handling systems - really big stuff!

Honda - cars and pretty much anything with an internal combustion engine in it.

There are probably many more examples.

 

[wadude]

Sure. But some of us still have lots of archaic sources that we preserve for the fun of it. And I still live in the country and have lousy internet access. And I still want to own my library instead of (or at least in addition to) renting access to someone else's library for as long as they are in business. And I still see tone controls as serving a very different purpose than equalization (hence my remark about the one missing feature--an external processing loop).

And so I still want a preamp to provide loads of connectivity, even if most of what I want to do is transcribe my old vinyl and tape (some of which isn't available any other way) to a computer. My ADC/DAC loop is in a tape loop on my preamp. The other tape loop serves a dbx 400, which is a tape/processor-loop expander, and that gives me access to my Teac R2R deck and my Nakamichi cassette deck. The processor loop in my preamp serves my Yamaha commercial digital parametric equalizer. Then, there are two CD players, one of which uses a different DAC. And the Thorens turntable, because I still do have a vinyl library.

But I see lots of folks today much less experienced in this hobby who also have a turntable, and (emerging again) a CD player, (sure) a streamer, and for a few really sick individuals even a cassette deck. Are they nuts for experimenting with those obsolete technologies (and not merely preserving them as I'm doing)? Probably. But right now their choices are a whole row of little boxes to do this and that and try to bring it all together, in addition to the source devices. Those old full-featured preamps (that Kenwood correctly called "control amplifiers") might still be useful in the modern world.

Rick "who admittedly has a whole stack of big boxes" Denney

Totally with you on all of that! It’s a hobby and only as nutty as each enthusiast wants it to be. I have lots of vinyl and tapes and the machinery to play them on…heck, my whole vintage tube rig is still on a shelf because I am a nutty gear head and history buff who just can’t seem to make the moves necessary to get it sold. It will happen though!

I haven’t owned a CD player for years. Over time I’ve replaced and sold the albums I care about with CDs because, for me, they sound so much better. CDs are ripped and transferred into “deep storage” to open up living space. I stream locally and don’t subscribe to any paid services for exactly the same reasons as you (although I keep a free account for professional reasons).

I occasionally hook the turntable up and transfer vinyl to files. Like the CDs, those albums are kept in storage. Managing a sizable collection of cassettes is a bit harder to figure out. I don’t listen to them anymore but don’t want to part with them either. They are mostly work tapes made by others and hold fine music as well as sentimental value for the people and purposes they represent.

I’m knocked out by my Buckeye amp as well as the WiiM pro plus with all its versatility. It’s been fantastic delving into eq again. The features it has are the ones that are useful to the current state of my hobby. I look forward to updating my speakers, but this might take a while.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I think there are quite a few Japanese manufacturers that make quite diverse, and seemingly unrelated products.

Yamaha - motorcycles, speakers and audio equipment and musical instruments including violins and grand pianos.

Mitsubishi - cars and air conditioning

Kawasaki - motorcycles, ships, ship engines, manufacturing plants and robots, materials handling systems - really big stuff!

Honda - cars and pretty much anything with an internal combustion engine in it.

There are probably many more examples.

You're barely even touching the surface when it comes to Mitsubishi. Look up MHI.

 

[Waxx]

I know some people are busy with a modern equivalent of the classic 1970's integrated amp, old in visual design but with modenr engineering behind. This means multichannel with advanced dsp, with super clean power amps and analog and digital inputs. But the looks must be a metal front with wooden sidings and a physical knob for everything but the dsp (that will be tuned over lan).There will be no streamer or so build in, only preamp-dsp-mutlichannel power amp.

The initiator of that design is an investor that thinks there is a big market for that, and i also think that. But it must be cheap enough (not more than few thousands), very easy to use (almost plug and play) and reliable to make this work. And that is not so easy. I don't know if it will become something. But that project i know is not the only one i'm aware of here in Europe. And i would be in the market for something like that if it can do 2x6 channels ore more with advanced dsp and room correction like a minidsp flex and a very clean sound (sinad of +96dB and the rest of the good specs). But we'll see what happens.

I'm rather sure that in the America's or Asia some people are think similar, and may also be doing that. The old integrated amps also keep going strong on the second hand market, even when they are in a not so good condition. And in my immediate region i know at least 5 tech's that live wealthy from their bussiness of repairing and restoring those. That shows there is a big market for those.

 

[Count Arthur]

You're barely even touching the surface when it comes to Mitsubishi. Look up MHI.

View attachment 447952

I knew there would be lots of stuff I wasn't aware of.

However, I'm struggling to think of any US or European companies that produce products in such a diverse range of sectors. Maybe Siemens? Although that's not a household name in the way that Yamaha, Honda, etc.. are.

 

[Mart68]

I knew there would be lots of stuff I wasn't aware of.

However, I'm struggling to think of any US or European companies that produce products in such a diverse range of sectors. Maybe Siemens? Although that's not a household name in the way that Yamaha, Honda, etc.. are.

I think that relates to the fact that industrial Japan was flattened in WW2 (The USAAF actually ran out of targets before the end) so afterwards there was a need to start making everything.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I knew there would be lots of stuff I wasn't aware of.

However, I'm struggling to think of any US or European companies that produce products in such a diverse range of sectors. Maybe Siemens? Although that's not a household name in the way that Yamaha, Honda, etc.. are.

ThyssenKrupp, GE, Siemens, Bosch, Toshiba, Hyundai, Schneider, Hitachi all conglomerates making just about everything from machinery and excavators to electronics and IT. -The Nestlé's of tech..
But I guess most aren't quite household names.

 

[Count Arthur]

I think that relates to the fact that industrial Japan was flattened in WW2 (The USAAF actually ran out of targets before the end) so afterwards there was a need to start making everything.

This is getting waaaaay off topic, but anyway:

Princes of the Yen: Japan's Central Bankers and the Tra…

This eye-opening book offers a disturbing new look at J…

www.goodreads.com

 

[Cwopete5]

Just purchased this Kenwood KR 10000 II. I always dreamed of owning one of the big Pioneer, Sansui or Marantz receivers, but when this Kenwood came along, I just knew I had to have it. I honestly think it’s a very well designed and built receiver with quality parts and very smooth operation. All controls work silently. The wood case is just about flawless. It’s been throughly serviced by one of the best techs in my area. Best of all it sounds wonderful with a huge sound stage from my Klipsch KG4s.

Anyone one else out there with one of the big Kenwoods?

 

[rdenney]

I for one never thought Kenwood gave ground to Pioneer or Sansui, or post-Japanese Marantz, for that matter.

Rick “whose Kenwood integrated amp still meets specs after 47 years” Denney

 

[Ken1951]

I for one never thought Kenwood gave ground to Pioneer or Sansui, or post-Japanese Marantz, for that matter.

Rick “whose Kenwood integrated amp still meets specs after 47 years” Denney

I certainly loved my KR-4140 and later my KA-7002 Integrated. Nice looking and great performance - at least to me, way back in the day.

 

[AJM1981]

Got three classic ones (if I discard a 90s model Nad 314 and a sansui p1000 turntable)

The 70's Sansui au505 and au101 are in active use currently. The au101 almost looks the same.

Also own a Pioneer SA5300, kind of a 'saved from the dumpster' and being brought back into a near mint state. Difficult one for the market, but a classic.

Maybe a last addition will be a luxman l3.

 

[tineared]

Got three classic ones (if I discard a 90s model Nad 314 and a sansui p1000 turntable)

The 70's Sansui au505 and au101 are in active use currently. The au101 almost looks the same.

Also own a Pioneer SA5300, kind of a 'saved from the dumpster' and being brought back into a near mint state. Difficult one for the market, but a classic.

Maybe a last addition will be a luxman l3.

That Pioneer is the little brother to my first "real" amp, the SA-8500. Brings back some memories.
I think if I wanted to go retro it would have to be a Marantz with the horizontal flywheel tuning knob. I never had one, but I always admired them...

 

[AJM1981]

That Pioneer is the little brother to my first "real" amp, the SA-8500. Brings back some memories.
I think if I wanted to go retro it would have to be a Marantz with the horizontal flywheel tuning knob. I never had one, but I always admired them...View attachment 499090

Great piece and a leap away from the sa5300 entry model.

 

[Iainohyeah]

Incredible sounding thing. Yamaha CA R11.