Most Pretentious High-End Audio Component Names

[mhardy6647]

I remember it well

 

[mhardy6647]

so... this thread has got me reflectin'.
Although nowadays my interests are somewhat more rarefied, I am a product of my "audio heritage" so to speak, and I still harbor what I would call a nonlinear interest in some of the massmarket 1970s hifi of my college days. I am particularly nonlinearly interested in Yamaha componentry of that era (both sonically & aesthetically), so I will take the opportunity to use them as an archetype of reasonable (if slightly arcane) massmarket audio nomenclature of the late 1970s into early 1980s.

With that preamble, here's a partly vertical & partly horizontal tasting (literally and figuratively) of some late-1970s Yamaha massmarket hardware.

At least in the US, Yamaha (Nippon Gakki) had some outlier nomenclature. one outlier was the ca. 1977 TC-511S tape deck 511?! And what the heck was the "S" for? At the time, they only offered two cassette decks (at least in the US): The aforementioned TC-511S and the very cool, Mario Bellini-designed TC-800GL https://www.yamaha.com/en/about/innovation/collection/detail/7006/ Another outlier was the CR-450 receiver (which I never quite figured out, place-in-the-foodchain-wise). Another interesting "outlier" was the magnificent CT-7000 tuner (of which, sadly, I don't have an example).

Ca. 1978, they had a line of integrated amps with the CA-*10 appellation, culminating in the CA-2010. Indeed, a CA-610II (not shown above) was my gateway drug, Yamaha-wise. Don't ask me about the "II" suffix. The companion tuners were CT-*10, culminating in the CT-1010 (there was no 2010, AFAIK). The receivers of the era were CR-*20, culminating in the CR-2020 -- although there was also the Big Dog (unknown to me at the time) CR-3020.

Here's a CR-2020 (on the right, below) -- a CR-3020 do I not have It is a monster, from the monster receiver days.
DSC_5793a by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

The previous generation (so to speak) of massmarket Yamahas akin those above included the CT-*00 tuners, CA-*00 integrated amps, and CR-*00 receivers.
The following generation of Yamahas like those above included the CR-*40 receivers.
The next generation after that included the R-*00 receivers (culminating, I think, in the R-2000).
Then they had the R-* receivers.
After that, they started putting Xs and Vs and stuff in their model numbers, and I was too busy going to grad school and starting a family to pay much attention.

Oh, many/most of their speakers were NS-*(***) for many years (e.g., the infamous NS-10M studio monitors, and the aforementioned NS-1000).

I am deliberately skipping the separates (preamps: "C", power amps: "A", Tuners: "T") in this census, even though that collection, over the years, has included some fine, fine pieces -- but most were, and many still are, too expensive for me then (or for discretionary spending now).

OK, that was pointless, but fun to piece together!

 

[Doodski]

the very cool, Mario Bellini-designed TC-800GL

The first time I opened one of these to service it I was very pleased. Built to last a hundred years, serviceable excluding the rubber(s) degrading and those belts that are there should be available with some effort Really nice machine and if memory serves me correct it had good W&F too.

 

[Emlin]

Quantum anything or anything Quantum. Always snake-oil.

 

[mansr]

Just in case anyone was curious, here are the answers:

Here are the model designators of some random items in my house. Try to guess what they are.

• 9129B: BK Precision power supply
• 289: Fluke multimeter, higher better
• WT1: Weller soldering station
• MDO3024: Tektronix oscilloscope, letters indicate type of instrument, numbers series, bandwidth, and channels
• 35 22 115: Knipex pliers, third number is length in mm, the rest without obvious meaning
• U1733C: Keysight LCR meter, no apparent meaning
• SR7010: Marantz AVR, higher better
• LE40A656A1FXXU: Samsung TV, 40"
• CD-6" ASX: Mitutoyo caliper, 6" long
• FUSE: Leatherman multitool
• DMM6500: Keithley multimeter, 6.5 digits resolution
• CM6 S2: B&W speakers
• SVZ131A2JM: Sony laptop
• GS716T: Netgear Ethernet switch, 16 ports
• 816 R: Wera screwdriver handle

 

[Blumlein 88]

I believe the originator of Classe is now chief engineer at ATI.

I don't think this is correct.
Morris Kessler started SAE. Sold it, and then came out of retirement to do ATI.

https://www.ati-amp.com/interview.php

David Reich started Classe sometime in the early 1980.
https://www.classeaudio.com/about-us/

He was later forced out after a decade or so by his business partner Mike Viglas.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I don't think this is correct.
Morris Kessler started SAE. Sold it, and then came out of retirement to do ATI.

https://www.ati-amp.com/interview.php

David Reich started Classe sometime in the early 1980.
https://www.classeaudio.com/about-us/

He was later forced out after a decade or so by his business partner Mike Viglas.

Morris Kessler owns ATI, but David Reich is indeed chief engineer.

 

[Jas0_0]

Always felt Linn Klimax just sounded messy.

 

[maverickronin]

Always felt Linn Klimax just sounded messy.

Lynn Klimax is a good porn name.

 

[SineWave]

"OPTIMUS"

by Radio Shack / Tandy

 

[Emlin]

"OPTIMUS"

by Radio Shack / Tandy

That's a prime example.

 

[SineWave]

That's a prime example.

LOL!

 

[dougi]

Always felt Linn Klimax just sounded messy.

As well as the Densen Beat product range!

 

[egellings]

Anything with "Reference" in the name.

 

[dougi]

What about the most pretentious item you have actually owned? Not sure I can think of one. I did have Benchmark DAC-1 but as they generally are the benchmark in products not pretentious enough.

 

[mhardy6647]

What about the most pretentious item you have actually owned? Not sure I can think of one. I did have Benchmark DAC-1 but as they generally are the benchmark in products not pretentious enough.

Prolly the DAC I use -- but it is a very special case, it's got some age on it, and it was never even all that pretentious in the first place.

Now optics -- we get a bit snootier at my house when it comes to optics.

DSC_7238 (2) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

 

[Kal Rubinson]

What about the most pretentious item you have actually owned? Not sure I can think of one. I did have Benchmark DAC-1 but as they generally are the benchmark in products not pretentious enough.

Perhaps if they changed the name to The Benchmark, they would qualify.

 

[FrantzM]

Perhaps if they changed the name to The Benchmark, they would qualify.

Well ... it happens that some of their products indeed, are.

 

[Helicopter]

Well ... it happens that some of their products indeed, are.

One of them, right? AHB2, not their DAC or HPA.

 

[Helicopter]

so... this thread has got me reflectin'.
Although nowadays my interests are somewhat more rarefied, I am a product of my "audio heritage" so to speak, and I still harbor what I would call a nonlinear interest in some of the massmarket 1970s hifi of my college days. I am particularly nonlinearly interested in Yamaha componentry of that era (both sonically & aesthetically), so I will take the opportunity to use them as an archetype of reasonable (if slightly arcane) massmarket audio nomenclature of the late 1970s into early 1980s.

With that preamble, here's a partly vertical & partly horizontal tasting (literally and figuratively) of some late-1970s Yamaha massmarket hardware.

View attachment 95689
At least in the US, Yamaha (Nippon Gakki) had some outlier nomenclature. one outlier was the ca. 1977 TC-511S tape deck 511?! And what the heck was the "S" for? At the time, they only offered two cassette decks (at least in the US): The aforementioned TC-511S and the very cool, Mario Bellini-designed TC-800GL https://www.yamaha.com/en/about/innovation/collection/detail/7006/ Another outlier was the CR-450 receiver (which I never quite figured out, place-in-the-foodchain-wise). Another interesting "outlier" was the magnificent CT-7000 tuner (of which, sadly, I don't have an example).

Ca. 1978, they had a line of integrated amps with the CA-*10 appellation, culminating in the CA-2010. Indeed, a CA-610II (not shown above) was my gateway drug, Yamaha-wise. Don't ask me about the "II" suffix. The companion tuners were CT-*10, culminating in the CT-1010 (there was no 2010, AFAIK). The receivers of the era were CR-*20, culminating in the CR-2020 -- although there was also the Big Dog (unknown to me at the time) CR-3020.

Here's a CR-2020 (on the right, below) -- a CR-3020 do I not have It is a monster, from the monster receiver days.
DSC_5793a by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

The previous generation (so to speak) of massmarket Yamahas akin those above included the CT-*00 tuners, CA-*00 integrated amps, and CR-*00 receivers.
The following generation of Yamahas like those above included the CR-*40 receivers.
The next generation after that included the R-*00 receivers (culminating, I think, in the R-2000).
Then they had the R-* receivers.
After that, they started putting Xs and Vs and stuff in their model numbers, and I was too busy going to grad school and starting a family to pay much attention.

Oh, many/most of their speakers were NS-*(***) for many years (e.g., the infamous NS-10M studio monitors, and the aforementioned NS-1000).

I am deliberately skipping the separates (preamps: "C", power amps: "A", Tuners: "T") in this census, even though that collection, over the years, has included some fine, fine pieces -- but most were, and many still are, too expensive for me then (or for discretionary spending now).

OK, that was pointless, but fun to piece together!

Spectacular collection Mark. If you ever decide to part with the whole thing, please PM me.