wdrazek Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I've been posing and lurking here since before I bought my last 2 channel setup in my Chicago condo five years ago. This spring I will finally be able to put music in the living room again. The centerpiece of this system will be a pair of Heresy I or II, and I'll be sure that the crossovers are updated. The living living room is attached to the dining room. It is 12x24, and the dining room adds another 12x12. Most of my listening is at low/ mid volumes with an occasional blast of Led Zeppelin at higher SPL's. The source will be a PC sending lossless files through Sonos feeding a DAC of decent quality. Source material is primarily jazz and pop (Miles Davis, Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John) with occasional classical and opera, usually something big like Stravinski or Beethoven. I like a firm and well defined bass, airy midrange and smooth highs. What offends me are (in order) strident highs, flabby non-distinct bass and lack of detail. My budget is under $1000, preferably under $500. The suspects I have been tossing around are Marantz, Pioneer and Sansui. A Mac would be nice but I'm not sure it will fit my budget and constraints. I don't have a good tech nearby to check and repair capacitor, transistors and the like so I need to be sure the unit is ready to go when it arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 My Marantz 2252B and Heresy's seem to share some of the same DNA. In my opinion, a perfect combination. That statement pretty much applies to many of the 70's Marantz receivers. If you do have a budget range from $500.00 to $1000.00, consider the 2275 or 2285, or even one of the big boy receivers like the 2325(125w/ch), 2385(185w/ch). The last (2) mentioned are absolute beasts and will be close to the $1000.00 figure or maybe even more in restored condition. Truthfully any from the 2245 on up will provide plenty of punch with a midrange to die for and great detail. With vintage gear, I think it is better to focus on a fully restored mid level receiver over a project upper level one. Your money would be better spent buying one that someone else paid for the restoration. Many on this forum swear by their vintage Pioneers and Sansuis, so there are plenty of good choices out there. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Something to try would be a Harman Kardon 430, 730, or 930. Been using an HK 730 with Forte IIs in two channel and it's a great combination. I just bought an HK 430 off Ebay for $128 shipped. In my experience these vintage HKs have warm highs and bass is very good at flat with loudness off. One of these HKs shouldn't be overlooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 silver faced Yamaha Natural Sound (with CR or CA in the name...), Nakamichi STASIS (SR or TA in the name)...EICO HF-81 Tube integrated... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCliff Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Check this one out. http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ele/2210157159.html OR http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ele/2218065947.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdrazek Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thanks for the replies and the 2270 looks very sweet but I like the advice to go for a restored mid-level unit instead of an upper end receiver. In my years as a music lover (close to 5 decades) and equipment ++ore I have to believe that 30+ year old caps and connections are detrimental to sound quality. AFAIK, caps don't hold their own over that long a time. I once had a Dynaco PAS3 which was about that old. It sounded so sweet and romantic but when I put a Van Alstine upgrade with new caps on the PS the sound changed dramatically. Cleaner, more open and much more solid bass. In the basement are a 2226 and 2235b either of which could be candidates for a renovation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Something to try would be a Harman Kardon 430, 730, or 930. Been using an HK 730 with Forte IIs in two channel and it's a great combination. I just bought an HK 430 off Ebay for $128 shipped. In my experience these vintage HKs have warm highs and bass is very good at flat with loudness off. One of these HKs shouldn't be overlooked. +1! There's even a 430 right here for sale that is tempting me...[] http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/145384.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Consider a Fisher 500B tube Reciever with Magic Eye tuning. Here is a picture of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Consider a Fisher 500B tube Reciever with Magic Eye tuning. Here is a picture of mine. Dang, that is gorgeous!![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Consider a Fisher 500B tube Reciever with Magic Eye tuning. This, my friend, is what you need....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdrazek Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 That is a work of art. If you ever tire of it PM me. I live in Rochester and could easily carve out a few hours to take it off your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Consider a Fisher 500B tube Reciever with Magic Eye tuning. Here is a picture of mine. Dang, that is gorgeous!! Can't go wrong with an "up-dated' Fisher. Beautiful unit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 That is a work of art. If you ever tire of it PM me. I live in Rochester and could easily carve out a few hours to take it off your hands. I First bought this 500B on E-bay. It was in Mint Condition Cosmentically on the Outside, so at the time it commanded a high price of $400. Not sure what they go for today. I then restored it electronically under the tutelegde of Craig at NosValves. All the old parts, mostly Capacitors with quality parts. It was throughly cleaned and lubed. I added a Bubinga Burl Wood Case made by Dan Crosby of Mcintosh Cabinets. In the end I spent over $1300 for this Receiver and will probably never part with it, as I would never get my money out of it. I lovingly spent over 40 hours alone polishing the inside of the Chassis. Totally uineccesary, but it was a labor of love. Here is a picture of the inside of the Chassis when I was finsihed. Hey! -- Does anyone know why only part of my pictures is showing up ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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