Big C_Cal;842472352 said:

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What is it about that amp? Do they not make something as good or better now?

Is my Kenwood integrated amp (circa 1977, mentioned earlier in the thread) something good like that? It's sitting in my garage.

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An amp is an amplifier, an electronic device that increases the power of a signal which has auxiliary inputs that allow different sound components to be easily attached. The amplifier is often described as the heart or the nervous system of a microphone or loudspeaker. It is usually used as an auxiliary for many different devices to provide sound to high powered speakers. In the old days the amp frequently included an AM/FM radio component.

Amp technology has changed little over the past thirty years, so if you have a good high end one keep it to power your speakers. There are plenty of components that allow you to attach your digital media to an old amp set up.

Well...an amp is just used to provide power to the speakers. A preamp (does not include a tuner) unifies and controls all your inputs and passes that on to the amp. A integrated amp has a preamp combined with the amplifier. Todays recievers are basically an integrated amp and tuner combined.

Well in that 70s era of audio, the high end manufacturers were still producing high quality integrated amps. After that things went the way of separate components i.e. the power amp - preamp - reviever. Most of the high end stuff followed this model. So say I'm a student shopping around for an audio system in the early 90s on a ramen noodle budget ... If I'm at a thrift store and find an 80's era integrated amplifier with the soft buttons and a digital tuner, chances are the electronics are not as good as a comparable unit from the 70s. We know this just by knowing how the market shifted. And I definitely don't have the money to buy the 3 separate units that the quality 80s era stuff would require. So you see at the time, I wanted the an older unit with knobs, wood cabinet, and brushed stainless steel trim. Haha. What surprised me was the sheer power of some of the integrated amps from that era. I've seen some rated 250 watts per channel.

What is it about that amp in particular? Honestly, a lot of it is nostalgia. It did sound remarkably well. The fact that I improvised the entire system was a good story, but the truth is that system sounded good on its own. The speakers were a big part of that too. Depending on who you asked I was either the most popular or most hated guy in my co-op. I was probably the most popular at parties. haha.

What about your Kenwood amp? Yeah you might have something there. Heck plug it in see how it sounds. =)

My favorite thus far has been Conrad-Johnson preamp and power amp, Dahlquist DQ-10s with the matched sub and both active and passive crossovers. That setup filled the room both in size and in sound. My wife eventually won.

Mine was this guy!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4445[/ATTACH]

the Boom Box!

BancroftSteps;842472498 said:

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The fact that I improvised the entire system was a good story

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It's a well known fact that systems pieced together with an accompanying "good story" sound better than a system purchased complete using cash.

HearstMining;842470328 said:

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Cerca 1973:
Dynaco SCA80Q (kit from Pacific Stereo)
Philips TT and Dynaco A-25 speakers (Igor's Stereo - anybody remember them? An offshoot of Leopolds).
Dyna FM5 tuner kit (The Sound Well)

1975: Dokorder reel-to-reel deck

1976: Klipsch Heresy speakers and Technics SL1500 TT

Now: PS Audio 4.5 preamp, BRB Systems Power Amp, NAD 533 TT, Magnepan speakers for audio. Hafler DH101, SAE XXX1B and JBL L20T3 speakers for the video system (2channel only). Also have a Pioneer SX-680, a Yamaha CR1040, and a couple of old Marantz receivers boxed in the garage - all garage sale finds I couldn't resist but now don't know what to do with . . . I had to stop going to garage sales.

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Would you like my address and FedEx account number?!!!!

Bears2thDoc;842469680 said:

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Mine was:

Fisher 400 FM Receiver
Dual 1229 Turntable with Shure cartridge
Teac Reel to Reel
JBL 100 Studio Monitors
Sennheisser Headphones
Disc Washer Record Cleaner system

Later added Nakamichi cassette deck (not the Dragon)

For skiing, I had, and still have, the original metal case Sony Walkman which replaced my Astraltunes.

Yeah, I'm an old fart.

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RCA Victrola 100 floor model in oak w/ 16" speaker, 78 rpm only. Turned it all the way up during Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and the damned thing fell over. Shook two dishes off the wall and cracked the plaster.

My dad bought me a Scott system from this pop up stereo store on Shattuck back maybe 1986 when I was in HS. It was a really odd system. All the electronics were Scott, which was basically a generic brand by then. The speakers had no brand name and even had a large paper tweeter and all the drivers had foam surrounds. However, it had a turntable which was manually tuned with a dial where I'd look at the strobe from the AC power frequency - with settings for 33-1/3, 45 at either 50 or 60 Hz. There was a single-disc CD player that was actually made in Japan while the rest were cheapie made in Taiwan. It had an integrated amp with a separate tuner, but the tuner only powered off a unique connection to the integrated amp. I once tried to wire in a DC supply that matched the voltage specs, but it operated kind of funny. And the dual cassette deck only had Dolby B, with one side running a bit fast. It also came with one of those glass and fiberboard racks, with the Akai brand. It looked totally random even with all the electronics the same brand.

Eventually I started replacing all that stuff. What I would have been proud of was the following:

Luxman R-113 receiver.
Marantz CD-63SE CD player.
Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 (that weird "designer" look).
KEF C55 speakers, then Paradigm Reference Studio/20 speakers.
Sennheiser HD580 headphones (no longer working).
Paradigm 12" sub (don't recall the model).
Salamander Design rack - cherry/black.

I kind of stopped. Right now I watch TV with my flat-screen's built-in speakers.

Anyone ever buy anything from Uncle Ralph's...or Matthews "Top of the Hill" Daly City?

Nope, but I frequented many of the 70's era stereo shops in Berkeley: Pacific, Igor's, Honest Bob's Used Stereo of America, Sound Well when they were still on MLK near Virginia, Honkers on Telegraph, and Puds on Solano in Albany. It was fun to go in and just talk to the guys. I still remember listening to some of the TOTL equipment at Honkers: McIntosh amps and their custom-built speakers with all JBL drivers. The sound was so clean I didn't realize how loud it was until I had to raise my voice to talk to my girlfriend. Fun times!

beelzebear;842475473 said:

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...or Matthews "Top of the Hill" Daly City?

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"You get a bike." Ha!

Necrobump. I just remembered the sweet yorx I had.

i had one of those too

Harman Kardon

Pioneer deck, Phoenix Gold 600w amp, 2x10" Kickers (full enclosure - no ports), pioneer 5" in the doors in a Nissan 2x4 pickup (no extra cab, so the woofers were against the bench seat). It bumped.

Cizek model 2 speakers, NAD 2020, from Pud's in Albany. Later I moved to a Luxman stack, maybe 1979