Grassroots 1990's ComponentStereoSports, or the Tale of Two Receivers

So... who knows about 1990's era component stereo receivers? 

I'm trying to decide between keeping one of two different receivers I have for my vintage rig: a Kenwood KR-A3060 50w/channel receiver that I currently use, or a Technics SA-G76 100w/channel A/V receiver that I picked up cheap last night. I was looking for a receiver for my parents for Christmas, as the one in their 30 year old Fisher component system crapped out recently, and the Technics was the best they had there. I wanted to get their rig going again so they can spin their old records. Problem is, I'm not sure the thing will fit in their existing stereo cabinet; it's massive!

I picked up the Kenwood a few months ago, and it sounds awesome and I use it all the time with my own vintage rig, which includes a Denon CD changer and a sweet Gemini direct drive D.J.Q. 1200 turntable. I haven't fully tested the Technics yet, but it does have 50 more watts, a dedicated Phono input, and Ye Olde 1990's surround sound capability. And you can hook up MULTIPLE VCR's to it!

I've included pics of both.

This is the Technics receiver. It has 100w/channel and has a Class H+ amplifier. I wish I had the remote, because the volume knob actually will move if you turn it up with the remote! What is this sorcery??? 

Here's the Kenwood. It has 50w/channel, which is more than enough for my old-school Mirage bookshelf speakers. It sounds crystal clear and is really well made. 

I'm leaning toward giving the Kenwood to my parents and keeping the Technics, mainly due to the size of the thing. What do you guys think I should do? 

What do your ears tell you? I would listen to them.

Quick edit: my signiture is finally relative! Lol

Vintage?!  That stuff is too new to be "vintage."  Vintage stuff is silver-colored.  Everybody knows that.

LOL.

I've always been partial to Technics stuff, but that receiver is ugly.  I like the Kenwood better.

FWIW, most of my gear is 1980's stuff, but my "new" 1990's Onkyo receiver has the motorized volume knob that moves with the remote.  And I have the remote! 

I'd attempt to repair the Fischer and I'd keep the Technics for myself, but my father is deaf in one ear and my mother has terrible taste in music.

What speakers are your parents pushing? The extra 50w may not be of any benefit, unless they're looking to replace them with magnepanes. 

1988RedT2 said:

Vintage?!  That stuff is too new to be "vintage."  Vintage stuff is silver-colored.  Everybody knows that.

LOL.

I've always been partial to Technics stuff, but that receiver is ugly.  I like the Kenwood better.

FWIW, most of my gear is 1980's stuff, but my "new" 1990's Onkyo receiver has the motorized volume knob that moves with the remote.  And I have the remote! 

 

This stuff is old enough to buy alcohol now, so yeah, I consider it vintage.  

I also have a proper "VINTAGE" Technics silver-faced and woodgrain receiver kicking around, but it's not working. At least my turntable is from the early 80's! 

In reply to captdownshift :

The Fisher is from 1988 and a full digital receiver. The tuner buttons are stuck, so it's constantly tuning and that overrides everything else so I can't even select a different source. I may hit it with some electronics cleaner and see if it stops, but I am not getting my hopes up. 

This is exactly what they have:

The thing is a BEAST. I remember the 1st thing that was played on it was the 1984 album on cassette by Van Halen. It shook pictures off the walls!!! That was one of the greatest moments in my own personal history. 

The CD player quit last year, so I got them a similar vintage Sony carousel changer to replace it. 
 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Ah, yes.  That turntable qualifies as vintage.  Was that quartz-locked, or could you adjust the speed and verify it with the strobe?

I have a similar Technics receiver, but 140 watts RMS per channel, if I recall.  Yeah, too new for "vintage."  I bought it with some of the proceeds of my Europa sale when I was in college, as a consolation for having to sell the Europa, buying a real stereo system for once.  I am still using it.  I think it sounds great.  I have the matching 6 CD carrousel player.  I had to fix that once.  A squirt of WD 40 and a wrap with a screwdriver handle on a built in switch about 25 years ago and it's been fine ever since.  Found a matching cassette deck at a thrift shop, but it didn't work.  Oh well.  I have some "silver faced" cassette deck, JVC I think.  I guess that one is "vintage." 

Get some contact cleaner to fix the Fisher.

DeOxIt or the like.

I swapped the Kenwood out for the Technics on my setup over the weekend. It has some nice features, and it quickly overpowers my Mirage 250 bookshelf speakers. The sound isn't quite as good as the Kenwood, but it will do fine. 

I do have a pair of KRK Rockit 5 monitors that I wish I could hook up to it, but they are powered studio monitors and I haven't figured out a way to hook them up to it without making everything explode. 

I have that EXACT same Kenwood receiver.  The difference is, I bought it new.  New...in 1993 or '94 (can't recall right now).  I do still have the receipt for it in my files- IIRC it was around $139.99 plus tax.  A lot of mowed lawns.  I know it had to be around that time frame as, when I bought it, I did not yet have my driver's license and I rode my bike to "Circuit City" to buy it...rode home with the receiver in the box in a plastic bag dangling from the handlebars.  I built the first set of speakers it played through using some Radio Shack 5-1/4" drivers.

It's lived at my parent's house, in 4 college dorm rooms, 5 apartments, 3 houses, across 5 states, put into storage for awhile, dragged back out again...hooked up to I can't count how many different speakers.  Its been just a good, solid, no-nonsense stereo receiver, whether driving a set of 4" bookshelf speakers or doing duty as the main amp for a DJ friend of mine at a New Years Eve garage party I held a dozen or more years ago driving some 15" ported deals, or plugged into an inverter and running a mobile sound unit in a van.  It got rained on, and into.  It played the music at my high school graduation party.  

Yeah, I guess it is vintage.  And, by extension, so am I.  Thanks for letting me share, sorry for the threadjack.  

That Kenwood was a thrift find earlier this year, and I'm a big fan. It sounds really clean and is a no-frills receiver that just works. I am going to try and salvage the parents' current receiver with some electronics cleaner before I part with it. I'd rather see that system stay mostly intact if possible, but at least I have the Kenwood as a backup. 

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

Yay!  Circuit City!  Back in the day, I spent a bit of time in their store here in Richmond, which coincidentally, is where the chain got their start.  They were very much "mass market" though.  The best stuff was found at a little audio boutique out of Roanoke, Va called "Audiotronics," which thankfully had a Richmond location.  The Richmond location is gone, but Audiotronics still exists!

For all you fans of retail history, I give you the rise and fall of a Richmond, Va company:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_City

I spent many a dollar in Circuit City back in the day. I always preferred it to Best Buy, and was sad to see it go. 

That said, most of my audio stuff, including a lot of my car stereo equipment, came from a small Northeast chain called Tweeter, etc. They are long gone as well. They had really high-end stuff, but sometimes you could haggle on stuff and get better deals, especially if you were a regular. I remember seeing my first HDTV in there: a 30" Pioneer 720p Plasma. It was $10,000!!! 

Yesterday was Christmas, so I figured I'd give this an update. 

I decided that before I ripped everything apart on my parents' stereo rack, I'd try cleaning the receiver that was there to see if I could un-stick the buttons. I couldn't find my trusty can of CRC QD Electronic Cleaner, so I stopped by the local hardware store and picked up a can of WD-40's electronics cleaner:

I hosed down the front panel and cleaned up all the dust and grime that had been amassing for 30 years, and it started working properly again! After that, I cleaned up the turntable and tossed on Van Halen's 1984 album, just like when my dad and I brought it home 30 years ago:

Not only did it work great, it sounded AMAZING. For a 30 year old system, this thing can still shake the neighborhood! I gave them a new copy of Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits (an album my parents loved to crank when I was a kid) and they were very happy. 

Now, for the next dilemma... what to do with MY setup. 

Right now, I'm sticking with the Technics. I have it dialed in, and it sounds really nice. We played some Christmas records on it over the past few days. 
 

I'll shelf the Kenwood for now, but I may switch back to it in a few months.