Do any of you use attenuators on your RCAs to lower the signal from more modern peripherals (DACs, phono amps, cd players, etc.) into your vintage equipment. My new worry is that the new equipment sends far more mv in power than what the 70's amps were designed to receive.
Nope. But it might be a good idea. I use a variac or variable transformer. I plug my vintage receiver into the variac, the variac lets you control the voltage into the receiver. My tech guy recommended it. I usually run my receiver at 116-118 volts. This helps helps the receiver from running to hot, thus it will last longer. It does not affect the sound. here it a photo of one similar to mine.....
That's a monster! So this controls the outlet voltage into the receiver, right? Do you have anything that controls the peripherals? I actually wasn't worried about the 110 line, but now I am!
I ordered some -12 db attenuators for my phono amp too. I was using an Emotiva XPS-1 which was clean, open and beautiful. But when I plugged it into the PIoneer, it was bright and fatiguing at moderate volumes, so I've been using the built in stage which is nice, but definitely a tad 'veiled'. My guess is the attenuators will calm down the Emotiva. We shall see.
Correct! It controls the voltage to the receiver. It's not mandatory, it helps the electronics last longer. I do not have anything to control the peripherals. My whole system is Pioneer equipment from 1976-1978. So everything plays nicely.
I got a pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators in the mail yesterday. Hooked them up to my Emotiva pre-amp and it has made a world of difference. The brightness has receded, the listening fatigue is gone and the volume dial is less sensitive. I can easily get it to 9 o'clock and beyond without it making my ears bleed. Also, because it is tamer, the extension at the high and low ranges seems better as well. If one is using a vintage amp with more modern peripherals, you should look into these. You may not even know that your system needs to be tamed until you do it.
Great info! Thanks for the advice!!!
Pine Knob Music Theatre - Jul 31, 1992 Crisler Arena - Mar 20, 1994
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Do any of you use attenuators on your RCAs to lower the signal from more modern peripherals (DACs, phono amps, cd players, etc.) into your vintage equipment. My new worry is that the new equipment sends far more mv in power than what the 70's amps were designed to receive.
Nope. But it might be a good idea. I use a variac or variable transformer. I plug my vintage receiver into the variac, the variac lets you control the voltage into the receiver. My tech guy recommended it. I usually run my receiver at 116-118 volts. This helps helps the receiver from running to hot, thus it will last longer. It does not affect the sound. here it a photo of one similar to mine.....
That's a monster! So this controls the outlet voltage into the receiver, right? Do you have anything that controls the peripherals? I actually wasn't worried about the 110 line, but now I am!
I ordered some -12 db attenuators for my phono amp too. I was using an Emotiva XPS-1 which was clean, open and beautiful. But when I plugged it into the PIoneer, it was bright and fatiguing at moderate volumes, so I've been using the built in stage which is nice, but definitely a tad 'veiled'. My guess is the attenuators will calm down the Emotiva. We shall see.
Correct! It controls the voltage to the receiver. It's not mandatory, it helps the electronics last longer. I do not have anything to control the peripherals. My whole system is Pioneer equipment from 1976-1978. So everything plays nicely.
I got a pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators in the mail yesterday. Hooked them up to my Emotiva pre-amp and it has made a world of difference. The brightness has receded, the listening fatigue is gone and the volume dial is less sensitive. I can easily get it to 9 o'clock and beyond without it making my ears bleed. Also, because it is tamer, the extension at the high and low ranges seems better as well. If one is using a vintage amp with more modern peripherals, you should look into these. You may not even know that your system needs to be tamed until you do it.
Nice. my main source is my vintage 80s turntable so I think I am good on that one. perhaps it would improve my SACD player.
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
Do any of you use attenuators on your RCAs to lower the signal from more modern peripherals (DACs, phono amps, cd players, etc.) into your vintage equipment. My new worry is that the new equipment sends far more mv in power than what the 70's amps were designed to receive.
Nope. But it might be a good idea. I use a variac or variable transformer. I plug my vintage receiver into the variac, the variac lets you control the voltage into the receiver. My tech guy recommended it. I usually run my receiver at 116-118 volts. This helps helps the receiver from running to hot, thus it will last longer. It does not affect the sound. here it a photo of one similar to mine.....
That's a monster! So this controls the outlet voltage into the receiver, right? Do you have anything that controls the peripherals? I actually wasn't worried about the 110 line, but now I am!
I ordered some -12 db attenuators for my phono amp too. I was using an Emotiva XPS-1 which was clean, open and beautiful. But when I plugged it into the PIoneer, it was bright and fatiguing at moderate volumes, so I've been using the built in stage which is nice, but definitely a tad 'veiled'. My guess is the attenuators will calm down the Emotiva. We shall see.
Correct! It controls the voltage to the receiver. It's not mandatory, it helps the electronics last longer. I do not have anything to control the peripherals. My whole system is Pioneer equipment from 1976-1978. So everything plays nicely.
I got a pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators in the mail yesterday. Hooked them up to my Emotiva pre-amp and it has made a world of difference. The brightness has receded, the listening fatigue is gone and the volume dial is less sensitive. I can easily get it to 9 o'clock and beyond without it making my ears bleed. Also, because it is tamer, the extension at the high and low ranges seems better as well. If one is using a vintage amp with more modern peripherals, you should look into these. You may not even know that your system needs to be tamed until you do it.
Nice. my main source is my vintage 80s turntable so I think I am good on that one. perhaps it would improve my SACD player.
I have heard those are low output. Have you noticed that it runs loud?
Regarding TTs I don't think that's an issue since presumably you're using the built in promo amp. I was using an external and it was definitely hot.
Do any of you use attenuators on your RCAs to lower the signal from more modern peripherals (DACs, phono amps, cd players, etc.) into your vintage equipment. My new worry is that the new equipment sends far more mv in power than what the 70's amps were designed to receive.
Nope. But it might be a good idea. I use a variac or variable transformer. I plug my vintage receiver into the variac, the variac lets you control the voltage into the receiver. My tech guy recommended it. I usually run my receiver at 116-118 volts. This helps helps the receiver from running to hot, thus it will last longer. It does not affect the sound. here it a photo of one similar to mine.....
That's a monster! So this controls the outlet voltage into the receiver, right? Do you have anything that controls the peripherals? I actually wasn't worried about the 110 line, but now I am!
I ordered some -12 db attenuators for my phono amp too. I was using an Emotiva XPS-1 which was clean, open and beautiful. But when I plugged it into the PIoneer, it was bright and fatiguing at moderate volumes, so I've been using the built in stage which is nice, but definitely a tad 'veiled'. My guess is the attenuators will calm down the Emotiva. We shall see.
Correct! It controls the voltage to the receiver. It's not mandatory, it helps the electronics last longer. I do not have anything to control the peripherals. My whole system is Pioneer equipment from 1976-1978. So everything plays nicely.
I got a pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators in the mail yesterday. Hooked them up to my Emotiva pre-amp and it has made a world of difference. The brightness has receded, the listening fatigue is gone and the volume dial is less sensitive. I can easily get it to 9 o'clock and beyond without it making my ears bleed. Also, because it is tamer, the extension at the high and low ranges seems better as well. If one is using a vintage amp with more modern peripherals, you should look into these. You may not even know that your system needs to be tamed until you do it.
Nice. my main source is my vintage 80s turntable so I think I am good on that one. perhaps it would improve my SACD player.
I have heard those are low output. Have you noticed that it runs loud?
Regarding TTs I don't think that's an issue since presumably you're using the built in promo amp. I was using an external and it was definitely hot.
now that I think about it........ the SACD doesn't really sound "loud". it is just slightly more responsive than the TT.
I use the analog outputs in stereo direct from the SACD/DVDA player.
but......
I am using an external tube preamp for the TT. it always me to adjust the input level to my receiver.... what do you think. would it help to have attenuators in line between these 2?
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
Does anyone have a SACD player hooked up to a vintage receiver? Obviously, for a two channel set-up.
Pine Knob Music Theatre - Jul 31, 1992 Crisler Arena - Mar 20, 1994
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Does anyone have a SACD player hooked up to a vintage receiver? Obviously, for a two channel set-up.
Just a standard CD player for me but it's feeding a couple vintage Marantz receivers. I haven't heard any ill effects by running it into the Aux inputs.
Line level devices, such as CD/SACD players, should be ok to use this way. However, some manufacturers may be upping the analog outputs' voltage in order to be perceived as "louder, better, more efficient" than their competitors products.
I don't have proof but it wouldn't surprise me after working on a lot of the stuff.
Are you having issues with your SACD?
If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
Does anyone have a SACD player hooked up to a vintage receiver? Obviously, for a two channel set-up.
Just a standard CD player for me but it's feeding a couple vintage Marantz receivers. I haven't heard any ill effects by running it into the Aux inputs.
Line level devices, such as CD/SACD players, should be ok to use this way. However, some manufacturers may be upping the analog outputs' voltage in order to be perceived as "louder, better, more efficient" than their competitors products.
I don't have proof but it wouldn't surprise me after working on a lot of the stuff.
Are you having issues with your SACD?
Actually, I misspoke. I hooked up my old Sony blu ray player over the weekend. Before I disconnected from my tv, I changed all of the settings to stereo or 2 channel. It works pretty well, I have it hooked to the AUX input, on my Pioneer SX 950. I did purchase one pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators per mrussel1 suggestion. They should arrive in a few days. The sound is a little hot from the Blu ray player, I have to adjust the volume down.
Post edited by BIGDaddyWil on
Pine Knob Music Theatre - Jul 31, 1992 Crisler Arena - Mar 20, 1994
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Do any of you use attenuators on your RCAs to lower the signal from more modern peripherals (DACs, phono amps, cd players, etc.) into your vintage equipment. My new worry is that the new equipment sends far more mv in power than what the 70's amps were designed to receive.
Nope. But it might be a good idea. I use a variac or variable transformer. I plug my vintage receiver into the variac, the variac lets you control the voltage into the receiver. My tech guy recommended it. I usually run my receiver at 116-118 volts. This helps helps the receiver from running to hot, thus it will last longer. It does not affect the sound. here it a photo of one similar to mine.....
That's a monster! So this controls the outlet voltage into the receiver, right? Do you have anything that controls the peripherals? I actually wasn't worried about the 110 line, but now I am!
I ordered some -12 db attenuators for my phono amp too. I was using an Emotiva XPS-1 which was clean, open and beautiful. But when I plugged it into the PIoneer, it was bright and fatiguing at moderate volumes, so I've been using the built in stage which is nice, but definitely a tad 'veiled'. My guess is the attenuators will calm down the Emotiva. We shall see.
Correct! It controls the voltage to the receiver. It's not mandatory, it helps the electronics last longer. I do not have anything to control the peripherals. My whole system is Pioneer equipment from 1976-1978. So everything plays nicely.
I got a pair of Harrison Labs -12 db attenuators in the mail yesterday. Hooked them up to my Emotiva pre-amp and it has made a world of difference. The brightness has receded, the listening fatigue is gone and the volume dial is less sensitive. I can easily get it to 9 o'clock and beyond without it making my ears bleed. Also, because it is tamer, the extension at the high and low ranges seems better as well. If one is using a vintage amp with more modern peripherals, you should look into these. You may not even know that your system needs to be tamed until you do it.
Nice. my main source is my vintage 80s turntable so I think I am good on that one. perhaps it would improve my SACD player.
I have heard those are low output. Have you noticed that it runs loud?
Regarding TTs I don't think that's an issue since presumably you're using the built in promo amp. I was using an external and it was definitely hot.
now that I think about it........ the SACD doesn't really sound "loud". it is just slightly more responsive than the TT.
I use the analog outputs in stereo direct from the SACD/DVDA player.
but......
I am using an external tube preamp for the TT. it always me to adjust the input level to my receiver.... what do you think. would it help to have attenuators in line between these 2?
How old is preamp, modern or vintage? Really the best way to tell is by looking and voltage output of the preamp and compare to the input specs of your stereo/tuner. If they are far off, you may want the attenuators.
Any advice for someone looking for a new home theater receiver? I have the 5.1 setup for speakers.
Currently using a really old JVC receiver and I'm thinking it's time to upgrade. We have an XBox One that we use for Netflix, etc. The TV for the home theater isn't a smart TV but the xbox takes care of all that stuff anyway.
I came across a Sony and an Onkyo online and am leaning toward the Onkyo TX-NR686.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Any advice for someone looking for a new home theater receiver? I have the 5.1 setup for speakers.
Currently using a really old JVC receiver and I'm thinking it's time to upgrade. We have an XBox One that we use for Netflix, etc. The TV for the home theater isn't a smart TV but the xbox takes care of all that stuff anyway.
I came across a Sony and an Onkyo online and am leaning toward the Onkyo TX-NR686.
I would stay away from Onkyo. Their HDMI boards have historically had issues. I had a mid level one a few years ago and the board went bad. So fine, I'll use as an integrated. Well shortly thereafter the power supply went. Not worth fixing.
Is there a Yamaha in your budget? Sony is good and reliable but I think not as nice sounding as Yamaha.
Any advice for someone looking for a new home theater receiver? I have the 5.1 setup for speakers.
Currently using a really old JVC receiver and I'm thinking it's time to upgrade. We have an XBox One that we use for Netflix, etc. The TV for the home theater isn't a smart TV but the xbox takes care of all that stuff anyway.
I came across a Sony and an Onkyo online and am leaning toward the Onkyo TX-NR686.
I would stay away from Onkyo. Their HDMI boards have historically had issues. I had a mid level one a few years ago and the board went bad. So fine, I'll use as an integrated. Well shortly thereafter the power supply went. Not worth fixing.
Is there a Yamaha in your budget? Sony is good and reliable but I think not as nice sounding as Yamaha.
possibly....I'm kind of out of the loop on what to even look for. I'm surprised that the new ones I have looked at don't look much different (in the back) than the JVC that I currently have. That JVC has to be at least 12 years old
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Any of them will be good, it all depends on your need of watts (size of listening area) and how many zones you need for audio. Also, if you ever plan to go 7 or 9 channel. But they should all have that neutral Yamaha sound. There is a difference when you get to the upper end and you get a really nice Dac. Also, don't get hung up on the remote. They have a nice app that renders the remote unnecessary after the initial setup. I never need it. They haven't changed a ton over the years if your current JVC has HDMI. The big difference is streaming music though. That wasn't around ten years ago. Connect the Yamaha to your network and you can stream all those PJ shows seamlessly to your system. The app makes it easy and lovely.
Look at Pioneer too. I have four pioneer receivers and they are nice sounding. They are a bit more clunky and HDMI switching can be tricky. Yamaha is my personal preference.
Btw, the prices in those reviews seem a bit high. One other thing to keep im mind is, to your point, the technology does not change much year over year. It's really on the margins for some features. So look at amazon for last year's models. You can get them at 30 or 40% compared to basically the same thing.
Any of them will be good, it all depends on your need of watts (size of listening area) and how many zones you need for audio. Also, if you ever plan to go 7 or 9 channel. But they should all have that neutral Yamaha sound. There is a difference when you get to the upper end and you get a really nice Dac. Also, don't get hung up on the remote. They have a nice app that renders the remote unnecessary after the initial setup. I never need it. They haven't changed a ton over the years if your current JVC has HDMI. The big difference is streaming music though. That wasn't around ten years ago. Connect the Yamaha to your network and you can stream all those PJ shows seamlessly to your system. The app makes it easy and lovely.
Look at Pioneer too. I have four pioneer receivers and they are nice sounding. They are a bit more clunky and HDMI switching can be tricky. Yamaha is my personal preference.
Btw, the prices in those reviews seem a bit high. One other thing to keep im mind is, to your point, the technology does not change much year over year. It's really on the margins for some features. So look at amazon for last year's models. You can get them at 30 or 40% compared to basically the same thing.
thanks!
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Yamaha HT receivers in the RX-V6xx range are about impossible to beat for the money.
Lots of actually useful features, excellent build quality and they perform better than they should, considering their price range.
Echoing the suggestion from above, "last year models" from Amazon make it a no-brainer to me. You can save a lot of money and wind up with a badass core to build a system with.
Good luck!
If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
Just picked up an Arcam A29 amplifier on the weekend. Sounds incredible. Also, it has a pre amp inside so I plugged my Rega straight into it. Sound quality blew me away compared to my little Cambridge Audio pre amp.
Just picked up an Arcam A29 amplifier on the weekend. Sounds incredible. Also, it has a pre amp inside so I plugged my Rega straight into it. Sound quality blew me away compared to my little Cambridge Audio pre amp.
I love Arcam. I'll find a reason to get one someday. That's a nice lintegrated you got. What's the cambridge you replaced? The 551?
I hooked my 2245 preout to an outlaw amp 5000, which is about 120 wpc, all channels driven. A real monster. And boy did it improve the sound. Before the marantz was a bit loose and I didn't think it was really driving my big B&W as well as I would have liked. But now with the discrete power, it just explodes and the bass is super tight.
Nice! When did you get your 2245? Did it replace your Pioneer?
Last week, from the same guy as the pioneer. I wanted to try a different sound. I like this better, although I couldn't amplify the pioneer since it doesn't have pre outs. I may keep it and give to my son or sell. I'm positive I can get at least what I paid.
The 2245 is my favorite of the vintage receivers I have had or heard. There is a really nice balance of warmth and clarity that seems to evade most others, even with the Marantz name. In fact, it and a 2215b are the only ones I still own out of a few dozen makes and models that have passed through here.
I have been tempted to get a separate power amp but just haven't pulled the trigger on one. The speakers I'm driving with the 2245 are really efficient and get quite loud without too much movement of the volume knob. 10:00 is pretty much the limit for my space. At that level, the bass is still nice and tight and things are vibrating in the room.
If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
The 2245 is my favorite of the vintage receivers I have had or heard. There is a really nice balance of warmth and clarity that seems to evade most others, even with the Marantz name. In fact, it and a 2215b are the only ones I still own out of a few dozen makes and models that have passed through here.
I have been tempted to get a separate power amp but just haven't pulled the trigger on one. The speakers I'm driving with the 2245 are really efficient and get quite loud without too much movement of the volume knob. 10:00 is pretty much the limit for my space. At that level, the bass is still nice and tight and things are vibrating in the room.
I had the outlaw sitting around and I love to tinker with different setups, so figured wtf. I was mostly curious. Now this 2245 hasn't been recapped so it might not be up to spec, leading to the audible difference. I had my son listen with me and he has pretty good ears and heartedly agreed, so I'll keep this setup.
Interesting at 10. I couldn't get the pioneer above that without it becoming harsh. I had the 2245 at 12 today both on the internal amp and the separate. It was loud and clean. Speakers are 89db so maybe a bit better than average.
One thing to note... both the remote speakers and the headphone amp are disabled when using the preamp feature. The headphone piece surprised me. So there are tradeoffs as usual.
I recently got a Yamaha CR-820 for free and was excited to use it considering my Pioneer 8500ii amp took a shit on me. Hook it all up and nadda...
Power is on but nobody is home... So I hooked up an Onkyo so I could finally listen to some records again.
It's a modern amp and sounds good. I listened to the new La Luz album and I'm not really impressed with the pressing. The Doors sounded good though.
Did you try hooking a cd player or a phone preamp to the aux and/or tape in function to ensure that it's not just a bad phono stage? The good news is anything is fixable on those things, if you're willing to put a few bucks down. I'd take it off your hands!
I recently got a Yamaha CR-820 for free and was excited to use it considering my Pioneer 8500ii amp took a shit on me. Hook it all up and nadda...
Power is on but nobody is home... So I hooked up an Onkyo so I could finally listen to some records again.
It's a modern amp and sounds good. I listened to the new La Luz album and I'm not really impressed with the pressing. The Doors sounded good though.
Did you try hooking a cd player or a phone preamp to the aux and/or tape in function to ensure that it's not just a bad phono stage? The good news is anything is fixable on those things, if you're willing to put a few bucks down. I'd take it off your hands!
Comments
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Nice. my main source is my vintage 80s turntable so I think I am good on that one. perhaps it would improve my SACD player.
livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446
1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
1996- Charleston, SC
1998- Atlanta, GA: Birmingham, AL: Greenville, SC: Knoxville, TN
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore
Regarding TTs I don't think that's an issue since presumably you're using the built in promo amp. I was using an external and it was definitely hot.
now that I think about it........ the SACD doesn't really sound "loud". it is just slightly more responsive than the TT.
I use the analog outputs in stereo direct from the SACD/DVDA player.
but......
I am using an external tube preamp for the TT. it always me to adjust the input level to my receiver.... what do you think. would it help to have attenuators in line between these 2?
livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446
1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
1996- Charleston, SC
1998- Atlanta, GA: Birmingham, AL: Greenville, SC: Knoxville, TN
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Line level devices, such as CD/SACD players, should be ok to use this way. However, some manufacturers may be upping the analog outputs' voltage in order to be perceived as "louder, better, more efficient" than their competitors products.
I don't have proof but it wouldn't surprise me after working on a lot of the stuff.
Are you having issues with your SACD?
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Currently using a really old JVC receiver and I'm thinking it's time to upgrade. We have an XBox One that we use for Netflix, etc. The TV for the home theater isn't a smart TV but the xbox takes care of all that stuff anyway.
I came across a Sony and an Onkyo online and am leaning toward the Onkyo TX-NR686.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Is there a Yamaha in your budget? Sony is good and reliable but I think not as nice sounding as Yamaha.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
This lists a Yamaha RX-V485...is this one to look at?
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
or this one?
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Also, don't get hung up on the remote. They have a nice app that renders the remote unnecessary after the initial setup. I never need it.
They haven't changed a ton over the years if your current JVC has HDMI. The big difference is streaming music though. That wasn't around ten years ago. Connect the Yamaha to your network and you can stream all those PJ shows seamlessly to your system. The app makes it easy and lovely.
Look at Pioneer too. I have four pioneer receivers and they are nice sounding. They are a bit more clunky and HDMI switching can be tricky. Yamaha is my personal preference.
Btw, the prices in those reviews seem a bit high. One other thing to keep im mind is, to your point, the technology does not change much year over year. It's really on the margins for some features. So look at amazon for last year's models. You can get them at 30 or 40% compared to basically the same thing.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
Lots of actually useful features, excellent build quality and they perform better than they should, considering their price range.
Echoing the suggestion from above, "last year models" from Amazon make it a no-brainer to me. You can save a lot of money and wind up with a badass core to build a system with.
Good luck!
I love Arcam. I'll find a reason to get one someday. That's a nice lintegrated you got. What's the cambridge you replaced? The 551?
Sounds really good with the old Ortofon cart. It needed a little cleaning but it has nice ICs and a new belt.
Made in Japan by CEC in the late 1970's. They made turntables for Marantz, Pioneer, Sanyo, Realistic and just about anyone who sold house brand gear.
I have been tempted to get a separate power amp but just haven't pulled the trigger on one. The speakers I'm driving with the 2245 are really efficient and get quite loud without too much movement of the volume knob. 10:00 is pretty much the limit for my space. At that level, the bass is still nice and tight and things are vibrating in the room.
Interesting at 10. I couldn't get the pioneer above that without it becoming harsh. I had the 2245 at 12 today both on the internal amp and the separate. It was loud and clean. Speakers are 89db so maybe a bit better than average.
One thing to note... both the remote speakers and the headphone amp are disabled when using the preamp feature. The headphone piece surprised me. So there are tradeoffs as usual.
One of these days I'll get around to picking up a bigger power amp, and I'll definitely experiment with it and the 2245.
Seems like you have your system pretty well dialed in. Congrats!
Power is on but nobody is home... So I hooked up an Onkyo so I could finally listen to some records again.
It's a modern amp and sounds good. I listened to the new La Luz album and I'm not really impressed with the pressing. The Doors sounded good though.