Topic: Surplus amps

[dieseldust]

dieseldust,

Yes, there are two versions of Pioneer A-8800, the Japanese and the US models. The US model looks better though with power meter window and blue fluoroscan. However, I'm one who believes that Japanese domestic units in general are more superior compared with Japan-brand units sold abroad including those in the US. That's because the international models were meant to compete in the mass market where quality is often sacrificed for looks. IMHO, however, the better Jap domestic unit comparable and probably even better than the US SA-8800 fluroscan model is the SA-8800X, which has two separate transformers likely with enough headroom to reproduce more accurately those low notes.

seanongpogi,

I'm hesitant to reply to your query since I'm not a 'master' and I haven't owned an M-73. But since no one was answering, the easy way for me to make a decision when confronted by this problem is to look at original and resale values available online.

The original price is here:
http://www.audio-heritage.jp/PIONEER-EXCLUSIVE/amp/m-73.html

Look here for time series used price:
http://yackdb.s138.xrea.com/auview.php?m=M-73

Tnx for the info sir sandawa. Finally, nahanap ko na rin ang surplus store dito sa'min lol! I bought the Pioneer A-8800 for 3,400. I consider it as a steal because as what you've said, it is superior to the Flouroscan models which were released in the US.

[sandawa]

dieseldust,

I think it's the Japanese Pioneer SA-8800II which is more superior than the US fluoroscan Pioneer SA-8800. Btw, William, the trader I introduced to you, has several interesting amps in his bodega here in Davao. If you plan to buy another amp call him, I think he's willing to ship.

I got a pair of classic US floorstander DCM TimeWindow from William a week ago. I'll post on the Vintage Gallery thread this interesting pair of speakers when I return to Davao next week.

Postscript: I had to edit my post, especially on my comment on SA-8800's pricing. I'm sorry.

[dieseldust]

I did call William and he was very helpful. Thanks again for referring me to him. I'm planning on buying a Pioneer receiver since I didn't see one during my shopping. Baka si sir William meron dun sa Davao. I'll inquire him about the receiver next week.

Waiting for your pic at Vintage Gallery 

[dieseldust]

I did call William and he was very helpful. Thanks again for referring me to him. I'm planning on buying a Pioneer analog receiver since I didn't see one during my shopping. Baka si sir William meron dun sa Davao. I'll inquire him about the receiver next week.

Waiting for your pic at Vintage Gallery 

[rascal101]

Would like to inquire who among you guys have a NEC A-10 and what are your impressions.

[gutchy]

mukhang gumugulo sa isipan mo ung NEC A-10 kay chatty ah..

how much ba bigay nya syo?..

last time meron kay Ronald nito

http://audio-database.com/SANSUI/amp/au-alpha707xr-e.html

makinis pa..

8k bigay nya sa akin pero sa dahilan na ang gusto ko makuha ay ung 907

pinalagpas ko ito.. nanghihinayang tuloy ako ngayon..

match sana 'to sa Diatone DS-1000

[rascal101]

Tinatansya ko kasi na mas maganda tumunog sa dati kong NEC A-700. 7.5K bigay sa Chatty's ang NEC A-10. Walang wala lang talaga ako ngayon.

Kung kukunin mo iyung NEC A-10 gusto ko sanang ipagpalit ito sa Technics SU-V9 ko (kung ok lang). Medyo lugi ako pero para maiba naman puwede na.

May Sansui AU-D907 pala sa Marketplace.

[sandawa]

Would like to inquire who among you guys have a NEC A-10 and what are your impressions.

P7.5k for NEC A-10 is reasonable, even cheap. I own an A-10 Type IV which I bought about 5 years ago. Used to be one of my favorites since it has good deep bass and could compete with the best at moderate room listening volume. The excellent low-frequency response is maybe due to its two big transformers (unit weight is 28kgs if I'm not mistaken although RMS rating is only 60wpc.) It has no tone controls, and I use it as power amp. Mine has three sets of speaker terminals, the first one labeled 'Direct' whatever that means.

In recent times, I realized it's not in the same class as Sansui a907, AU-XII or Luxman's L550. It's more in same category as Sansui a707, Accuphase 302, and Denon POA-1001 (all these amps are active at home where I work, thus I could compare, interchanging speakers and amps for years already).

Here are some photos of my unit:

front-side


topless


back



 

[gutchy]

wala masyado review sa internet about NEC A-10
kaya nde ako masyado nagka-interest

about sa for sale sa MArketplace na Sansui AU-D907
ito ung gumugulo ngayon sa isipan ko...hehe
maganda rin ung  Pioneer SA-9800 at ung dalawang Luxman
kung may pagkakataon nga lng na ma-audition ko 'to..
but right now nakabalik nko sa jobsite..

[rascal101]

Thank you Sir Nani. That is a very nice unit you have.

@Gutchy, sayang! Next time sana mayroon pang magagandang amp.

[sandawa]

Just a tip. The Sansuis, Pioneers, Marantz, etc. in the Marketplace section are priced very low considering the quality of those models and how 'bb3', the owner, took good care of those units. I know the seller personally. He's a collector not a trader and is not after profit but merely trimming his collection.

I too would like to sell over half of my amps and speaker pairs at roughly my acquisition cost and would be happy with just a dozen amps and probably a dozen-and-a-half speaker pairs at home. Unfortunately, it's not easy selling here in Davao. Shipping the units to Manila is a hassle and requires additional cost of over P1,000 per unit. That's because about 75% of my amps are over 20kgs in weight and air freight Davao-Manila is P60/kg.

[shrek7]

Just a tip. The Sansuis, Pioneers, Marantz, etc. in the Marketplace section are priced very low considering the quality of those models and how 'bb3', the owner, took good care of those units. I know the seller personally. He's a collector not a trader and is not after profit but merely trimming his collection.

I too would like to sell over half of my amps and speaker pairs at roughly my acquisition cost and would be happy with just a dozen amps and probably a dozen-and-a-half speaker pairs at home. Unfortunately, it's not easy selling here in Davao. Shipping the units to Manila is a hassle and requires additional cost of over P1,000 per unit. That's because about 75% of my amps are over 20kgs in weight and air freight Davao-Manila is P60/kg.

sir, newbie lang po, kapag naisipan nyo po ibenta yung mga power amp nyo pm nyo naman po ako sir. syempre yung kaya lang ng budget. i have seen some of your vintage amps, gusto kong maiyak! ang gaganda kasi! di kasi ako makakkita ng medyo maayos na power amp sa pier tsaka d2 sa cebu. panay mababang sony lang ang available. i-partner ko sana sa tube pre amp ko.

[sandawa]

Kung makaka bisita ka dito sa Davao, better. Makakapili ka ng gusto mo, siguro mga 3 or 4 power amps ang pwede kong pakawalan. Kaya lang bahala ka mag buhat pauwi sa Cebu, kasi mabibigat ito.

I still consider these 'surplus amps', kasi galing lahat sa Japan -- pili nga lang hindi na nabigyan ng chance na ma-display sa mga tindahan. From importer-trader friends, tapos diretso sa akin.

[av_phile1]

I still consider these 'surplus amps', kasi galing lahat sa Japan -- pili nga lang hindi na nabigyan ng chance na ma-display sa mga tindahan. From importer-trader friends, tapos diretso sa akin.

Lucky you.  These Japan surplus amps that were flagships in their days are often superior to any 90s Rotel, Cambridge, Musical Fidelity, NAD and HK integrateds.  

[sandawa]

Good to hear from you again, AV. I used to be a European- and American-brand fanatic too and I still have a lot of European and US brands on my shelves. This vintage Jap hifi disease, however, started when I got a study grant that sent me to Tokyo in mid '80s and saw those Jap audio equipment that never appeared on British and US hifi magazines.

In late '90s, I saw Jap vintage amps on several websites and realized those units could be shipped to us cheap as 'surplus' units. Those were the years when Japan introduced a minor revision in its electrical standard that pushed consumers to get rid of their old appliances.

Duon na nag-iba ang mundo ko ng hifi. Unlike before, when I could afford only one or two sets of good audio, now, with cheap 'surplus' equipment, I could collect the best units many of which not even The Absolute Sound, Stereophile, and British magazine editors have actually seen and tested.

[rascal101]

Lucky you.  These Japan surplus amps that were flagships in their days are often superior to any 90s Rotel, Cambridge, Musical Fidelity, NAD and HK integrateds.  

Agree. You only have to look into the guts of these vintage amps to see how far present day amps have come.

[av_phile1]

The technology for high fidelity sound amplification has basically ceased after 1984 -1986 when the world's consumer electronic companies started their love affair with anything DIGITAL and multichannel.   What developed after was only a matter of addition, from 2.0 to 5.1, 7.1 to 10.1 channels.  But the basic circuit topography for each channel is hardly improved. In fact, they're regressed in quality because most discrete parts have now been reduced to ICs, the better to accommodate more channels.

About the only amplifcation technology that improved were those amps used to power subwoofers which are able to miniaturize the sonic ability to reproduce 26 hz into cube-sized 12-inchers.  They were able to improve on Class "D" topography which are never considered high fidelity due to high switching distortion products but are capable of high power of up to 1,000 watts RMS with efficient electrical consumption compared to class A and A/B. 

[adjell33]

P7.5k for NEC A-10 is reasonable, even cheap. I own an A-10 Type IV which I bought about 5 years ago. Used to be one of my favorites since it has good deep bass and could compete with the best at moderate room listening volume. The excellent low-frequency response is maybe due to its two big transformers (unit weight is 28kgs if I'm not mistaken although RMS rating is only 60wpc.) It has no tone controls, and I use it as power amp. Mine has three sets of speaker terminals, the first one labeled 'Direct' whatever that means.



 

just want to share some experience w/ this amp [NEC A-10]. although the specs sheet says 60wpc, i use this amp to drive my thiel w/out hiccups, this NEC can go up 120wpc at 4 ohms.

[bb3]

Just a tip. The Sansuis, Pioneers, Marantz, etc. in the Marketplace section are priced very low considering the quality of those models and how 'bb3', the owner, took good care of those units. I know the seller personally. He's a collector not a trader and is not after profit but merely trimming his collection.

I too would like to sell over half of my amps and speaker pairs at roughly my acquisition cost and would be happy with just a dozen amps and probably a dozen-and-a-half speaker pairs at home. Unfortunately, it's not easy selling here in Davao. Shipping the units to Manila is a hassle and requires additional cost of over P1,000 per unit. That's because about 75% of my amps are over 20kgs in weight and air freight Davao-Manila is P60/kg.

Thanks for the kind words Nani.
Yup, it's trim-down time for me. Maintaining and rotating these 50+ amps can be a pain both on the back and pocket!
Am also anticipating a move to a smaller place late next year and unless my wife would consider sleeping beside several marantz or sui units, i guess i have to scale down the number.

Like you, will probably maintain about a dozen of those i would consider keepers. (the sui a707 would definitely be one of them )

Have been contemplating if the NEC A10x would stay.
which brings me to an earlier question about the NEC A10. If the sound of the A10x is any indication of how the older A10 performs, i would say that you hit it spot on Nani. Karangko nga ng a707 ang tunog. the A10x has the delicate highs and air of the a707, natural mids, and surprisingly packs a lot of lows for its 60 watt rating.
it does not have that colored, midbass bloom (some consider bloated) which i enjoy but more of a "higher end" sound - for lack of better words.

If i am presently on the market for an amp of this character, I would seriously consider these NEC series.

cheers

[sandawa]

Boy, I'm sorry I get tactless sometimes in giving my opinion and comparing vintage/surplus hifi I have used or currently using. I believe the A-10X is superior compared with older A-10 models if HifiDo pricing is used as indicator. I almost texted you on the Sansui AU-D907 yesterday. Buti na lang nakapagpigil. Ayoko nang magdagdag, unless may mga Sansui limited edition na dumating, or '90s edition valve models would suddenly show up. Bahala na!

I'm focused these past days on a new combi: Luxman SQ-38FDII (1976) feeding Yamaha B3 (1980-VFET) and driving JBL 4313 (1979). I bought about 500 pieces of '50s to '70s almost-mint condition LPs from a warehouse here. Apparently, these came from an American vinyl collector -- about two hundred of Miles Davis, Bird, Coleman Hawkins, Chet Baker and other jazz legends -- covering 5 LPs daily, since early September. I'd say magical dynamic valve sound from these 30-year old gear reproducing 40- to 60-year old recordings.

BTW, for those who sent PMs, one or two I failed to reply to, I'm not sure yet, which ones I'd sell. PM me before mid-November, I'll be in Manila before Christmas.

[joey]

ayan maagang pamasko ng mga mamang collector!  wish ko lang mga pioneer amps. baka me naitatabi kayong M-22 at M-25 ok na ako dun... pwedi din Spec 1, Spec 2 and 4 or better yet the legendary SX-1980 or kahit yung kapatid na lang si SX-1280 or 1250...kahit SX-1010 na nga lang... pwedi din sansui yung G-330000 or 220000 by the way just recently bought the AU-607d...

[bb3]

Boy, I'm sorry I get tactless sometimes in giving my opinion and comparing vintage/surplus hifi I have used or currently using. I believe the A-10X is superior compared with older A-10 models if HifiDo pricing is used as indicator. I almost texted you on the Sansui AU-D907 yesterday. Buti na lang nakapagpigil. Ayoko nang magdagdag, unless may mga Sansui limited edition na dumating, or '90s edition valve models would suddenly show up. Bahala na!

I'm focused these past days on a new combi: Luxman SQ-38FDII (1976) feeding Yamaha B3 (1980-VFET) and driving JBL 4313 (1979). I bought about 500 pieces of '50s to '70s almost-mint condition LPs from a warehouse here. Apparently, these came from an American vinyl collector -- about two hundred of Miles Davis, Bird, Coleman Hawkins, Chet Baker and other jazz legends -- covering 5 LPs daily, since early September. I'd say magical dynamic valve sound from these 30-year old gear reproducing 40- to 60-year old recordings.

BTW, for those who sent PMs, one or two I failed to reply to, I'm not sure yet, which ones I'd sell. PM me before mid-November, I'll be in Manila before Christmas.

Don't sweat it Nani. I understood what you meant.
I just wanted to point out also how these NEC series, largely unknown in the local audio arena, can really be 'sleepers'
just waiting for the audio community to discover their superior performance.
The dual mono A10X was constructed, I believe, in the same vein as the Cellos, Krells, etc.
Gold binding posts and thick copper chassis bed are just some features that put the A10X several notches above the rest. Even the location of the AC cable mukhang pinagisipan. It runs from the bottom/middle of the unit and not from the regular rear panel location.
Just talking about this really gives me second thoughts if I will let it go or stay.
As you mentioned - Bahala na!

[este]

Hi masters,
i have a sansui au-d707, and i would like its transistor to be replaced, (because the left channel's tranny is leaking i think.)
my problem is i can't seem to find a replacement for it., the original part is nma1216 and nmc1216, even its 2sc and 2sa replacement is hard to find..  hope someone can help or direct me where can i find those tranny.. Thanks in advance

[iamlistening]

Hi masters,
i have a sansui au-d707, and i would like its transistor to be replaced, (because the left channel's tranny is leaking i think.)
my problem is i can't seem to find a replacement for it., the original part is nma1216 and nmc1216, even its 2sc and 2sa replacement is hard to find..  hope someone can help or direct me where can i find those tranny.. Thanks in advance

nma1216 and nmc1216 are toshiba transistors made specially for sansui. May mga original T0-3 type sanken transistors pa na binebenta sa raon, pero paisa-isa na lang at mahirap makabuo ng apat na pares (assuming apat na complementary pairs ang kailangan mo). mas maganda na lang try mo yung motorola na replacements na T0-3 type din (merun ata sa alexsan, sa raon din). At least makakabuo ka pa ng complementary pairs.

[gutchy]

Don't sweat it Nani. I understood what you meant.
I just wanted to point out also how these NEC series, largely unknown in the local audio arena, can really be 'sleepers'
just waiting for the audio community to discover their superior performance.
The dual mono A10X was constructed, I believe, in the same vein as the Cellos, Krells, etc.
Gold binding posts and thick copper chassis bed are just some features that put the A10X several notches above the rest. Even the location of the AC cable mukhang pinagisipan. It runs from the bottom/middle of the unit and not from the regular rear panel location.
Just talking about this really gives me second thoughts if I will let it go or stay.
As you mentioned - Bahala na!

sir bb3 if you decided to let it go
Please reserve it to me..

[bb3]

sir bb3 if you decided to let it go
Please reserve it to me..

sent you PM

[ATJr.]

baka me matanawan kayong PIONEER SPEC2 paki pm lang please...

[random]

mga sir tanong lang po kung ok na sa 5k pesos ang Onkyo Integra 917F na nakita ko na binebenta dito sa amin. kung ikukumpara po ba sa Sansui 607Alpha ko eh, alin ang mas ok?

maraming salamat.

[sandawa]

If Japanese buyers' preference is used as basis (see HifiDo's past transactions), assuming both units are in same condition, the Sansui would be a better buy. The highest last transaction of a607 at HifiDo was quoted 35,000 yen while the Integra 917F was sold 30,000 yen.

[oweidah]

baka me matanawan kayong PIONEER SPEC2 paki pm lang please...

nagpost na ako sa LF thread mo at piniem # ni nani (tukayo ni sandawa)