Power ratings and the power produced back then were much purer and more accurate.īut that's just it E-Stat, they look so damn cool, who cares?!? A solid 20-25 wpc vintage receiver can produce as much or more power than a lot of your BOTL or mid-level reciever's in todays market. My last piece of advice when looking at vintage receivers is not to neccessarily be fooled by their wpc ratings. Like Poppa I use a modern transport/DAC set up to play CD's through my vintage gear and it sounds great. I use current "modern" receivers to run my HT systems for obvious reasons but listen to music almost exclusively on vintage receivers and speakers. In some ways it is an "apples and oranges" topic. Buying vintage gear is no different than buying new gear in the sense that you should do some homework and make sure of what features you need or the quality of those features that you are going to use the most.Īs to whether vintage gear sounds better well that is probably a matter of personal preference like everything else when it comes to sound. I would not rule out separates either unless space is a concern. The Marantz 22XX series, the upper end Pioneer SX silver series(generally 750 on up), Luxman or early Sansui are great sounding vintage pieces you may want to consider. When you are talking vintage receivers there are a few brands out there by manufacturers who still exist but whose reputation today is different than it was 30-40 years ago. In general McIntosh certainly makes great gear but are primarily known for their great amps/pre-amps more so than their receivers. I am not familiar with the 1700 so I can't comment specfically on it. I think collecting vintage gear is a great way to enjoy audio without breaking the bank. You can certainly go back through my posts and see that there are some great deals to be had in vintage gear if you are persistent. Welcome to AR! Vintage gear is not real popular here but there are few of us around that still like to discuss and collect it. On the less powerful side, 20 wpc, the Marantz 2220 is a legendary machine.īTW, welcome to AR!!! Stick around and ask any questions, lots of knowledge here, in vintage gear also.
#MCINTOSH 1700 RECEIVER SPECS SERIES#
Try looking for the 2238 by Marantz or any of the Twin series by HK. I will say that Harmon Kardon and Marantz are both fantastic names in vintage gear. It's like comparing apples and oranges without looking at a specific model's specs. It's not so much about the make, but more about the model. My Citizen, which is integrated, has an amazing phono stage which doesn't require a pre amp. You will find that most vintage receivers/tuners have superior tuning ability and lock a signal much better than most of todays stuff. Another method to improve sound would be to purchase a DAC, that's a digital to analog convertor for further improved audio. I run a CDP into all of them and it sounds fantastic. Yes, these amps can roll with modern equipment. It all really depends on which models are being discussed. However, a good current hi-fi amp can generally overcome a vintage amp. There are several reasons as to why a vintage amp can run over alot of average modern amps. The Marantz is only rated at 15 wpc and can rock like any other amp.
I have in the wings an HK 630 Twin and a Citizen JSA-8.
I presently run a Marantz 1515 and a Harmon Kardon 930 Twin.