From: znpt01@trc.amoco.com (Norman P. Tracy)
Subject: `70s Mid-fi (was: Re: Watts/channel question (Was: Sony ES vs. Sony A/V receivers))
Originator: znpt01@gpss43
Organization: Amoco Production Company, Tulsa Research
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 14:56:50 GMT


In article <1992Dec26.162331.7344@news.columbia.edu>, gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes:
> In article <1992Dec26.143123.14229@scott.skidmore.edu> mcobb@scott.skidmore.edu (mary cobb) writes:
> >Speaking of 1978, is it true that just about anything made in the 70's that
> >had to do with Audio was incredibly high-quality?  My dad has a Marantz
> >reciever, ~40watt/chan., hooked up to some Bose speakers with some really
> >funky plaid speaker covers.  They sound phenomenal (don't go very loud, but
> >the quality is there).  
> 
> In a word, No.
> 
> A lot of 1970's audio equipment, by virtue of using transistorized technology
> which had not been perfected then, sounded downright awful.  There certainly
> were some fine pieces made then, but a blanket assertion that all hardware
> made in that period was of high standards is downright wrong.
> 
> Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ.     "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings 
> gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu       to be seriously considered as a means of 
> N2GPZ in ham radio circles        communication. The device is inherently of
> 72355,1226 on CI$                 no value to us." -Western Union memo, 1877

My $0.02 into this discussion.  I have to agree with Gabe that saying ALL `70s
vintage hi-fi was great is too much.  However I do see it as a sort of mini-
golden age of Japinese hi-fi, just as American mass market hi-fi enjoyed in the
`60s.  During the '70s the likes of Marantz, Yamaha, Pioneer, etc. were still
being sold in audio shops, not the department stores and discounters as today.
To compete in the hi-fi salons they had to build gear with REAL GUTS.  This was
just before all the amp-on-a-chip and tuner-on-a-chip modules came out so they
had to use real descrete transistor circuits with big power supplies designed
by experienced engineers.

By the early `80s the Japanese makers had saturated the market and looking for
ever greater sales to keep the mega-factories humming along they discovered the
'rack system' marketed through department stores and discounters to people who
have never darkened the door of a hi-fi salon.  This caused them to use lots
of amp-on-a-chip ICs and whimpie power supplies to get the costs down so they
could throw in that 'free' fake wood particle board rack.  Goodbuy quality,
hello market penetration.

If you are looking at an old Pioneer, Marantz, or Kenwood and wondering which
catagorie it falls in try picking it up.  The big power supplies and other
quality parts are heavy so if it weighs 10-20 lbs it has potential.  If you
get the impression its an empty box, just walk on buy.  Gear of this vintage
will likely need its pots cleaned and may need new output relays but does
have a class all its own.

Please note the above discussion applies to mass market hi-fi (what we now call
'mid-fi') NOT high end stuff like Audio Research and Mark Levenson which by
the `70s had emerged as a all together higher plane of quality.

Norman Tracy
znpt01@trc.amoco.com