1980s AV HiFi System

Рет қаралды 1,792

Жыл бұрын

My experiences of putting together a Denon based AV system and discovering rudimentary surround sound from a twin stereo amplifier during the mid 1980s.
The true story of a move from an existing Pioneer stack system plus portable colour TV to a mainly Denon AV component HiFi system plus a flat screen CRT TV along with a J A Michell turntable, JVC VCR and a Philips CD player all bought new and used in the mid 1980s.
The video contains the full system description, my personal opinion on the performance of the equipment, the experiences of learning about and selecting components and being a first adopter to CD players along with thoughts about the whole ownership experience with full details on how much was paid at the time and what that would be worth nowadays.
Script and presentation by Vince. Filmed on an iPhone X then edited on an iPad Air 4 within iMovie using stills from Keynote and personal photos. All photographs and video are original as taken by me or my family at the time.
Equipment shown includes:
The outgoing system:
For which more detail can be found on KZfaq at
• 1980s Pioneer Hi-Fi
NEC portable 12" colour TV
Pioneer X-990 stereo system
The new system:
Panasonic TC-C22 [or TX-C221R] FST TV
Denon PMA-757 4 x 100w twin stereo pre/main amplifier
Denon TU-747L 3 band tuner
Denon DR-M33 Dolby C cassette deck
Philips CD-304 CD player
J A Michell Focus One turntable
Mission tone arm
Ortofon MC10 moving coil cartridge
JVC HR-D725 HiFi videocassette recorder/player
Pioneer CS-757 triple driver cabinet floor mounted stereo speakers delivering 38Hz to 20kHz
Pioneer SE-450 stereo over ear wired headphones
A Film by Vince © 2022

Пікірлер: 20

@bobe3250 Жыл бұрын

Love it! I had my AV journey starting in the mid 80's a couple years out of college. I had a Phase Linear system with a Pioneer turntable and JVC cassette deck. The Phase Linear system was purchased used from a work colleague. First big screen was a Mitsubishi on advice from a college friend that worked in an audio store. The audio was ok from the big screen so never hooked it up to the stereo system. We socialized (party) listening to music with the sound turned off on the big screen. I forget when exactly I added the pricey CD player and what it was. In the 80's I thoroughly enjoyed making mixed cassettes off the turntable. That's for sharing your story it definitely brings back fond memories.

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Bob, Glad you enjoyed my second video on early HiFi. Unusual to have Phase Linear kit as a first experience. Don't recall the brand that well but maybe it was more of an American thing. I also created mix tapes from off the radio and my own decks in the 70s/80s first using standard tape, then chrome, then metal. Chasing the quality was getting expensive by the time I discovered the benefit of metal tapes so I started buying CDs instead which were becoming more affordable than the old LPs. Vince

@kennethbrettel8762 Жыл бұрын

Back for PART TWO

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Glad you are enjoying it

@sheldonspock5566 Жыл бұрын

What was your experience with TV stereo? When did the first programs start in stereo there, and were you able to decode them? Did they have a surround and / or a central channel encoded in Dolby Stereo fashion (Dolby Surround for consumers) ?

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Sheldon. Thanks for taking a look at my video and for your comment. The first broadcast stereo programme in the UK was a Royal Philharmonic Concert in 1986 on the BBC. I do recall the announcement at the time but missed the actual programme. I think it was a NICAM broadcast so suitably equipped stereo equipment could decipher it. Our VCR for instance was a NICAM unit. Common stereo broadcasts became available about five years later, after BBC recordings were being commonly recorded using the system. My understanding was that the Dolby processing system was built into equipment at the time and not within the broadcast signal. I would welcome any more experienced engineers or knowledgeable enthusiasts to comment if I am wrong. Vince

@sheldonspock5566 Жыл бұрын

@@vinceunlimited thx, that helps! i shall read up on BBC's implementation then, thx for the pointer!

@bobsbits5357 Жыл бұрын

hi one thing about that time alot of tv's had audio output mum got one because dad had to wear headphone as his ears were bad it was later on i got a hi-fi tuner they did cost alot hi-fi tuner went to the betamax hi-fi deck i will say the beta system decks are better than vhs i still use betacam sp digi for audio quad as there's alot of super used gear out there now all video is done on my fast old amd 4 computer 8 corr computer editing best thing ever would love a sdi card for the betacam digi decks like the old look to the video

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Bob, I never tried Betamax. I understand it was technically superior to VHS but had limited sales. I'm sure the format would have been good for audio as your now classic recording set up would show. Old look video does have it fans but it lacks the clarity of modern recording equipment. Vince

@kennethbrettel8762 Жыл бұрын

Great DENON 400 watts. But 8 ohm or 4 ohm? How heavy was the amp? Im curious. I wonder if speakers sounded much better . Ohh the additional room speakers! Oh good you got the turntable. The tone arm seperates??? Yes Euro practice. CD player too. Oh wow. Now CD are gone and records are back.. oh the tone control flat question...

@kennethbrettel8762 Жыл бұрын

High Fidelity rabbit hole.

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Kenneth, Thanks for taking a look at my video and for your comments. When I purchased the items in the mid eighties I didn't know too much about impedance. The dealer would have advised suitability with my current Pioneer speakers and it all worked so all was good. In fact the Denon amplifier could output between 4 and 16 ohms and the speakers were 8 ohm which gave the 100w output per channel. The amp weighed 13kg. Vince

@kennethbrettel8762 Жыл бұрын

Ok 13 kg. Yes 100 watt. Pretty good. You shelled out so huge and in sterling? Ohhh even more. Wish you had been where i was in the USA because you really loved it. We had it as a hobby. You put your life into it

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

It was just a hobby, but one that was indulged in

@rakosipeter7446 Жыл бұрын

I'm sorry you didn't have a reel to reel tape recorder.

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Räkosi, Thanks for taking a look at my video and for making a comment. I never really got into reel tape recording as in the eighties when I started buying HiFi the compact cassette was well established. It was a convenient format and chrome and metal tapes were improving performance. As far as I knew reel to reels were just plain tape. Nowadays I look back at some of the designs and can see the attraction from an aesthetic point of view and know more about the tape speeds they can offer but the compact cassette would still be my choice if CD and other digital options were not available. Vince

@rakosipeter7446 Жыл бұрын

I also had a Pioneer CT-720. I loved it. 3 motors direct drive. Unfortunately, the rotating head is a problem due to the autoreverse. Today it doesn't spin anymore, it gets stuck. I'm really sorry. It's frustrating.

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

@@rakosipeter7446 I really liked mine at the time. Have you tried to open yours up to see if you can solve the issue?

@bobsbits5357 Жыл бұрын

hi my mate has 100% quad 4 channel amp with decoder to have real quad audio you get to have 4 channel input amp and decoder a mate dad said it's quad i said he taking alot of bull and why i un covered him 2 channnels wired in the 4 speaker i not quad it's still stereo i have 4,0 i have sony decoder and amp alot of audio on here os encoded in 5,1 i got a low cost decoder of ebay run 4 channel in to the sony find a good 4 channel input amp is very hard to find

@vinceunlimited Жыл бұрын

Hi Bob, Thanks for watching my mid eighties Denon video and your input. You are right, most quad audio set ups would be twin 2 channel, as mine was. I am not personally aware of any true quad channel amps although with the onset of digital equipment multiple speaker outputs such as Sonos type room systems are certainly feasible. Vince