Sansui 9090. I bought mine in Japan when I was 19 years old in the Navy. I had zero audiophile knowledge, I bought it simply based on how it looked with the twin white power meters and blue signal and tuning meters. I still have it.

I have a Pioneer SX-1050, bought new in 1977....went thru college with me...drove 4 Altec A7's (voice of the theatre) for 30 years with it, still have the original box....and is still my daily user. Never had a problem with it. Everything on it still works like the day I bought it.

Sansui G-9000 here, it was left behind by a housemate that moved out many years ago. It sat on a shelf for 3 years and I was about to take that boat anchor to Goodwill to get rid of it, when a little voice in my head said "you'd better Google it first". I had no idea what I had and was absolutely dumbfounded when I learned that is held in very high regards by audiophiles. I hooked it up to my Klipsch Heresy II speakers and holly crap, I will always remember the moment when the big 60 pound Sansui put out the most glorious sound that I've ever heard from a piece of stereo equipment.

In 1978 my next door neighbor in Power Hall at LSU had a Sansui 9090 running through a pair of JBL Decade L36 speakers and I was so blown away by that sound that I never forgot it. 15 years ago I ran across a 9090 for sale locally and I bought it - best money I’ve ever spend on audio gear. I have the smaller two way JBL L26s and that sound still makes me smile every time I turn it on.

I bought a Realistic STA-2000D in 1979. And 45 years later it still sounds fantastic. Not a bit of trouble.

Many years ago, I was the repair technician at the Audio Room in Peterborough, Ontario. I was certified by Yamaha, Oracle, Quad, NAD and a laundry list of exotic audio manufacturers. I worked on just about all these receivers and loved them all!!! We used to do a lot of comparison tests with different amps, receivers and speakers. The proper way to do an honest comparison is to set all tone controls to flat or defeat, no loudness and then set the listening spot with a db meter and white noise generator. My home unit was a Marantz 2252B, JBL L40s, Connoisseur BD-2 table(imported from the UK) and Empire 2000 cartridge. I probably had close to 1500 albums on a 4 shelf storage rack. Wished I had that all back as todays equipment is soo digital and not the same as those machines.

My dad has a Sansui 9090 that he bought new in 1977. It still works great. In high school I had it in my room with a pair of Advent Legacys. That was a stomper of a combo, perfect for a teenager.

If I won the lottery I would pay this guy a visit. Nothing on the market today interests me. What this guy has is pure gold.

The Marantz 2500 was the centerpiece of my system for over 15 years. It boasted 250 watts per channel with 005% distortion. I sold it for big money when I moved to a surround system. A decision I’ve regretted for many years. It played as clean and open as any power system I’ve owned since. And the value has tripled since I sold mine. If you haven’t seen one you should look it up. This was a 70lb monster that included a built in oscilloscope and a semi parametric equalizer. It was the Holy Grail of receivers in 1980!

Please, stop turning these selector switch so fast. You need to learn to be more gentle with that stuff... Its a lack of respect for the owner and these magnificient amps

I have a Sansui 9090 myself, and believe it or not, I actually found and rescued it from a TRASH DUMPSTER, along with the matching Sansui turntable of that same era! Both were in excellent condition, except for a few scratches, dust, and minor corner dings, (probably from being tossed into the dumpster!), and the turntable's needle was unfortunately broken, (again, probably from being tossed into the dumpster, because the tonearm was floating back and forth, out of the tonearm holder, and loose on the platter itself when i found it. Luckily the cartridge and tonearm itself was still totally fine, along with the dust cover! Just the fact that both pieces of gear were relatively undamaged, even after being thrown into a metal trash dumpster, the commercial kind that the big garbage trucks pick up overhead with those front forks, is a MAJOR testament to how solidly these pieces of gear were built back in this era!... Literally like "tanks"! They definitely don't make stereo equipment of THAT high quality and robustness anymore nowadays, that's for sure! I had a VERY difficult time getting the receiver actually out of the dumpster and safely onto the ground in front of it so that I could dust it off and put it into my SUV, because that thing weighs a TON! The turntable itself weighs more than most modern receivers do, but that Sansui receiver weighs a LOT more still! I took both units home and looked them over VERY thoroughly before plugging them in and trying them out, including taking the top cover off of the receiver and VERY closely inspecting for anything visibly broken or wrong with it, and first cleaning the insides of it out thoroughly with an air compressor blow nozzle, before finally trying it out by slowly powering it up with a variac... I didn't know it's electrical condition, but it seemed to be in fine operating condition overall. The only thing wrong with the turntable was the broken needle, and the only thing wrong with the receiver was that most of the controls, buttons, and switches needed a good contact cleaner treatment, as many were kinda "scratchy" sounding when adjusting them, plus one of the dial lights on the front panel was burned out, but once I replaced that and did all of the thorough cleaning and maintenance on it, now I have a really great, and "collectable" vintage receiver, (and turntable), for FREE, (other than my time to fix them up), so yeah; one of my absolute BEST finds of ALL time in a trash dumpster! I thought about selling them online, but since they're both such nice pieces of gear, I think I'll just keep and use them myself! I still can't believe that some idiot actually just threw them away, (probably because they "upgraded" to a modern receiver or "soundbar", LOL!), but oh well, their loss, my gain, I guess!

I use to repair all of these machines when they were new in the 1970's. Most of them looked and sounded alike. My favorites were Pioneer, Sansui and Marantz. Loved the features but the best test of performance was to place the speaker outputs under an 8 ohm static load with an audio frequency input... use an oscilloscope to look at the output waveform and measure the power output in RMS on a meter. I would run the frequency through the audio spectrum and make sure that there was no distortions or drop offs under specific frequencies. CAUTION! If you short the speaker wires at the output terminals in the back you run the risk of burning up the power output transistors, even if there are fuses. I replaced many power output transistors, diodes and resistors in all of these machines because of this factor. Nice video.

I managed several Radio Shacks in the past. The Audio equipment was great. Rest In Peace Radio Shack. Gone, but never forgotten.

My father had/has a Marantz 2270. Was at the lake house & was in rough shape from so much humidity. Had it rebuilt to the tune of $750+. I now have a fantastic piece of my families history in my home.

My top vintage receiver, which I purchased new in 1981 and still have today, is the Kenwood 9G. It's massive size, yet elegant design, with stainless brushed faceplate and large glass tuning window, combined with knobs and switches that have just the right 'feel' to them when used, plus the walnut veneer cabinetry all combine to make a great looking centerpiece to my stereo tower. It has a preamplifier section that can handle 3 sets of speakers, two headphone outs, has inputs for two turntables, two tape decks, aux (CD), microphone input with audio mixing capabilities, AM/FM, with FM Dolby, triple tone control which can be by-passed, and a timer which can turn off the unit and other audio components which are plugged into it. It was conservatively rated at 80 watts continuous per channel into 8 ohms, but its dynamic range and peak power output can easily handle up to 300 watts. What really makes it my top pick however is that even though I've owned it now for over 40 years, and it has delivered perfect musical performance while playing anything and everything, aside from some occasional cleaning of the knobs and switches, the 9G has required ZERO repairs, not even needing a light bulb, in all the many years I've owned it! That makes it an incredible value for the money I spent to purchase it way back then. In fact, I liked this reciever so much, that I bought a second one, a few years later when I found it availalble at a local pawn shop off base. I still have them both, and they still sound perfect. PJM

I have an SX 737 Pioneer, bought in 1975 (I think); still in use and since it's been long time paid for, sounds terrific; never bothered to upgrade or replace.

For me there was something special about the sound of the Sansui 9090, it seemed to have warmth and detail that the others didn't except perhaps your number one the Pioneer SX-1980. I also love the look of the Sansui. All pretty cool receivers.

One important note on this era of receivers, most had real wood mostly walnut cabinets, most all the front control panels were thick extruded aluminum, on most the knobs were solid aluminum, the dial had real glass in it, and most of the old tuning knobs had heavy flywheels inside and were smooth as liquid -- one spin of the solid aluminum knob would send the tuning indicator gliding halfway across the dial. My favorites were the larger 80 series Pioneers from the SX980 I had on up, built like tanks with solid audio specs they actually exceeded, I always wanted an SX-1980 but I never could come up with the $1,500 retail price.

What an incredible collection of high end equipment this gentleman has put together. I bought a low 22 watt Marantz, with 4-way speakers, and a Sony turntable, back in 1979. Cost around five hundred bucks, which was difficult to scrape together for a twenty year old. But it sounded fantastic to me. The thing I miss the most about all that great audio equipment, was the radio stations that you could listen to, and the amount of great record albums of country and rock, that was put out during the 60's-80's.

My dad had an SX1980 with the big dahlquist. He would later move onto a Carver amp setup with kefs. But my favorite receivers were the nakamichis around 1988. This is before they tried to go mainstream. They were so clean and yet so warm. I never heard anything I liked better.

In high school, I had a 40w Yamaha receiver, B&O turntable and the earlier Polk 7s. Sounded great! I didn’t need a whole lot of punching power, hence to me the Yamaha sounded great at comfortable listening volumes.

The Pioneer SX-1250 is the heart of my system. There are many, but this one is just...dope. Mainly because it was my fathers all through my childhood and all my favorite albums were listened for the first time through it and it's just so familiar. Boston More Than A Feeling, ACDC Back in Black, Aerosmith Toys in the Attic...so many iconic sounds.

I have a Sansui 9090 that I bought broken, bought a daughterboard replacement and it is again kicking. I do not have much experience with all these amps, but I knew a winner when I saw it. Glad it made your #2! I think the sound quality is absolutely amazing.

I had, and still have a Pioneer SX-780 that has been a faithful companion since brand-new purchase in London, Ontario in late 1978. Always delivered. And still does. Probably needs a good cleaning and some bits replaced as it has powered many speakers over the years and at high volume. Still love it. Thanks for this. Ready to watch now.

I've owned every solid state receiver extant. With high efficiency speakers the Marantz 18 is the best. With anything of less than 95db per watt you are correct. Your channel does excellent work and I thank you.

Glad to see mine made the top 10 coming in at #7, Kenwood's KR=9600. I have thoroughly enjoyed this amp since purchased new. The only down side is the actual power switch that will need to be replaced after a few years due to the power used. To get by this, just put the receiver on a heavy switched power block. Bought mine in 1977, service checked and cleaned about every 10 years. Phenomenal product.

I have a 1975 Marantz 4270 Quad receiver that I bought new..its almost 50 yrs old

Back in 77 I was down at Cal Stereo in San Bernardino, and was considering the Sansui 9090 DB. Until I switched the speakers over to the Kenwood KR 9600 ,turned the volume up half way and the speakers jumped off the wall ! I still Enjoy My KR 9600 in my home office to this day !

I remember going to the store to buy an Sansui 9090 but it was off the shelfs by 1979. Ended up getting the Sansui G7700 instead. I still have it and it works great!

The NAD 7080 from '78 was a fantastic receiver. I purchased this in '80 with a set of New Advents and it remained at the centre of my system until about 2003. It needs servicing (probably including re-capping) but is in excellent cosmetic condition.

Surprised you overlooked the excellent vintage Onkyo receivers. My TX7000 was one of the best sounding receivers available in 1980. Bench tested, and praised by by several hifi writers of the day. The digital tuner was, and remains exceptional. Often overlooked, as in your review, but a serious contender to be sure.

I miss the Phase Linear system I had in the mid 70's from a high-end audio store that was going out of business; it was their demo system. That system could shake a three-story farmhouse...

I sold many brands back the Golden Age. My picks are: 1.Tandberg 2. Marantz 3. Yamaha 4. Luxman 5.Carver

I'll never see or own most of these in my lifetime but I do own a fully restored SX1050, SX1080, and a 9090db, so I am familiar with those sound signatures and characteristics. My personal favorite is the 9090db followed by the 1050 and then the 1080. As much as I LOVE the look of the 1080, it just doesn't satisfy (sound wise) as much as the 1050 or the 9090. It's very bright sounding and does not process bass as well as the other 2. The tuner in the 1080 is nothing short of magnificent. It pulls in stations (from as far as 60 miles away) incredibly well and delivers crystal-clear reception.

My first receiver purchase as a starving student in 1977 was a Yamaha CR 820. I have never since purchased anything even close in quality.

Thanks for the review guys ,I’ve got a Harman Kardon Three Thirty which thrown out with the rubbish ,took it home & works well ,it’s now 20 yrs old . Suffolk England .😊

I would kill for a wiring diagram for that custom selector box, I'm having the exact same problem ATM and love the design.

Lenny for me is the top 5 I sold most of these brands #1Marantz 2325 #2 Sansui G-8000 #3 Yamaha CR-2040 #4 Pioneer SX-1980 (the big one! ) #5 Sherwood S-9910 I own Sherwood a integrated AMP love Sherwood 's sound.

I thought I was crazy that loved all silver-colored receivers of the 70s. Now, I see I am not alone. What is interesting is that all, absolutely all of this gentleman's collection are silver color. I miss so much the feel of touching and playing with those mechanical knobs and wheels. For me, these receivers are like American cars of the same era. Just fantastic and alas, today's and future generations cannot experience those beauties!

Just sick !!! In a good away !!! I'm salivating over this video . Super!!. Thanks !!

My monster vintage receiver is the Kenwood KR 9600 HANDS DOWN !!!!!! GREAT VIDEO GUYS, TMP FROM N.J. 😊😊😊

I liked the Sansui 9090 with the loudness on, lol. The Pioneer was a very close second and the Maranz third.

It seems to me that Rotel was not as popular in the USA as in Europe. Their RX1603 was perhaps one of the biggest beasts you could buy in the Netherlands. I still enjoy it with a pair of KEF RR 104 and KEF RR 103.2. And I still got my Dual CS704 turntable with the Shure V15III.

I remember back in 1978, around Christmas time, I was in the market for a new receiver. Now granted, I was only 12 yrs old, but I had a summer job working landscape clean up on construction sites, so I made pretty good money. This was before the internet (duh), so doing my research, I had my dad take me down to Ridgedale Mall in Minnetonka to go to the stereo retailers. Remember those…before Best Buy? Can’t remember the names of the stores anymore, but… I really wanted the Pioneer SX-1980, but couldn’t justify the bump to nearly $1,300…when my Altec speakers couldn’t handle the power. I ended up with the SX-1080. Still have it until this day. Never disappointed. Handles the JBL towers I have now. Used to piss my neighbors off on Sunday mornings back in college. AC/DC and Led Zeppelin at 8 am…🫢

I have the highly underrated Kenwood 9600 which I bought new in 1976. It runs my 4 JBL L100's without breaking a sweat. Very conservative 160 watt rating that I had bench tested and was actually putting out over 210 per channel.

I have many receivers. Quite a few monsters included. Honestly, of them all the Sanyo may be my favorite. It really is just great in every way. A true joy to show and use! A Craigslist find too. Great video!

Realistic-most receivers had “auto”tuning- most I could afford and there had stores everywhere -loved hanging out and talking with sales staff-they would have most receivers-speakers-turntables on the shelf-always had monthly sales-loved police scanners , cb and shortwave radios!

At one point in your video (27:47) I see a pair of (what look like) EPI-100's. Nice to see they made it into the collection. I'd say they were the best (most accurate?) inexpensive (cheap?) speakers of the early to late 1970's. Years back I did read that Hitachi components were built "in-house" with all components being Hitachi made products. That influenced my SR-804 receiver purchase in 1979 and it's still my main amp today. High Fidelity magazine had an in-depth "glowing" review of the SR-2004 in a 1980 issue. Confirming that the claimed (short term) 3dB's of headroom did, in fact, exist. That's 400wpc. Enough power to impress, if not annoy, the neighbors. Kudos for a really boss video.

NAD .... Once you take the cover off, and look inside.... you will see why its super reliable and sounds very nice. MArantz is my close second with great looks and sound.

My dad had the Marantz 2325 back in the seventies and I remember that beautiful blue glow as a kid.

Bought my stuff at Navy PX in Yokosuka 1968. Kenwood receiver, Dual turntable, Pioneer speakers, and Teac reel to reel tape. Shipped it all back to New Hampshire from internal post office. So sad, all long gone. Really liked the Dual.

Love my Hitachi's: two SR-903's, 1 SR804, and 1 SR503L. The last one is used the most as it sits on my desk with a Marantz EQ-20. All of them are fully functional, with the MINT 503L having been fully revised prior to my purchase (only US$140!!!!). The SR804 ($61) was also revised and upgraded with LED lighting...the only issue was with the aged black vinyl veneer, which I removed and replaced with a high quality wood grain vinyl. Both SR-903's are pristine...one has been modded with LED lighting and both are vinyl-wrapped in glossy burled walnut. One sits in the family room and is wonderful sounding with plenty of power (75W per channel with 160W per channel peak power). I am feeding it with a DAC from PC. These Hitachi's are all keepers and because they tend to fly under the radar, I never paid more than $154 for the most expensive unit. Still pinching myself over these local finds.

I have a Pioneer SX-1080 that I had re capped a couple years ago with larger caps in certain spots. I would love to get a 1280 or 1980 but dang the prices have gone to the moon. Should have gotten a 1980 5+ years ago.

Not a monster certainly, but my Technics SA-505 is another of my favorites. A true sleeper!

Scott A457. This thing was a beast. Never blew, solid design, good looking. My grandfather worked for Phillips and was a stereo system addict. I inherited his Scott system and I used it during my younger DJ days (we are talking about early hip hop, Italo and Chicago house). The system is still alive till this day.

I usually had separates. The only receiver I ever owned was the Kenwood KR-9600. I went to a Pacific Stereo "sale" around 1978. I fell in love with the pretty lights. I owned 4 ohm speakers (Allison Three), and Kenwood was one of the few receiver manufacturers to publish a 4 ohm power rating, and to have 4 ohm power that significantly exceeded the 8 ohm power.

I absolutely love Sansui 7070 models and the 790 variant. Not the most expensive or rare but they are nice to me

There is just something about the “brighter” sound that you get from Technics Receivers that appeals to my hearing…(i still have and use a Technics SA-404 for my home setup).

Wow, I am just blown away by all the beautiful faceplates. I knew the 70s receivers were the best looking pieces of equipment ever made, after all I grew up with one of them, but i've never seen them all in one short video, well done! Also, I've never heard a demonstration of the different sound characteristics - it's obviously a bit silly because it's in a tiny room with no speaker placement at all and involving unknown microphones and all that, but still.... The amazing thing about 70s hifi is that it was quasi affordable. There is still breathtakingly beautiful equipment being made, but today that is exclusive to the high-end market, so for amplifiers that is from 5k bucks upwards with no limit. Or maybe I'm kidding myself, with inflation that would easily be equivalent to todays rarified high-end market prices. After all the whole market segment retracted into the high-end, since normies no longer have hi-fi.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, there's nothing like the old analog audio gear from the 70s that led me to work in broadcasting and sound engineering for live bands. Still, it's amazing that all of those dial, knob, meter and button functions can now be found on a device that fits in your pocket.

For trouble free Great Sounding music it’s Marantz 2325 ! I like the Sansui big boys. The Pioneer sounds great but doesn’t handle the bass as good as the Marantz.

The 5 best sounding Receivers from my collection are: Pioneer SX-1980, Marantz 2600, Sansui G-9000, Sansui 9090, Concept 16.5

i was blown away when i heard my friends NAD from the late 70s the power was off the charts. not sure the model.

Boy this brings back a LOT of memories!! I was in Germany in the USAF from 1974 to 1976. In our barracks Marantz amps were very popular, I had one too. Marantz speakers Imperial 7's four of those, an Acai reel to reel, a Technics turntable and a Teac cassette deck. The best speakers I ever heard there were the JBL L-100's with the Moody Blues on the turntable. WOW!! I sold the reel to reel as I never used it and the Marantz went POOF and that was that. My only regret?? I wish I had bought a Rolex watch while I was there too...

The Pioneer SX-1010 is considered to be the granddaddy of all monster receivers; it kicked off the monster receiver wars. It's baby brother, the SX-939, is one step below in power but sounds amazing. Don't pass them up if you get the chance to buy one!

Y’all just did an amazing service to this community with this test, (thanks to the man that put this together) This potentially will save years and money to lots of people, 👍🏽

Back in Southeast Asia in the 70s, brands like Sanyo and Sharp were considered very accessible mid-budget Japanese home stereo brands ("hifi" was not a term that really existed yet back in those days) while Sansui, Marantz and Akai occupied the top end. In those days, Sony was kind of in between those two groups. Pioneer - usually associated with a punchy bass - together with Technics (stablemate of white goods maker National, the name by which Panasonic were known back then) and JVC, only came to the fore in the Asian market in the 80s and all three shared the positioning led by Sony, which was just a tad shy of the Sansui and Akai brands for home stereo systems. But of course, Sony, beginning in the late 70s started to leverage their Walkman reputation and by the 80s started to get the "hifi" world's attention.

The Sansui QRX-9001 is the only piece of audio equipment that I will never part with. It's magical, and I am guessing the 9090 is similar. Hard to tell on KZfaq. I have had many Pioneer receivers and they are also fantastic. I have kept the 939, 3700 and the 737. I am looking out for a 1010 in mint condition.

They are ALL drool-worthy! The silver face era was the very best. Such a great collection, many I wasn't familiar with. I'll never part with my RS STA-2100.

Wow a Realistic! It made the cut. My oldest brother bought a “build it yourself” receiver kit from Radio Shack and made his own receiver. He was 15 and I was 8. He soldered the mother board and fitted everything together and he used it for many years, probably 30 and it sounded great. As a kid I loved going to Radio Shack and shopping with my brother. I just spoke to him yesterday I need to ask him what he did with that receiver.

Back in 1974 at Service Merchandise I got the Sony 15 watt per channel with the Maranze G5 Ported 8 inch rubber surround and pizo electric tweeter. They are still sounding smooth. The plastic Garrard automatic turntable with the pickering worked well with the needle was great for a country boy of 15 in South Ga. listening to the Chicago 1st double album. Amazing!

KR-9600 - I had one in the Army in the '70s and found another several years ago. Replaced the panel lights with LEDs which really brighten up the panel for my old eyes! It sounds perfect with my Klipsch speakers!

I own a super rare optonica sa 5905, only made for one year 1979 to 1980.125 wpc 1hz to 200khz and a damping factor of 1000. Described in its reveiws as beyond high end.i am very lucky to have found it. And sounds so good with my polk sda 1,and monitor tens.

Technics SA 1000 is King of all receivers at 330 watts per channel RMS. I found one in a thrift store in Tampa Florida back in the 90s for only $75. It took two of us to carry the heavy monster out the store. Awesome sounding receiver.

My Dad bought the Radio Shack STA 2100. I have it now. I've added to it since I got it. I'm sending to Just Audio to go over the unit. I've enjoyed it for many years.

Geez, back in 1979 i was working at the Best Store in Eugene, OR. The third day on the job I was asked to work the entire night helping to rewire all the boards in both sound rooms for the next wave of new gear including replacing the two main panels (one for source and one for speakers). My point, freaking tough and painstaking job, think you're done and there was always a dead one. Now, look at the guy's room! Holy cow!

Pioneer SX-1010, was the only monster receiver I owned. After that, I moved to Marantz Separates 3600 / 140. Great vid. Love seeing all the 70s components. I also now have Sansui 5000, Nikko 7075.

First thing to say, I kept waiting for the owner of these amazing receivers to 'smack your hand away' as you were flipping the switches and turning all the knobs. lol. Second thing is i agree with your picks 100% . I have owned a Realistic 2100D for about 5 years and was blown away when i finally got a Pioneer sx-1250. I also went back to listen to the Sanyo and was surprised at the sound from this underdog. I have been patiently waiting for the right pair of HPM 100's to come my way. someday.....love these vids.

An incredible collection of vintage equipment. Thank you for the nice presentation of them. Just something shivers inside me when I see the way that you turn the switches on those machines. They are vintage, they deserve a bit of sensitivity.

Very interesting vintage roundup. Would like to have seen McIntosh and Tandberg receivers, considered high-end during this era, included in this comparison.

This sound test was really hard for me, mainly because of the music being used. I know KZfaq flags you for copyright (when they actually shouldn't on a short, incomplete clip of a song ie. fair use) If I could have picked a song to demo, it would have been something that had vocals and a full range of instruments to demo highs and lows. Having said that, Lenny and I were on the same wavelength in picking receivers. My rankings would have been: 1) Sansui 9090 2) Sansui G8000 3.) Pioneer SX1980 4) Marantz 2325 5) Sony STR-V7. The Sony bloomed out in this demo but it was hard to tell what I was hearing. Confession thru projection here though. I own a Sansui 9090, a Sansui G8000 and a Pioneer SX-980 (Not the 1980). I love all 3 and would cry in despair if I had to give any one of them up.

The only receiver in this group I have ever owned is the Marantz 2325 which I bought locally about twelve years ago. During that time I migrated to Marantz separates (preamp/power amp/tuner) and sold off several of their receivers but not the 2325. I just can't bring myself to sell it. It is in perfect cosmetic and operating condition and sounds as close to the separates as possible so I decided to keep this one because I'm sure I will one day regret selling it.

I was given a Marantz forget the model when I was a teenager that was the most beautiful receiver I ever heard. I have owned multiple brands since and nothing comes close in my humble opinion.

Amazing receiver collection. Everything looks brand new!

Best hi-fi purchase I made was a Pioneer PL 12-D which sold here in UK in mid 70s for £12.50 ($15.88). I remember all the hi-fi magazines raving about it and puzzling over how Pioneer could turn out a quality deck at such a low price. I see now they are collectable and sell for silly money on ebay!

The fisher tube unit up on the shelf wipes the floor with every one of those solid state rigs.

STA-2100. I love my 2100D due to its defined bass. I loved the Sansui 9090 and the Sanyo sound as well.

I had the Pioneer SX-1250 as #3, but the Sansui 9090 is easily #2, and it looks and sounds great. I purchased a mostly non-functional Pioneer SX-1980 about 10 years ago for about $2K, and Jeff at Pacific Stereo did a complete restoration on it about 6 years ago, including a new and improved power supply section and on/off relay circuit. I was a bit of a skeptic about all the hype, but when I got it back from Jeff, it looked awesome, and completely blew me away with its powerful, clean and nuanced sound. Is the Pioneer SX-1980 the best receiver ever made? In my opinion, yes. Professionally restored units are now selling for north of $10K, which is insane. Nonetheless, the SX1980 is the only receiver that I will never, ever, sell - unless someone makes me an offer that I can't refuse.

I think the surprise was the Sherwood. I wasn't expecting that much warmth from it..

In 1979 I bought a Kenwood Eleven GX in Sasebo, Japan toured the world with it aboard a U.S. Navy tanker jamming like crazy on the high seas. It was one of the best Kenwood receivers every built, with its built in five band graphic equalizer and other audio controls. It even had a timer on it, like an egg timer I could twist before bed and it would turn off a hour later. It died while providing sound to the last of its many public events. The cheapest ones that are still alive will run $2000 or so.

Not as well known, but also great receiver from the era was the Lafayette LR9090 ('77 or '78). They also sold the impressive Criterion 2002+ speakers with a 12 inch woofer, horn midrange and dual angled tweeters.

The 1980 is the king of the hill. If you put an equalizer on it, you will take it to the next level.

As a Norwegian myself I off course miss the Tandberg TR 2080 receiver, the TCD 440A cassette player and the TD20A reel tape recorder.

Great receiver collection, dream stuff... Being a Luxman fan I miss the R1120 (or a R1500) in the test, maybe not the most massive receiver of his day (120W) but the sound quality is up with the best. Love the Sansui 9090.

My uncle bought realistic receiver way back in the early 80’s. He still has it and it still sound great.

I own the Marantz 2325 ( I collect old Marantz equipment) and I also had the Sony STR V4, which has a great tuner, when I was a young teen but I really liked the sound of the Sansui 9090.

I love these old receivers ( and of course all other components making up the stereo system) ... I cant remember what receiver my Mom's boyfriend had when i was younger, I may have been Pioneer.

Dude when I quit drooling about all that ear candy… um… oh yeah, I grew up with the Sansui and even repaired it at 12 when dad blew the amp. His bro had the Pioneer which I never favored. I collect that stuff now and have to get me one of those switch boxes !! I love audio equipment, been my main hobby since about 75. 🤘😎🤘

One top I like is the 1974 SANSUI 881 80 watts per channel (Pure watts), because this amplifier is soo clear sounding; just great. Bass, treble, mid controls, loudness, and pulls in stations amazingly! This receiver was one of many that started it all. If you are into vintage solid state, Go grab one while you can! Pioneer SX-737 Great! Lush midrange magic with that one. Great Receivers: 1. Marantz 2270 2. Pioneer SX-1250 3. Sansui 9090db 4. Yamaha NS CR-3020 These all sound great.

I knew the 9090 had the loudness on lol. I grew up on the Sansui 551 and that's exactly what It sounded like. Over all I think the Onkyo had the smoothest most balanced sound.