I TRIED EVERY VINTAGE RECEIVER... this was the BEST!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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

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.