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

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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 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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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, 👍🏽

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

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.

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!

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

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

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 RU-vid. 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.

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.

Pioneer sounded surprisingly thin to me in this quick comparison to the Sansui 9090 etc.

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!

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

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 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.

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.

Really enjoyed the video. Some great looking, vintage receivers.

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).

Amazing receiver collection. Everything looks brand new!

A friend has a Marantz 2385. It is a beast. Pots are still a bit dirty after being cleaned and would cuts out the output sometimes. Sounded pretty good driving my KLH Model 5's. Base seemed very tight. Any idea as to its value? Other than superficial cleaning it hasn't been touched for many years.

I have been having lots of receivers over the years. NAD has always been delivering. But my favourite set up was mod90 with heybrook hb1 and a subwoofer. What a great vintage sound.

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 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.

We had the HPM100 in our house with (I forget the receiver model) but it was a Pioneer 125w I think. Dad spent thousands on it in the 70s. Absolutely stunning, house rattling, tremendous volume. I have modern Yamaha digital equipment now, and it's just not the same.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

I remember getting a Pioneer receiver for Christmas back in the 70's. Best Christmas gift ever!

I really love my Marantz 2325 more than any other receiver I have ever owned, and I have owned a lot !

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.

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.

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

My Sansui 7070 that my dad gave me is definitely my favorite. Got it hooked up to a Philips 212 with a AT lab XII-s cart and some JBL L19s. Makes vinyl so much better. I've had Onkyos, sherwoods, kenwoods, pioneers and many others but this old 7070 sounds the best to my ears, even sounds better than some of the 8080 and 9090 ive heard, dont know why that is.

I virtually agree with you...on overall choices, but I still prefer the 9090. 😂 I have an 8080 non Db and it is according to identical the only exception being the power supply. I too was surprised by the Toshiba they all choices wise were good the 1980 and the Sansui are my picks for polar opposite reasons, but I'd be adjusting them both closer to a center line. The, to me, Pioneer was forward in the upper mids and highs where as the Sansui was more neutral. The Toshiba was brighter across the spectrum but still even in it's presentation. The Marantz was also my 5th Choice it too had a broad neutral approach highs, mids, and bass all in the same plane clean clear, but neither forward or laid back. I guess 😂 I'd say I like the warm hug I get From the Sansui. But as I have a 2245 when I get it in the shape I want I don't doubt I'll like it just as well. I picked up the two Controls needing replacement next the Black FP and the final being the Black Ash case unless I find a Black Lacquer that is only one arm instead of two expensive.

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!

I ❤ those old vintage recievers. I use to have one My Dad gave Me and evry Party Me and Friends threw. We always used My old reciever and a Badass pair tower speakers I had. Man I miss that setup.

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

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.

Wow Dude, being able to switch between receivers like that, to compare sound characteristics from unit to unit.... THAT'S about the coolest thing I have ever seen !

This is an insane review for all the receivers. Peeps would not realize just how valuable the review would be. Any one of these units would be great. But to be able to pick form this priceless :+)

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 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.

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.

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...

Sanyo jcx 2900,Pioneer 1980 ,,Realistic sta 200,Sansui 9090, Kenwood KR 9600 in that order 1 through 5

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.

1250 and any big Sansui will never disappoint. I have owned lots of Marantz and Pioneer gear but I really miss my Sansui most of all! Nowadays I have a Mac MR71 Modafferi/MC240 combo that sounds amazing but the Sansui is still one of the best I have ever owned. It could easily overdrive cheap speakers and blow out cones. I do love to shock people with the "only" 40 wpc MC240 and its tubes - which absolutely destroys a lot of modern amps/receivers claiming to have 3 or more times that much rated power, in both SPL and SPQ.

Imagine how toasty warm that room is

This sound test was really hard for me, mainly because of the music being used. I know RU-vid 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.

Great video! All are great receivers in there own ways. Sound preference can be very different person to person, but agree the top five listed seem to give the most “punch” at a stock or unadjusted level. Listening to my Technics SA-800 this AM and with a few tone adjustments, it sounds pretty darn sweet!

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.

I had a couple Pioneer recievers (SX 650, SX 737) back in the 70's, loved them both.

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.