Hello again - from down under..

[Mubeen]

Hi guys,

Visiting the forum after a long time... Hope you are all well and enjoying your music.

Some of you may remember that I sold all of my audio set up on here as I was moving to Australia. Its been a year, and now I call Melbourne home.

I still have fond memories of meeting you all at our Pune HFV meet, it was great fun. I believe that meeting like-minded people and sharing ideas and experiences makes this hobby much more fun.

So, anyone here from Australia (preferably Melbourne) who'd like to connect and perhaps be interested in small meetups sometimes? Please give a shout..

Oh, and about the hifi, I have gone full vintage for now Couldn't have spent too much money on modern stuff (kids, priorities etc etc) but I couldn't have lived without a decent set up nonetheless. What better way to get more audio for the money than to go vintage! I can tell you that it sounds bloody good and even looks cooler too!

At present I have a Pioneer SA-7800 and SA-7500, playing through vintage Pioneer floor speakers. Both are great amps by the way, damn things are older than me but still going strong in complete original condition! I think I have become a Japanophile too..


Will post some pics soon...


Looking forward to hear from fellow members down under...

:cheers:

 

[arunkvivek]

Cool... Can u post some pics?

 

[mpw]

congratulations on the australian dream ..wish you a happy healthy life out there..

post pics if possible...of the setup

 

[Mubeen]

Thanks guys. Here are some pics of my current system. Not high-end by usual standards, but sounds pretty good and very musical :thumbsup:

 

[mpw]

very nice looking.. am sure must be sounding right too..

Vintage is a nice way to cock a snook at all those over priced stuff in the market and people getting fooled into something called " high end "

Afterall - The hardware is a servant of the music and not the other way around..

do let us know how the sound compares to the Electrocompaniet etc... you had once upon a time in India.

regards

 

[omishra]

Mubeen, nice gears. And @mpw, some nice sentences too.

 

[Mubeen]

very nice looking.. am sure must be sounding right too..

Vintage is a nice way to cock a snook at all those over priced stuff in the market and people getting fooled into something called " high end "

Afterall - The hardware is a servant of the music and not the other way around..

do let us know how the sound compares to the Electrocompaniet etc... you had once upon a time in India.

regards

Those are some wise words right there couldn't agree more.

Experiencing used vintage components - both amps and speakers - from quality of workmanship to sound quality point of view has been an eye opener. It makes you wonder if sometimes its just placebo effect or is it some degree of snobbery that goes with paying megabucks for products that should actually cost a fraction judging by the cost of material. But then again - mind works in strange ways and eventually whatever gives one satisfaction matters. Whatever rocks one's boat


Comparing to Electrocompaniet system that I had - I find the Pioneer amplifiers lacking in finesse and fidelity sometimes but it certainly wins in terms of musicality. Everyone hears things differently, but I personally hear both the amps as follows (with all tone controls off)-

SA-7800 : Very clean sounding, wide sound stage with good 3d separation of instruments. Higher frequencies are certainly better and more open than SA-7500. Bass also goes deeper and the overall sound is clearer.

SA-7500 : Well rounded and warm sound signature. Bass doesn't go very deep and highs don't extend that much either. But - here is the interesting thing - I keep coming back to this amp. Not just from SA-7800, I have compared it to SA-8100 and SA-9800 too and I personally still love the sound of SA-7500. I like the sound of SA-7800 but its SA-7500 that appeals to heart. And that's because of its mid range. In my room and with my speakers, its the most natural and realistic sounding mid range I have ever heard on any amp so far (in my system of course). Vocals and acoustic instruments sound superb and are a pleasure to listen to. Could it be colored, perhaps. I can't say. But music just makes more sense on SA-7500 especially oldies and ghazals. So despite all its flaws, its still a winner to me.

Electrocompaniet amps, in right system, could certainly trump the Pioneers easily. But it would require finding that right set of speakers and synergy with the source that brings out that magic. I unfortunately never reached that stage when I had the amps. Electrocompaniet gear is, in my experience, extremely good quality and possibly worth spending the money for. But if one is on budget, vintage amps deserve a chance.

 

[Mubeen]

Mubeen, nice gears. And @mpw, some nice sentences too.

Thanks

What are you building now a days?

I have been contemplating building a set of open baffle speakers, or a simple bass reflex with full range drivers. Hopefully will start sometime soon. Will post my progress here when I do.

 

[mpw]

Those are some wise words right there couldn't agree more.

Experiencing used vintage components - both amps and speakers - from quality of workmanship to sound quality point of view has been an eye opener. It makes you wonder if sometimes its just placebo effect or is it some degree of snobbery that goes with paying megabucks for products that should actually cost a fraction judging by the cost of material. But then again - mind works in strange ways and eventually whatever gives one satisfaction matters. Whatever rocks one's boat


Comparing to Electrocompaniet system that I had - I find the Pioneer amplifiers lacking in finesse and fidelity sometimes but it certainly wins in terms of musicality. Everyone hears things differently, but I personally hear both the amps as follows (with all tone controls off)-

SA-7800 : Very clean sounding, wide sound stage with good 3d separation of instruments. Higher frequencies are certainly better and more open than SA-7500. Bass also goes deeper and the overall sound is clearer.

SA-7500 : Well rounded and warm sound signature. Bass doesn't go very deep and highs don't extend that much either. But - here is the interesting thing - I keep coming back to this amp. Not just from SA-7800, I have compared it to SA-8100 and SA-9800 too and I personally still love the sound of SA-7500. I like the sound of SA-7800 but its SA-7500 that appeals to heart. And that's because of its mid range. In my room and with my speakers, its the most natural and realistic sounding mid range I have ever heard on any amp so far (in my system of course). Vocals and acoustic instruments sound superb and are a pleasure to listen to. Could it be colored, perhaps. I can't say. But music just makes more sense on SA-7500 especially oldies and ghazals. So despite all its flaws, its still a winner to me.

Electrocompaniet amps, in right system, could certainly trump the Pioneers easily. But it would require finding that right set of speakers and synergy with the source that brings out that magic. I unfortunately never reached that stage when I had the amps. Electrocompaniet gear is, in my experience, extremely good quality and possibly worth spending the money for. But if one is on budget, vintage amps deserve a chance.

i get a feeling - most human ears - are OK with some amount of "distortion " ( infact they would appreciate )- something like what good vintages manage.

The more we reduce distortion / seek purity - the more critical system matching and the room becomes..

ofcourse one gets to realize that not all vintage gears are divine either. One needs to make the right choices.

BTW - whats your present source like ??

Ahhhh.. ok - you may want to try a better DAC as your next step or whenever you like..

regards

 

[nandac]

mr japanophile, furutechu?

 

[rohitmusic]

Hi Muben, welcome back.

Nice MINT SA 7800 amp. We have the EXACT SAME amp is similar condition playing in my dad's setup.

Just wanted to drop you a hint that the "Mode" knob that you see on the extreme right.
Try dialing it to set to the first position (left most) and see what happens to the sound
I accidentally discovered it after almost a year

I would describe the sound of the Pioneer SA 7800 as very musical. With all those tweaking knobs one can easily spend good time playing with them like a Kid.
Easily better soundstage and music capability than any entry/mid level amp these days.

I often adjust the knobs for specific genres. Sometimes you just need to melow down the sound (make it a tad little warmer or perhaps cut off the highs) for a nice ghazal or vocal performance.

Yours definitely looks like a very enjoyable setup.

All ears and eyes on em..

Cheers!

 

[Mubeen]

Hi Muben, welcome back.

Nice MINT SA 7800 amp. We have the EXACT SAME amp is similar condition playing in my dad's setup.

Just wanted to drop you a hint that the "Mode" knob that you see on the extreme right.
Try dialing it to set to the first position (left most) and see what happens to the sound
I accidentally discovered it after almost a year

I would describe the sound of the Pioneer SA 7800 as very musical. With all those tweaking knobs one can easily spend good time playing with them like a Kid.
Easily better soundstage and music capability than any entry/mid level amp these days.

I often adjust the knobs for specific genres. Sometimes you just need to melow down the sound (make it a tad little warmer or perhaps cut off the highs) for a nice ghazal or vocal performance.

Yours definitely looks like a very enjoyable setup.

All ears and eyes on em..

Cheers!

Thanks rohitmusic for sharing your experience of the amp. You must have many fond memories of playing your fav tunes through your SA-7800

Your description of its sound is spot on - the strongest point of SA-7800 (and most of other silver Pioneer amps for that matter) is it's musicality. Its indeed a joy to listen to.

I normally don't play much with tone controls, but i love the fact that the tone controls on SA-7800 do not seem to deteriorate the sound.

I have tried the "Mode" knob before and it does strange things the left position swaps the stereo channels i think. It sounds strange while doing it when music is playing, but its just a reverse of the recorded channels. Other modes (except Stereo) of no use really, as it turns the sound into mono.

As you said, lot of controls and knobs to play with - but its also a big trouble of you have kids in the house. My kids don't get tired of playing with all the switches on the amp. I keep it disconnected when I am not around

 

[captrajesh]

Welcome back Mubeen. I don't recollect your gear and their disposal but certainly recollect your handle. Yes vintage gear sounds superb. Only, if they are as reliable as modern gear! (sigh)

I still regret giving my Luxman L80V to a forumer who mucked it up beyond repair.The only useful thing (apparently) is the front panel.

The hardware is a servant of the music and not the other way around..

Super quote Mahesh.