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thekid
07-07-2009, 06:57 PM
Stopped by and found this gear at the local thrift as a set; Nikko NR-819,Denon DCD-1800and a pair of Optimus 27 passive radiator speakers. Not as vintage as a lot of my other gear since these pieces date from the 80's. All of them work well and are in very good condition.

recoveryone
07-07-2009, 07:34 PM
Those Optimus 27 look real familiar, Do they start with a wide base at the bottom then thin out at top? I had a pair in collage, they didn't hold up to well at high levels, but were great at low-mid range, very clean sounding.

http://forums.audioreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5754&d=1247021801

thekid
07-08-2009, 02:04 AM
They do narrow at the top. They are surprisingly good speaker. I left them hooked up to the Nikko and the Denon and have been playmostly Baroque on them at low levels and they are do everything really well. My guess is that since they are rated for only 60 watts that they would not do loud very well. they went for about $300 a pair back in 1980 when Rat Shack was still making some good speakers. A lot of audio purists snub their noses at RS speakers but (after seeing the light about Bose...) I don't listen to a speakers reputation only the music it produces........ :)

JoeE SP9
07-08-2009, 11:28 AM
Speaker wattage ratings have nothing to do with how loud they will play.
I always recommend listen before buying. Your ears are the ones that must be satisfied. If you like those Optimus speakers that's all that matters.

What do you mean "after seeing the light about Bose"?
Bose's reputation has never been good with people who are concerned about sound quality.

thekid
07-08-2009, 02:49 PM
Joe- No sweat.....

I understand the relationship with wattage but if you do put too much power into them or with some speakers you play them too loud you do risk frying a driver. I saw many a speaker in college sent to an early death when some yelled "crank it up" at a party.

My point about Bose was that early on in my listening adventure I bought/owned Bose not based on their SQ but on their reputation. I have since learned my lesson and do I listen to based on the SQ rather than the speaker manufacturer. There are many people who would not/will not give anything with Realistic on the speaker a second look much less a listen but back in the day they did sell some pretty good stuff.

recoveryone
07-08-2009, 05:07 PM
Each listener will always be the judge, As you see in my sug you will see two full setups of Optimus speakers pair with my Pioneer Elite system in the main room and another in the bedroom. From all the highend shops I been to, I would stack my setup with any I heard over the years. Its nice to be able to buy big name items (mental satisfaction), but in blind test many of big name systems have not faired as good as some would think. But again its in each listeners preference.

On Bose, after the major success of the 901's I think it was all down hill for them. Its like that great first hit record, and now your trying to match that level again and again. IMHO

thekid
07-08-2009, 05:33 PM
recoveryone-

I noticed those Optimus Pro's in your post. I have heard good things about them but have never run across them.

I use the somewhat similar Minimus 7's with a sub for my bedroom HT. High WAF value and paired with a good sub produces very good sound for small room.

thekid
07-08-2009, 06:30 PM
Cleaned them tonight and took some more pics.....

Worf101
07-09-2009, 07:44 AM
Thanks for all the great photo's and alike. I'm off tomorrow to Jersey to pick up some speaks, I scored some used ADS 1290's on the Bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170351228637

New England sound, first of these I've ever scored. I'll be posting some information and review when I'm done. Twin 8's yum!!!!

Da Worfster

Auricauricle
07-09-2009, 07:56 AM
That Denon looks like a real keeper, Kid! Good for you for and happy listening!

Feanor
07-09-2009, 08:17 AM
Cleaned them tonight and took some more pics.....

The Denon's a handsome machine. Like other higher range machines of the era it had various programming features, etc., that you don't see in machines today -- presumably because nobody actually used them.

I still have my Technics SL-P970 machine, circa 1990, that had a lot of that stuff which I never used it. (I still have that machine today and sometimes use it as a transport.)

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/Technics_SL-P970.jpg

Speaking of Denon, I have a vintage a TU-767 tuner from the mid-'80s I think. It works very well -- there is very little reason to buy a modern tuner today given so many vintage in good condition, unless you must have remote control; (given I only listen to one or two stations around here, it's not a problem for me).

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/Denon-TU767-900.jpg

I'm kind of sorry that I sold my older Denon TU-500, a fully analog tuner circa 1974. But then I did sell it for about 3.5x the price I paid for its replacement, the TU-767, above.

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/DenonTU500-front.jpg

thekid
07-09-2009, 02:13 PM
Thanks for all the great photo's and alike. I'm off tomorrow to Jersey to pick up some speaks, I scored some used ADS 1290's on the Bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170351228637

New England sound, first of these I've ever scored. I'll be posting some information and review when I'm done. Twin 8's yum!!!!

Da Worfster

Worf-
Glad to hear from you!
Congrats on the ADS!!!
It is one of the brands I only hear positive things about but have never come across in my travels. I look forward to seeing some pics and hearing your thoughts on them

thekid
07-09-2009, 02:16 PM
The Denon's a handsome machine. Like other higher range machines of the era it had various programming features, etc., that you don't see in machines today -- presumably because nobody actually used them.

I still have my Technics SL-P970 machine, circa 1990, that had a lot of that stuff which I never used it. (I still have that machine today and sometimes use it as a transport.)

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/Technics_SL-P970.jpg

Speaking of Denon, I have a vintage a TU-767 tuner from the mid-'80s I think. It works very well -- there is very little reason to buy a modern tuner today given so many vintage in good condition, unless you must have remote control; (given I only listen to one or two stations around here, it's not a problem for me).

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/Denon-TU767-900.jpg

I'm kind of sorry that I sold my older Denon TU-500, a fully analog tuner circa 1974. But then I did sell it for about 3.5x the price I paid for its replacement, the TU-767, above.

http://ca.geocities.com/w_d_bailey/DenonTU500-front.jpg

Feanor

Thanks! I am getting ready to hook it up in the bedroom to the Dynaco's.
Great pics of your gear they all look like they were bought yesterday!

Auricauricle
07-09-2009, 02:47 PM
That's pretty dorn nice lookin', Fean. Um, the tuner I mean.....

Worf: I have seen photos of the ADS speaks and they look pretty dern rock solid. Make sure you brag all about 'em when they're finally plugged in...!