PDA

View Full Version : Big Technics Amp and CD player from the 90's


JohnJo
09-09-2018, 20:47
Picked this pair up recently for a bit of fun, thought some of you might like a look. One owner from new who ran them with Mission 753s back in the day.

First up the SU-VX920. This was Technics' top of the range integrated (bar the big champagne coloured jobbie with built in DAC) in the 1992-1993 catalogue. I was born in '74 so these are very much of my time. Definitely brings back a few memories. This big girl's beauty is more than skin deep though, as you'll discover when you try to lift it up - it weighs about 17kg, heavily offset to the LHS where the TWO (count 'em!) mains transformers reside. Feature count is high including MM/MC inputs, tone controls, mono mode etc. but there's also a dedicated straight through input, should you desire it, which bypasses everything except the volume control.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/479A44D6-7C98-41EA-940B-F732DA85B98A.jpg

Super clean condition, both inside and out. For 25 years there was very little in the way of dust apparent. This photo was taken as soon as I got the lid off, nothing a quick wipe didn't clean. Perhaps the secret is that these components spent all their days in one of those tall hifi stands with the smoked glass door, I'm sure you know the type :)

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/7BFB1DFB-A370-490B-8AAF-3E19137921B7.jpg

Apparently these amps have a MosFet Voltage stage which then drives a heavier MosFet current output stage. I don't know but that's what I've read.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/2AA27434-FD29-4E91-B87E-02AB5D4063FB.jpg

The only issue was a slightly crackly volume control which cleared up perfectly with a bit of exercise and no sign of any bulging capacitors anywhere, result :D

Next up the SL-PS900 CD palyer. Again the top of the range player for 92-93 except for the 1200 broadcast player like Macca's.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/CA9D1F56-A7F1-4DEB-88F8-25FB6A39B541.jpg

Fantastic condition and reads and loads discs perfectly. The mechanism is super smooth and quiet, nice! It's physically a big machine and comes complete with an equally big handset. The remote even had the original National (Panasonic) batteries in it and they hadn't leaked (after 25 years!), they were flat though.

They make a nice pair, here's a picture with a CD case to give an idea of scale, they're pretty chunky.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/B4C33379-EEDE-4B9C-BA58-42BE984F737D.jpg

Note the Class AA markings! More A's than an Aardvark between them:D

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/812B29BD-41F3-412F-9665-BB2EAE10D5A9.jpg

They sound fantastic too, the amp is very neutral, composed and solid sounding, never seems to get flustered and has surprisingly resolution. The CD player is very dynamic and naturally detailed. TBH you could listen to these for hours and they would make a cracking system with a nice big pair of floorstanders. Technics seemed to be doing a lot right with their stuff back then, it may look mass market but it would give a lot of the hifi darlings a run for their money.
guyhayton
09-09-2018, 20:56
Had some Technics gear in the past... always good stuff. I'm quite jealous of that little windfall. Enjoy!
Macca
10-09-2018, 06:24
Beautiful condition. You should see if you can try and collect the whole stack, tuner, tape deck, equaliser. Would look good.
Primalsea
10-09-2018, 08:41
I think these look smart, pretty timeless design really. Engineering looks decent too and there just seems to be a sense of understated quality about them.
JohnJo
10-09-2018, 19:49
Beautiful condition. You should see if you can try and collect the whole stack, tuner, tape deck, equaliser. Would look good.

Don't even go there Macca....still don't know what to do with this lot.

There's a couple of those Technics branded cabinets with the smoked glass door on ebay though, you got me looking :D
JohnJo
10-09-2018, 19:59
Here's a price list I found, it's in DM but it's good for comparing one against another.

Notice the slight difference between the 900 and 1200 CD players!

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/8A63619B-E9C5-45A9-9ED8-9FFC08981497.png
Macca
10-09-2018, 20:06
'Cassettendecks' that's classic. Funny how the German for 'Graphic-Equalizer' is just 'Graphic-Equalizer'.

You really should keep them and try and get the set. I'm going to do it with Sony. Got the CD, amp and DAT deck, just need the tuner, graphic and spectrum analyser. The spectrum analyser is the bitch to get.
JohnJo
10-09-2018, 20:15
Here's the other half, even the racks are on it. An 1210 record deck was the same price as the 900 CD player. They held their value a heck of a lot better though.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/C3349F37-0824-44F9-A7D6-5F4BE84BBEA8.png
JohnJo
10-09-2018, 20:24
Had some Technics gear in the past... always good stuff. I'm quite jealous of that little windfall. Enjoy!


I think these look smart, pretty timeless design really. Engineering looks decent too and there just seems to be a sense of understated quality about them.

Thanks fellas, here's the specs on the amp, 110 wpc. The lowish (for SS) damping factor of 80 works really well with my Tannoy 385 HPDs. They can sound dead as a door nail with high DF amps.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/castle48/Technics/Amp%20Specs.png
RobbieGong
10-09-2018, 21:53
Hi John, Nice one ! I had one of these briefly after the almost identical looking flagship before it the SU VX800.

I actually prefered the sound of the VX800 finding it more musical and went back to it.

Mission 752 Freedoms and a lovely Technics SH8055 vintage eq. Boy did that set up make a sweet sweet sound - loved it.

The VX920 is a nice amp, Mosfet too
Oddball
11-09-2018, 13:07
I still have the SU VX700 I bought a couple of yrs ago. I ran my Mission 752's off it too, and it was a nice old amp ,albeit was a few minor problems on mine ! I recall the 700 was 90 watts into 8 ohms .
Your amp looks a real beauty !! nice find :)
RobbieGong
11-09-2018, 13:21
I still have the SU VX700 I bought a couple of yrs ago. I ran my Mission 752's off it too, and it was a nice old amp ,albeit was a few minor problems on mine ! I recall the 700 was 90 watts into 8 ohms .
Your amp looks a real beauty !! nice find :)

Coincidently it was the SU-VX700 that started it all - brought me to the VX800 and VX920

Only reason I gave up on the VX800 in the end was everyone I had (about three) eventually developed the same channel crackling / dropping out, then dissappearing issue - something to do with speaker relay and heat or something I'm led to believe.

Was a shame as I loved the thing paired with the Technics SH 8055 eq it sounded fab.

Some nice gear you've nabbed there John
JohnJo
11-09-2018, 14:20
Coincidently it was the SU-VX700 that started it all - brought me to the VX800 and VX920

Only reason I gave up on the VX800 in the end was everyone I had (about three) eventually developed the same channel crackling / dropping out, then dissappearing issue - something to do with speaker relay and heat or something I'm led to believe.

Was a shame as I loved the thing paired with the Technics SH 8055 eq it sounded fab.

Some nice gear you've nabbed there John

Thanks Robbie. Yeah, looks like they're designed to work with a grahic equaliser, there's an out/in loop for it on the back, switchable from the front panel, I think it's labelled "adaptor". Very handy for connecting a valve buffer, means it's in circuit with each input rather than just using it between source and input.

That Technics SH 8055 eq look fab. Don't see these mentioned too often on hifi forums but that's a whole new thread I suppose :D
JohnJo
11-09-2018, 14:23
I still have the SU VX700 I bought a couple of yrs ago. I ran my Mission 752's off it too, and it was a nice old amp ,albeit was a few minor problems on mine ! I recall the 700 was 90 watts into 8 ohms .
Your amp looks a real beauty !! nice find :)

Thanks Anto, the Technics/Mission partnership must have had a lot of synergy, everybody seems to have paired them! The amp is a cracker, I'm well pleased with it and the CD player's such a perfect tonal match, they make a nice pairing.
RobbieGong
11-09-2018, 15:00
Thanks Robbie. Yeah, looks like they're designed to work with a grahic equaliser, there's an out/in loop for it on the back, switchable from the front panel, I think it's labelled "adaptor". Very handy for connecting a valve buffer, means it's in circuit with each input rather than just using it between source and input.

That Technics SH 8055 eq look fab. Don't see these mentioned too often on hifi forums but that's a whole new thread I suppose :D


An old piccie of the SU VX800 and SH8055 in all their glory - Did I say that set-up sang !!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1852/30747085998_61bfbdf817_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NR1Rso)114 (https://flic.kr/p/NR1Rso) by Robert Rowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152233952@N07/), on Flickr