REQUIEM FOR AN RX-350

For years, my Yamaha RX-350 has served faithfully.

Tonight, after years of abuse and wear and tear, the right channel amplification stage finally went to Chip Heaven...

So the harman/kardon hk330i is back on-line, providing the amplification for my system. We will see how long the "vintage" capacitors like playing at full power, 24/7/365.

These vintage electronics were well built, as competitive manufacturers put money into 2 ch. Stereo.

Then CDs came along, and Home Theater Systems with five speakers, and it would make your Movies sound like you were at the cinema.

R&D on 2 ch. dropped to nil at the big houses, as they chased 5.1 technology.

These Giant Receivers from the 70s and 80s were either set out to the curb, or moved to the attic.

But nothing "new" today have nearly the character of vintage.

One of my standards for SQ testing is Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition by Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker on Deutsche Grammophone.

The Yamaha was so crisp, so 'natural sound' that it lacked any warmth or character. Maybe it was the grating effect of a amplification stage in it's Death throes, but this h/k sounds better tonight, than I remember. Bear in mind, my role as a Audiophile writer has caused me to be a more critical listener.

I am so excited, the good folks at ifi-USA are loaning me a nano LE to audition and review. It is scheduled to arrive in the marrow. I am glad I switched out amplifiers tonight so the power cord to the receiver will at least have 12 hours to magnetize before testing begins.

When I went back to the Yamaha, it was before the High Fidelity Cables MC-0.5, and the Schiit SYS passive pre-amp.

This h/k is full of itself, with power to spare, although they only claim 20 watts RMS. It probably has never been run at full power, because back when it was new, they didn't envision digital bit-perfect files and passive pre-amps to throttle the line signal, rather than adjusting the amplifier output. And most folks never had need of cranking up the volume to full.

This may in a few months cause the capacitors to fry, but I have the technical manual and a repairman right up the street. If I wanted to play around, I could order the replacement parts and solder them in, but I would rather have a skilled technician working on it.

Oh My! The noise floor disappears with that clean power. This passage is particularly challenging "The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaga)" as it moves into the triumphant "The Great Gate Of Kiev".

At 11 o'clock (setting on the volume control) I want for nothing more.

I am hearing this passage for the First Time, although I have been listening to this recording for years.