Shootout: 1990's receiver vs 1960's amplifier, NAD 701 vs PACO SA-40 скачать в хорошем качестве

Shootout: 1990's receiver vs 1960's amplifier, NAD 701 vs PACO SA-40

It's another vintage receiver/amplifier shootout! The NAD 701 Stereo Receiver vs the PACO SA-40 Amplifier and Preamplifier. The NAD was my daily driver from when I bought it new in 1993 until I restored it 2019. It was my first receiver restoration. I recently bought the PACO from someone who had been using it daily, and I've just done the basic necessities to make it safely operable: bucking the filament voltage, replacing the selenium diodes, and replacing a damaged bias pot. It's interesting that the different units seem to reveal the shortcomings of the other. In comparison to the NAD, the PACO sounds muffled, muted, or "lo-fi," as though the highs and lows are both rolled off. In comparison to the PACO, the NAD seems to lack a really black background, as if the notes don't end when they should. It's odd, because the PACO, especially when using the phono input, has an audible hiss from one speaker and an audible hum from the other. My overall impressions are these: The NAD is a good receiver for a modest-sized room (25 wpc) and has a flat response; it's as good as it can be, but it's not great. The PACO needs a thorough overhaul in which all the old resistors and capacitors are replaced. The old-fashioned ceramic integrated circuits used in the tone and equalization amps probably need replacement as well, perhaps with small circuit boards with discrete components. The PACO's circuit may also need modification if the roll-offs in the bass and treble are baked into the design.