Monster's of the 80's
Coda
Last of the Eighties Monsters: Luxman R-117, Sony GX-10ES, NAD 7600, Carver 2000
After the classic Silver Face era ended around 1979 or so, the market for high powered, over the top Monster Receivers fizzled. The trend for the first few years of the decade was towards lower powered, cheaper receivers with some high tech features like digital tuners and freon cooling tunnels to keep things interesting. IMO, there are very few collectable receivers made from about 1980 to 1985.
All that changed in 1986 as high powered 2-channel receivers made a last gasp appearance before the onset of the HT era. The four most notable models are the Luxman R-117 (160 wpc), NAD 7600 (150 wpc), Sony GX-10ES (150 wpc), and the Carver 2000 (200 wpc). All have the convenience of remote control and source switching, plus digital tuner which makes channel surfing a snap.
The Luxman R-117 made 160 wpc but could manage over 400 wpc of dynamic headroom! The jet black face reminds one of a VCR but don't be fooled, the face and buttons have a high quality look and feel. The R-117 is the only Eighties receiver I regularly listen to and I also have the matching D-109 CDP, which looks superb on top of the R-117. (The D-117 CDP is sort of plasticky and not quite as nice as the Sony ES-based D-109.) This combo has a classic Seventies sound, which IMO is the ultimate complement for a remote controlled receiver. The R-117 is smooth and cultured and surprised me by sounding better than the M-117 power amp.
The NAD 7600 made 150 watts per channel and the manufacturer's specs for mono operation and dynamic headroom imply the 7600 could power a small city. The amp section was a dual rail design which means that for low power demands, the lower voltage rail would operate but when power demand exceeded 100 watts or so, the second rail would kick in providing "turbo" boost. Of course, being a NAD means there is Soft Clipping which prevents the harsh clipping sound from getting to your speakers. The amp also has the Power Envelope circuit which is a fancy term for superior dynamic power capability.
The Sony GX-10ES is perhaps the best looking of the group and features the classic Rosewood side panels. The build quality is top notch with controls that have a positive feel and are a joy to use. The GX-10ES is easily the best ergonomically. The amp featured a toroid which helped to give the GX-10ES a smoothness and depth that the brutish 7600 cannot match. The chassis was copper plated in the 10ES but not in the virtually identical GX-9ES which made only 100 wpc. The GX-10ES has a nice modern sound that is smooth enough not to be confused with an HT receiver.
The Carver 2000 was the last of the platinum colored and wood side panel models that began with the original Carver Receiver. In fact, the appearance barely changed until the following year's HR-772, which had a cheap looking and feeling black face. Of course, being a Carver means the 2000 has the Magnetic Field Amplifier and Sonic Holography. The Magnetic Field Amplifier was a power management feature that allowed for a smaller transformer to be fitted. For a 200 wpc receiver, the 2000 was a lightweight. The Sonic Holography was sort of like a stereo expander which expands soundstage. At the risk of offending the legions of Carver fans, I found the Carver 2000 to sound rather ordinary in normal mode. The Sonic Holography was interesting but I am a purist and dislike any sound processing.
So which is my favorite? I'd have to give the nod to the R-117 for sounding the best. The Sony looks the best and sounds nearly as good as the R-117 so a strong argument can be made that the GX-10ES is the best. The NAD 7600 doesn't sound that good and the Carver 2000 just doesn’t have enough metal for me to like.
Written by SoCal Sam
