In 1980 the audio industry was starting the decade with perhaps the best they have ever offered through the experience of the seventies and sixties, sadly for most, the eighties was the beginning of the end of the golden age of audio.
The AU-D7 is a budget integrated amplifier that came out in 1980. If you compare it to the AU-D907 that was also on the market about the same time, it’s much smaller in size and much lower in price. If you can afford the AU-d907, definitely buy it. For the rest of us, there’s the AU-D7
The AU-D7 is 80 watts per channel, discreet power transistors, phone preamp. Power meters, Speaker protection relays and a nice set of tone controls. But probably its best asset is that it was designed by Sansui. There is a lot of talk about the “Sansui Sound” in audio circles. It is a good reason why Sansui has been in the top three of Japanese audio manufactures for decades. The sound of this amplifier has a warmer sound which makes it more listenable than most other budget models. The fun thing is that for ~$250.00, you can experience that warm sound that most pay a lot more for.
Granted, it’s got some drawbacks, the control layout is not nicely uniform like the higher priced Sansui models. The power meters, for some are a little tacky. But this amp really delivers on sound quality and that’s the most important thing
You can find this model priced anywhere from just over $100 to over $400. Keep in mind that it’s 37 years old. The higher priced units should mean that there has been restoration work done, mainly the capacitors have been replaced.
Onkyo A-RV400 Stereo Amplifier Receiver // For Repair //
07 April 2018
A budget 100 Watt per channel Integrated Amplifier
For those of us who want good sound but can't or won't pay a lot for it, this Onkyo A-RV401 integrated amp is a great value. It doesn't have distinctive looks, it looks like any other black box from the nineties, but it does have good sound that will impress you.
It has discrete output transistors, a nice bass control feature, motorized volume (via remote control), speaker protection relay, and power to spare.
I really like the BassSelect Tone button on the front panel. The bass response is very nice with this setting, not boomy or too much.
You should be able to find one for around $100 or so in good working order. You do not need the remote to run this amp
YAMAHA AX-900 Stereo Integrated Amplifier / Phono & CD inputs / with issues
24 March 2017
Large and heavy and not too pricey
This is a big and heavy stereo integrated amplifier. It weighs 37 lbs. The build quality is excellent. There are 8 output transistors that drive this. Very large filter caps. All this contributes to 130 watts per channel. The nice thing about this amp is it can be obtained for under $300.00. This has a midrange tone control along with the bass and treble controls. It has a variable loudness control.
The things that I'm not crazy about and are minor..... Black face plate (there is a silver version). Plastic push buttons. Because of it's age, the controls will be noisy, so look for ones that have had the controls cleaned with contact cleaner. Otherwise, you will have to remove the front panel and the metal cover behind it to get to the controls to clean them