Alright, I know without a doubt this type of thread has been brought up when comparing current HT equipment vs oldschool. But I have been thinking lately about doing a comparison of other things, like Mini Systems of old vs new, etc.
The reason I was thinking about a comparison, is because we have at least 3 mini systems in our house, (the main HT is in the basement with fullsize kit) 2 of which are JVC, the 3rd is a beater Panasonic that the previous home owners of our house left behind in one of the closets, and it works ok for in the garage.
What I have always found interesting, is the difference between the 2 JVC units we have. One of them, is a UX-G50, purchased for my wife about 5 years ago. The other is a circa 1990 MX-S2 that I got from my Grandparents about a year ago, that we are currently using in our livingroom. The G50 has a USB input, and auxilary input, 5cd changer, am/fm tuner, mp3 playback, etc etc, and 120 wpc @ 6 Ohms and 10% THD output rating. With a feature set like that, you'd think the G50 has everything going for it...and yet, it doesn't. You would think that having that much power output, it would be really loud (well, it was louder and cleaner sounding than the little LG mini that was beside it at Futureshop). Funny thing is, the little old MX-S2 is actually Louder, and with only a 30 wpc @ 6 ohms rating. Granted, the original matching speakers that came with it eventually had worn out voice coils in the woofers (and these were actually quite loud and played a baffling amount of bass for 5.25" drivers), and I ended up finding a pair of replacement speakers from the same series of stereos at a local thrift store for less than $10 (they are from the larger MX-S20 model). The end result? Unbeleivable clarity, even more bass, and more sheer volume than the newer G50 mini we have hooked up to the TV in our bedroom. We've actually had friends and other visitors come to our house, and when they hear the music in the front hallway, they comment on the music, and are shocked when they see it's an old mini system playing, and not a full sized stereo.
I have also noticed a similar pattern between the so called 1000w HTiB's that every store throws in with the purchase of a flat panel tv or furniture these days, and the budget surround systems of old. For example, I've heard RCA, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and other digital media era htib's in the big box stores and department stores, and they honestly don't hold a candle to volume or the sq of say an early 2000's model JVC THB-6000 or Kenwood.
So I guess my question is, does anyone else find that todays iPod-centric kit, just doesn't have any balls compared to stuff made in the last 20 years?
The reason I was thinking about a comparison, is because we have at least 3 mini systems in our house, (the main HT is in the basement with fullsize kit) 2 of which are JVC, the 3rd is a beater Panasonic that the previous home owners of our house left behind in one of the closets, and it works ok for in the garage.
What I have always found interesting, is the difference between the 2 JVC units we have. One of them, is a UX-G50, purchased for my wife about 5 years ago. The other is a circa 1990 MX-S2 that I got from my Grandparents about a year ago, that we are currently using in our livingroom. The G50 has a USB input, and auxilary input, 5cd changer, am/fm tuner, mp3 playback, etc etc, and 120 wpc @ 6 Ohms and 10% THD output rating. With a feature set like that, you'd think the G50 has everything going for it...and yet, it doesn't. You would think that having that much power output, it would be really loud (well, it was louder and cleaner sounding than the little LG mini that was beside it at Futureshop). Funny thing is, the little old MX-S2 is actually Louder, and with only a 30 wpc @ 6 ohms rating. Granted, the original matching speakers that came with it eventually had worn out voice coils in the woofers (and these were actually quite loud and played a baffling amount of bass for 5.25" drivers), and I ended up finding a pair of replacement speakers from the same series of stereos at a local thrift store for less than $10 (they are from the larger MX-S20 model). The end result? Unbeleivable clarity, even more bass, and more sheer volume than the newer G50 mini we have hooked up to the TV in our bedroom. We've actually had friends and other visitors come to our house, and when they hear the music in the front hallway, they comment on the music, and are shocked when they see it's an old mini system playing, and not a full sized stereo.
I have also noticed a similar pattern between the so called 1000w HTiB's that every store throws in with the purchase of a flat panel tv or furniture these days, and the budget surround systems of old. For example, I've heard RCA, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and other digital media era htib's in the big box stores and department stores, and they honestly don't hold a candle to volume or the sq of say an early 2000's model JVC THB-6000 or Kenwood.
So I guess my question is, does anyone else find that todays iPod-centric kit, just doesn't have any balls compared to stuff made in the last 20 years?
