Vintage Asylum

Phiilps Lab Series 7871

71.199.160.211

This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: best sounding 70's era receiver? posted by Green Lantern on September 08, 2021 at 19:50:11

~65wpc; can drive single driver/full-range, Advents, and Spicas equally well; loads of features incl EXCELLENT phono and tuner; understated styling. Still flies under the radar and prices reflect that, but it's not super common. The "1" indicates a black anodized finish, the 787 was silver. Uses op-amps - judiciously, but they're in the tuner section. Strictly speaking, only came on the market in 1980, so not a "70's" receiver. The lower units in the line are fine, but IMO the 7871 is the sweet spot (I also have a 7831, and it's pretty basic).

I second the HK Twin-Power recs as well, but only have experience with the 430 and 730 (a lot of horn guys like the 430 for its smoothness, at least back when I paid attention).

Both will most likely respond well to recaps. In the case of the Phillips, it doesn't hurt to replace the opamps with modern versions - I put in the OPA2134 in one of mine, but the presentation is bit leaner than in the unmodded one (both have been recapped).

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