My dad bought the Sa-Gx505 during the summer of 1991 and in 2000 he gave it to me. What I love most about this receiver is the fact that it's built for music while most amp/receivers at the 500$ price range are built now for movies. Most amps/receivers today have things like hall, theatre, and all that crap, but this thing has a built great eq and features that are important for the music listening experience.

My dad also gave me another Technics Sa-Dx940 amp around the same time. It was made in 1998 and about the same price as Gx505. I use to always compare the 2 amps to make sure I was using the best one possible and hands down the GX505 was 10x the amp than the DX940. The DX was made more for movies and sound quality wise it didn't have the same music features as the GX and over all just didn't sound near as good.

The one major flaw in it's overall design that ended up being the demise of my Gx505 was the fan. If you have read other reviews about the GX505 then you would know that this amp gets extremely hot to the point it hurts to touch it. Well the worst thing I ended up doing was hooking up an Ipod dock. I have around 500 actual cds and 50 albums, but some songs I have are high quality Mp3s and when I got my Ipod I would used it for my Mp3s. I always knew the fan would would only start running at a certain volume or bass heavy songs, but with the Ipod dock the volume had to be much higher to get to the fan to run. Well sadly a few years back while using the Ipod dock the amp started to buzz and fizzed out. That was truly a sad day for me, but luckily my dad is fixing.

Overall this is great amp/receiver and I would recommend it for anybody who can't afford a 2000$ amp. It's just one of those systems where you get more than you pay for.

Lots of power and features, including video switching and parametric EQ.

Stock cooling solution is inadequate, but easily modified.

I purchased one of these used on eBay for $80, and integrated it into my home theater setup replacing my old Sony STR-DE515 receiver. The unit performed beautifully, which surprised me because of its age. The only issue that I noticed with it was that it did run really hot - I won't go so far as to say you could actually cook food on it, but it was uncomfortably warm to the touch after about a half hour or so of low volume listening. After evaluating the unit for about a week to see how well it fit in, I decided to keep it and give my old Sony away to a family member who could use it. The features of the receiver were outstanding, and the parametric EQ / spectrum analyzer display were both a welcome addition also. I gave the receiver a thorough inspection and overhaul, resoldering any cold solder joints I could find on the circuit boards, cleaning contacts, and making other minor adjustments inside. The stock fan seemed to be a little flimsy, and was obviously not keeping the unit cool, so I carefully unsnapped it from the back panel, and desoldered its contact header on the circuit board. This allowed just enough clearance to snap in a quiet 12V cooling fan from a spare computer case. This minor modification made a HUGE difference in the unit's ambient temperature - placing my hand on the top of the unit, you can hardly tell the unit was even on. It is also much quieter than the stock fan, and is barely audible unless you turn the volume almost all the way down. The fan design is the same on the lower-powered SA-GX500, and may be the same or similar on other recevier models as well, so if yours is doubling as a "toaster oven", this simple modification may do the trick for you. The computer case fan looks stock, does not create any annoying vibrations, and (for me anyways) is a much better solution than an external fan since you don't have to deal with any blocked airflow - the huge hole on the back panel lets lots of air in. You also won't have to deal with the problem of finding a suitable spot to mount an external fan, which is an issue for me since the recevier is in an entertainment center partition. Even in this confined space, the fan keeps it well ventilated. Overall, the sound quality was a huge improvement and the video switching capabilities were adequate for my needs. The layout and design of the amplifier's circuitry is solid yet not so complex that it would be a major chore in the event it needed to be repaired - nearly all of the receiver's circuits are modular and very easy to navigate. I really have no idea about the history of this unit, how many hands it passed through and how well it was taken care of during its travels. Yet after all this time, it still remains a solid performer - something which I intend to enjoy in the years to come.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE series receivers.

Sound quality. And output capability.

Overheating.

This is a really nice unit. I love the sound quality it provides. I have recently missplaced my manual. I am in search of SA-GX505 manual.If someone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. thanks

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NONE.

Good EQ. Quite compact. Good stereo sound. Good speaker protection ciruit with a real relay. Tuner is more than adequate.

Under-powered centre and rear. Not the most reliable piece of kit. Overheats.

I bought this new in 1992. Basically a good product but not without its problems. I have had to have the lid off several times to reseat the board containing the surround sound amplifier as the connections go intermittent. It overheats terribly if you have it in a cabinet or don't leave plenty of space at the rear. Good sound quality. It seems to add nothing whilst taking nothing away. It sounds more powerful than it really is somehow. Excellent equaliser functions including a parametric eq. Obviously a lot of thought went into these. Limited video switching capablility is also useful.

Spectrum analyzer lets you tweak system better than treble/base only. Rotary volume knob with LED visible in dark. Good looking.

Overheats when enclosed in cabinet. Weak rear channel (20W ?? ) Dolby prologic delay not adjustable. Crosstalk between inputs (vcr1/vcr2/tape/cd).

Yes, the analyzer is fun to watch, and it seems analyzers have disappeared off the market. They do allow you to suit the music to your speakers better.

I had to have the DSP replaced ($150) when I accidentally shocked the front panel (static elect.) I also had to add an AC fan to cool it as I have it in an entertaiment center and it can overheat. I actually had to resolder the main IC to get rid of popping & static, as the solder had oxidized from years of overheating. But it still works now.

I would be cautious of buying a used GX505 because of the overheating problem.

Later technics amps with their "class h" amp run cooler. (Technically there is no such class as H. It's a marketing thing.. )

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JVC

all the buttons and the gui

fan should stay on

Well I was looking for a radio to replace the ones i burnt up out of my garage. Then I went to a flea-market looking for one and i found it (my technics) I then proceeded to look it over and was surprised to find dolby prologic on the front then I asked for the price. $117.00 the man said.
I became very happy and gladly bought the machine. took it home hooked it up and damn if it didnt work flawlwssly.
it lookes new and has worked ever since then.

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3 old pioneer radios out of my garage

All round solid performer

Doesn't have some fancy gadgets new units have but who care?

I've had the unit for over ten years and never had a problem. The CD player I bought with it couldn't keep up. It gets steady use everyday with the radio, TV, CD, and computer hooked up to it. I have no plans of replacing it any time soon, the sound is amazing at any volume level and it will power any speaker you put in front(too well for my last subs).
A friend mine who has a much better set-up than I do bought the same unit at the same time and still uses it as the base. He would like some of the features offered by newer units but can't justify the cost of a unit that would be able to replace this one. IF YOU FIND ONE USED BUY IT!

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Never needed anything else

LOTS OF STEREO POWER, TUNER KNOB, VERY COOL DESIGN, ANALYZER DISPLAY,DOLBY PRO-LOGIC.

NEEDS SUB TOO SOUND GOOD OTHERWISE TOO BRIGHT SOUNDING.CENTER/SURROUNDS NEED MORE POWER.

ONCE I MATED THIS RECEIVER WITH THE VELODYNE SUB I DECIDED NOT TO REPLACE IT.I THINK ITS NEVER GONNA BREAK DOWN. HAD IT NOW FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS NOT ONE PROBLEM AND WE RUN IT ABOUT 4 HOURS A DAY.I ALSO UPGRADED CENTER AMP IT HAS A LINE OUT FOR CENTER CANNEL. NOW EVEN MOVIES SOUND GREAT.I DON'T THINK YOUR GONNA FIND ANYTHING THIS COOL LOOKING FOR SALE TODAY. LOVE THE EQ DISPLAY AND THE TUNER KNOB.BASS AND TREBLE CONTROLS ACTUALLY MAKE SOUND BETTER WITH SUB. PARAMETRIC EQ ADJUSTMENT WILL BE YOUR NEW HOBBY WITH THIS RECEIVER.YOUR GONNA LOVE IT.

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yAMAHA, ONKYO, AND SANSUI

I have owned this reciever for 7 years. Other than 1 lightning strike to the whole system, this unit has preformed to high level of effiency, and accuracy. Being a mild audio enthusiast, I'am quite particularly fond of high quality products, and can tell the difference between a well made product, and one that doesn't live upto it's advertising. The reciever has many options, and is a versatile piece of equipment. I found the spectrum analyzer not only to be a hoot to watch, but also genuinely serves a purpose.
As I was reviewing through the Technics reviews, I totally agree with the gentlemen who commented about the heating problem these big Technics recievers produce. I would definately keep this unit in a well ventilated area, or the use of a small fan should keep these units operating for several years of listening enjoyment.
I would appreciate any comments, or suggestions about this review.

I've owned SA-GX530 For about 6 years now, and I haven't had problem yet.I'm now thinking about upgradeing to the SA-DX930. Is this a good upgrade?