I am questioning my interest in vintage 1970s receivers form Marantz, Sansui, Pioneer, Harman Kardon etc... Help support my channel for only $3 per month through Patreon: / myowndevices MOD Instagram: / myown.devices
I've recapped, repaired and restored quite a few vintage amps now, and then sold them on. I haven't made any profit doing it, but that's not my aim. I just want to give that lovely old gear a bit more life and have someone enjoy it.
My take is there's great gear from the 80's 90's and 2K, without a doubt, but the wonder and legacy that the 70's hifi wars gave us is unmatchable, Sony, Sansui, Yamaha, Marantz, Pioneer, Luxman etc, etc, is still amazing and I believe certain models must be refurbished and preserved to always remind us of that golden HiFi era.
Prices and availability in vintage gear are the two main reasons I’m not as into it. Been buying, collecting, restoring and selling for the past 10 years. Now I’m just mainly restoring for people I’ve met during those years. A lot of the vintage stuff was bought out by bigger players who hoard it or sell in resale shops, a lot was bought up by overseas buyers and shipped out of the States for good. That took the fun of the hunt out of the equation. But I still think nothing sounds better than the 70’s gear.
Bargins are still to be had. I scored for 25 bucks a magnavox system reciever 8track speakers and recordplayer. Then another newer micromatic maggi with the 45 adapter and better overall gear for another 20. Goona clean the other one and sell it for profit to cover my costs.
I’ve been listening to a Marantz 2325 for over 30 years and Klipsch Horns and a set of Klipsch ,Belle’s speakers. I do open it up every few years to blow it out with my air compressor. To this day I have replaced woofers ect but the Marantz only has been blown out. I I’ll tell itRocks ! At less than half volume I can produce live entertainment basically. So you can spend a lot of money on junk or just buy the one everyone knows keeps Rocking on! Music changes my emotions. If I’m feeling bad I can listen to music to feel better. I’m more than happy with my stereo !
I love my 10 vintage 1970 era silver faced receivers. My official collection is 9 receivers fully configured with period components like turntables, reel to reel and cassette tape decks, bulk CD changers and more. I buy vintage receivers low, get them refurbished and sell vintage receivers high. Just got a Pioneer SX-950 won for $800.00 that flip's for $1,450 refurbished. My 9 piece vintage receiver collection with all accessories is re-caped, functionally restored and complete. I spent close to $75K on everything over many years and am happy with the results. I have no reason to throw any of my vintage gear away. I lovingly play my receiver systems every day. I began collecting vintage audio in 2010 when it was cheap. I', not into black 80's to 2000's gear!
I'm a monster vintage gear fan, especially from the 70's. I do agree that prices have become insane on most if not all of these receivers. I also agree that there are great deals out there with receivers from the 80's and 90's. But I can easily say that my main audio setup will always have a vintage receiver on it. Of course I think they're just absolutely gorgeous with their brushed silver faces, chrome knobs and wood grain finishes. Back then, they were meant to be looked at, and it shows. I love that aspect about them. But my biggest reason is that they are built so damn well, and can last for so many decades. My Pioneer SX-750 is 45 freaking years old now, and has never had to have been repaired. The only things I've had to do with it is once in a while clean out the dust, and only once I've had to Deoxite the knobs and switches. That kind of dependability along with the excellent sound quality has me sold, and thus why I'm such a big fan. If and when I have to have it serviced, yeah, it may cost a lot. But I feel that after it's serviced, it will probably out live me as I'm 51 right now! I also have a great Sansui from 1978 on a second setup as a backup, so I won't be down for the count.
You touched all the important points regarding vintage gear - the looks, service costs etc. I think they still look awesome - Pioneer, Kenwood, Salora (Finnish brand), round dial Panasonics even. I'm keeping my rare Sankyo. Modern stuff is unrepairable bland plastic meant to be thrown away when it fails. Old stuff can be repaired, upgraded or retrofitted.
I purchased a Technics/Panasonic SA-700 March 10th, 1980. One of my prized purchases. Had the right tech to clean up and replace lights. Sounds great again. Love looking at it and utilizing all the features
I have a Sansui 331 that is about 45 years old, still plays great. The build quality of some of that old gear was often solid. I am hearing of more problems earlier on with some of the new stuff.
@@MODAC If they were not built well, they would take a lot less that 45 years to deteriorate. The only thing mine has needed is to have the pots sprayed.
@@johnnybgoode1950 Agreed, and nicely built inside. Just "repaired" a Marantz 1040 a few weeks back. Only thing I did was a little cleaning and all contacts sprayed, bias adjusted, but wasn't off really. Load tested and 100% working fine. My own old Pioneer SX777 is a pain to work on on the inside, but also still works great after a good clean and one bad factory solderjoint.
I still listen to the radio, every night, and enjoy having a good tuner, either in my vintage receiver or separate tuner in my main rig. Thanks for sharing your crazy real journey.
Yep.we have great stations here in the Metro Detroit area and my Sansui's pick up Toledo OH stations easily plus the added bonus of all the near by Canadian stations because in our area Windsor is actually south of us.The tuners get used every day.
It's tempting to ditch old gear due to the maintenance required. However, vintage gear has features that I actually use that generally aren't available on new stuff -- low filter, loudness, muting, occasionally tape monitor for EQs. I would miss that stuff on new gear. Also, good new gear certainly isn't cheap.
It is one thing to be able to pick up an old receiver at a garage sale for $10-$25 and put some work into it vs. pay the premium and put some work into it. The value an fun is gone and now I'm just a hoarder. ;)
It has been a while since I watched one of your videos. Enjoy your calm and relaxing demeanor and you are a good storyteller. I began my journey a couple years ago when a lot of people our age were doing the same. I purchased my first tube amplifier recently and have connected it to an old Marantz receiver. Paired with modern 3-way Tower speakers, I'm very happy. Next, I may be looking into a nice, slim EQ so I can shape the sound for my ears.
Man, it was like listening to myself talk. Your experiences here are nearly identical to my own. I even owned a couple of those 70s-era Luxman receivers. The Luxman R-1070 was one of the best receivers I ever owned.
Good timing for your video Dave. I too like you have gone through a similar path (8 years since retiring) of gear acquisitions and enjoy new experiences (tubes, Roon, streaming, cartridges etc.). I have often thought about unloading most of my vintage receivers, separates, TTs, decks BUT, my old gear looks great and has been serviced. So I am completing a 3-level stereo rack similar to those you see on Timber-nation to better display my gear AND I enjoy rotating pieces both tube and SS. Lets not forget the amount of experience and knowledge we have acquired in this journey along with the vast amount of money spent buying and restoring gear. Did I waste a lot of money? You bet! Would I do it again? Yes, but I am more cautious in what I buy.
Years back I bought a Pioneer SX-1080 in near mint condition. Its a daily listener Couples to a pair of Fisher ST-845 speakers and a Audio Source EQ-Eight equalizer.
I've collected much vintage gear. I'm not getting rid of it, its all on display in my listening room to enjoy and listen to. I have 4 vintage receivers, 5 tape decks, 2 record players, tuner, 2 cd players and speakers. I've restored all except one, Yamaha B2 amp. Its getting the deluxe restoration by an expert.
Agree. I just haven’t had very much luck with vintage receivers. If u can find one that had the works (recap and serviced) your odds are much better for years of enjoyment. And yes it’s primarily an ascetic and nostalgia thing. Now I run just a streamer (Wiim pro) into a Dynaco ST-120 power amp that was completely redone into some NHT bookshelf speakers. And considering trying out either a Gan Class D or an 80s era Harman Kardon power amp. And possibly the HSU ccb-8 speakers. But no problems with the minimalist Dynaco and NHT setup. But Im done with the vintage receivers tube amps and turntables I believe.
One of the best receivers of the 70's was Harold Carmichael. I for one have a liking for many of the 45 to 75 watt vintage receivers. They sound bigger that they are and have great fidelity. Resale value is not always the determining factor in purchasing or serving these units. Hand me down and I just like it has a lot of value. Check out some of the Mcintosh receivers from the 80's. I personally like the built in EQ features on some of them. A bit pricy but if you enjoy it for 10 years you get your monies worth. Thanks Dave for another good video. And the plug for Jim!
You can buy cheap if just a couple things need repaired and put some money in or buy done and Mint for a lot more money, but if done correctly and you have a back up to use if your Main (Pioneer SX1280) or what not needs a repair the Dollars spent Still work out when you look at the Modern Equipment of same Quality that Still Breaks, such as my Pioneer Elite stuff which by the way now is in the Junk pile ! Would much Rather Stream through the Vintage Quality Reciever because it's Beautiful to Look at , Sounds awesome and if you don't Abuse it Should last as long as it Did when new which seems to be longer than the Newer stuff which usually Lasts alot Less Years per Dollar! But if you want absolute Audiophile Sound buy the New Stuff, I just like the Vintage sound that's still Pretty Darn Good for reasons mentioned, keep up the good Videos!
I went the other way, 20 years ago had good quality 90s/00s hifi equipment but about 8 years ago started swapping the more modern out for 70s vintage components. My main amplification now is a Pioneer SX1250 and it sounds amazing.
I dont see any Bob Carver pieces? Phase linear? I still love the vintage stuff. Ive got mostly Carver with Cerwin Vega PD3's. Reconing is fun and cheap if you can do that. I still have most of my vinyl except the ones I loaned out to friends. You never get them back of course. I learned that the hard way.
I went through the exact same thing! (Although not the same extent). When I started getting into Hi Fi, I was in my 20s, had very little money, was starting a family, and starting my career. I started with lower priced gear like the Denon 300f turntable with a $300 CDN Yamaha receiver that I bought new. It sounded ok but wasn't exactly doing it for me. I started replacing stuff with some vintage Yamaha from the 70s. I bought a Yamaha CR-640 which was great. I coupled it with a Yamaha YP-701. I loved the look, and the sound was exactly what I was going for - warm, detailed. But like you said, they needed maintenance that I couldn't do myself. Having vintage gear meant that I often had to wait for stuff to be repaired. Sometimes I would replaced them with other vintage gear while I waited. It became a vicious circle. :) Finally, I decided to replace all the vintage gear with new stuff - although the new stuff still had a vintage look. I bought a Technics 1200 MK7 with Nagoaka 110, and a Yamaha A-S802. I bought new speakers custom made on Etsy made by HighEndAudioItaly. I bought two subwoofers from Fluance. It sounds great. It's not in need of any repairs (yet). And I'm at a level of satisfaction that I was unable to achieve with vintage gear. Now all the funds go towards making the listening space nice to look at so it meets that WAL (wife approval level). :) I no longer have vintage gear that I need to sell off. However, the Class D Chinese amps like the Fosi V3 still make me curious.
With a large enough budget, I'd love to have kind a fully serviced vintage system (I saw others with during college days). Can't have that. I do want features of high end vintage receiver, especially for a good tuner and 2 tape loops. But the vintage I do have is from late 1980s and very early 90s, besides some newer adds. So my own drama with vintage is NAD top end 1988 cassette deck. Thinking of trashing it after an expensive repair, and then brought right back in, is failing 2nd time - tape starts to twist and it jams it - and buying serviced other nice deck from reputable dealer. I always want a cassette deck in my system; won't get rid of my vintage mixtapes which are pleasing to listen to (where I got levels right) and still have a few blank metal, chrome tapes.
Heh, I'm not going to get rid of my early 1980s receiver, it has been restored properly, looks really great, sounds good and works really well. But.. I can do a significant part of that service myself, and for the things I can't do, I do have access to a 'honest' tech. Haven't needed that so far, but its there in case I need it. FM radio is still totally a thing where I am, and is actually part of why I actually use that receiver. But I also have modern class A, class A/B and class D amplifiers, those all can sound a bit better, and have their own advantages, especially in size, heat production, reliability, etc. Btw, if you are looking for a fairly modern and very repairable amplifier, look at things like TEAC's AI1000 or AI2000. Those are built from discrete components like one would expect from a 1970s amplifier, but designed using modern technology, and don't suffer from the 'need for service' you have with the typical 1970s equipment.
Very interesting. Got back in a few years ago and have been buying what I couldn't when I was young in the 70's (Marantz, JBL, etc) and now experiencing nearly the exact same situation. The hunt and the chase is slowing down now. when you finally catch it and have it, what next? Keeping now only a few key recievers instead of a dozen or more. Same with the other items in my vast collection. Its like keeping up an expensive collection of classic cars. Kinda getting old and tired of it. Speaking of old, actually mixing in some new new gear "oh my, vintage heresy" where it makes sense. Got to get back to listening to music and not the gear anymore. What you are sharing with your journey is spot on with my journey. Best, Ed
If you can’t do your own repairs / work arounds (when the exact parts aren’t available then yes it’s a costly headache. Mostly the 60-early 80’S gear can be repaired unlike a lot of later gear. Prices for unrestored gear are over the top the same as with vintage cars.
That reminds me I too need to clear my shelves... luckily I don't have as much "spare" gear as you do. Here in northern Nevada, you don't see so much gear anymore or if you do it's priced ridiculously. And often, the ads come with 1 shitty dark photo. I mean, man, if you're asking $2000 for a piece of gear, take 15 minutes to make nice photos and present the product nicely (that also means clean it up before!) I liked to get different gear used because that is a good way to try the sound without going bankrupt. I have been working on restoring some of the stuff I got, just for the fun of it. I haven't dealt with electronics yet. Definitely not my forte but I might get into it if I get the time. I have bought and sold gear and I found it was a good way to meet people with the same passion. Some people (sellers or buyers) just want the deal done and leave so I forget those quickly but on several occasions I made friends, spent several hours talking about gears and music and that is the real key interest in this hobby, sharing experiences etc. Right now, I have a McIntosh 4100 receiver and I am really happy about it. I used to have a Rotel RSX-972 AV receiver and a friend of mine liked it very much so I made him an offer he couldn't refuse ;-) so he is happy now with it. I was not too sure about McIntosh as there's so much hype around the brand but I must admit this receiver sounds really nice. I like also that it is a little subdued compared to other McIntosh products. No green light here (though I kind of miss that hehe) I mean from far it looks just like any generic silver faced receiver from that era. And the FM reception is pretty good too. That model was serviced some years ago but I might send it to an official service center. A few things I'd like to improve on it (change power cord to IEC mostly) And I love my Boston Acoustics A150 speakers. Would love to get my hands on A200s or even, let's be crazy, A400s but those are hard to come by.
Great video! I too was / am a big fan of the old late 70's early 80's vintage receivers. I am mainly a Sansui guy. After many comparisons and testing I have done (in the past), this was the one brand that stood out for me. Ironically, while most people loved the Marantz receivers. I didn't. I wasn't fond of the blue displays and worse, the horizontal tuning control. Sound wise, I thought they were just OK, but not spectacular. I preferred Pioneer over them. I always had a love / hate relationship with Yamaha as I liked the build quality and the overall look, but the sound was kind of "off". Total opposite of a Marantz. The high end seemed dull and lifeless and it was a very clinical sound. The mid bass had some warmth to it and it usually was a decent low end performer, but it just wasn't enough for me. Now, I had preferred vintage receivers over anything new for a very long time. I have the advantage of being an audio technician in the 90's and so I was able to fix these units. However, as you pointed out, the past few years people seem to think these vintage receivers are found gold and they are commanding ridiculous prices. Sansui favorites that I could pick up about 6 to 10 years ago for a couple hundred bucks are now fetching a couple THOUSAND bucks. So, I know what one would be thinking now. "You were a tech, buy a broken one cheap and fix it". Ahhhh, but that is far easier said than done. First off, people STILL think they are sitting on vintage gold even when the unit they are selling is broken. More often than not, on a cheaper unit, the cosmetics might not be good, or you are missing knobs, or it has a broken dial glass. Many of these parts will be nearly impossible to find, and when you do, THEY are also expensive. Sadly, I blame Ebay and I blame the people for giving into those trolls that are asking far more than what these vintage units were worth. Now when you compare these old vintage units to something new. Yeah, the old stuff is built way better and when fixed up, it will last longer, but what about overall performance? Well, you would be hard pressed to find an older unit that has a signal to noise ratio for LINE level to be more than 85db. Whereas a new unit can easily go over 100db. For phono inputs, you are lucky to get a S/N ratio more than 60. With a modern unit, you can hit 90 (or more) easily. Newer units are generally smaller, lighter and (as I mentioned) have less noise. There are less parts and less to go wrong, but as the video points out, if one of those special chips goes, it could be difficult, or even impossible to get a replacement part for it. So in terms of electronics, yeah, the older stuff is easier to fix as they used discreet components and many could be replaced with modern equivalents or (in the case of transistors) subbed for a modern replacement. So it is a give and take when it comes to old equipment. But, for me, the real deal killer is the rampant price increases and gouging. It certainly takes the fun out of collecting these units. Further, service is inevitable. If it isn't broken when you buy it, I probably will develop a problem down the road. Bad caps are just one of many worries. Bottom line, unless you know someone that can fix these units for a good price, you are probably better off with something newer and it will probably sound better too. Sadly, it probably will not have those nice big bouncing VU meters. BUT, there are ways around that. BTW, that boring looking Naim unit. It is overpriced.
. Skip the receiver. Scratch the vintage itch with a big beautiful Tuner like an affordable Sansui T-60. It only needs to keep it's lights on & look good. Then buy a modern silver faced integrated. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) has plagued me for years…..it comes and goes. During the pandemic lockdown I basically lost my job (freelance audio engineer) and I was pretty depressed. I started to self-medicate with acquiring vintage gear and servicing them. It worked for a while but I have moved on with other pursuits to curb the inevitable depression that revisits my life in the present “clown world.” Cheers
Hang in there buddy.I don't get down very often but if i start to,all i need to do is flip on the tuner of my Sansui or my Pioneer or my Marantz and it all fades away.
Still have my Harmon/Kardon Citation Receiver 1978. Still sounds great with a pair of Dahlquist 20i. I keep a second unit for parts if i need it. It is a part of our life story.
Older H.K. rules supreme in my opinon ,You just need to be cautious of fallty capacitors which has happened to me recently on a mid eighties H.K. amp not as reliable as the paticular H.K. receiver youre using ive switched to nad & rotel but in the end it willl always be H.K. for my ears eventually!)
I love my Sansui QRX5500. I also have a Denon AVR that sounds just "flat" Maybe the Sansui colors the sound somewhat, but it's a sound I love. Also, my Sansui has individual controls - NOT effing push buttons with multiple functions.
I've got 3 older models Sansui , Kenwood from like '77 and an ancient Pioneer integrated amp ( 12 w ) from '69 all working well. also have had mid '80's Carver and NAD , early 90's Digital Sony ES ( their high end ) 1000 receivers die after like 5 yers from new.... just luck of mass production, mostly. maybe.
From the beginning (80s) I stayed away from receiverd because of what you mentioned ("complexity" & heat), even they have something bombastic. But for having a good stereo radio, I bought a nice clean constructed Technics one. Beside the fact that your whole audio chain need to harmonize without any "defect", there is a simple secret why old gears often sound nicer than modern ones. Why do people often say: more pleasant, warmer, softer, etc. ... ?!
I've bought a few Receivers over the last few years (even have a full rack system in my garage). Most are from the 90's or 2000's and were plug in ready except for my Realistic STA 64 (1978). It was horribly damaged in shipping. Took weeks to fix it. All of them were for pennies off of eBay. I've found the best thing to do is to use a high/low converter (if no low power line out) and use an external amp. Takes all the pressure off of it to perform.
I've got a Pioneer SX-780,Sansui551,661,5050 and a G2000.Oh yeah,and a Marantz 2220b.Also, a couple of Marantz 6110 turntables.I use and love all my gear and no amount of modern accoutrements could ever replace the joy i get from these works of art. Thanks anyway but,i'll pass on the BPC.I know all of my gear is on the smaller side but heat has never ever been an issue.
So far I bought a turntable and eventually got a pair of speakers, all I need now is an amplifier and a CD player...getting there, its only been a few years.
In my area there are 2 public all music FM stations worthy of listening to and having a good tuner is needed. I guess I could stream but it is much easier to just turn on and tune.
My experience with more "modern" gear is awful, I used to own like 90s minicomponent stereos and black plasticy integrated stereo systems and all are cheap and no hifi sound, no matter the brand.. pioneer, technics, marantz or kenwood which was the king of home audio gear in the 90s.. and repairing any of these is a unfeasible to say the less, not worth it.... I agree on your point of why to have a radio dialer if not going to be used but looks is part of the deal, vintage sansui integrated amplifiers are also nice but not as shinny as a marantz receiver...
I own a accuphase c200x and p400 vintage pre and power amp combination with an older dp57 cd player, Technics sl1200 MK2 and for streaming an Cambridge audio CXN V2. This on b&w cdm7 nt's. Couldn't be more happy with my setup. Knowing I'm on a budget. Now I'm searching a McIntosh Mac4100 for my secondary set
My first job was selling stereos in 1976. If you don't need the radio or tape functions, a modern integrated amplifier is better. Especially with current vintage prices.
I have a Sansui AU 919 integrated amp & i would Never give it up they never make amps like that anymore or with that high quality id rather have it fixed & upgraded if necessary
I hope you do in future speak to tube gear. What happened to the Dynaco ST 70 you had built, etc. I do get the been there done that you mentioned. Never got into receivers but, tubes & turntables another matter. Also, do you still use your Puffin? I do & they have upgraded it, another thing to consider with modern gear.
Still have the ST-70, but have mostly been using a Cary tube amp.Yes, I have two Puffins with external DACs. I have a cool analog Kitsune LCR-1 phono preamp in for review that is challenging the Puffin.
My gear is more a matter of what has been practical for me and is a mix of current and older, as, taking care of the stuff I've had originally, I still have my older equipment. Currently in my living room I run an Onkyo TX-SR608 with my Ohm 3XO speakers I've had since I was 21 along with a pair of ADS L88s I had before that. Though not currently hitched up I also have my Technics SL-DL5 linear tracking turntable and my RSM-253X and 228X cassette decks that I've been meaning to get set up along with a Nachamich BX-300 I bought a while back because I remember a friend's and wanted to actually own one. The system currently serves for monitoring in a home studio I'm trying to get working off of a Linux computer I put together. I appreciate the beauty of older equipment, but, for the gear I own, don't feel the need for a lot of the older 70s or 60s stuff, though I like the Mid-Century Modern look of some of the older Advent speakers and others with the lighter grills. On the whole I tend more towards speakers and, though and have a pair of, currently not fully working EMS AMT 1Bs and a pair of Infinity Kappa 8s that I have not hitched up.
I started finding vintage receivers in thrift stores twenty years ago when they could be found.I've had probably fifty of them and luckily most of them worked.I'll tell you why I moved on from them is except for a couple of classical music I don't listen to FM for critical listening to it renders the tuner useless.Also I like a remote.I have gravitate to 80s black stacks from Yamaha M series,Kenwood Basic,JVC and Onkyo Integra stacks.I do have a few early-mid 2000s TOTL receivers from Yamaha and Pioneer Elite because I think they have fantastic amps in them plus remote capability. Except for about four or five all my vintage receivers are gone.
A lot of deep philosophy in this video and also truth. Buying vintage receivers, especially when not being able to look nor test them, like stuff from eBay, can be really tricky and expensive, and, in addition, we need to have a trusty tech for service. Also, a lot of "classic" gear has reached stratospheric prices, so for north of, say $1,000, is it still worth to buy vintage 70's, or just buy new stuff? Tough question and sometimes you can just stumble into something too good to let go. Just last week I saw a pristine looking Yamaha A500, silver, at a thrift shop for $40.00, it powered up and all thew light lit up. I quickly looked it up on my phone and the specs were impressive: 70 WPC at 0.005 THD, phono pre-amp with MM and MC, pre-out, all kind of inputs, tone, loudness controls.., how could I not get it? It's being serviced as we speak. Made in Japan.
Unfortunately you do not have the advantage of BBC broadcast signal in America. I am a proud BBC licence holder. I have an excellent FM tuner and loft mounted FM Aerial. I count myself extremely fortunate to be able to receive the BBC FM radio signals. The sound quality is exemplary with live music being broadcast daily.
Thanks, Dave. I suppose ICs in the mid-to-late-80s receivers are less prone to go bad than the capacitors found in those older receivers? I just subscribed to your channel after seeing you on the Westman roundtable. I was struck by your selection of The Blue Nile “A Walk Across The Rooftops” and China Crisis “Flaunt The Imperfection”, two fantastic records that don’t get much attention in the vinyl community. I hope to hear more about your record collection in future videos, you have impeccable taste! Cheers.
Yeah I saw that Parasound,and that's what I use.I have about 6-7+ recievers and I'm getting all of them checked out. Those new receivers just kinda suck in comparison, unless you spend tons of dough..
Pass on receivers in general, old are better than the new imo. Nice to see you are moving on to more updated quality gear. I imagine the guy that built you the tube amp had something to do with it. Bet that sounded a little better than most of those vintage receivers. New Maggie's also sound better than old, I realize you hotrodded yours, I'm just saying in general. I'm still waiting for more about those Rogers speakers.
I dumped my Technics 65 wpc receiver from 1977 after an A-B comparison to an early 80s NAD integrated amp I borrowed from my brother in the late 80s. The purity and openness of the sound of new tech sold me. Yes, those old receivers were beautiful, but why put up with sub-par sound just to have nice-looking components?
I love pairing old speakers with modern electronics. I own a few vintage speakers, like a pair of AR18s (probably my favourite speakers) and JBL4311s and a pair of 4429s (not really vintage). I like to think that these old speakers have never reached their full potential, till paired with modern electronics. My AR 18s are paired with a Hegel H80 amp, and it sounds fantastic. I'm just not comfortable buying vintage electronics, for the reasons you mentioned. But heck, I'd buy vintage speakers all day. Max they need changing, is a rusted potentiometer or some dried out caps. Love your channel, and I rarely miss a video.
Is it worth it no no it isn't. I've had and reviewed and owned numerous vintage amplifiers and receivers and there's always a problem. I mean if you like tinkering and you like the thought of messing with your system on a month to month basis, then sure get you one. If however you like to put an amplifier on the shelf and not have to think about it and every time you turn it on it just works, then vintage equipment isn't for you. Now that's not to disparage or take away from the beauty and the sound quality you get with vintage amplifiers. But on a personal level I've had bad luck with them over the years and I personally don't recommend it.
There is nothing on radio nowadays that I want to listen to. I have portable radios which work for me for ballgames, news and talk. I never got into receivers. Never had one. (Unless you call a boombox a receiver). Have always had integrated amps and a tuner if I needed it.
I gave my girlfriend a Yamaha CR-450 and my dad has a Sansui 5000x. Very nice looking gear with a great sound. I like the little shoebox style amps like the Mission Cyrus One and Rega Brio though personally.
Just a reminder that receivers are only one aspect of high end audio in the 1970's. The other end is amps with pre amps and integrated amps often purchased with a separate tuner. Just honorable mention to a few beloved integrated amps. The Sony TA-F3A with a smooth tube like sound. Also the beautiful Sony TA-2650. Other integrated amps include the magnificent Hitachi HA-330. Integrated amps allowed teenagers, who loved good sound, to put a great system together over time. Radio Shack sold some wonderful integrated amps that are still in operation today including the 1976 SA-1500. While not monsters these amps sounded very good and they were built in Japan NOT China.
You may want to look into Pioneer Elite and Sony ES components. They are 20-30 years newer than the 70s era and usually include a remote. The only pitfalls for them is as you mention - proprietary ICs. The upside is that many were more were sold than stuff like Denon, Luxman and Yamaha. Parts are not impossible to find for Pioneer and Sony.
I was really into the hobby restoring speakers, receivers, and turntables. I am sick of the hobby now and am selling it all off aside from a single setup of CA1010, CT1010 and YP-800 with ns690s. I have been selling my turntables for big money on ebay with 100% rating. Speakers are hard to sell and are usually a loss. Problem with new stuff is the IC chips. Bricks. Im rebuilding 70s motorcycles these days.
Never bought a vintage receiver since around 2000,but rather separates. Although i had a Quadroreceiver from Akai and STR-V7 from Sony at some point in the past. Additonaly over time i learned to repair and qualitywise upgrade my electronics,although i admit it took me some years and several miserably failed attemps in the beginning. Anyway,im not a collector but just someone with one setup,so extra pieces got sold or simply gifted. Its a hobby,alright. Anyway,vintage gear got mainstream again following the vinyl retro wave and consequently most of the gear on sale today is from buisnesses and not privat ownership. The days you could get good (!) gear for cheap is decades over,unless its in some form defective.
I’ve bought several of these receivers and most of them don’t work well. I do love them though. My 2 main setups are McIntosh separates from the 80s and they are actually cheaper than desirable 70s receivers. I have a staticky Sansui 5000. A friend is going to go through it. He knows what he’s doing. I also recently bought a beautiful Pioneer SX-3700 for $80. I’m using it for TV. Too funny. BTW, I’m an ADS enthusiast and there is a guy named Richard So online that will fix your ADS. Send him the drivers.
Well I had an old receiver from the 70's an old Fisher, I just love the thing until one day I screwed up and cleaned my stylus with gel pad and it blew my amp fuses, I replaced the 2 fuses and one of my boards started to smoke so it's not worth fixing, now I use a 90s Technics a/v amplifier i bought for $ 25.00 bucks at Goodwill 😢
i noticed a huge diference from 2017 till today it looks like all old components ,amplifiers the most ,some even disapear ,now when one appearsis sold by a lot of money, but having at home a good mid 70´s system from Pioneer ,it never gave problems ,i´m still waiting ,the ones i bought new in the 90´s were modern(!?) but today they are working but with problems that i´m still waiting for my 70´s components to start to have those problems, i had a good technician but now he has alzehimer, not another to substitute him he was a jet fighter planes electronic engenier to solve problems on the jets from NATO with a airforce field 4 kms from my house, most of the people there were from germany cars and hi-fi move them in late 70´s to early 80´s, they lived on south interior of Portugal ,where i live, in the city there is a big neighborhood that was filled with german young families but that stoped in late 80´s, several didn´t return to germany ,sunny all year around and a very dry air which helps with the components and records, but no new component as the quality of the 70´s ,they were expensive ,in 79 my father bought a system with a SP-10 Technics turntable ,i remenber that the turntable was the same price of a BMW 535i (V8) in second hand but like new , after were the worst years for hi-fi components ,some were good but all stoped working very soon so it increased a bit the quality in late 80´s to early 90´s in some of the main comercial brands like Pioneer or ES components from Sony that only the amplifiers and cassette decks were good ,this last in the 80´s ,in the 90´s real garbage ,i also own high end material like some power amplifiers from accuphase or already in the early 80´s i bought a CARVER amp. with a lot of quality but in late 80´s it started to give problems due to the heat and no tecnician near to repair it ,only 400kms away by car, which in Europe it´s a lot , my pioneer spec-2 i have it opened with a fan directed to it ,so it doesn´t burn like the Carver(this literally speaking)it caught on fire on a summer night ,at 11p.m. there were still 37 degrees, maximum 45 minimum 28 degrees celsius, but all i have ,the most dificult problem is using some deoxit and new again, now i stay informed about temperatures ,some componets say in the manual to do not use if above 40 degrees celsius ,well most of the summer including the surrounding monthes it goes more than 40 degrees, that says a lot and also shows the limitations of some brands
Receivers in a companies line almost always sounded inferior to their integrated amps and seperates.For sound quality, receivers were not the thing to do back then. Buying an integrated with a seperate tuner was better. They certainly are not the thing to do now. Generally in audio, "All in one" is less good. I think due to the nostalgia craze, with enough not in the know people out there, old receivers are good to hold on to. Even for us guys that have gone way beyond them for sound. I didn't know that modern turntables don't compare to the old ones. Seeing vinyl platters (used to be exclusive to very expensive turntables) and what looks like good tonearms, had me thinking the opposite. Have you had many modern turntables in your listening room to compare?
Ya, vintage will be dropping off as us old farts are thinning out. Prices will go back to what they should be, not much. Actual nostalgia and perceived are 2 different things in this modern-day we live in, and gear is far superior and less costly. Those old days and memories were great, as are these days! Nice vid!
Absolutely right. Vintage receiver look so nice but very defecalt to reper no parts available if something happens. And it becomes very expensive who care people want cheep think yousd and throw buy new . Even alot companies they don't make parts now . This is big problem when you buy expensive components like risky no parts available even after 2 or 3 years and if you find it olso it will be expensive to reper and not sure olso . This is big problem in electronic world now ... yousd and throw buy new .. no body care quality
I rebuilt my own electronics but I haven’t purchased a vintage receiver in almost 3 years. The prices are ridiculous and getting worse. The Marantz tax is beyond stupid. I’m a old time Marantz fan boy but no way would I pay half of what they are going for now.
Newer (than 80s) higher end gear (like you showed in your examples) don't use the 50 pin digital chip you showed. Newer (digital receivers) use such chips , but only the cheap mass market crap fails due poor quality solder joints, because logic signals are very low voltage and current, thus no real stress to the chips. Vintage 70s-80s receivers have more gimmicks that degrade sound quality than 20-30 year old higher end gear like Parasound and B&K Components. You don't need tone controls (that degrade the sound) on Parasound amps and Parasound makes it clear that a direct signal path allows for the best sound quality. The 70-80s marketing pushed tone controls (loudness button, equalizers, and even a mid range tone control) as an asset , when all only degraded sound quality. Not to mention when those pots get old and worn out. Newer current limited mass market units are garbage compared to 40-50 year old vintage and the old vintage are inferior to quality 20-30 vintage made with newer and better components. I paid $4700 for my used 20 year old JC1 mono blocks and not even the most sought after $10,000 vintage receiver can come close to the same sound quality, component quality, power output and longevity. The best value and quality comes from used higher end gear from 90s -early 2000s. Soon this will be the sought after "vintage" gear. Not because of pretty knobs, but because it was the best era (ever) for overall sound quality and longevity.
So glad I don’t have a 70s receiver!! I’m so much smarter than that! My receiver is from 1981, and my integrated amp is from 1980! So much smarter than you!!!
The pandemic is what made everything expensive including all this vintage equipment. People got laid off and were on lockdown for months and they started using their stimulis checks to buy up all this gear so they would have something to do.
that was painful watching you throw that reciever into the trash... I know/hope it was not real, but my heart sank, and my balls cringed.. You have a bit of a cruel side....
Are you psychic? Because my husband and I just had a heated argument about this. All of your points were covered. If FM radio wasn't so horrible, I'd have better luck swaying my husband to the silver faced side. He wants to hook up a turntable to our sonos system, and that just makes my soul die.