Author Topic: Vintage Stereo Equipment  (Read 9943 times)

Offline AJ Huff

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Vintage Stereo Equipment
« on: May 23, 2019, 05:23:39 PM »
I need another stereo system right now as much as I need a stroke. But I keep seeing vintage pieces pop up on Facebook that sure are tempting. But I'm really clueless about say 60s and 70s stereo equipment. What was primo then but now can be had for a song? I see lots of Sansui and Marantz. Also Pioneer but I always looked down on Pioneer because JC Penney sold it  :cheesy: maybe I shouldn't?

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Offline LowRyter

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2019, 05:45:54 PM »
All three were good brands, although Pioneer sold budget equipment too.  I am not sure any of it can be fixed when it fails.

I am using vintage 1974 speakers continuously for my home entertainment.  I did supplement them with a sub a few years ago.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2019, 05:47:51 PM by LowRyter »
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Offline Testarossa

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2019, 06:50:27 PM »
Check out the back issues of Audio Magazine and Stereo Review, going back to the '60s.

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Audio-Magazine.htm

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/HiFI-Stereo-Review.htm
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Offline dustybarn

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2019, 07:17:24 PM »
I need another stereo system right now as much as I need a stroke. But I keep seeing vintage pieces pop up on Facebook that sure are tempting. But I'm really clueless about say 60s and 70s stereo equipment. What was primo then but now can be had for a song? I see lots of Sansui and Marantz. Also Pioneer but I always looked down on Pioneer because JC Penney sold it  :cheesy: maybe I shouldn't?

-AJ

Almost anything from the '60's or '70s from Sansui or Marantz is first rate (if it works). I have a Sansui receiver hooked up to my Magneplanar MG-1's (which are notoriously inefficient) and it drives them with no difficulty. Things like scratchy potentiometers can be fixed. Anything with a completely dead channel or something like that I'd probably pass on, unless the cause was obvious. Nothing wrong with Pioneer, either, but in the day they were considered a notch below Marantz and Sansui.
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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2019, 07:17:24 PM »

Offline Nortman54

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2019, 07:32:16 PM »
Pioneer 838 driving Bose 901s.  Marantz turn table.  My set up back in the day.

Offline n3303j

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2019, 07:34:49 PM »
Let's not forget USA Made McIntosh built up north in Birmingham, NY.
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Offline LowRyter

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2019, 08:31:19 PM »
It's amazing how many folks have been using some of the same audio equipment for nearly 50 years.

I am with ya man.   :boozing:
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Offline nc43bsa

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2019, 08:54:43 PM »
My recollection is that Marantz was almost on par with McIntosh in the 50s and 60s, but went downhill in the 70s.

I looked at McIntosh stuff last year and the tube equipment from the 60s and 70s is selling for more now than it did then.
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Offline BRG-BIRD

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2019, 09:17:24 PM »
I’m running a 74 or so Kenwood KR-5200 receiver with a modern turntable, CD player with USB input and Pioneer S-X4G bookshelf speakers. Sounds great IMO plus the lack of a remote helps get my arse off the couch to adjust volume :grin:
« Last Edit: May 23, 2019, 09:18:03 PM by BRG-BIRD »

Offline AJ Huff

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2019, 10:51:58 PM »
McIntosh is still Uber expensive. Marantz and Sansui average around $150 per piece. Some up in the $350 range. Same with Pioneer and Kenwood.  I saw Sansui receiver today for $25. I have no reason to believe it doesn't work. A lot of these you can try before you buy.

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Offline motoTommaso

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2019, 11:22:32 PM »
I had my Marantz 2270 that I bought new "back in the day" recapped and it sounds great.  You can pick up 22XX's on craigslist for less than 2 Benjamins if you shop carefully.  I dropped a couple of hundred more in it for the recap.  As a plus it has this cool blue LED backlight.  I ran it with JBL 4311's for many years but didn't have room in the "forever" house for them when I retired. I picked up a pair of medium size Paradigms with a sub for $100 locally.  I was listen to Ella Fitz and Etta J on them today.  Old school audio rules!!  These kids with earbuds don't know what they're missing. 

Offline Brand X

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2019, 01:29:06 AM »
Don't forget Sony.. and Yamaha. Should of keep my Sony gear..

http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_sony_vfet_40yr.pdf

Offline AJ Huff

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #12 on: May 24, 2019, 06:34:24 AM »
Wasn't NAD top of the line? That stuff is under $100.

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Offline hauto

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #13 on: May 24, 2019, 06:58:07 AM »
I picked up a older Marantz some years back. The sound was exceptional,but got tired of tuning in different stations.A friend gave me a newer sony tuner with modern station tuning. I have to admit there was a noticeable difference in sound quality.

Offline Vagrant

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2019, 07:28:30 AM »
Thread drift.
I bought a nice (READ BIG INVESTMENT) lake house that was completely wired when built for speakers. they are everywhere, and ugly! I want to just cut the wires off and shove them into the wall when I paint. I have been told do it and don't do it. So would the wires be potentially of value to a potential buyer in the future. if so I can put an ugly cover plate over them but I hate to do that.
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Offline fossil

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2019, 07:32:19 AM »
Well, in that time (7ties, 8ies) I sold and repaired that stuff. I still have a lot of my equipment from those times. And I developed a love for the Pioneers, especially the old "fat" silver amplifiers and receivers (838...). Even good loudspeakers (HPM, S - series) were present. But this stuff now is expensive. I was able to get a Kenwood C1 preamp for my Philips MFB - active loudspeakers in mint condition (really!) for a laughable price at Ebay. Together with the smaller M1 main amp this even today makes a very good sounding combo. And JBL 4311 / 4312 would be a nice addition. Or a Klipsch Heresy III.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2019, 07:33:41 AM by fossil »
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Offline s1120

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2019, 07:46:16 AM »
I had been out of the stero game for many years and came across a freeby Sony 1130 AMP and Sanyo turntable..  Well that has been added to with some stuff from my dad that pasted away..  Some of his old Dynoco stuff he built back in the 70's.. a old Nakamichi 700 tape deck, and some old real nice shape Optimus I, and V speakers..  not the best stuff made, but I have like 100 bucks in it, and sounds great to me. I just like the look and feel of the old stuff.
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Offline DougG

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2019, 07:53:17 AM »
Hello AJ,

Here is what you can expect from a high quality vintage stereo:
     1)  great looks (but the lights will dim over time and need replacement-cheap and easy)   2)  scratchy controls (need occasional spray cleaning with De Ox or the like - easy)  3)  gives off heat (mostly non-integrated circuitry, not integrated circuit boards - simply make sure there is adequate ventilation and it will be fine)  4) no remote, no internet connection (you can buy a bluetooth dongle to connect to cell phone and internet if you want to - cheap - connect it to the aux) 5) years of great sound and a bunch of jealous friends and guests.  For my $, early to mid 70's Marantz, Luxman, Sansui, Pioneer...in that order.  P.S.  I would go with modern speakers, only because they are smaller, more efficient and older speakers will eventually need new surrounds.

Enjoy!

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Offline larrys

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2019, 08:11:37 AM »
Middle '70's Pioneer 1010, Dual turntable, Teac reel-to-reel, JBL speakers bought new. Don't have the speakers, the amp made popping noises on one channel last time I tried it, turntable has some glitch where it won't spin at the correct speed and the belt is gone, too. I would like to get the stuff going again, still have 500 albums on vinyl and 500 albums on 7" reels.
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Offline Groover

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #19 on: May 24, 2019, 08:32:20 AM »
A lot of is in the amp, Not sure what brands are best to start off with (take other's suggestions on that), but they key for that vintage warm tone is in the tubes. I'd look into the ones that have the most tubes, as that would likely indicate better control over the frequencies that are adjustable (bass, mid, treble). I've messed around quite a bit with vintage bass/guitar amplifiers (hence the name Groover), and a lot of the tone comes from the tubes selected. It's a whole different world when you tap into that Audiophile world out there, and goes way-way back to tubes created for military/war for transmissions that are being sought out after for best sound today. I was deep into this a few years ago, and it's a lot of fun when you start tube rolling to find "that tone" that you are after. Again, this is based on bass and guitar amplifiers, but my research at the time I found that this was the same for music listening amplifiers, as well as radio broadcasting. You know that voice tone sometimes you hear on AM radio and you wonder why it resonates so well? It's a lot the voice obviously, microphone, but someone spend tons of hours trying to find the right tubes in their amp/pre-amp to get just the right tone. Even modern radio stations may be using some old tube(s) from the 50's. RCA, Phillips, GE, then there are the plate types inside (material), shape, right aging, there is a lot going on there. Have fun!

Sorry, went off on a tangent. Point being, I'd look for a good old tube amp as you main component. Probably easy to spot because they will be the higher/taller ones, and very heavy because of the transformers. This is a good case where weight will equate in quality (the bigger the transformers, will likely mean more and bigger tubes). Brand means some, but what's inside means more.
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Offline rocker59

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #20 on: May 24, 2019, 09:07:55 AM »
Thread drift.
I bought a nice (READ BIG INVESTMENT) lake house that was completely wired when built for speakers. they are everywhere, and ugly! I want to just cut the wires off and shove them into the wall when I paint. I have been told do it and don't do it. So would the wires be potentially of value to a potential buyer in the future. if so I can put an ugly cover plate over them but I hate to do that.

I'd put cover plates over the holes.  Actually, junction boxes with cover plates.   The wiring is a feature of the house that could be desirable to the next owner.  Someone spent a lot of money having the house wired for entertainment.   
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Offline Siamese

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #21 on: May 24, 2019, 09:09:30 AM »
I bought a  Marantz 1030 amp in 1972 and took it to college with me.  It was my main amp from then to about 2007.  Still worked great, but I wanted more power so I put it on Ebay.  I'm in Michigan, and somebody in Japan bought it for a fair chunk of change (don't recall how much). 

Great little amp, 15 watts RMS per channel, and never a problem with it. 

Still using the Altec Lansing speakers I bought in 1972, on my secondary system, hooked to television.     

Offline Gerry

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #22 on: May 24, 2019, 03:57:11 PM »
You may find this web site helpful.
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php
You have to "subscribe" for $25.00 to see their Barter Town For sale and WTB but maybe there is a deal near you for some vintage audio?
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Offline fossil

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #23 on: May 24, 2019, 04:09:34 PM »
Middle '70's Pioneer 1010, Dual turntable, Teac reel-to-reel, JBL speakers bought new. Don't have the speakers, the amp made popping noises on one channel last time I tried it, turntable has some glitch where it won't spin at the correct speed and the belt is gone, too. I would like to get the stuff going again, still have 500 albums on vinyl and 500 albums on 7" reels.
Larry

Larry, the popping noise may originate from a fault a lot of old Pioneers had. There are in the power supply circuit several transistors that stabilise the voltage for the different stages of the amplifier (tone control, preamp. pre-driver). They tend to desolder themselves from the PCB. Cleaning and resoldering of these contacts mostly mended that problem. I have experienced that problem at a lot of very different receivers and amplifiers over the years, also at my own SA 8500 II. Mostly it´s an easy fix.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2019, 04:10:47 PM by fossil »
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Offline slowmover

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #24 on: May 24, 2019, 04:12:22 PM »
Had Marantz Imperial 6 speakers with a Scott receiver and Technics turntable bought in 1969.

Offline sign216

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #25 on: May 24, 2019, 04:15:03 PM »
Gosh, you guys are making me feel so inadequate.  I've got an old Radio Shack receiver and some ancient Bose bookshelf speakers.  I felt I was "doing it," mainly because I was hoping the reputation of Bose would pull me through.

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Offline huub

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #26 on: May 24, 2019, 04:17:50 PM »
i've got a quad 303,33 combo , excellent sound even compared to modern top of the line hifi...
they were legendary at the time
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Offline fossil

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #27 on: May 24, 2019, 04:20:35 PM »
Hello AJ,

Here is what you can expect from a high quality vintage stereo:
     1)  great looks (but the lights will dim over time and need replacement-cheap and easy)   2)  scratchy controls (need occasional spray cleaning with De Ox or the like - easy)  3)  gives off heat (mostly non-integrated circuitry, not integrated circuit boards - simply make sure there is adequate ventilation and it will be fine)  4) no remote, no internet connection (you can buy a bluetooth dongle to connect to cell phone and internet if you want to - cheap - connect it to the aux) 5) years of great sound and a bunch of jealous friends and guests.  For my $, early to mid 70's Marantz, Luxman, Sansui, Pioneer...in that order.  P.S.  I would go with modern speakers, only because they are smaller, more efficient and older speakers will eventually need new surrounds.

Enjoy!

DougG

Doug, I politely disagree with several of your points. For example 3). The heat is not produced because the amps had discrete circuitry but because they were analogue. Most had Class B - loudspeaker amplifiers, some hat AB (where even more current produced heat when in idle state), some even were genuine Class A amplifiers (like e.g. the absolute unbeatable Pioneer M22 end amplifier). These things were heating devices. Todays amps are normally digital, so the end transistors (be they integrated or not) are always either totally opened or totally shut. In both states they emanate nearly no heat.

I think the order you put the makers in is not correct. Because all of these makers were very equal. Each of them had brilliant products and others that were ok.

And the loudspeakers? High effiency you can expect from some very old constructions that are in production even today (think Klipsch Heresy, Cornwall, LaScala, Klipschorn). I have still to hear a really good small loudspeaker of today (with the exception of studio equipment like Genelec).

And yes, the Quad components are phantastic.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2019, 04:27:43 PM by fossil »
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Offline keuka4884

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #28 on: May 24, 2019, 05:19:56 PM »
I have a Marantz 4300 receiver. Warm sound that Marantz was famous for. They are pricey today. Also there is an Akai 838 black reel to reel, and a Marantz 6300 turntable. The dust cover for the Akai reek to reel looks like a pair of Mickey Mouse ears. Coolest dust cover made. A good one today is $200. Speakers are a pair of Pioneer HPM 1500's, the ones with a 15" woofer and the round plastic super tweeter on top. That setup will drive you through the wall before the speakers break. No sub needed.

I always considered McIntosh to be a cut above the rest. Couldn't afford it so bought Marantz. Beautiful receiver. If you want true vintage Marantz get one that says "Superscope" on the label. Anything built in Sunnyvale or even Japan is good.

Pioneer hired a top speaker designer away from JBL to create the HPM line of speakers. They are outstanding in every way, but very pricey on today's market. I bought the HPM 1500's around 20 years ago for $250. Newly refoamed. Today they sell for over $2000!

On my bucket list is an Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck. Extraordinary cassette player. One of the best analog pieces of stereo gear ever made. Now a good one is around $2000.

If I had a room big enough I'd have a pair of Martin Logan speakers in addition to the HPM's.

Love analog gear.

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Offline Dilliw

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Re: Vintage Stereo Equipment
« Reply #29 on: May 28, 2019, 11:59:14 AM »
Sorry I'm late to this one.

As Nelson Pass says, "The objective needs of amplifier users are largely solved on a practical level, and when that happens, we turn our technology into art."  For me there isn’t a better expression of art than going vintage, and since audio (not just amplifiers) is largely solved technology, there's no reason that it can't sound good doing it. 

1. I would keep the power down.  Up until the late 70's one of the big challenges in stereo was delivering clean, low noise power. 
2. Based on No.1 I would integrate a modern, DSP'd subwoofer (or two) into the system.  That solves the power issue nicely and opens you to better vintage speakers for less dough.
3. I'd use speakers that presents a very high and flat impedance curve to the amplifier.  Two way at the most as the crossover networks of the days were still evolving.  A vintage amp will love you for that!
4. As few of controls (tone, balance, etc) as possible.  If you like the looks of one with knobs then fine but figure a trip to repair shop to get everything cleaned up.

My front end is 100% digital so I've never done the turntable thing if you need to go that route.

Recommendations?  I'm a big Papa Pass fan so if the late 70's is still vintage to you then Thresholds would be my main target.  Also, if you can find a Marantz 250 I've heard them sound good pushing even modern speakers. Yep the NAD is a go to vintage buy; lots of cash strapped college kids walked in to a stereo store in the 70s and walked out with a 3020.   





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