hey man there's what appears to be a bangin Marantz integrated on *new 2 days* RIGHT NOW for 150.00! with upgrades. WELL WORTH IT i am certain. (dec 14, 2010)
for my own money, there are a LOT of options out there on the vintage market, but it doesn't seem as tho this is the place to get a lot of support for such things. you really have to know what you want. in your case, there are vintage integrated amps all over the place. i'd be wary of some but on others, you just can't go wrong. some that will always hold some interest are the 70s Marantz for example, also look at Sansuis.
i was warned off some older amps that either nobody wants to work on or that might not be of interest to others if you want to re-sell. some problems might be leaky caps, for example. look closely, ask the right questions and do your homework and you should be OK. not all brands that were considered *high end* back in their day have any real cred now, bear that in mind as you search... but others are still considered to be worthy. you have to remember that the modern stuff is really hot, if not expensive- but that's the comparison base for a lot of folks here at A-gon.
one thing i WILL say about the folks here is that they are VERY helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, also very honest. this is great for neophytes and newbs. ask up front so you won't be disappointed in the end.
good luck to you!
for my own money, there are a LOT of options out there on the vintage market, but it doesn't seem as tho this is the place to get a lot of support for such things. you really have to know what you want. in your case, there are vintage integrated amps all over the place. i'd be wary of some but on others, you just can't go wrong. some that will always hold some interest are the 70s Marantz for example, also look at Sansuis.
i was warned off some older amps that either nobody wants to work on or that might not be of interest to others if you want to re-sell. some problems might be leaky caps, for example. look closely, ask the right questions and do your homework and you should be OK. not all brands that were considered *high end* back in their day have any real cred now, bear that in mind as you search... but others are still considered to be worthy. you have to remember that the modern stuff is really hot, if not expensive- but that's the comparison base for a lot of folks here at A-gon.
one thing i WILL say about the folks here is that they are VERY helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, also very honest. this is great for neophytes and newbs. ask up front so you won't be disappointed in the end.
good luck to you!