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Old Classic Receivers: A Mistake to Buy?

I was contemplating purchasing a 70's receiver, as I used to love the construction and appearance of the Sansui, Kenwood, Pioneer, Marantz. However, when I ran this by an audio friend, he said, "Forget it."

He says: They sound terrible. The caps & resistors used before the early 90s' were dreadful. The electrolytics are drying up and will start crackling and substantially degrade the sonics. The switches and controls used were almost never sealed, so they deteriorate and make noise and can't be fixed even by taking them apart and cleaning them.

Tuners: He says that nearly all non-digital tuners used varactors, which go out of alignment and cause problems, so no old tuners, with the exception of the Mac MR-78 and possibly a few others, are worth dealing with.

I am tempted to believe all that he is saying is true, but I see a market for these items, and also know that people claim they are still using these pieces for 25 years.

What's the truth here? Can some of the techies enlighten me?
kevziek

Showing 1 response by br3098

br3098
1,009 posts
 
When I was in high school in the '70s I worked one summer for a local stereo store, mostly in the back. All the money I made (and more) went into Luxman gear. I still have all of it except the turntable, which I foolishly traded when I got married in 1980.

Long story short - my daughters still use my old Lux gear to spin vinyl. One uses my old R-404 receiver, which still sounds surprisingly good. My younger daughter uses the old L-405 amp and a pair of Klipsch KG-4s. I have done minimal maintenance on the gear over the years, mostly CLAs. I am pleasantly surprised how well this gear has held up, and also the fact that it is still providing great sound.
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