2. amps-preamps
  3. 1026268359

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 sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I think your friend is speaking in theory about the electronics, but in reality if a vintage receiver is well taken care of, it will still perform well.


As far as FM tuners, the vintage analog tuners (even solid state) for the price will totally trounce any digital tuner. You could pick up something like a Kenwood KT6500 or Sansui TU-217 for about $50. They will pick up stations and sound as good or better than any digital tuner under $700. All you are getting with a digital tuner is convenience (presets and maybe a remote). For around $275 you could pick up something like a Kenwood KT8300 or Sansui TU-919 that will sound terrific against any digital tuner regardless of price.


More information on vintage tuners can be found at:

http://www.geocities.com/tunerinfo/

More to discover