If you're going to go for a used Advent, I recommend trying before buying. I have a 15 year old one that I use in a 3rd system. As time has passed, the tuner section has had more of a tendency to drift and it takes about an hour of warm up for the tuner to be able to receive in stereo. Also, while the phono stage is ok, the linestage does not seem to match up well with cd players. Suggest you consider that many older receivers were designed before CD players became popular and the line stage sections may not match up well. There was a time when I used the Advent with a Hafler 120 amp as my second system. I replaced this combo with a NAD 710 receiver around 7 years ago which sounded a little better, had better FM reception and took up less space. The NAD also had a decent headphone amp, a rarity amoungst receivers. I did like the sound of the old Pioneer and Yamaha receivers that I owned in the 70's, but I would not trade the sound of my NAD for either of them.
Vintage Receivers vs. Modern MidFi
As I was looking at classic tuners from Marantz I started to notice their receivers and I've become very interested. I'm curious what people here think about the comparision between these 'classic' receivers and modern midfi equipment. I've been considering an NAD c340 or Jolida 102b matched with a classic Marantz tuner or my current FT-11, but when I considered replacing my FT-11 I thought 'why not consider replacing my whole deal with one of these vintage receivers'. The more I look at these receivers the more I am struck by their beauty. I am too young to have ever owned one of these new, but I must admit that I am very drawn to them. In the end though it is about the sound, and I want the best I can afford. I've got about $600 to spend on tuner and amplification. So, should I get a classic Marantz(or McIntosh?) receiver or stick with my NAD/Jolida + Magnum/Classic Marantz combo, and how do these two paths match up sound wise? Your advice, concerns, confessions, and/or recommendations are warmly welcomed. Oh ya, if it matters I'm using AE Aegis speakers. Thanks. Carter.