Vintage Stereo Receivers (1 Viewer)

[JonathanL]

There are many great models on ebay, but will their performance match up to their spectacular reviews on audioreview.com? I have a Sansui 771, which is supposed to be a very good receiver, but the sound is not nearly as crisp as my Onkyo HT-R410 receiver no matter what the source. Does this mean the Sansui needs to be reconditioned? Will ebay models need to be reconditioned?

Thanks,
-Jonathan.

 

[ToddPhipps]

In a lot of these older units the electrolytic caps have drifted, dried out, or become leaky. Sometimes you get a piece that still works well, othertimes you get a unit that needs recapping. Nearly all vintage units can stand a going-through with DeOxIt to clean the pots and switches, and replacing the dial lamps and polishing the metalwork does wonders on the cosmetic side.

There are a lot of vintage buffs at audiokarma and audioasylum who have some impressive systems and collections.

It's hard to go wrong with a Pioneer SX-x3x series or SX-xx50 series machine, especially the mid and upper end units. Sansui's 5050-9090 series machines and the G-series are wonderful, and Onkyo made some really nice pieces as well.

Be careful buying more vintage, it tends to become an addiction rather quickly. One thing's for sure...having these vintage beasts apart on the bench gives one an appreciation for how well they were built and how flimsy and cheap most new gear is. Nothing like rescuing a poor vintage mutt from a thrift and bringing it back to life! I have a modest collection of vintage receivers (I use 1985 Luxman separates in my main system) and get a lot of enjoyment from them.

Todd in Beerbratistan (B3Nut on most fora)

 

[Arthur S]

Sometimes I miss my 51 pound Technics SA-5760. 205 watts per channel into 4 ohms. 22 pound power transformer. Dual 22,000 microfarad filter caps.

I paid $400 for it in around 1980. Sold it for about $300 in around 1990.

 

[EvanW]

i still use my dads old SX-626 with his old bose 301 series II's sounds fine on there however when i hook it to my big yamaha's it sounds terrbile could be that that amp makes alot of distortion but i really dont know. The pots do need to be cleaned until it gets warm u get alot of static and everyonce and a while a channel will cut out, turn it off and back on its fine.

 

[ColinM]

Had - Pio SX-737. Great FM sound. Wish I had it back. It was scratched up but the sound was spectacular.

Still have Allied 395 in walnut case, bee-you-tee-ful. And a Marantz 2215B, almost mint, fantastic sound. Paid no more than $9 for each one.