Old Classic Receivers: A Mistake to Buy?

Kevziek:

So, it has now been over a year since you started this thread and there have been numerous responses generally attesting to the more than acceptable sound and/or build quality of the old classic receivers. What did you wind up doing? Did you actually purchase some vintage equipment and what were your experiences? In all candor, to date, your comments could be typified as more of the "put down" variety as opposed to any "forays into the vintage world" variety. Just curious.

Regards, Rich

I have a Pioneer SX 1250(Mid 70's era). It is used daily. It has been in the shop only once about 5 years ago. My old Pioneer sounds 400% better to me than the newer Black Plague stuff that costs three times as much. Perhaps your "expert" is totally ignorant of technology he knows nothing about.

What a great topic. I posted a question just now about the newer Marantz and Denon integrated. What I have been using as a main for the last dozen years is a lowly Denon dra-535. It just yesterday kicked the ass of another in a line of amp auditions. This one the guy had built himself, and it sounded quite good, but without the detail and power I have been used to. It seemed a bit flat also. My other main for the fifteen years before that was a Marantz 1040. That little diehard is still kickin' in the shop system. What a great overall sound it has too.

The look and feel of the older stuff is really hard to top imho. Where can I find a newer unit built like the classics, with even better sound character? And Remote! (I'm a little lazy anymore)
I do think the e-bay market has really inflated prices on some of the vintage eqpt (if you're a buyer) if you're selling it works out perfect.

This may be a little off topic but I think the comparison is worth while especially in regards to the tuner sections in recivevers or for that matter separate tuners. As a ham radio operator many years ago I ran into much of the same issues with the then new PLL /digital filtering HF equipment. Compared to the older tube/analog equipment the new stuff just couldn't process a signal as well. Yeah, you got lots of cool lights and digital readouts but that was about it. In essence what happened is that the use of digital tuning/signal processing allowed manufaturers a cheap way out. Rather than use $$$$ crystal latice filters to reject unwanted signals they could get by with cheaper but less effective IC's and software. I suspect that the much the same thing occured in stereo tuners.

Awhile back I found a receiver in a dumpster while up in Chicago. It was a Pioneer sx 1980. Well, I hauled it back home with a suitcase strap; putting the 100 lb amp in the overhead on a 727 flite to Daytona. That was a BIG job. No security back then. You know, people saw me carrying that thing and they understood why. I repaired amps before for a living, so I will hence repair this one. Power supply blown output b-plus 65v rail =0. Well this was a tricky one because many of the small components(xistors)are matched and some are not available except as substitutions; specs are not exactly the same as oem. Also all voltages have to come up together or the power supply just blows everything. This happened many times. Drawings and service manual only available in microfich and maybe unavailable. Pioneer in Atlanta (or a serv.ctr.) there can repair these units. Mine works ok even the fm works (capacitave afc cool tuning)Generally, the unit is awesome but circuit boards are old phenolics not glass, alignment is tough-you got to set bias rite or a channel will run hot and you blow speakers-not funny when they are your favorite ones. Toroid xfmr good!