Old Classic Receivers: A Mistake to Buy?

I'd put my McIntosh MAC1900 receiver up against just about any amp-pre separates in the 55W-75WPC range. Tuner/preamp/power amp sections extremely well designed and I feel it's the smoothest and most musical sounding of the SS McIntosh receivers as it's 100% discrete in the preamp/power amp stages. The MAC4100 etc. used OPAMP's in the Preamp stages [that can be upgraded for better sonics over the NE5534]. The MAC1900 is basically an MA6100 with an AM/FM tuner.
Disclaimer: I'm service manager for Nagra USA and dCS America and an Authorized McIntosh Service Center.

Yamaha. I have the MX1000U, CX1000U, CR1020, others. I've had Yamaha MX10000U, CX10000U, CR2020.

I've been very satisfied with the quality. Really a good deal on today's market if you find any of these in decent condition. These preowned components seem to outperform new equipment costing 2 to 3 times more. Recap them and change out the power cord and they really come to life.

Yamaha was ahead of its time with these. Go online and read the specs and you'll see I'm not blowing smoke. Built with mostly premium parts, power cords excluded but befitting the times.

I owned a Pioneer SX-650 when I was a teenager 30 years ago. I used it to spin records while I played along on a drum kit. I used it as an amp in a band, and listened to FM radio all night long, sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend. I used to polish the wood and chrome and really thought I had something and everyone else did to. It finally gave up the ghost about 10 years later and I threw it away. I never forgot about that old receiver and when a nice once came up on E-bay for $100 bucks I bought it without hesitation. Now it sits in an entertainment center in my living room and sometimes I just go in there and look at it. I don't even turn it on and it still brings me great pleasure. So what it is worth? You tell me. I can tell you that I have zero interest in selling it. Sometimes it's not about the sound and more about the memories. I guess some people just don't get that.

Capzark....I get it loud and clear.

it goes on and on. i have had problems with older gear, i have had some that worked fine, but always have sold at an opportune time. there is a lot of nostalgia, and those old receivers sure do look cool. like older cars- a plymouth roadrunner or baracuda, etc. best kept in the garage most of the time. nice to have though. vintage and antique items are nice to have. i can tell you this- in a shop i listened to a marantz 1070 and yamaha 1020. several people in the shop all agreed the marantz sounded markedly better. i recently did some comparing of jolida gear as i am a dealer to a mac 1900 we took in on trade. it is in very nice condition. the jolida gear both hybrid and tube sounds considerably better. several people agree with that. even the jolida 20wpc tube amp sounds a good deal better. and the jolida gear looks nice. elegant in the simplicity. i have had a pair of advent 6003 speakers which were about the best sounding speakers i have ever heard. i frequently use klipsch speakers to demo gear. i have had marantz, old pioneer, mac, and others. no way do any of those sound as good as jolida 1701 50wpc hybrid amp. and none have sounded anywhere close to any of their tube amps. and cost nearly as much as something nice and new. however, some of the vintage gear has an investment value. i like that.