An alternative viewpoint. I picked up an old Marantz 2230 receiver for $20 at a flea market. The initial listening test was promising, so I decided to refurbish the unit myself. I replaced every electrolytic cap (~75 of them) with 105 deg C rated modern caps and replaced some of the mylars as well, cleaned and reseated the transistors on their heat sinks, replaced all of the lamps, put in new diffuser paper behind the dial (so it was deep blue again instead of aqua), replaced a broken power switch and a few broken speaker posts, and polished the chassis to a gleaming finish (see pictures below). The total cost for all the parts was <$100, and I now have a kickass 30WPC receiver (a VERY powerful 30 watts, I might add) that is also beautiful to look at, and a bit of a conversation piece. It's now the centerpiece of my basement workshop system, along with an Onkyo DX-702 CD player (picked it up for free) and a pair of Pioneer HPM-40 speakers (also a free score).
So for a total of $120 I have a system that sounds excellent in that space, and a lot of personal satisfaction. It won't replace my main system in a much larger room, but that system cost me >$15K! And that Marantz will be good for another 20 years at least.
In summary, if you like unusual/vintage gear and like to work on /fix things, and you have some free time, why not go for it yourself?
Inside View
Outside View
So what do you think?
So for a total of $120 I have a system that sounds excellent in that space, and a lot of personal satisfaction. It won't replace my main system in a much larger room, but that system cost me >$15K! And that Marantz will be good for another 20 years at least.
In summary, if you like unusual/vintage gear and like to work on /fix things, and you have some free time, why not go for it yourself?
Inside View
Outside View
So what do you think?