Best sound in old late 70s early 80s receivers

how about the advent 300 (if you could actually find one that worked)

I have owned a pioneer sx650 and still own a sansui au517, (integrated amp) a marantz 2265b, and a marantz 2220b.

I have tried them all with the 3 sets of speakers I own. Klipsch heresies, klipsch kg4's, and quad 11L's.While all of them were very nice sounding, the small marantz 2220b at 20 watts per channel sounds better than all the others I have. When this small marantz is paired with some reasonably efficient speakers like the klipsch, it had a warm very musical sound to it with nice detail.

These old units were built very well and all of the ones I have still function perfectly.

I have since moved to tubes (totaly rebuilt dynaco st70) with the top model classe audio preamp from the early 90's (dr6) with the quad 11L speakers. In my listening room it is absolutely amazing sounding.... the old recievers cannot begin to produce the soundstaging and 3d depth that this setup does. All of my equipment was bought through audiogon or craigslist. This current setup cost me less than 2K.

Room accoustics, proper speaker placement, and system synergy play a huge role in how good any system will sound. When I use the klipsch speakers with my current system in place of the quad mini monitors the system combo is not good at all..... go figure.... klipsch speakers are supposed to be "magical" with tubes. That is not so in my room, the modern 2 way small speakers put them to shame.
The 2220b sounds better with the klipsch.

Have fun with whatever you pick up. The old recievers are easy to come by and not real expensive. And if you don't like what you get you should be able to get your money back selling it again.

Yes to most of the above, I fondly remember the Kenwoods, Yamahas, and Tandbergs. A repair shop close to me has some out for sale, and boy, they are still a thing of beauty. Takes me back! thanks for the thread.

I forgot to mention, before you buy, try to find out a little history on the receiver you intend to purchase. Try to buy from the original owner and find out if the receiver ever needed repair. If it has been repaired I would pass.
At the factory parts were closely matched for the best sound. If the receiver ever needed repair, especially outputs, you can bet there was no matching. The end result is bad sound quality.

Kyocera made some fantastic receivers. The 851 was as good as anything I have ever heard and I was in the business from '73 to '97. And it will drive most speakers well unlike the low current receivers of today (and most of the 80s & 90s).