New Audiophile - Speaker + Receiver advice

mrjoemorgan

Member
Hey all, (apologies if this is in the wrong place - my first post)

Firstly I want to thank all the members of AudioKarma that make it such a wonderful resource. Being newly into my audiophile journey, the information on this site has been a huge help.

So far I have been looking on eBay and CL to find a receiver and speakers to go with my Audio Technica AT LP120 turntable (ill get a vintage turntable one day, for now I went on a friends recommendation)

I'd like to spend around $300 ish on both a receiver and pair of speakers, I've been looking at all things from Yamaha to JBL to B+W to Marantz to Toshiba to Panasonic.

I love the look of the vintage gear - wood and metal looks so much nicer than black plastic (and will go nicely next to my 1913 Phonograph)

What I wanted to ask was, which brands and model ranges should I be considering for my budget and needs?

With so many options out there I was hoping to narrow down my search. I am based in California and looking at eBay for a wider option (not much on CL locally)

Thanks in advance

Joe
 
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Welcome to AK!
Are you wanting to go new or used?
Also might want to include your location, as some models are more readily available in different countries.
Room size, volume levels and what you listen to are also factors.
 
The question comes up a lot. Listen to everything you can get near. Your, YOUR ears are the final arbiter.
 
eBay can be a hit or miss deal, since everyone now believes "vintage" is golden. Lower end models that you could find locally for $50 are now in the hundreds. We have a forum for subscribers here called Barter Town, costs $25 to join. I am betting you will find your best deal there. Lots of us are hoarders and get some pleasure from letting stuff go to "family". Probably find something close to home and you could listen before buying.
If not I would hold out for a CL deal, something off the radar, like an old Sony or Onkyo receiver. Speakers are more readily available. Check the speaker forum out, there is a lot of info on speakers that you might like and be able to afford.
 
Pretty much need to avoid Ebay these days unless you get onto an actual auction that doesn't go too high.
depending on your actual location some of the various vintage record stores in CA I have seen used gear as well and for decent prices in many instances so don't be afraid to go look into those. Plus you get to thumb through all the stacks of vinyl.

CList, Facebook Marketplace....all those are a potential source. if you have patience you can get some really great gear for great prices. It just takes some patience plus diligence.
If you provide us what town you are in I am sure some folks here can steer you to some options locally as examples.
 
Welcome to AK, Mr. Joe Morgan! It's good to have you aboard. What is the significance of your avatar picture? Just curious.

As to purchasing, a fellow AKer posted yesterday concerning some Radio Shack/Optimus gear and the point was made that this brand still has a "sleeper" factor to it. I.E., certain items within the brand (such as receivers, speakers, tape decks, and turntables) are of quite good quality and still sells for reasonable money. This could be a very good place to start.

My wife has taught me how to work the garage/estate sale circuits. These venues have great promise, especially when you get friends and relatives involved in the hunting. Just tell them to look for amplifiers, receivers, turntables, et.al., that have silver faces. If it's black, put it back. (And, of course, this is a huge generalization, but you get what I'm saying.)

Once you, or they, have located something interesting, use your cell phone to get the scoop on it here or at: https://www.hifiengine.com/. Then, go to ebay and click on the "sold" filter and find out what the same unit sells for nationally. The rest is up to you.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I'd skip the receiver and opt for an integrated amp instead.
Even if having a tuner were a must,and then I'd just add a nice budget tuner.

With that sorta budget I'd probably go find a Sansui AU-317 integrated and some JBL LX-22 -or- LX-44 speakers.
And then if a tuner were wanted just find the matching Sansui TU-317 tuner.

Very nice sounding combo with the sweet Sansui AU/TU aesthetics and a very nice sounding phono section.
Plenty of 'em out there to choose from too.

FWIW

Bret P.
 
I'd skip the receiver and opt for an integrated amp instead.
Even if having a tuner were a must,and then I'd just add a nice budget tuner.

With that sorta budget I'd probably go find a Sansui AU-317 integrated and some JBL LX-22 -or- LX-44 speakers.
And then if a tuner were wanted just find the matching Sansui TU-317 tuner.

Very nice sounding combo with the sweet Sansui AU/TU aesthetics and a very nice sounding phono section.
Plenty of 'em out there to choose from too.

FWIW

Bret P.
Budget of $300 :dunno:
 
Welcome to AK! It has quadrupled my knowledge of all things Audio since I've been here :) I love Vintage, you don't have "Vintage" money, so if I were you, I'd buy this Yamaha/Polk package on Amazon for $279- Yamaha R-S202 Stereo Receiver with Bluetooth and Polk TSi100 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers. https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Recei...qid=1511300750&sr=1-19&refinements=p_4:Yamaha

You did real good on your Turntable selection, this system will match it perfectly... you're going to get great sound and if you wanted to better it with all-vintage equipment, you would have to spend 3 times more and hope your stuff does'nt need rebuilding ;)
 
I'd skip the receiver and opt for an integrated amp instead.
Even if having a tuner were a must,and then I'd just add a nice budget tuner.

With that sorta budget I'd probably go find a Sansui AU-317 integrated and some JBL LX-22 -or- LX-44 speakers.
And then if a tuner were wanted just find the matching Sansui TU-317 tuner.

Very nice sounding combo with the sweet Sansui AU/TU aesthetics and a very nice sounding phono section.
Plenty of 'em out there to choose from too.

FWIW

Bret P.
Budget of $300 :dunno:
Example: I bought my AU-217 & LX-22 for much less than that ($85 for the AU-217 & $55 for the LX-22's).
So I know I could dig up that AU-317/LX-22 combo with that $300 budget,it would just take some patience & smart shopping.

And a tuner (if necessary) could always be bought later on after the funds were replenished a bit.
Example: I got my TU-217 for $110 and that included rack handles,,,and I bought my first pair of LX-44 for $150.

I was'nt leading the new guy astray,my suggestion was absolutely do-able.

Only reason I'd suggested the AU-317 vs. the AU-217 is the AU-317 has pre-out/amp-in capability and the AU-217 does'nt.
That and if he did get the matching tuner the TU-317 has dial lights vs. the TU-217 that does'nt have 'em.
Prices are'nt tremendoulsy different between those models,certainly not enough to make the task impossible.

FWIW

Bret P.
 
Thanks Drugolf - I think that's going to be my play, get some powered speakers for now just to enjoy (Polk or Edifier) and wait to get my vintage gear bargains!

Gdmoore 28 - Thank you! Photo must be linked to my gmail account, no idea how it showed up. That's been my play to date, look at things online from CL or FB, then check eBay and AK for price guidance and review of the gear.

Xero-D-Hero - Interesting thought, I hadn't even thought about that. I'll take a look at some integrated amps as well.

909Hemi - that is my biggest worry with vintage is not knowing what I am getting. Whilst I think with the right amount of patience I could get something within budget, making sure I don't have to fix or upgrade shortly after will be hard for me to judge.

//

Does anyone use Reverb on here? Or is that a dirty word. Seems like a website full of used gear. Could come with same issues as eBay but I can see local postings and try to find some gems.
 
If there's any electronics repair shops in your neighborhood check them out for bargains on vintage gear. They usually check them out to verify everything is working correctly and many offer some sort of warranty like 30 or 90 days. I have bought some great pieces from folks like these. Many of the remaining brick and mortar audio shops offer used gear as well, sometimes for a little higher than Craigslist etc but unlike CL etc they have their reputations to protect.
 
If there's any electronics repair shops in your neighborhood check them out for bargains on vintage gear. They usually check them out to verify everything is working correctly and many offer some sort of warranty like 30 or 90 days. I have bought some great pieces from folks like these.

That's really good thinking. Never even occurred to me before.
 
I'm not a fan of buying vintage electronics on Ebay. Advantage is with seller. You want to be able to audition that it works. I've bought nice gear untried at garage sales for next to nothing, trusting seller. But on occasion, have been lied to over few dollars sale.
For your budget, maybe a better AV receiver to use as 2 channel. They get turned over by owners often, for latest formats. Example, a Pioneer Elite series or Marantz might be found cheap, with a remote to boot. Would leave more budget for speakers.
 
Darkblue94 gave some excellent advice on buying from a repair shop. I've beat the living hell out of ebay prices buy doing just that in the last year. I bought an Onkyo P306RS preamp for roughly half of what they were going for on Ebay. Last month I bought a Harman Kardon Citation 16 from the same place for less than half of what one is currently listed on ebay for, and today I made an agreement to buy a pair of Kenwood L-09Ms for roughly a third of what the last pair sold for on ebay. Another big plus is there is a 90 day warranty with this gentleman, and no shipping fees or damage to worry about. This forum is a wealth of information, and mostly good advice. Welcome aboard! :beerchug:
 
Example: I bought my AU-217 & LX-22 for much less than that ($85 for the AU-217 & $55 for the LX-22's).
So I know I could dig up that AU-317/LX-22 combo with that $300 budget,it would just take some patience & smart shopping.

And a tuner (if necessary) could always be bought later on after the funds were replenished a bit.
Example: I got my TU-217 for $110 and that included rack handles,,,and I bought my first pair of LX-44 for $150.

I was'nt leading the new guy astray,my suggestion was absolutely do-able.

Only reason I'd suggested the AU-317 vs. the AU-217 is the AU-317 has pre-out/amp-in capability and the AU-217 does'nt.
That and if he did get the matching tuner the TU-317 has dial lights vs. the TU-217 that does'nt have 'em.
Prices are'nt tremendoulsy different between those models,certainly not enough to make the task impossible.

FWIW

Bret P.

Just out of curiosity, Bret, I did some ebay "sold" listings research. I just could not comprehend that Sansui separates could be purchased within the OP's budget. Especially not considering the keen reputation that Sansui separates enjoy on this board and on others.

The result: you are exactly right. Taking an average of the AU-217 shows that they are selling for approximately $90, excluding shipping. (All the average prices I'm giving are excluding shipping.) The TU-217 is averaging at $70. (One sale offered a TU-217 and AU-217 pair for only $142.50! SOLD!) Surprise on the speakers, as well. The JBL LX-22 is averaging a measly $46/pair. At this point, Mr. Joe still has about $100 to devote to some Home Depot 14 or 16 gauge speaker cables and some interconnects. Might even be able to squeeze in a record!

In short, you made some good recommendations, Bret. It's good to know that a few well respected components are still attainable at less than cut-throat prices. Time for Mr. Joe to start watching for possible sources for some good "audio karma!"

GeeDeeEmm

Pictures of Bret's suggestions:

Sansui TU-217 and AU-217 Stack
1378326-sansui-au-217-ii-amplifier-and-tuner-serviced-in-2015.jpg


JBL LX-22
4933-2.jpg


And Mr. Joe's turntable, Audio Technica AT-LP120 (The black version would look great with the Sansuis!)
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