Greetings! New to vintage home stereo gear, looking for recommendations

I

ILLZ

New Member
Hello all, I'm a music junkie. Just started reading about how oftentimes the vintage stuff from the 70's/80's etc sounds better than the new stuff, which is super intriguing to me.

I'm looking for a basic setup for my office and was hoping for some recommendations. Musically I listen to everything but as a general genre I'll say "rock". My single goal is sound quality. I'll be playing the music directly from my desktop computer via Apple Music so I probably only need a pair of speakers and a receiver? The speakers will be around 10 feet from where I sit at my desk and about 15 feet from each other. As I said, my number one goal is sound quality and I definitely want something vintage because I think it's cool. Any recommendations are welcome! I'll be mostly using local CL sales and ebay unless someone else has a better suggestion. TIA...

Oh yeah, I'd like to spend minimally on this but as a hard cap I don't want to go higher than $200 for everything.
 
If it were me I'd put together something like this:

1. Integrated amp - something like a Sansui AU-217 or NAD 3140.
I've found both those units very reasonably priced,so you should be able to as well.
And both are excellent sounding units w/pretty dang good phono sections (should that be in the cards for later on).

2. Speakers - something like some JBL LX-22 or possibly some Canton GL-260.
If one gets lucky maybe even some lower end ADS (L200/L300/L400) or such.
Both those can be found reasonably priced too,and the SQ one gets per $ spent is very respectable.

3. A budget minded DAC to interface with the desktop PC,does'nt need to fancy or expensive,even a Fiio D3 could work here.

As a core set of gear that would get things rocking pretty good,it just wont be the loudest office system.
And should you want radio capability you can add budget minded tuner to the stack.
Should you want a bit more bass,you could easily add a sub to the rig for a 2.1 set-up.

Anyhow just some food for thought,,,honestly there are literally a million ways this can be done...
And most of that largely depends on what random piece(s) of gear crosses ones path @ any given time.

Good luck with the hunt & welcome to AK.

Bret P.
 
ILLZ said:
I'll be mostly using local CL sales and ebay unless someone else has a better suggestion.
Click to expand...

Welcome to AK. I would highly recommend becoming a subscriber for $25 which will get you access to Bartertown and lots of great equipment being sold by AK members.
Being a subscriber also goes a long way in helping keep AK up and running.
 
If you're patient and like to "treasure hunt", you can get some good sound dirt cheap. Just gotta be in the right place at the right time with a couple $20 s in yer pocket.
If you don't have time to scour garage sales, thrift stores, and internet sites the vibes can come faster but at a higher price.
To me it ain't always what you got, but how you use it. Place it actually.
Speaker placement can make a huge impact on how things sound.
Experiment, and have fun.
 
I'd second the JBLs for rock. Another good option is the Infinity Primus series which can be found for little money and sound great. They are also fairly efficient which means you can get quite a bit of volume from even a lower powered amp/receiver. At your price point I would look for a Kenwood, MCS, or Realistic integrated amp/receiver from that era, all of which can be quite good (especially the Kenwood). To avoid the pitfalls common with 70s gear you may want to buy from a shop that tests them before they are sold. Also, while others may disagree, while I love 70s electronics, I feel speakers have made great strides since then. Good luck!
 
I'll repeat precious post. $200 isn't much.
If your in warmer climate, peruse garage sale adds for audio, stereo searches. Sometimes a diamond can be found from someone who just wants it gone. The way to audio heaven on yourbudget.
Possibly Advent, EPI, Dynaco, KLH, JBL or AR bookshelves. If surrounds need replacing, maybe for a song. Add amp or receiver
Or, $25 to join AK Bartertown. Find some excess gear off a member local to you.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the replies! I’ve decided I’m going to start with a super crappy thrift store setup - whatever I can find that’s vintage/works/is at least decent. I’ll research and look around and be patient and upgrade when I can. Bare bones I only need speakers and a receiver right? 3.5mm to rca cord? I’m going to goodwill tomorrow but I’ve already found a Harmon Kardon 330i for $25 on CL and a few other vintage receivers for less than $75. I’ll post up the details when i get time. Does the receiver I use have to have aux to connect to the PC? Or can I run through phono or something else etc?

Thank you all for the input and I apologize in advance for any dumb question.
 
The HK 330i is a good receiver and if in good working condition is a great deal for $25.
If it or any other receiver doesn't have an AUX input you can use one of the TAPE inputs for the PC connection. Yeah, 3.5mm to RCA is right. Cannot use PHONO input.
Receiver and speakers is all you need for a bare-bones setup.
 
I concur! That HK is very very nice (and is "totally there" no matter what other stuff we all could advise you on).
Speaks.....thinking a "rocker sound" very well could be your cup of tea so at this point don't let people say a good "rocker speak" is less than.....not a whole truth because they do a lot right and classic rock does a lot well with them. (However......eyeing non-rockers is another path too and ADS, Vintage KLH etc can still be found that achieve "a top end" sound that transcends more listening genres.) Both get it done though.

Got to tell you.....it's refreshing to hear someone not afraid of a learning curve because truth is? Purchasing wisely and enjoying your path is half the beauty in all this. Enjoy!
 
If you enjoy Thrifting, depending on locals some nice gear can show up there. Good hunting. Sometimes Estate sales are good. Like you say with patience you can upgrade.
 
That HK may not be a bargain if the knobs are either expensive or hard to find.
I bet that OP will want those knobs soon.

I would also consider buying a 1990s-era AV receiver to get started.
They can be found in my area pretty easily for around $25.
Such a unit would be less likely to require maintenance for a while and would be easy to walk away from altogether later, once a really nice, older amp/receiver is found.

I really like the advice to consider 'less collectible' brands.
I have enjoyed my Realistic equipment as much as any of my Sansui, Technics, or Pioneer stuff.
 
Mcintosh is always your best buy! If you don't believe me look at the resale value. Marantz tube stuff is good, too. Vintage means before 80's to most folks to me its before Quad. That said Sansui made some nice stuff, but it will need restoring. Mac and Marantz will, too. Pioneer and Accuphase from that period performed well. Finding specialists is what its going to be all about. Great vintage stuff is not cheap. Priced a Dusenberg lately? How about a Roll's Royce. The early Corvettes restored aren't cheap either. So if your looking for a deal, vintage is not the way to go. Look for something 7 to 10 years old!
 
Are the HK knobs gone/replaced or are they just missing the shiny caps?
Not many in/outs for future upgrading but if it's working it's a good place to start.
 
I am a big fan of a/d/s speakers for your price range. L420s, L520s probably can be found for less than $100 a pair. Vintage HK or Yamaha receivers or integrated amps good choices for $80 - 100 un-restored but fully working. A Yamaha to look for - either the CR-420 or CR-620. Either of these would do you proud. Good hunting!

P.S. Oh, also Kenwood. KA-3500 a good choice. Just had mine restored and it sounds very very good. I'd give the nod to Yamaha, but nothing wrong with Kenwood. All 3 of these will cost a lot less than Marantz or Sansui, on average.

There are other good ones - Sherwood, etc - that also would price below $100 usually.
 
The ad says the knobs are “non original” I’m awaiting a reply about them. For $25 if this thing is fully fubctional I’m grabbing it.

I’m located in Albany NY

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. I’ll be reading, learning, researching and reporting back.
 
ILLZ said:
Just started reading about how oftentimes the vintage stuff from the 70's/80's etc sounds better than the new stuff, which is super intriguing to me.
Click to expand...

It is not that simple. Junk is junk and lots of junk was sold in the 70's/80's....just like today.

I would suggest keeping an open mind to a non-vintage higher-end AVR. 20 or 30 years newer can be an advantage.

Good luck with the hunt!
 
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