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2 Ch Receiver (with Phono) $300 or less, please recommend

gnuyork said:
So I am seeing some vintage receivers locally on craigslist. I am going to suggest that to my mom as an option as well...unless you all think it's better to go brand new. My gut is telling me these older receivers will sound better and probably have better phono stages. Some options are Marantz, Kenwood, Realistic, and SONY...all of them of the wooden sides era... opinions on this? (Assuming the problem is with my dad's receiver and we replace it).
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I wouldn't want to start yet another vintage / modern debate so I will just say - yes, older gear can sound and look great but it can also be a repair bill waiting to happen. Going vintage, unless recently restored / serviced, can be a minefield especially if you or your dad are not able to perform component level repairs (or aren't willing to pay someone else to do so). I have modern amps and vintage - I can tell you in my experience, there is little discernible difference in real world terms when it comes to phono stage quality. My Yamaha R-S700 is a two channel receiver with 100 wpc output, it has a great phono stage and even has a remote control - something like this could be an option if you do go down that road.
 
If one spends a bit extra on a nicer vintage unit that has been serviced etc that might be worth your while. A dusty old unit off of CL etc entails a lot more. A lot of small HIFI shops sell refurbished units for reasonable prices. Something in the 30 wpc range and up would be fine and be nice sounding. Kenwood KR 4600/5600 Pioneer SX 680/780 etc would be a good place to start.
 
Bodyblue said:
If one spends a bit extra on a nicer vintage unit that has been serviced etc that might be worth your while. A dusty old unit off of CL etc entails a lot more. A lot of small HIFI shops sell refurbished units for reasonable prices. Something in the 30 wpc range and up would be fine and be nice sounding. Kenwood KR 4600/5600 Pioneer SX 680/780 etc would be a good place to start.
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So yes, I talked to a guy who has receivers that have been checked over by a pro for cap value specs, etc. He has a Kenwood KR 5200, a few Marantz two near my mom's budget... a 2200b and a 2216, a Sony STR 1800... If my mom decides to go this route... I'm thinking Marantz or the Kenwood. The guy welcomed me to come over and try a few to hear them....Idk...it's all up to what my mom wants to do.
 
gnuyork said:
So yes, I talked to a guy who has receivers that have been checked over by a pro for cap value specs, etc. He has a Kenwood KR 5200, a few Marantz two near my mom's budget... a 2200b and a 2216, a Sony STR 1800... If my mom decides to go this route... I'm thinking Marantz or the Kenwood. The guy welcomed me to come over and try a few to hear them....Idk...it's all up to what my mom wants to do.
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I use a 2220B everyday driving Imperial 6 speakers and I will never get rid of it. The KR 5200 is a nice unit...I have a KR4600 and it has one of the best tuners of its day. Can't go wrong with either.
 
Update: So my mom decided to get my dad a new receiver for Christmas... actually the Onkyo 9010 Integrated amp. I hooked it up for my dad today. The hum issue was not there with the new amp...but it didn't sound anywhere near as good as the older Technics receiver. It sounded flat even with the tone controls engaged and the loudness button. Maybe the synergy just wasn't there, or maybe it needed breaking in...who knows...

But I decided to try his Technics again, even with the hum to see if I remember correctly that it sounded better than this Onkyo...Sure enough it did, more lively and dynamic and even my dad noticed instantly (and he's not a techy hi fi guy). So I decided to retrace my steps from last year to see if I could pinpoint the problem with any amount of success.

It turns out in the end, I think it was the RCA cable coming from the TT to the phono input. This is also one of the things he changed when moving the equipment. The gear used to be in a stereo rack setup with shorter cables, but then when he moved it out of the rack he put the TT onto the top of an IKEA bookcase converted to album storage rack, and the receiver and tape deck off to the side on an old cedar chest. By doing this he used a different RCA cable that was about 6 feet long (maybe4 feet) to reach. I did the usual plug in in the TT to other inputs - no hum... Plugging the tape deck into the Phono input - no hum... I then tried one of the shorter RCA cables from the tape deck for the TT and all was good. I'm not sure if it was a bad cable or it was due to the longer length... because last year I brought some schmancy cables from my own system to try to see if it would fix the problem, and they sure didn't. They were also 3 feet or so.

Anyway, my dad is happy, and the Onkyo is going back. I'm happy the Technics worked out, if nothing else, it's nostalgic. I grew up listening to that stereo, and even blew a speaker cone or two (that I've since had repaired) blasting my hair metal back in the day while my parents were out of town (Ratt) :rockon:
 
Possibly a cold solder or cracked solder joint where the phono RCA jack attaches to the circuit board ...... usually in the Receiver
 
It's quite possible. Another thought to consider: Phono cables do need to stay on the short side (3-4 ft) as a general rule, and they need to be the low capacitance type. Otherwise, you can invite hum into the system, and added capacitance due to the longer run can make degrade the sound quality, plus you can pick up interference more easily.
 
tmsears said:
It's quite possible. Another thought to consider: Phono cables do need to stay on the short side (3-4 ft) as a general rule, and they need to be the low capacitance type. Otherwise, you can invite hum into the system, and added capacitance due to the longer run can make degrade the sound quality, plus you can pick up interference more easily.
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That's likely the issue, but it was strange that we didn't hear the hum in the Onkyo with the longer cables. Oh well. The bottom line is it's all good now.
 
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