Considering Purchase of Vintage Receiver/speakers

[strm63]

Greetings AKers. Newbee here, haven't used a vintage receiver since the 80's and am looking forward to getting back at it! I am looking at a pair of Advent 4002 speakers and a Pioneer SX-990 receiver to purchase from two separate sellers. Speakers look decent, foam is intact, small dent in one tweeter. Re-seller is moving them on the bay and says "good condition." Front of speakers say Advent Corp. Cambridge Mass. Price is good and I have read good reviews of these speakers on AK. Receiver looks to be being sold by original owner and other than a stain from a coffie cup on the top and perhap a burnt out tuning lamp appears to be working okay - price is close to where it should be at $150, may make an offer on it. So I'm considering buying these two to get back into vinyl record playing (need to find a turntable - am following a local auction for a Dual 1249 tt that also includes a basic Garrard tt and some DBX Soundfield V speakers, am tempted as I've read some good about the Dual, but I'm leaning toward passing on it and look for something simpler or already reconditioned.) I have no electrical aptitude so am a little overwhelmed at the prospect of buying vintage that may need some work, but given current affairs and some time on my hands, I'm game! Thoughts on the above pairing of receiver and speakers which may need some work but are priced accordingly? Thx.

 

[grillebilly]

Welcome to AK.
Ebay is a crapshoot. Even if the seller turns out to be honest, you still rely on the shipper not to destroy it.
Vintage gear is a hot commodity these days. It still packs a punch if you shop wisely. If you live in an area that has a large Craigslist, that may be your best bet starting out.
As far as the speakers and receiver goes, they should be a decent pairing, neither are exceptional but no slouches either.
Patience is the rule if you want to put a system together unless you find a complete rig from a local seller. There were days not long ago they were plentiful but not so much anymore.
Good luck.

 

[strm63]

Welcome to AK.
Ebay is a crapshoot. Even if the seller turns out to be honest, you still rely on the shipper not to destroy it.
Vintage gear is a hot commodity these days. It still packs a punch if you shop wisely. If you live in an area that has a large Craigslist, that may be your best bet starting out.
As far as the speakers and receiver goes, they should be a decent pairing, neither are exceptional but no slouches either.
Patience is the rule if you want to put a system together unless you find a complete rig from a local seller. There were days not long ago they were plentiful but not so much anymore.
Good luck.

Thanks, just wanting to dip my toes in so don't want to try anything too crazy. Both are relatively local to me so I would be able to personally pick up both and avoid shipping.

 

[daveg3588]

If those are local, you should be ok, good basic system. Also subscribe to AK, that opens Bartertown our market place. Good deals there too.

 

[jek57]

As far as the Advents go I would look for the older large advents

 

[crazy-in-az]

I had a pair of 4002's and they were great two way speakers. Those Jensen dome tweeters are very nice and non-fatiguing and the bass is typical of classic Advents. They should sound great paired with a classic Pioneer.

 

[coonmanx]

I would definitely go for it with the caveat that it still may need some cleaning and even if it works now then down the road you may need to see a tech. All my systems have integrated amps that were made in the 80s and they all have some slight issues and could use a bit of attention... Balance sliders that need cleaning and lubing. Dirty input selectors... Just be aware of that when you start. "Working" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone... Right now I am working on an MCS 3860 that has a scratchy volume control, dirty input selectors and speaker switches that put the amp into protection for a moment when you use them. Yes it works, but it also has issues. So just be aware and ready and it never hurts to have a tech go through a new to you unit if that is an option...