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Help a newbie with first "real" audio purchase?

J

Jennifer T.

New Member
Hey gang - Jennifer here. Newbie. New to this site. New to vinyl. Never purchased a receiver or turntable before. However...I am not new to the internet or to good music - both which bring me here for the help of you super amazing audiophiles!

The recent passing of my father has me wishing I still had the wonderfully loud and equally warm 70's system we jammed to for years. My Dad taught me to love music...and in his memory, I am resolving to listen to my beloved tunes with some better equipment (read: not my iphone plugged into a wonky plastic speaker) in 2016 and beyond. Best NY resolution ever, right?.

First step: Receiver from c-list. Any opinions? I want warm sound....

1. Realistic STA-2280: $60, digital display, 60 WPC. (Note: My level of audio knowledge is such that i had to google "WPC.")

2. Rotel RT-320 Solid State Stereo AM/FM Tuner, $129. "pristine condition"

3. Yamaha R-700: $80, 50WPC

I'm hoping to listen to FM and records, and hook up my phone. Not too loud but loud enough to blast through a big dining room open to a large living room. And I don't want to have to pay huge money for any replacement parts or have a device that noone wants to work on because it is so crazy.

I will continue to research online, but in the meantime, anyone in this place who has anything to say - please share. Your help is very much appreciated.

Happy Holidays! Jennifer
 
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Hi,
And welcome to AK.

The Rotel is a tuner only. It would need an amp to go with it.

The Yamaha will be very neutral sounding.

The Realistic is probably the best choice of what you listed, IMO, but it probably wont have that warm sound.

Keep looking. Search for "vintage stereo" or "vintage receiver".

Good luck.

Edit: Though speaker pairing could help with the warm sound.

Rob
 
4-2-7 said:
But she doesn't need things that need repair do to age.
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Well, that's not what she said. She does not want something that would be expensive to repair or that someone does not want to work on.

So she should stay away from MACs.:D

Rob
 
Wecome, Jennifer. I think you came to the right place! Do you remember what you and your Dad used to have? We have plenty of receiver experts here, but I'm not one of them. Good luck!

:music:
 
Welcome Jennifer

I hope you know Jennifer that if you want a receiver from the 70s it will most likely need work after you start putting it into use. However you can buy something like that and it could work for years with just a little cleaning.

What I would do is subscribe here for 25 bucks and look at what members here are selling. You will have a better chance at something that has had service already. You could even find people that are local to you so that you do not need to ship. I would hate to see you just buy something for 100+ and in a month it's not working, most units at the very least need a deox-it cleaning.
 
Just advising this is very addicting, but well worth the investment. Try to audition anything prior to purchase. And enjoy.
 
I suggest getting a new receiver because there is much better chance it will work when you turn it on. I prefer Yamaha and Onkyo. Peace and goodwill.
 
Robisme said:
So she should stay away from MACs.:D
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LOL for sure, you do know all us mac guys where Sansui fans prior:biggrin:

Speaking of which your local and lately all my mint Sansui amps are dying one after another. You really should come over and start scooping them up.:thumbsup:
 
I'm thinking....H/K 730.

Warm, pure sound...timeless, beautiful styling.

The H/K 730. When you absolutely, positively have to impress every ______ in the room; The H/K 730. There is no substitute.
327738-harman_kardon_hk730_.jpg
 
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Where are you? Best thing you could do is meet a few locals and hear some different gear.

Also, many may disagree with me but my opinion is that the goodness of a system is more than 50% in the speakers, I'd concentrate there first and just get an inexpensive receiver that works until you establish a preference (or just opportunistically buy a few below market price to try longer term)
 
I saw you bad mouthing my Sawn-swee equipment. I'm not sure it's a gateway drug. Perhaps you didn't hear the right Sansui.

:p
 
We all have our opinions here, but your budget and proximity to a large metro area or not might dictate what you wind up with. To me, vintage and warm is a 70's Pioneer SX 850 or bigger receiver. They were built to last. I know that Marantz makes new gear that is affordable but I don't know what the quality is. For me, I have had Nakamichi (new in 1989), Kenwood (new in 1982) and Rotel (new in 2004) receivers and all lasted about seven to ten years before expiring. I would be careful buying older solid state receivers made in the 90's and the early part of this century, ones made in China as well. I just don't think they are built to last. Yes, there are exceptions. Personal experience building a system on a tight budget leads me to say that buying quality gear from the past and spending the time refurbishing it, if needed, will give you a system that might outlast you and that you can pass on.

If it were me, I'd buy something new with a warranty OR I would buy something classic and repairable from the 60's, 70's or 80's. The newest piece of equipment I own is 20 years old and the oldest is 51 years old (Garrard Lab 80 TT), they all work. Most of the repair work I have had to do is just cleaning, replacing speaker diaphragms, so on. Nothing real technical.

Good luck to you, welcome to AK, there should be lots of answers to your questions, maybe one will resonate or maybe someone here knows of a good receiver sitting around unused.
 
Welcome to the AK forums. Best bet has been said with becoming a subscriber. You will find people who've restored gear for sale for just about any budget. If the gear needs to be shipped, you'll find that they will make certain it will be packed to survive the trip.
 
What is your room size and acceptable budget?

Generally to novice I recommend reasonably priced high quality gear. So I suggest buy new: Parasound Halo Integrated 2.1 amplifier with pair of Kef ls50 speakers. That should cover your needs for digital and analog playback in small to mid-size room. You can add subwoofer if you feel need in more bass. If you need FM, I suggest separate tuner. If you insist on buying used gear, find HK990 amplifier and pair of B&W 805S speakers on eBay or Audiogon. All that should give you sense of quality sound until you understand what is what in audio.
 
I like your goals here Jennifer, but wonder what your expectations are. If you want vintage equipment, you are going to have to either be willing to do some repairs yourself or find and pay someone to do this for you, unless you find and pay the premium for properly restored gear. As electrical equipment ages, things can go bad. You'll read about leaky capacitors, dirty/scratchy pots, and other things that are common with older used equipment. Hence, I usually advise people starting out to consider new equipment that is well reviewed and affordable. You may pay a bit more up front, but long term may come out ahead, especially if it carries a good warranty. As has been said, spend most of your budget on speakers. Splurging there will pay off. They also are the one component that is always on display so consider design if that is important to you. Modern equipment often will have converters so you can enjoy both your digital and analog content interchangeably. They also typically have remote controls, or even the ability to control via your phone. You won't, for example, find USB inputs on any vintage receiver and this might be convenient for you. It really depends on how you see using and building your system. Given your memories with your father, I would definately recommend a turntable. You'll have a lot of fun and nostalgia playing records. you can save some money if your receiver has a built in phono stage (Look for phono inputs on back or "phono" selector knob position). Good luck!
 
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BigElCat said:
I'm thinking....H/K 730.

Warm, pure sound...timeless, beautiful styling.

+1 on HK 730, or similar Harman Kardon receivers.

I bought one new in the 70's, used it for years, had the switches cleaned and now my daughter and son-in-law have it. Older HK units are pretty much bulletproof. Their switches do need cleaning from time to time. A friend recently paid $20 for an 80's vintage HK receiver. I cleaned it up and it sounds great. Of course you will get lots of opinions here, so try to audition anything you are interested in.

Welcome to AK. Sit back, look around, and enjoy!
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I have been really happy with the older NAD stuff I've had. All very affordable and on the pleasant sounding side of accurate.
 
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