Looking to spend <=$500 on a receiver & turntable...

[perdidopunk]

I'm looking to spend $500 or less on a good receiver and a good turntable. I'm more interested in older stuff (before the mid-1980's) because I think they'll be easier to work on. I want to play around with modifying the receiver a bit; changing out capacitors, maybe picking better opamp chips, etc. I've considered designing and building my own amp, but I really don't have the time to do so and I need an audio source besides my computer.

I'm thinking that if I get something that's in less-than-perfect condition I can pay a bit less for what is actually a good component. I'm willing to put some work into repairing a slightly malfunctioning amp if it means I'll be saving some money.

Can anybody recommend a good amp that has fairly flat frequency response, preferably something in the range of 10hz-25khz powered?

[infinitesymphony]

Pretty much every amp for the last 40 years has advertised flat frequency response well past 25 kHz. That claim is not indicative of overall sound quality.

There are a ton of integrated amplifiers worth recommending, but you'll have to do some research. McIntosh, Sansui, Nakamichi, Marantz, Pioneer... There are others, but those are the first ones that came to my mind.

Turntables are harder to put a price on, since each individual part greatly affects the overall sound quality. Many people have outfitted their tables with non-stock parts, which means that the market values of their turntables will all be different depending on the configuration. So, finding a good value will take research and luck.

[memepool]

Originally Posted by perdidopunk

I'm looking to spend $500 or less on a good receiver and a good turntable. I'm more interested in older stuff (before the mid-1980's) because I think they'll be easier to work on. I want to play around with modifying the receiver a bit; changing out capacitors, maybe picking better opamp chips, etc. ?

You're better off looking for an old integrated amp rather than a reciever as the really good receivers from this period are very popular with collectors and and the cheaper ones won't be as good as a standalone amp.
NAD are worth checking, and Denon, Luxman, Trio / Kenwood and Onkyo as well as those listed above. Sony also made some interesting amps in this period as did Technics.
The better quality ones won't have opamps at all but will be all discretely wired so easy enough to work on.
Try not to spend too much on the amp. Be careful of anything too esoteric like the Sony V-Fets as you won't be able to get the spares any more.
As far as turntables go see my list here Low Budget Vinyl Source

[texashorn91]

I love what I have. You can find a Marantz Receiver from the 70's (Model 22xx) for less than $200, on craigslist and eBay. For turntables, hit up craigslist again (stay away from eBay!!!) and look for some of the vintage TT's listed in memepools's "Low Budget Vinyl Source" thread. A vintage combo like that can save you a ton of money, and get you great sound. If you want something more, I can also suggest the Technics 1200, which you can get new for less than $400.