[MartinB]

I'm going to get a vintage amp or reciever for use as a headphone amp and to drive some small speakers. I've been looking at some Marantz's, HK's and Luxman's.
Do you recommend any special models? Would really appreciate if you could list some of the really good ones, so I would know what to look for.
I will use it with Grado RS-1's and maybe other stuff in the future.

 

[Gonz]

Wish I could help, but theres thousands of recievers out there, and I've heard only a handfull or three over the years... none of which I recall model numbers for, much less how they'd compare.

You can find forums dealing with vintage recievers, where great models will be discussed like we discuss headphone amps here...

But also be aware that anything considered to be fantastic, is going to be sought after and command rediculous premiums. I would hope you have an expert repair technician on standby, since anything vintage you source from eBay or the like... has no warranty, and may not work well, if at all when it arrives.

Vintage stuff, for the most part, is about buying cheap, and finding that underdog/sleeper model that went overlooked.

 

[Tequila]

Hello, you might find the following thread quite useful. I certainly did.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...eivers+marantz

Using the search function will yield more useful information.

 

[MartinB]

Thanks guys!
I've searched the forum and found a lot of useful information, but figured a short list of the best would be nice. The Marantz 10xx series of integrated amps and 22xx series of recievers seems to be good stuff.
I've also read about some good HK's, but which models?
Smaller but very good brands are Luxman, Fischer, Sansui and Accuphase..

 

[Gonz]

McIntosh is the big one. Any of their kit is desireable.
Bang & Olufson is another big one.

Pioneer had some good stuff, Technics, and Yamaha also... but here you really want to stay with 70s era. I don't know when Harmon Kardon entered the market, I can't recall seeing vintage stuff from them. NAD has some affordable kit, but I'm again unsure of just how vintage.

70s-80s JVC made some nice stereo recievers. Onkyo had nice preamps/amps and I think recievers too. And one brand that can be a real diamond in the rough is Realistic (Radio Shack's brand).

Like I said though, as far as model numbers are concerned, I'm no help.


I would suggest that if you really want to go all out, do it with seperates. Get a preamp, a tuner, an amplifier, seperate phono preamp for a turntable, etc... because I believe it's easier to find higher quality / better condition seperates than recievers.

And don't buy anything with signs of corrosion/rust. If you can't see clear pictures, pass. Most of the serious sellers will take detailled pictures, including internals.

 

[facelvega]

Step 1. Go on ebay and any flea markets, craigslist, etc. you can think of, maybe the big audio sites too, though there will be few great deals on them; look under Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui, Sherwood, Luxman, Nakamichi, and McIntosh too if you want to spend more. Identify interesting-looking candidates.

Step 2. Research your interesting-looking candidates on the internet. I recommend http://www.classicaudio.com/value/ for pricing and basic information. You can get more detailed info on various enthusiast and audio websites for any serious candidates.

Step 3. Bid on or buy stuff that seems to be from reliable sellers and in good condition. Be warned with vintage stuff, you may not get a winner on the first try, though I've had good luck over the years.

 

[MartinB]

Thanks Gonz!
I think I've decided to narrow my search to integrated amplifiers as they may be less noisy. I don't listen much to radio and if I have to, I'll use the computer as my source.
I'm currently looking on the Luxman L-430 and Marantz 1060. Do you have other suggestions for vintage integrated amps?

 

[tbonner1]

Read the Marantz reviews. I did not like the 2230 receiver with Grado's as much as with the Senn 650's.

 

[MartinB]

Thanks Facelvega!
I think I will try to find an amp locally because these are heavy items that are expensive to ship, and also likely to be damaged during shipping.

 

[augustwest]

You can get some additional information on vintage amps/receivers at
< audiokarma.org >. I myself own a Marantz 2285. I find it gives excellent results with both my Grado & Sennheiser headphones. I have even used it with 600ohm Beyers and it performed flawlessly.

One thing to know about the Marantz units is that they have a more "tube like" sound than much of the other solid state gear around, vintage or otherwise.

- augustwest

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Step 1. Go on ebay and any flea markets, craigslist, etc. you can think of, maybe the big audio sites too, though there will be few great deals on them; look under Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui, Sherwood, Luxman, Nakamichi, and McIntosh too if you want to spend more. Identify interesting-looking candidates. Step 2. Research your interesting-looking candidates on the internet. I recommend http://www.classicaudio.com/value/ for pricing and basic information. You can get more detailed info on various enthusiast and audio websites for any serious candidates. Step 3. Bid on or buy stuff that seems to be from reliable sellers and in good condition. Be warned with vintage stuff, you may not get a winner on the first try, though I've had good luck over the years.

facelvega nailed this one. That's what I did for finding vintage toys (Sansui receiver and a few turntables). The only danger is in jumping the gun and bidding/buying too many things. It's easy to get caught up in the hunt and lose all sense of perspective. With a little patience, you can find exactly what you want at a price that is quite fair.

I've never had a lot of patience...

 

[soloz2]

Audiokarma.org is a great resource for vintage equipment. I've learned quite a bit over there. I'd still like to get my hands on a Marantz 22xx but most have been going for more then I want to spend... oh well. I did get my hands on a very nice Sansui 6060. I haven't tried the headphone out, but they drive my Infinity RS2 speakers nicely

 

[pageman99]

Be careful!

I have several vintage amps/receivers and their sound quality is all over the board. Not because they weren't great sounding when new, but because the capacitors have dried out over the years.

Right now I'm using (among others) a Kenwood 7300 integrated amp that has been recapped. It has other issues, but nothing that affects the headphone output.

But don't let this deter you, I just wanted to give you a heads up. IMHO, it's worth the search.

 

[Copperjacket]

You can always try an old Audiolab 8000A. A well respected if touch dry performer with a pretty reasonable Headphone socket. Bullet proof in my experience with nice features like a phonostage if you're into vinyl, deletable tone controls in fact I wonder why I let mine go. Always seem to be some around 2nd hand in dealers or Ebay

 

[Rav]

I have a Trio (Kenwood) ka-3750, which actually gives my Canamp a run for its money with my HF-1s. Think it has new caps though, since i had to have it repaired some years ago when it got surged.