[Rune3400]

Hi, until now i've used portable amps and mp3 players. But now i'm burning my music onto cds and ill be making a home setup
 
It will look like this: Yamaha dvd/cd player -> DAC(when i can afford it) -> amp -> HD600
 
So i have been reading a lot about vintage reciver, this post etc : http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/342805/nad-receiver-beats-ld-mkivse (NAD 712 beats ld mk iv!)
 
So i thought maybe the best idea would be to go for a vintage reciver. I can get a NAD 710 for 100$ and i havent even started looking for vintage recivers yet.
 
But would i be better of with a millet starving student or anything else that i can buy i the sales forum ?
 
My budget is 100-300$ i can save up the nessecary, but less is prefered.
 
Vintage vs used amp (value wise) and if vintage which vintage models?
 
Thank you very much in advance, i need all the help i can get
 
Rune
 

 

[mrarroyo]

Hi, I am partial to the old (1970) receivers by Marantz, Pioneer, Technics, Yamaha, etc. At the office I am using a circa 1977-79 Marantz 2238B.
 

 

[Rune3400]

Wow that looks very nice!
 
How much or how little could i get one of those for? 100$? Is it worth it? Would i be better of with a modern amp (considered price/sq)
 
Sorry for all the questions

 

[Skylab]

There is some GREAT sounding vintage gear out there.  For me, Vintage is even older - like late 50's early 60's:
 
This is my Fisher KX-100:
 

 
Absolutely terrific as a headphone amp.  But runs more like 3-400.

 

[Rune3400]

Nice indeed, did it come with the woodend box?
 
I am looking at a Marantz 1070 which i can get for 100$, deal or no deal?
 
Do you know any good places to shop for vintage amps? I live i denmark, so international shipping is required.

 

[Skylab]

No, I had the wood case custom made

Sometimes you can find nice vintage gear cheap at thrift shops, and also at electronic repair shops. Surely they have some of those in Denmark

I am not familiar with that Marantz piece.

 

[mrarroyo]

Rune3400 you can find out specifics on the Marantz 1070 in vintage oriented sites like Audokarma.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm not familiar with the Marantz, either, but they made (and continue to make) some excellent gear. If the Marantz is privately owned nearby, take your headphones over and some CDs. Give it a listen. If you enjoy the sound, then take it home. And if you take it home, be sure to post your impressions of it here. Someone else looking at that model would find your thoughts useful.

 

[ford2]

 
 
 
It pays to check for DC voltage on any old amp,or you could be looking at a fried driver.
 
That plus the fact that some will need new caps,which can be very expensive if paying to get done.
 
But the Bonus is that you will have a Great amp at a Great price and with a Great sound.
 
If you like all Black and Chrome then check out  the Sansui range,you only need low wattage versions (AU-2900  AU-3900 15/25 watts respectively).

 

[Rune3400]

I guess i would be able to hear if something was wrong with the amp. What should i look for? Static? difference between right and left earcup? more?

 

[Rune3400]

Is there someplace where they compare the sq of headphone out on different vintage amps/recivers?

 

[TheWuss]

when i was a teenager, my uncle gave me his technics sa-100.  from the late 70's.
at the time, i was naive and stupid.  i would have traded the "hunk of junk" in for a more modern and sleek design.
i didn't really know what i had.  hahahaha.
 
i do remember the sound was amazing.  the volume knob was a stepped attenuator.
and the tuning knob, you could spin it, and the bar would glide all the way across he band...
 
i used it with some equally old advent speakers.  but not once did i plug in a set of cans. 
i believe this picture is the sa-300.  closest thing i could find.  oh well.
 

 

[Rune3400]

 
 
 
It pays to check for DC voltage on any old amp,or you could be looking at a fried driver
 
 

Thanks for that advice, i read about this and it sounds like a good idea. But how  do i measure it ? I have a volt meter, but where do i plug it in (im only interested in the headphone output) 
 

 

[mrarroyo]

Below are links on the Marantz 1070.
 
http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/1070.html
 
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=142128

 

[Punnisher]

I used a few different receivers for headphone amps while I was just starting out my gear collection. A Pioneer SX-434 and a Hitachi and Sony from the 80s. They did a decent job but I never listened to my newer, more high end cans with them.
 
One thing to watch out for is DC offset. On all my receivers, the DC offset from the speaker terminals was the same at the headphone output. That could mean if the amp isn't healthy, you'd be sending a large amount of DC voltage into your headphones.