Old Classic Receivers: A Mistake to Buy?

I purchased a Marantz 2216B about a year ago at an ebay auction. I was looking for a classic receiver that was in good shape and had not been abused and found one that was part of an estate liquidation on ebay and had had a single owner. I paid about $105 with included shipping costs. The receiver was manufactured in 1978. The model number in the Marantz 22XX series designates the power, so the 16B is 16 watts per channel; the 2325 would be 125 watts per channel (you get the idea.) The receiver developed (or may have had) a problem with the power cutting out and so, I spent about an additional $200 to get the power supply replaced and the receiver overhauled. The Soundsmith in Peeskill did the work and as a side note, they guarantee their work for a year. So, I paid about $300 for a 24 year old receiver ... but I always wanted to own a classic Marantz with the blue lights; gyro tuning; etc.

I use the receiver as part of a bedroom system. It is connected to a pair of Acoustic Research 15's speakers and a SONY NS500V CD/SACD/DVD player. It has also been paired with Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 (very good sounding match)and B&W 302 (uneven & disappointing sounding match) speakers. The jury is still out on the AR-15's, but they sound promising.

Of my 3 systems, this system is the most fun. It is a very musical sounding system, and probably the one system my wife enjoys listening to the most. It has an alive and natural sound with FM and CD's. The sound has presence. FM and AM reception is strong and clear and the tuner holds the signal. (I am using a $5 set of rabbit ears as the antenna.) I am pretty satisfied with it.

One shortcoming of this particular receiver is that it does not have a preamp out, so it can not be mated with a more powerful amplifier ... but this receiver is plenty loud at the 4 (out of 10) level in a 18 X 15 X 8 room.

Of the classic receivers, the 2200 series Marantz (with & without the B designation); the McIntosh SS and SS/tube hybrids (1700/1900/4100/4300); the Sansui 9000 series; the Pioneer X2X series get the most action in auctions (or at least that's how it seems to me). There are also several web-sites out there with good, useful information; i.e.: www.classic-audio)

To enjoy this side of the hobby (spending good money on equipment that was manufactured when Ford and Carter were presidents), it really helps to be a fan of classic audio (very much like being a fan of vinyl). Also, I believe that these receivers are best used as part of a secondary system, mainly because I am not sure how much beyond 25 or 30 years a piece of equipment (from ANY era) can be expected to last (I may be contradicting myself here, as my main system has ADCOM power/pre/tuner equipment that I purchased new 13 years ago).

Within prudent reason (mostly financial ... so, if my Marantz dies tomorrow, I am only out $300), the classic receivers can be an enjoyable, rewarding side hobby/project. Good luck.

All the hoopla about 1970's-1980's receivers as having terrific sound and build quality is mostly hype. First of all, the dramatic rise in prices for these units is being driven by Ebay. Why not overpraise an old, essentially useless, piece of equipment to raise prices? Once everyone starts doing this an impression is formed that these boat anchors must sound great. A few years ago a Sansui 9090 receiver was worth maybe $60. Now, people are falling over each other to bid hundreds of dollars.

There is excellent vintage audio gear of the 1970's and 80's but it ain't mass market solid state receivers. The only use I see for these things is their phono stage if you're looking for analog on the cheap.

You want a great vintage receiver? Go find a tube Fisher receiver like the Fisher 400. Drop a couple hundred bucks in restoration and mods from an expert like the Fisher Doctor and others. I guarantee you it will blow the pants off any mass market solid state unit from that era. And it will challenge almost anything from any era in sheer musicality! And it will last another 30 years!

Don't waste your money. Sansui, Pioneer, Sony, Marantz? No way!

Let me add that the only solid state receiver from that era that sounds good was the Advent 300 receiver due mostly to an expertly designed phono by Tom Holman.

Aw geez,some of you guys, come on. These pieces are classics. Are they the best pieces in the world sonically, no. I will say that in the cases of almost all of them though, the FM section will sound better than most digital products available today under $500, so some of them could be worth a couple of $100 just from that aspect.
Then from the amp stand point, no, they are not as good as some of the better amps availabe from the last 15 years or so lets say. But at the same time, how much is being spent? If its less than $500, then in relation to a lot of whats out there under $500, it will still probably hold its own.
Then lets just talk about beauty and feel. Very few products have the feel, the quality sensation, of some of the big receivers of the 70's and early 80's. Remember touching a knob and it at least being jacketed in metal? Of it having some smoothness in its action? Of a solid clicking locking switch, something when you turned it you knew it was turned? Then just the beauty of it, opening it up and seeing honest to God transformers, caps as large as Coke cans, metal and wood cases. All of that is still available today, in separates, if you have $5K.
And then there is the just liking it. Ain't a damn thing wrong with owning it just because you like it. And a lot of people will still ooh and ah more when they walk into your house and see a classic Sansui 9090db before they will on a Cambridge Audio int amp and tuner, and 98% will think the Sansui will sound better just because of the psychoacoustics associated with it. There are a lot of people that some of these pieces wre their 1st real exposure to good sound, something other than the Zenith console in Mom & Pop's living room. And as long as there is an Ebay, an Audiogon, AudioWeb and other sites(I don't see any of these old receivers, amps, or tuners being given away anywhere) on which to sell it on, the 9090 will be worth more than the Cambridge Audio(or almost any other) piece of gear you would spend $300 on.
Go get one if you want one, and let me know what you get when you do.

I am now in the twentieth year of using and enjoying a Tandberg 2080 receiver. It was my first entry into upscale audio at the time with a cost of about $1000. I use it for all TV sound, an audio cassette deck, and CD. It now drives the Mag MMGs. That stretches it a bit, but not too bad. I have always liked its warm sound and its appearance; the wooden cabinetry mentioned by jvia, the ribbed metal knobs, and, of course, the analog tuner. Its only sign of age is a balance control which is not all it should be. Most of the time, however, it is like new. When I replace it with something else, it will then go to my study which now has nothing. So, there is probably a sentimental attachment, but it still offers quite a bit for its rather small resale value.