Which vintage receivers and amplifiers do people still want? The pros weigh in.
Tucker Bowe
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You can’t doubt the appeal of vintage audio equipment, especially stereo receivers. With their giant metal knobs, faux-wood paneling and glow-up facades, they have a unique cool factor that modern equipment just can’t match. Plus, there’s a “thrill of the hunt,” as vintage audio equipment can be difficult to find and time-consuming to restore.
Not everyone agrees on the sonic abilities of these older products. Just like vinyl, a vintage stereo receiver can deliver a warmer, albeit imperfect, sound. But for some enthusiasts, that’s just part of the draw.
A vintage stereo receiver can deliver a warmer, albeit imperfect, sound. For some enthusiasts, that’s just part of the draw.
“I constantly use the analog of vintage cars,” says Mike Garry, owner of Hudson Valley HiFi, which specializes in buying, restoring and selling vintage audio equipment. “The early 1970s muscle car may not be as reliable or perform as well as a modern one, but there is just something cool and fun about the 50-year-old model.”
Like with vintage cars, vintage audio depends a heck of a lot on restoration. Old gear naturally breaks down over time and needs new parts to perform at its best. Also, lot of these vital parts are so old they aren’t being made anymore, so restoring them isn’t a quick fix for technicians at these vintage audio shops. For consumers, this means they are either finding non-working units and getting them restored, or likely paying a premium on restored units.
Drew Brown is the merchandising manager at Reverb — the largest online marketplace for buying and selling vintage audio gear — and is one of the brand’s vintage gear experts. At Hudson Valley HiFi, Mike Garry deals in both modern and vintage audio gear from Cornwall, New York (on the western shore of the Hudson River).
Below, both Brown and Garry share the most popular receivers and amplifiers that people want.
Some of the below quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
“With seventy watts per channel, this vintage powerhouse is the bestselling model on Reverb. The blue lights, horizontal tuning wheel and WC22 wood case give this amp the look everyone seems to want, and the warm, analog ‘tube-like’ sound it provides is every bit as wonderful.” — Drew Brown, Reverb
“Thanks to their marketing, Marantz sold a ton of 2270 receivers and it became an icon.”
“If any marketing team wants to see a successful campaign from the mid-1970s, they can check out the brilliant ads for the Marantz 2270. Ads included a story of a fire in an apartment building in which a beloved 2270 fell through the floor yet survived, only requiring a new power cord since the original had melted.
“Thanks to their marketing, Marantz sold a ton of 2270 receivers and it became an icon. The aluminum faceplate with beautiful dashed knobs, three sets of four buttons below a blue backlit dial, has such appeal even [53] years after it hit the market. The sound of the receiver is so enjoyable even Marantz’s current two-channel amps are voiced similar to the 2270.” — Mike Garry, Hudson Valley HiFi
“The bestselling Marantz integrated amp on Reverb, the 1060 has both power and preamplifier, but no tuner for radio.
“With a little less power per channel than the 2270 — but the same analog warmth — it’s our second most popular vintage unit. That said, it’s missing the iconic Marantz blue tuner.” — Drew Brown, Reverb
“The Fisher 500c was a wonderful receiver made in New York in the early 1960s. It was one of the first FM stereo tuners to use multiplex, which is the same system for FM stereo used today. It utilized a variant of the 6L6 power tube 7591, which provided 32wpc powering most efficient speakers at that time. The 500c was a little over $400 new, which at the time was a good chunk of change.
“It was one of the first FM stereo tuners to use multiplex, which is the same system for FM stereo used today.”
“The prices of Fisher tube gear have skyrocketed and it is difficult to find good clean examples now but they are still out there. I highly advise against playing these units without proper restoration, since wall voltage is quite a bit higher than when these were new and this increases the voltages in the amp. There are many mods we do to Fisher gear to make them safer and run a little cooler on modern wall current.” — Mike Garry, Hudson Valley HiFi
“This vintage monster puts out eighty watts per channel of highly tweak-able sonic power. This receiver is capable of powering even the most inefficient speakers and amazes with full bass and very detailed treble.” — Drew Brown, Reverb
“In the later years of the 1970s, the big receiver builders were at each other’s throats building the biggest, most powerful units they could. The Pioneer SX-1250 is not the biggest or the most powerful — but it is huge, heavy and has plenty of power.
“The Pioneer SX-1250 is not the biggest or the most powerful — but it is huge, heavy and has plenty of power.”
“My feeling is the big receivers of Pioneer’s SX-x50 series were the best-designed receivers from that era. Huge toroidal power transformer with massive filtering capacitors created a well-designed power supply to feed the beast. The silver faceplate and dial with very elegant lighting, wrapped in walnut, make it one of my favorites in terms of looks.
“These, like many big receivers, do need a ton of work to restore, but once done they are just plain fun to play.” — Mike Garry, Hudson Valley HiFi
“Many consider Avery Fisher to have made the best receivers of all time. These tube receivers require more know-how than a solid state unit but deliver ample rewards for your effort with true tube power and warmth.
“Listening to vinyl through a well-maintained tube amp can be like listening to your favorite records again for the very first time.”
“The stereo separation on Fisher gear is second to none; listening to vinyl through a well-maintained tube amp can be like listening to your favorite records again for the very first time.” — Drew Brown, Reverb
“This hybrid unit is one of the more affordable McIntoshes on the market. A solid state pre- and power-amp, it’s also paired with a tube tuner.
“The McIntosh can be listened to for hours on end without any ear fatigue due to its clean and clear sonics.”
“The McIntosh sound is a bit different than some of the above, and many say it’s more true to the source material you are playing, adding less coloration. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a clinical listening experience. The McIntosh can be listened to for hours on end without any ear fatigue due to its clean and clear sonics.” — Drew Brown, Reverb
“The McIntosh MC240 is a 6L6 push-pull power amp making 40wpc, hand-wired point-to-point design, and has a very robust power supply. The iron is very heavy on this amp, which any valve amp builder will tell you the quality of an amp can be measured by the weight of its transformers.
“Any valve amp builder will tell you the quality of an amp can be measured by the weight of its transformers.”
“We see many Mac tube amps but the MC240 is definitely the most common coming in for restoration.” — Mike Garry, Hudson Valley HiFi
“Today, the big appeal of the Dynaco ST-70 is that [it’s usually] fairly reasonably priced. The amp can be restored with its original design intact or, if one desires, it can be heavily modded just by removing the driver board and replacing it with one of the many modern boards available.
“The amp can be restored with its original design intact or, if one desires, it can be heavily modded.”
“By replacing the board you essentially change the entire circuit design, and it gives you the ability to use different driver tubes than the original, difficult-to-find 7199 triode/pentode.
“The ST70 is easy to work on since it was designed as a kit and with push-pull EL34 power tubes, there are many options to tube roll to change its sonic characteristics.” — Mike Garry, Hudson Valley HiFi
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