How to Buy Vintage Audio Gear: Expert Tips You Can Try!
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- Опубліковано 14 гру 2021
- This took a while, but I finally managed to put it together.
If you are thinking about getting into vintage home audio, then please watch this video. I believe it will be very helpful. Dave
Instagram: myown.devices
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I had my first hifi separates set up in 1972 when I was 17, marriage put paid to the hifi in 1974. Recently retired and single now, bought a 2 channel modern set up for the lounge but now looking for a vintage project for the bedroom. Love 💞 your channel.
Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is a way to find equipment. I was at a thrift store looking at golf clubs , and started talking to someone about clubs we had bought in the past. I mentioned to him that I was looking for a vintage pioneer receiver to restore , and he had one to sell along with pioneer speakers . It was a great deal for me , and it goes to show you’ll never know what,where,when,or how you find stuff !
My sister was a at thrift store last year and bought 5 Chinese hand-painted porcelain wall decorations in vintage frames for $15 ea. Turns out, they are collectors items and typically go for about $1500~$2000 a pop. She didn't know until after bringing them home and looking them up on the web.
Perfect advice. Also, don't buy five pieces of broken crap and expect your wallet or service tech to get excited about fixing it all.
Things I bought new I kept the original boxes, receipts, and any sales brochures for that piece. When I got married my wife knew audio was my hobby and she would have to tolerate my hobby, we are a package deal. She could not understand why I kept all the original boxes and wanted to throw them out many times. Now I am much older, single again, and I still have the boxes!
You showed her!
What the hell is this the most divorced guy topic ever?
Great advice. I have noticed that thrift shops around me also have dried up. I have scored a few times but my best finds have been at estate sales. Craigslist is hit or miss with not a lot of good stuff lately and ebay is usually priced way too high. Its so damned hard to find good gear for a good deal anymore. But I love the hunt.
Most of the major thrift store either list on eBay or have their own auction sites.
Gotta love people who care literally nothing for your hobby who just Google and price things 10 bucks higher than what the other listings are.
121 bucks for the crusty VCR you havent touched in 15 years? What a steal.
Hate these ""hobbiest""
Great video and great advice. I would add to look for free returns when buying from eBay to avoid being stuck with something you don't like and when buying by auction always be disciplined to stick to whatever max price you decided without raising it at the last few seconds just to grab it.
A lot of beautiful and good gear is still out there, good luck to all to look for it, find it and taking it home.
Excellent video and advice. Thank you for your wisdom on your negotiation skills. You're the best regarding a layman's approach to buying and selling. I've been buying vintage gear in the past 40-years. You've hit it on the nailhead with your expertice. One thing that you failed to cover is the defensive wife. And the excessive hoarding of quality vintage hifi gear over the years. Fortunately I've had to use this negotiation technique to replace and dispose of an existing unit with another plus pay a $200 bribe on each and every purchase. This quells any future arguments plus it has saved my marriage. Thanks again for an excellent video !!
I like some patina on my gear. It doesn’t have to look brand new. I enjoy saving and restoring old gear. There is a satisfaction of bringing it back to life. One of my favourite projects was an sx-1980 that was owned by an old DJ. It definitely had some wear from being dragged around gig to gig but there are not many out there and once some issues were sorted it sounded amazing.
Great tips Dave. Thank you. Especially love doing the haggling via text.
Great advice and a well done video. Thank you!
Great video and very good tips! I collected almost all of my gear at fleemarkets. I found there wonderful turntables from Dual or elac, and payed max. 20 euros. Some were fully funktional after just changing a fuse and adding a new needle. ( And a bit of cleaning!) Sometimes the repairs can be quite a challenge and time consuming! But there are good repair tips online if your model isn't quite a rare one! But it's always fun go hunting stuff!!
I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my vintage 3-way speaker with 15" woofer. Old enough to be huge and new enough to still have a good crossover although the woofer surround was replaced.
I bought vintage hi-fi components back in the late '90's and early 2000's on eBay when they would sell very reasonably and VERY cheaply at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, Goodwill, Value Village, etc.
I would always test components at my local thrift stores before buying them since some thrift stores did not allow returns for defective equipment (but others did for a time).
Those days are long gone. Thx
Within the last two years on a locally listed auction site:
Hitachi SR-903 for family room (mint condition, clean, fully functioning): $138
Hitachi SR-903 as spare (dusty, EXC+ condition after cleanup, fully functioning): $120
Hitachi SR-503L for office desktop (mint condition, clean, fully revised-perfect): $120
SONY SS-E34 speakers (New-old stock - perfect): $19.50
SONY SS-CSD1 speakers (EXC++): $60
Marantz EQ20 (mint, perfect): $120
Lenco L82 turn-table (mint, fully functioning): $94
Salvation Army store (top shelf collecting dust)::: Mordaunt Short MS20i speakers (dusty, EXC++ cond. after cleanup, fully functioning): $38
[mint= no scratches...almost like new. EXC+ = a small scratch or ding but very small, no signs of wear/use of note/significance]
Local deals are still out there. I look once a week. Shipping cost me no more than $20, unless I could manage a short drive or pickup.
I did spend about $180 on parts for future revisions (filters, caps, transistors) of both SR-903's, as they are keepers (Class G amps with 75W per channel into 8 Ohm/RMS w/ 160W transient headroom (+3db above rated power). I also spent about $60 on both vinyl case-wrapping material and machined ALU feet for the receivers...to "spruce" them up even if the cases were in excellent condition. The factory black wooden cases are now with a glossy burled walnut vinyl wrap. Along with the 58mm ALU feet...they look stunning.
The hunt for these deals was almost as good as the vintage quality and wonderful sound delivered by these gems.
Very comprehensive, thorough, and entertaining. Well done! And no alligator ambushed you while standing next to the water 😜
Thanks for making this. All good and useful advice.
Excellent overview of vintage audio thrifting/buying/selling
Agreed that the thrift stores are pretty lean in recent years, but still cool gear can be randomly found if you often stop by at random times. I try not to go too far out of my way, stopping at thrift stores or yard sales that are on the route while doing something else or going somewhere else on a longer trp, just bake in an hour or 2 more for the trip.
There are now at least 4 thrift chains in my area- Goodwill, Salvation Army, St Vincent, and STEP.
Goodwill appears to be the most greedy lately, and given their company structure and CEO pay, I don't want to support them. Charity Thrift chain execs should be volunteers from other companies, either token paid or pro bono. IMO, thrift stores should not be able to auction or get market value for items, or its not thrift, its a business. Thrift means standardized prices for items by class/function, not market value. They should loose their tax exempt or other tax/business advantage if they price to market.
I agree with your view of "Thrift Stores". It seems they have forgotten there place in the community.
Goodwill is the worst offender as there inventory is made up almost entirely from donations.
The term "Goodwill" was intended to be more than just a Brand Name.
Excellent advice. I have come to enjoy meeting the sellers, who are almost always enthusiasts with other equipment to demo or sell. They want to find good homes for their old stuff. Some men gamble on sports. I gamble on vintage audio equipment. But like My Own Devices, I SWEAR I'm ahead of the game.
I am also ahead of the game. I swear.....
Skyfi audio and The Music Room have nice fully sorted out equipment and great customer service for used equipment in my experience.
They can put a whole system together for customers.
Not cheap.
It’s a good idea to buy used equipment made by brands currently in business, that answer the telephone and are willing and able to service their vintage gear.
I am hooked on this gear, my best finds were a very large Akai 1050 tuner amp with the dolby sytem and other things, this unit has to unit has to go away for, I spoke with the guy who does this here in New Zealand, I asked was it worth keeping his answer was YES. My others have come from friends who wanted to give that kind of stuff to me. One other 'find' was at a waste recycle depot thtas my Pioneer tuner and amp model tx520 ntuner and SA-508 amp, both units were sitting on a drum when i spied them as i was about leave the transfer station, I quickly stopped my van and raced around and picked it up and took it home, it seemed that it was being dumped, I also asked the recycle place to let me know when they get speaker cabinets in, I don,t care if they have damaged cones as long as the units are not too bashed about, I have managed to repair the cones on some or replace, I love doing this as a bit of a hobby, sadly I know little about the elctronics side of stuff apart from if it has blown a speaker fuse or something else, anyway love your posts Further to that I do mobile dog grooming and do find gear at homes sometimes people have it sitting in their garage and they were going to throw it out like my Akai 1050 soI guess in that situation you keep your eyes open and ask if the client wants to sell it mostly I was given turntables along with Lps and other stuff that people have no idea what it is about or they have brought the latest thing, so for me its the recycle place these days and the people there are great, I try and do a deal with something I have in exchange for an item
One last suggestion, if you can repair electronics, that's great, but it's also well worthwhile learning how to add wood veneer. It's not that hard and can add value to a vintage receiver. The hard part is cutting the stuff. I did an old Sansui and it looked great.
I picked up a few good tips. Wonderful advice, and well explained.
I tried. Thanks.
Sometimes you're just lucky. Few months ago I bought a nice yam 90'ies for 70 bucks, working perfectly...
You would be surprised what comes your way once friends, family, and other collectors just give to you free when they find that you collect, repair, and sell vintage gear. I have to put a stop to taking on more projects than I want to do and find new homes for.
I'm retired, I don't want another job, it is a hobby. Gives me a chance to play with, and listen to, a wide variety of gear and keep only the ones I really really like. You can't keep it all, it has to flow in, stay for awhile, then move out to make room for more. If it only moves in, then you end up with a hoarding situation.
Funny, I had a great gig in upstate NY....years ago I would on my lunch hour drive out to a recycling center. They would let me go through the warehouse where they would receive things. My price was 10 bucks/anything. Vintage Marantz, etc....reel to reels, turntables, receivers, cassette decks etc....then the people that worked in there, started doing it and nada for me!!! But it took them about 5 years to figure that out! I still have some stuff, most of it worked, and with a little work, they were good! Yes, I would have to get a few things serviced. It was crazy! Once I found a SAE arm tossed in a bin! How about a Marantz 7t? Monster receivers!
Great advice Dave, valuable knowledge here for folk wanting to improve upon the post Crosley sound.. I loved the fella passing you in shot saying "Are you doing a Tiktok?"
Church Bazaars also are a good place. I found a 1979 Kenwood for free in near perfect condition, and was allowed to take it, as I was there as a volunteer, helping move the big heavy things.
I would also suggest going around on trash day and seeing what is available.
I have found a Sony turntable in good condition, from the '80's, and a vintage Pioneer from the mid '70's, which I have kept. Both might have ended up in the dump.
Also, small towns, if you can get to them, will also have swap areas in the town dump. The swap areas often have treasures.
I would suggest enjoying the hunt as much as the find. The hunt can be very enjoyable.
Best video on this topic to date.
Wow! Thanks
Awesome advice and suggestions! I've been fortunate enough that my vintage audio collections scores is in the 90%. The other 10% have been disappointments. I figure that's not a bad grade.
That is awesome!
Yes, speakers last longest as long as it was not dropped or over driven to damage woofer and tweeters. At 6:00 I see Dynaco 2way speakers and they were made in Denmark and they sound very good, well made because I have them also. You can buy them at thrift store for less than 30 dollars. This is also why good to go visit your local thrift shops not only there you can find good vintage gears but they're cheap.
I'm glad you touched on buying a "fully restored" unit. I would rather do that than get stuck with a dud and no one to fix it. For vintage speakers, I would do re-foam myself, as I have done several times. I will buy a vintage receiver, amp, or speakers, but never a vintage cassette deck or CD player. I've had too many problems with them over the years, even when bought new. They just don't last that long. Thanks for the video.
Agreed that tape decks and CD players can be the least reliable finds due to mechanics/belts. Test those before you buy. Carry a known good cassette and CD for testing, or find them in the thrift store or yard sale. Or buy Restored/Serviced units, like the Pioneer R99 8 track and F2121 cassette decks I bought to go with a fully restored SX-850 to complete a 70s Pioneer stack ;)
Even if a unit does not function, if it is a desirable unit when working and the price is low enough (or free) to cover repairs and maybe some profit, I'll take it anyways depending on general physical condition. If not working, you can negotiate a "for parts/non working/scrap" price or freebie
Klipsch are pleated. No refoam needed.
Great advice.. Especially when you see a good deal, you have to act fast..
Sometimes that one piece of equipment or speakers comes up and you are lucky to be Johnny on the Spot. Had several such opportunities…. and the hunt continues!!
Well said!
Recently bought a Technics su v4x amp from 85'. I paid £60 for it as a source of music for my workshed. It sounds pretty crisp and bassy. I still have an original separates JVC ax1 amp from 82' all working perfectly.
@Alex Mit ax1 was a what hi fi recommendation back in the early 80s for middle of the road amps. I have no complaints with it, and it's still working today with no repairs.
Great advice! I feel like maybe you’re in North Florida, if so, it’s a lovely setting too
I so miss the Audio equipment of yesteryear, some of the best ever made, my newest stereo equipment is from 1999, and beyond to the 1970's, all of it may be much older, but in reality works absolutely perfect, I have no intention of purchasing anything that is sold in today's market other then vintage, other then maybe a decent set of speakers
Case in point, I acquired a 1977-78 8500 series 2 pioneer amplifier in original untouched/un restored condition, it works perfectly, had less then 100 hours of use
Most the time when I do sell a piece of equipment I will price it $50-$100 above what I'm willing to accept, to give the seller the satisfaction of negotiating
Dang, this is a good video!
Buying vintage to get good sound is a "thing" that's been going on these last 20 years that I know of. It is not new. As a vintage refurbisher (my coined word - that speak to what I work on as well as my age) I've been buying and selling vintage at least that long. So to repeat: nothing new. I've had tons of cool stuff over my bench and in my living room. But I am jealous over a few of your pieces. You'd be surprised at the junk I am running!
Thanks for the tips! I stopped by Goodwill today and found a Fisher RS 2002 for $5!
Not bad!
Great info .my favorite is adcom .I have 3 set ups
Got a bunch of Adcom as well, 2 purchased new, 5 are used. My pre-owned GFP-565 needed a recap. My pre-owned GCD-700 disk changer will only play 3 disks in a row, then it has trouble reading the 4th disk, so I have to cycle power to continue playing the last 2 disks. But I will say it was an inexpensive way to get a player with dual 20-bit Burr-Brown DACs, and it sounds really good!
I was looking for a more 80's looking receiver to compliment my old crt gaming setup. I had a good experience buying a Technics SA-626 off of Reverb. It was shipped well enough. Unfortunately the tuner light bulb went out during shipping, but I will replace that. It is a pretty good site for buying vintage audio equipment IMO.
I usually smile when the item I looking at apparently needs a simple/quick repair or just needs a part - the obvious thought is that if it was that easy they would have done it prior to sale.
Estate sales can be a good source. You have a good point about getting there early but (at least where I live) the early birds don't care about stereo. That cr-3020 I mentioned came from an online estate auction. I bought it for 1600, but after commission and shipping, it was no longer a deal. The goodwill web site is no cheaper than ebay. One suggestion, when you go to buy something, always ask if they have anything else. I bought a pair of beat up hpm-100's in Selma. The guy also had an sx-5590 that was broken, so I got it for 300. It cost 300 to get it fixed. On Estate sales I would suggest being aggressive and not wait for the day of the sale. Contact the estate sellers and offer to buy the item before the estate sale occurs.
Also note at this estate sale, old Beatles albums. And if he had a turntable, then that means at one time he had an amp and speakers. So a good estate sale can be a gold mine.
One more tip about Estate sales. Develop a relationship with the people managing the estate sale. Let them know that you are always looking for vintage gear.
Picked up a Bryston 4B circa ~1980 and it just didn't work for me but it was working in the shop. Dunno, really basic so my amps preouts just couldn't drive it? The shop took it back and said it still works for them.
I would love to buy the Pioneer SM 83 tube integrated amplifier, and a brand new pair of Rogers Studio 1 loudspeakers
Not too long ago I would had liked to buy a turntable . Shipping that needs to obey some transport safety precautions. --- As I found out it was not so easy to understand them and the seller did not have the patience to copy them . So shipping it without the right precautions did not make sense, so I broke the deal.
Now I know there was an alternative way, which is a lot easier to communicate.
Something you got to learn by chance after some time.
-Be aware of the cleaning techniques, some product are hamfull to plastics. Transistors, can always be replaced by modern equivalent, as well as other parts exept some transformer. If you aren't a technician, and don’t know what you're doing don’t try anything "just to see" and bring your equipment to a proper shop.
I always check the hi fi shops trade ins .I got some good deals as they want to shift the trades quickly as they take up room .Also they are in very good condition
Yes, I have done a bit of that. Thanks
Thanks!
You bet!
Good advice and thank you. You have to be careful about haggling. If there are ten guys in back of you wanting that piece of gear, you had better be prepared to pay asking price. Set your max price and stick to it.
Treat all used audio as a fire hazard. Power it up in steps so you don't damage other equipment if it blows. Unplug the equipment for the first week when you arent present.
Be sure the equipment is clean enough inside to prevent shorting.
Buy an Integrated amp over a receiver because the tuner ads a lot of complexity that doesn't age well. Avoid used turntables unless they are locked down and the counterweight is removed during transport.
Used speakers with rotten foam surrounds can be repaired at home. Kits are sold to repair many popular brands.
Where’s your sense of adventure man?
lol, watching your house burn down is not the adventure you are looking for. Neither is your wife's look when she finds out your bargain burned up all her things.
Nice advice, thanks. Question: How do you avoid buying stolen goods?!
When you first went outside in that huge open field I thought you were going to suggest getting a metal detector to search for vintage gear as buried treasure. :-)
That’s the worst idea I’ve heard. Nothing good would be left to salvage.
Goodwill is as good as ebay and does a better job packing compared to ebay sellers that don't have a clue in proper packing to send vintage sover 40+ years old stereo equipment across the country! But with Goodwill there's always the magical handling charge? But I believe the best way to purchase vintage stereo equipment is your local Goodwill! But you got to hit them like a caveman to find underpriced equipment that might look hard and put up wet but still functions! Like your videos I just purchase a vintage SL-1200MK3D turntable from Japan properly packed, that has a frozen vertical lock on the tonearm! Like to one you took apart and cleaned! Thanks
My '70s Kenwood with seperate tuner was cool looking. But today, my $100 dac, $200 preamp/headphone amp and $300 100wpc, class a/b amp sound light years better. Plus, I only listen to the radio occasionally in the car.
What are ways to find out the age of the device when the manufacturing date is not listed on the tag? I find the production year to be a difficult item to find, even when deep searching the model number on the Internet.
6:13 So you will be available on TiK Tok soon...😂🤣
When someone says "restored", question, always ask what work has been done, what has been replaced. Ask for documentation, pictures, video, receipts, bill of sale with what has been done in writing. You could end up paying thousands for a piece of gear that still needs thousands of dollars of work, buyer beware. To some people restored means it is functional.🤔
The problem with the thrift stores is that they have gotten wise to the fact there were people buying nice gear for bargain prices and reselling it online for profit. Now all the good stuff, or most of it, goes online on their site, leaving only the junk plastic stuff on the shelves.
They do have to throw a dog a bone once in a while just to keep him coming back, just like the casinos. It does show up, but it is rare, you have to be consistent and be there when they fill the shelves.
What do you think about a fully serviced dual 1229 fitted with a shure v 15 iii cart? What do you think it should go for and what new turntable would give comparable performance and reliability? Thank you. Also looking for a higher end cassette deck, would love a nakamichi as I had a td 500 in my truck in highschool and sounded phenomenal.
I would not hesitate to pick up a fully serviced Dual if the price is reasonable. I have that same Shure cart with a new stylus and it’s great for the price. Nothing modern under $1000 can touch the Dual imo. Vintage cassette decks are tricky as they have multiple parts that wear out. Look at higher level serviced models from Denon, Pioneer, Tascam, and Aiwa.
@@MODAC what would you consider a reasonable price on the dual, considering everything has been serviced, lubed and replaced if needed.
Look at sold units on eBay. I saw a few.
Here is what I have found. Vintage HiFi is great, amazing value for money, and its all broken...
I've built three different systems and it took several years to acquire the pieces for all three, great hobby tho
I have also seen some very selfish people trying to sell gear for a lot more than it's worth. What gets me is someone trying to sell something used that is still available to buy new but they want to sell the used version for more than you could buy it new on Amazon
in 2018 on Craigslist I bought a sansui g33 000 for 5,500 Plus I traded my g9000 and had to drive over 500 miles to pick it up. it cost over $300 to have it serviced but I think I did okay
How do you like it?
@@MODAC soundwise it's real close to the g9000 the g33000 doesn't have a 4-ohm rating so if you use 4 ohm rated speakers or four speakers rated at 8 ohms it goes into protection if you turn it up loud. I've talked to other owners of the g33,000 and they say this is normal. I also have the Technics sa 1000 and the marantz 2600 plus the SX 1980 and many more I rotate them in and out. I posted a list of all my receivers on audio karma. I have some rare ones most are 100 watts and over
i just bought a cr-3020. Is that a good one?
It’s the biggest one and the most rare model from that line. Do you like it?
@@MODAC I do. Listening to it right now. The light on the tuner is out but I can live with that. Has one blemish on the side.
You’re sharing trade secrets. Sky Fi Audio and Companies that sell gear won’t like you spreading this information! BTW you did a Dynaco A25 video, any other insights you have on it?
I love that guy who passed by who asked if this was for TikTok 😂
I simply cannot get over what these sellers are asking for some of this gear.
Good advice… but why are you outside?
Wanted to get out of the house.
Blame the internet and Google for not finding bargains at swap meets op shop thrift shop etc. Everyone is a professional they just look up the model 😮💨
Beep boop
I buy with paypal that guarantees if it isn't as advertised i get my money back. I have a Car
But Danny said only his gear was worth buying.
All the vintage gear needs new capacitors
You can get a good new system for a few hundred. I'm very serious .
Also ... "a vintage system will only cost a few hundreds or a thousand dollars" and then shows Marantz 2270 selling at over $1500 and as high as $2000 in today market. So MANY amps are superior to this clunker (and 2245). And I worked as a bench tech for Superscope in the 70's & 80's and say still that.
Next time do.it indoors...to many distractions..
Nah, gotta get out of the house sometimes.