Vintage Asylum Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Vintage Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

You've mentioned "crap shoot" twice

Posted by M3 lover (A) on August 17, 2014 at 11:13:56

In Reply to: Finding a good integrated amp has me confused! posted by mjcmt on August 13, 2014 at 16:46:00:

and that can be understandable.

Seems to me that buying any vintage gear that you haven't checked out first or is offered by a known, respectable seller will be a crap shoot. And there is the danger that you may be looking for one or two recommended models while something just as good that no one's mentioned passes you by. So what to do?

Aside from the room set up, the amp/speaker interface may be the most important element for your satisfaction. So I believe one needs to find either the speakers or the amp they really want, then try finding other components to best match with that.

Also, while some brands have favorable reputations that is not a guarantee and there may be "clunkers" within their line up. So a check for recommended models when new that continue to receive positive comments from today's users can be helpful.

With all that, two quick stories. I moved cross country in 1970 after selling my first stereo. When I settled in my new home I bought a whole new system. Based on the solid reputation of Marantz I bought their lesser powered (30 wpc I recall) receiver, possibly a 23. What a mediocre performer. Fairly soon some neighborhood druggie did me a favor by breaking in and stealing it. Admittedly that was an early generation SS model and not long after Saul Marantz sold out to Superscope, but that taught me you can't buy on brand alone.

A few years ago I wanted a decent small integrated amp to power external speakers for my TV set up in a spare bedroom. Knowing the long-standing reputation for the NAD 3020 I was pleased to find and buy one. I must say the audio quality is fully up to my expectations, including for concert videos and music related programs. But it is now quite old and suffers from intermittent one channel drop out. That means I need to either pop the top and go over connections for that channel with my soldering iron or spend about as much as I paid for it to have a tech service it.

So consider those situations while you are shooting. Good luck.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---