Thinking of Purchasing A Vintage Stereo? A Few Things to Consider:

A recurring topic of discussion with my clients is how to evaluate potential vintage hifi purchases.  I find this to be a complex discussion.  Beyond the technical/pricing drivers other emotional aspects also play and important part in the decision.  I have summarized below my advice to prospective buyers.  Note these are ranked by importance to me - your ranking may be different.

• Cosmetic condition:  I believe one of the main reasons for the resurgence of interest in vintage hifi gear is the industrial art of the best from the era.  The iconic look of the Pioneer SX-1250, Marantz 2270, Sansui 9090, or Yamaha CR-3020 is striking in each example.  Unfortunately restoring the cosmetic condition of a fifty year stereo is complicated as some parts cannot new sourced except by finding “donor” units.  Condition of siler faceplates is particularly improtant as I have not found a successful way to remove deep scratches, restore lettering, or reliably replace face plates.  Cases are far less important and usually can be restored.  As a goal I want to preserve the value of vintage gear and poor cosmetic condition that cannot be repaired greatly devalue the purchase.

• Service history:  I look for vintage stereo items that have not been service as most of the sellers do not have the service history.  It is fairly easy to determine if the unit has been repaired (or opened).  I find it far easier to start from the original manufacturer state to repair/restore than follow the work of someone else.  While this does not preclude purchasing working items I prefer to see they have not be “serviced” as it is time consuming to sort out the previous repairs.

• Brand and model issues:  It is my experience a great difference exists of the reliability of the brands of the golden era.  No single brand is perfect and each has specific issues.  For example Pioneer large receiver tend to have power supply and “shoot on sight” transistor issues that need to addressed in any complete restoration.  Sansui has corrosive glue issues that require circuit board refurbishment to resolve.  Kenwood repairs in my experience are time consuming as a result of wiring layout.  I suggest factoring in restoration cost unique to each brand.

• Cost recovery:  I always suggest the prospective buyer assume they will want to trade up within two years of any audio purchase.  After 40 years of hanging around vintage audio I can to recognize this is a never ending journey and not a destination.  Since around 2015 purchasing vintage audio form Marantz, Sansui, Pioneer, McIntosh, and Yamaha has been following a reasonable appreciation curve that meets the “two year” criteria.  Purchasing the more niche and brand market brands have not seen the same level of appreciation.

• Price:  The goal of every buyer is to not over pay.  The two sources I suggest for researching the market price for vintage audio is Reverb and eBay “sold” listing.  As eBay offers a form of buyer protection you should expect the prices to be higher than a sale on Facebook or Craigslist.

• Sound:  The most subjective factor is what you hear.  It is critical in my opinion you listen to any item in your own environment as what matters is how you hear it perform.  I have my own sound preferences that likely do match anyone else. I choose to rank the “sound” last as beyond a certain level all vintage pieces will sound good with the correct pairing of environment, speakers, and sources.

So, there you go my take on evaluating vintage stereo components.

By Tim White