What to look for in 70's cheap and decent tube receiver and turntable?

[Beatlelennon65]

What should I look for when looking for this vintage equipment and what should I expect to pay for it? What brands should I look for and what should I look for to make sure it has been well taken care of? Should I buy a new turntable to go with the receiver or an old one? I just want to find something good as a starter.

[Gary]

I'd go "all vintage" and keep it intact as a secondary system. Forever. But that's just me!

I believe you'd be happy with Fisher or Marantz as a brand. I'm sure someone would be able to recommend model numbers, etc.

[jeff e.]

The only thing to keep in mind with old tube equipment is that many of these things need extensive work to be good performers. The capacitors go bad over the years and usually need to be replaced. Any resistors that have drifted over the years and many times the tubes also need replacing. If you don't have the necessary skills or knowledge to make these repairs yourself, you could be looking at some major $$$ (not to mention the very real risk of electrocution if you try it yourself and touch something you shouldn't have. :eek: )

If you have an extra $900 to spend on a receiver (unlike me :( ), I can give you a link to a very reputable person who sells totally rebuilt Fisher 400 receivers. I've heard them in person and they are amazing! :love:

As far as turntables go, if you want to keep the vintage theme going, I would look for a nice Thorens or Dual. If you're looking for something with a warranty, I'd recommend the Music Hall MMF-2.1, which is quite nice and can be had for under $300.

[sgraham]

There were not many tube receivers being made in the '70s. And as Jeff said, old tubed stuff probably needs some work. Tubed tuners need to be aligned periodically for best performance, and while they sound nice they probably won't get quite as good reception as good modern tuners.

If you can find a Thorens table with an SME arm or something of the sort you'll probably be quite pleased. I was.