Recommendations for a $300 System

rhart · « **on:** 22 Sep 2005, 03:36 pm »

Hi All,

I'm thinking of putting together an inexpensive vintage system (for fun), and plan on a budget of up to $300. I need an integrated amp or receiver and some loudspeakers. Anyone care to make some recommendations? I was thinking of Marantz or Kenwood for the receiver/integrated, and have no idea on the loudspeakers.

WEEZ · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 Sep 2005, 10:32 pm »

I don't know about the $300 price tag, but some speakers like the Dynaco A25 or A35 would be fun. Or my all-time favorite- the Advent Loudspeaker.

Some of those 'big' Sansui receivers sounded pretty good too- as well as the Marantz and Kenwood you mentioned. Or Fisher, even. Or Scott.

WEEZ

KT · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Sep 2005, 12:16 am »

I like the Scott integrateds. I had a 299A and have a 222C. Both areI very good. Classic sound. Really musical. Both these amps used EL84s or one of the variants.

Also, the Eico HF81 is supposed to sound great. This is also a EL84 amp. I have a fixer upper unit that I have yet to get to. Haven't actually listened to it since it itsn't working, but many have advocated for this amp.

Actually, if you're interested in the Scott 222C, I would sell it to you. Please PM me for details if you're interested. I bought this for my brother and ended up setting him up with something else. It's now safely locked away unused.

As for speakers, I'm very happy with the the Klipsch Heresies that I have. I would recommend them to you, but these days you'd be lucky to find a pair cheap enough to fit into your budget.

I bought my vintage pair in the mid 90's before too many people rediscovered vintage Klipsch horn speakers. Paid about $250 for the pair. If you can find a pair for that much, grab them. One thing to note, though, is that the sound they make has a certain personality which you may really like or may really dislike.

Good luck,
KT

rhart · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Sep 2005, 12:44 pm »

Thanks for the ideas. There are a couple of shops that sell vintage equipment in town (Toronto), and I think I'll spend some time listening to various configurations. I'll let you all know the results. More ideas are more than welcome too.

nbourbaki · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Dec 2005, 06:52 pm »

I have two Marantz receivers a 4270 and 2230. I love both units but you can get better sound for less money. Marantz commands a hefty premium in the vintage market. Unless you have your heart set on a Marantz, look for a Sony 6800SD which is a great bang for the buck receiver. The Sony was an 80 WPC @ 8Ohms and can be found for under $100 USD. For around $250 you can find a Pioneer SX-1050 which is one of my favorite receivers of the 70's. The 1050 was rated at 120 WPC @ 8Ohms and had a huge torridal core transformer.

For speakers I'd recommend KLH Model 17 or Model 23. The Advent Loudspeakers have a similar sound but a little pricer. I really like the walnut Advents, beautiful speakers. The Marantz Imperial 5-G has a nice sound but not as detailed as the KLH or Advents. I paid $65 USD for my KLH 17s and $40 USD for my Imperials. If it was my money, I'd buy the Pioneer 1050 and a good pair of KLH Model 23's. That would put you at around $325-350 USD.

If you really want a Marantz, the 2252B is a great receiver. Rated at 52 WPC @ 8Ohm it will cost around $150 USD.

daveshel · « **Reply #5 on:** 30 Mar 2006, 05:45 pm »

Quote from: WEEZ

I don't know about the $300 price tag, but some speakers like the Dynaco A25 or A35 would be fun. Or my all-time favorite- the Advent Loudspeaker.

WEEZ

You shoule be able to get a Dynaco SCA-80 pretty cheap on ebay.