Well dear readers, here I am again with a post that has nothing to do with my principal subject, and thus one you might not be interested in, but its relevant insofar as it increases the enjoyment of the hobby this blog is about it, and it is a subject that’s dear to my heart, so, if any of y’all have any interest in vintage stereo equipment or record collecting, read on!
No one can spend any time on this blog without figuring out your HB is a rabid music lover, and in addition to my car hobbies, I’m also a vintage vinyl collector. You may recall me going on at some length last April and May about my acquisition of this old record player and all the joy it brought me. I won’t go quite as far as to call myself an “audiophile,” as I don’t have that level of expertise. As with so many things, this is another “protective strategy” based on limitations: if I were to allow myself to become an audiophile, I very easily could, and there I would be off again spending thousands of dollars on HiFi equipment! So, I curb my enthusiasm to keep the bills paid, but even so, over the years I have managed to assemble a pretty good old-school stereo system made of the components I most wanted. These include a Technics SL-1200 Mk 2 turntable, an Onkyo TA-RW313 dual tape deck, a Technics SL-PD9 5-disc CD carousel (I also have a Sony CDP-C211 as a backup), and a set of RCA 40-5014A 5-channel surround-sound speakers, all of which are very satisfying. The speakers are admittedly not the best, but they sound remarkably good for their price range considering they were designed primarily to be used for a home theatre system, and they fit discretely where I want them under the end tables in my living room. I also own a pair of enormous Fisher Studio Standard STV-884 speakers I inherited from my parents, but they are so bass-heavy that they don’t satisfy me, and thus they sit mostly unused in my office.
Recently, however, the heart of my system-my Harman Kardon AVR-510 surround sound amplifier-finally bit the dust after nearly a quarter-century of faithful service.
This amp had served me well, but I owned it primarily because I bought it from a friend for a song back in 2002, because it had been damaged and required repair when it was almost new. This unit lacked a phono pre-arp, requiring my use of an external pre-amp for my all-important turntable, but I liked that it had a switched power port in the back to plug that pre-amp into.
Over the years, the HK had begun to develop a buzz which became more pronounced as time went on, and over the last couple of years the speaker terminals started cutting out, requiring me to monkey with the input screws to get them to work almost every time I turned the amp on.
I knew this meant either dying capacitors or a bad solder-and possibly both-so a while ago I decided it was time for me to look at replacing it. Having made that decision, I thought I’d try taking it apart to see if I could repair it, without having any idea what I was getting into! By the time I got the lid off, it was clear I was in over my head, as the innards of the amp were stupefyingly complex, and required layer upon layer of removal to get to the main board. This solidified my decision to replace the unit rather than repairing it: if I was going to spend the money to have someone work on this monster, I was going to spend the money to buy something I liked better: and what that meant was an amp that was built with a phono input from the factory, and one that had circuitry that was both simpler and of higher quality than what I had. Add those requirements together, and you’re looking at vintage audio!
Again, I’m not quite an audiophile, but you don’t have to be to know there is a huge market throughout the world for the Hi-Fi and stereo equipment of the 1970’s. It’s not that it sounds better, necessarily, although you’ll find plenty of people willing to argue about that! It’s that this decade, which marked the end of the vacuum tube period, featured some of the best quality transistorized audio circuitry ever produced, as it was before the perfection of “planned obsolescence”, when high-end equipment was still expected to last for decades by the consumers who laid out their hard-earned money for it. And because of that, most of the audio equipment of this era was designed to be repaired…unlike the 2000-era HK AVR-510, which was a nightmare! When you think of the finest brands of that decade, there are several really good ones, but there are 3 in particular that stand above all the others: Marantz, Pioneer, and Sansui. Thus, while I was open to what I might find, I went out looking for a new amp for my system with those 3 brands top of mind.
Many moons ago-in another life, really-I had a friend who was a professional mechanic who ran an auto shop down on south Broadway Ave in the urban enclave of Englewood that was a block away from a high-end vintage stereo shop called Gold Sound. I hadn’t been into the place since 2002, but I remembered it, and wondered if it was still there; a quick web search revealed that it was! So last Tuesday, having finished some site work early up north and having some time to kill, I decided to head down through the city to see if the old guy who ran the place could offer me any advice on what I should be looking for to suit my audio needs. I got more than I bargained for!
The old guy was still there, and we talked at length about what I had and what I wanted, and he ran through a range of suggestions that included some brand-new stuff. He had a good selection of vintage equipment as well, the walls lined with receivers, amps, and speakers ranging in age from the late 1950’s all the way into the early 2000’s.
As with almost everyone who walks into a store like this, however, I was captivated by the rack of Marantz receivers. With their gorgeous bright blue ambient lighting and their butter-smooth controls, this is a brand that is in great demand by Hi-Fi zealots the world over: their receivers are renowned for their simplicity of design coupled with the finest quality materials: a winning combination no matter what the subject! I went to Gold Sound seeking advice, but what I got was the perfect amplifier, because they had it sitting right there waiting for me: the model 2265B!
Built between 1977 and 1979, this is one of the most highly regarded models in the Marantz lineup from the “end of the era” before the Philips buyout in 1980, after which the quality of materials began to decline. Some of the older models from the early 70’s carry an even higher premium, but from the perspective of design, this model has no equal in its era, and when I found out it had dual tape monitors, dual phono inputs, and an aux jack, and was a “quad” with hookups for 4 speakers, I realized that everything I set out looking for was right there at eye-level for the taking!
Of course, saying it was “there for the taking” might be a little deceptive: it isn’t as if this was a cheap purchase! In fact, I paid absolutely top-dollar for this item, and while I certainly don’t feel I got “ripped off,” I also didn’t get any kind of a bargain. So why buy then, and there? Well…when faced (literally) with exactly what you want, especially when you didn’t walk into a place expecting to find it, it can be pretty hard to turn it down! Sure, I could have said, “well now I know what I want, thanks,” and proceeded to try to find another 2265B elsewhere, and I’m sure I could have spent less. Then again, the owner of Gold Sound said he’d stand behind the product, and I not only got a 100 day money back guarantee, but they will also service the unit for me if it ever-gawd forbid-needs repair. I thought that building a relationship with one of the oldest and most respected vintage audio dealers in the city was worth a few extra bucks!
So yeah, maybe I’m guillible; maybe I was just a sucker for those pretty blue lights. Or maybe I really am an “audiophile.” What matters most to me is that I have my system back, and just in time for the next round of winter weather, as snow hit the Denver area again last night for the first time in weeks, and temps are supposed to plummet to well below 0°F tonight! That means a night of warmly amplified vinyl throughout the house…the next best thing to hearing music live! So, whether I’m downstairs at Drag City blasting racing music, or just having a glass of whiskey and zoning out on the sofa, I’m ready for the cold!
Its true that I could have had something with twice the power at half the price had I decided to buy something brand new. What I got instead is an amp that is very likely to last me for the rest of my life. This Marantz weighs at least 40 pounds, and every part in it is serviceable and replaceable. Let me tell you: you can’t get quality like that anymore! You can “make do” with any new amp, but if you want something well-designed that’s going to last, you have to go back to the past…. just like it is with cars!
I know this made for a cozy evening with those warm sounds wafting through the air. The correct sound system is absolutely essential for you. Not having the proper set up for tunes is like not having a refrigerator. This is awesome you found this place and know it will lead to many hours of enjoyment.