Why I bought 24 vintage receivers online - DON'T buy from shopgoodwill.com (list in description)

[@leonarddaneman810]

Found a Marantz 2216b locally for $65, non-working. Drove 20-miles and beat a couple other buyers (early worm) and getting it home did all the DeOxit stuff and powered it up . . . worked fine. Took it to a reputable tech (named Doc) for restoration and he called me back, demoed it and showed me the offset. 'No need to restore. Everything tested on the bench to spec.' So, I was prepared to spend at least $200 and he refused to take my money. And the unit sounds fantastic! (This is a good outfit. I spent $450 recapping a Harman/Kardon a year previous there.) I replaced all the lamps with soft white LED and the sound quality is perfect. So, the $65 to the seller, $55 for the tech, . . . and $100 for the speeding ticket . . . still not a bad buy.

[@jvnb-y9e]

About 10 years ago I found a Marantz 1060 at a garage sale for $13. Used it for years as a preamp for my Quicksilver Horn Mono tube amps. Recently traded it in for 50% discount on a Cambridge streamer. Doc sounds like a good guy!

[@kappandrew1]

That is an awesome buy! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you have found a good tech!!!

[@robertclark9]

Two months ago I picked up a Marantz 2245 from 1972. It was working, but blew a cap soon after getting it. I had it restored locally, brought it home, and paired it with my JBL L166 Horizons. I was blown away by how a 45 WPC receiver could drive those JBL’s. I think many of the early 22XX series receivers are highly underrated in the power department.

[@kappandrew1]

OMG, yes! They have such a "push" behind every watt... just cannot compare!

[@robertclark9]

@@kappandrew1 👍🏼👍🏼💪🏻💪🏻😎😎

[@solomonstewart1025]

Always open used equipment outside.

[@tonymanzo3766]

You don’t want any critters crawling out and make your home theirs too.

[@kappandrew1]

My neighbor come over for “opening parties” now. It’s kinda fun… won’t be fun when the snow comes in… brrrrrrr

[@davidnorton573]

I have to admit that having someone part out those destroyed turntables is nice, the technics transformer I got from you worked great.

[@kappandrew1]

lol, I’m glad it was a win! The first time I had to part one out (many years ago) broke my heart. Since then I’ve viewed it as a necessary thing to help keep others going!

[@ejust412]

I got my 2270 at a thrift store for $100 a few months ago. I didn’t bother testing it since it’s worth 5 times that much broken. It ended up working well, just a few bulbs needed replaced. I plan on having it restored once I find a good tech.

[@kappandrew1]

You lucky dog! Man! I haven’t had a hit like that at the thrift store for years!

[@ejust412]

@@kappandrew1it was my best score in years.

[@MU-io5en]

Hahaha. You hit the nail on the head with Goodwill. Especially, in my experience, turntables. Every one I’ve purchased through Goodwill have been absolutely destroyed…mostly because the packing is like a toddler tried but failed miserably. It got to the point that I gave up, because I didn’t want these nice old used, and a lot are in very fine shape…destroyed. Let’s face it, it’s a racket. As consumers, we prove the items are destroyed in transit. (Before and after pictures). Sometimes we get our money back, and sometimes half our money. My guess Goodwill places high insurance on every piece, reports broken items, and pockets the claim.

[@kappandrew1]

I absolutely agree! If you are going to run a darn “mail order” business you better be good at packing. On the flip side… they make a lot of parts units available! lol… hahahaha

[@wwz1011]

I can't imagine Goodwill packs anything carefully, I would never trust them. 95% feedback on ebay is actually very poor.

[@kappandrew1]

Especially at their volume.

[@gilbertwashburn7095]

Thanks for the video you know how much they pay the workers to pack the stereos at Goodwill 43 cents an hour I'm not kidding the people that pack it don't know any better they can't help but they're disabled for real

[@kappandrew1]

I understand, and I’m not saying they are bad people. Having an inspector there to assist them could be a way to help improve things. Right? They have so much potential to be better… they just need to take those next steps.

[@charlym2426]

Speaking of unicorn, I bought the marantz 2270 for 650 at an estate sale in 2023. It was marked for 1500. It works perfectly.

[@kappandrew1]

No way!!! That’s awesome!!! Does it have the wood case as well?

[@charlym2426]

Yes. The seller offered 50 percent off as soon as I asked if I could test it. He wound up giving me 55 percent off.

[@charlym2426]

The case is in mint condition.

[@bigd835]

i have some nice vintage gear. technics sa 800 and 700 sansui G6000. i quit going after vintage stuff because of the price versus performance ratio. I am happy now to buy early 2000's yamaha gear all day long for almost nothing. its great stuff. one reciever i picked up at a thrift shop was a NAD 3325. When i ran that reciever i thought it has about the best sound of any i have heard. it was just fantastic. to each their own. i also like a lot of the harmon kardon stuff. one other thing and you will scream in pain, i picked up a pair of sony tower speakers, MF 550H cheap. 3 way with 8 inch woofer. when i played them i could not believe my ears. I have JBL, ELac, Klipsch, and B&w and these sonys blew me away. good bass. very clear. i laugh and wonder how they can sound so good.

[@kappandrew1]

Ohhhhhh oh oh oh…. Keep watching… I think you will end up pleasantly surprised with the upcoming videos!!!!

[@mjg263]

I used to come across 2230’s all the time for chump change or free back in the late 90’s / early 2000’s. I felt kinda guilty selling them for $100-125 AFTER fixing them up because…who the hell wants to pay over a hundred bucks for an old cap coupled 30 watt receiver? My, how times have changed! Still got a big pile of Marantz 22xx stuff from back then in my “to be repaired” pile, just need some time to get to it.

[@kappandrew1]

I know what you mean. It's crazy how much these old receivers are worth now. My piles are all gone… wish I still had them!

[@bigurq]

I never find anything at Goodwill.

[@kappandrew1]

That’s because it’s all online now

[@bigb2020]

It’s obvious most thrift stores sort out the good stuff. Electronics, cameras, art. Once in a rare while something slips through the cracks but not very often. Also, thrift stores prices have become exorbitant and prohibitive.

[@ssjlkrillin]

Thrift stores in the 90s were a veritable gold mine for this vintage audio gear. Even back then, some of the gear was all busted up or half-working, but it could still be had for a song. Everyone researches everything they get their hands on nowadays, which is why virtually everything is overpriced, no matter what it is.

[@user-tk4gc9jn3n]

goodwill use to be cheap picked up alot of vintage gear for 4 to 5 dollars each they are greedy now do not find this stuff anymore there everybody thinks they have gold now

[@kappandrew1]

This is true!!! So true!!! Now they want to sell it high then ship it cheap which just doesn’t work!!!

[@davidmorgen4558]

Theres benn tons of sony receivers come in at our Local goodwill.I m waiting to score one from there es Series one day since that supposedly there more highend line...Unfortoruntly sony separate unit they have has an equalizer built in which I wont touch i dont like EQS Stick with my vintage Rotel for now!

[@kappandrew1]

I just scored another ES and it didn’t get destroyed in shipping… silver face option too. I’m excited to do a video on it!!! They are hidden gems!!!!

[@ytwhite5930]

As strange as it seems, roaches like electronics. I've discovered roaches in several audio gear purchases...Dead and alive. I now request "cover off" pics of gear I'm considering off the net.I"ve had an amp short out just minutes after firing it up for the first time because FULL of squatting roaches...A bunch of them paid the ultimate price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time...(roach roast...one of a kind smell!).Just another thing to watch out for on your next audio gold mine...

[@kappandrew1]

Dude, I used to repair video game consoles… I was always finding roaches! This is the first time I’ve found a nest in years. I was so pi55ed, I had already lost two of the same received due to bad shipping. I was about ready to give up on that model! But… I got one! Stay tuned!!!

[@adaboy4z]

Out of the 44 items from Goodwill one Kenwood receiver arrived destroyed, I sent it back. Ive been lucky so far.

[@kappandrew1]

That’s awesome! I think I just keep buying from the locations that are struggling to keep up. Sometimes it takes weeks before they even ship. I’m glad to hear you’ve had a better experience. Finally listening to a pioneer elite that made it in… man, I’m glad I kept trying!

[@brucesamuelson7541]

I heard the Marantz when new, Toshiba sounds better and much less to buy now

[@kappandrew1]

I’ve found that receiver is soooooo relative to the music, listening environment and speakers. I’ve actually been impressed by some awful “Krapp” systems in the right environment.

[@brucesamuelson7541]

@kappandrew1 True, even the same model receiver can sound differently. I was 14 in 77. People listened to FM a lot. Marantz was in the same class as JVC with that stupid gyro tuning. The few I heard didn't have high end clarity and too much bass especially for the speakers at the time. Pioneer Sansui and Kenwood ruled, in 78 the Toshiba line excelled, I have the SA775. In 79 a recession hit so by 80 the golden age of vintage audio was over...

[@ssjlkrillin]

I do think these astronomical prices are a bubble waiting to burst. The most enthusiastic owners and sellers of this vintage gear are, sad to say, mostly boomers or older Gen-Xers looking for nostalgia and that "they don't make 'em like this anymore" build quality. The younger generations (the majority, I'm not arguing any exceptions) are simply not interested in the least in any of this gear: it's too large, it's too heavy, you need multiple components to build a system, and, most importantly, no Bluetooth or Spotify capability out of the box. The prices for some of this gear is already unaffordable for those who most appreciate the gear and know what it is; it is now in the domain of "pump and dump" speculators and flippers who are only out to score huge profits and will never even listen to the gear (much like 60s muscle cars). When the boomers start dying off, the prices will begin to fall back to sane levels and stabilize.

[@kappandrew1]

I’m pushing a video out on this exact topic here in a few weeks! Stay tuned… you might be right…

[@mikeg2491]

A lot of young people too are living in smaller apartments or rental homes they just have no space or use for a big system even if they wanted to.

[@aammdj]

@@mikeg2491, So "young people" stay young and broke forever? Ohhhh kayyyy then.

[@aammdj]

This kind of "logic" has really played out with 50s, 60s, and 70s muscle cars.

[@mikeg2491]

@ that’s a bit different as a lot of people buy these cars as a store of value and rarely drive them. And when they do drive them it’s usually going to some social event to meet people. I kind of feel like house parties built around a fabulous stereo system with wine sipping and conversation are a lost art.

[@hippydippy]

Comparing a Marantz to an "80's Black Plastic?" Oh Please...

[@kappandrew1]

You sound like a very open minded guy!!! Keep up the good work! Lol

[@aammdj]

@@kappandrew1 That's ironic coming from the guy who has such a strange view of eBay feedback.