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Can You Recommend an Old School-Type Receiver?

Al Griffin  |  Sep 3, 2014

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Q I hope you can help me. I am old school: born in the early 60s, rocked out in the 1970s.  I had a nice JVC stereo receiver that I bought in 1985, but it died after a couple of resistors got fried. What can I buy to replace it?  I would like to play my vinyl records so I need a phono input. I also have a nice Onkyo Cassette Tape deck and a Technics Compact Disc player I want to use (both with the old red and white jacks).  Plus I have four speakers that use copper wire to clip to the back of the receiver.  Major volume potential is a requirement as I need to crank my 1970s rock! I don’t want to break the bank doing it, either. —Scott Wellington, Marietta, GA

A Before I get into details, I first want to say how much I enjoyed your message. You want to gear up for the best reason possible: unabashed love of 1970s rock, cranked loud! (I, too, am a ‘70s rock fan.) I also love that you own no gear with digital outputs—just two analog sources and an old-school CD player, Technics, no less.

These days, it’s hard to find a receiver that doesn’t pack plenty of HDMI and other digital connections in addition to “old red and white jacks,” but they do exist. Your best bet is to look for a basic stereo model, which is still sold by companies including Cambridge Audio (Topaz SR10), Yamaha (R-S700), and Marantz (SR4023). Each of these options can be had for under $500 and includes a phono input for a turntable, speaker A/B outputs to connect your Quadrophoniac speaker setup, plus plenty of analog inputs to accommodate source components. All three receivers have solid power specs, too, which means that major volume potential is within the realm of the possible. Rock on!

COMMENTS
dommyluc's picture
Submitted by dommyluc on September 4, 2014 - 9:39am

In 1974, my older brother bought a JVC quadrophonic receiver for $400, which would be equivalent to spending over $2000 today. Just buy a new low-priced receiver. I'm sure you'll be able to hook up whatever you have to it, and the sound is bound to be better than a used or repaired mid-priced receiver that's nearly 30 years old or older.

Ahnult's picture
Submitted by Ahnult on September 4, 2014 - 10:50am

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Audio-Components/Hi-Fi+Audio...

It seems to crank pretty damn good. And If you have some efficient speakers, you'll be good to go.

Al Griffin's picture
Submitted by Al Griffin on September 4, 2014 - 3:42pm
Thanks for the add!
A guy in Saskatoon's picture
Submitted by A guy in Saskatoon on September 4, 2014 - 11:37am

Ha, ha I had the JVC model above the one in the picture years ago. I also attached my first CD player to it, when there was one specialty store in the whole city that had ~40 CD titles for sale. Anyway, I would suggest the NAD C 326BEE (unless you still wanted an FM tuner). More than enough power to rock out to classic tunes!

Electric Ears's picture
Submitted by Electric Ears on September 5, 2014 - 9:23pm

This is a bit more than $500 ($700) for the Outlaw, but I've heard one before and was blown away by the sound quality for such a low priced, high powered stereo receiver! Can't help but admire the great art-deco styling, too! https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

Onkyo makes a more budget priced ($200) stereo receiver that features all the inputs and a recording loop you could use, plus a phono input. http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=TX-8020&class=Receiver&sour...

wxmanrocks's picture
Submitted by wxmanrocks on September 18, 2014 - 8:37am

Yes, I have a home theater setup and it's great for what it's supposed to do. But when it comes time to appreciate some great rock from the 70s, I have a Sansui AU/TU 417 set up in the basement with a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers from the same era (1980ish), a Technics turntable and Technics CD player (no digital outputs). What great sound!
And in the spirit of full disclosure, I also have a Squeezebox connected to the amp--no complaints at all about the sound coming from my classic system!

Joe Golfer's picture
Submitted by Joe Golfer on September 20, 2014 - 8:28pm

I too miss those old receivers, even if they aren't as technical as current stuff.
I had an old Pioneer for years, the type with a dial and a front that lit up, so you just turned the knob to pick your station. No remotes there. Got it around 1976. Dorm rooms got blasted.
It eventually died, so a modern Yamaha replaced it.
That said, there's always been one thing that's confused me: On the old stereo receivers, there was a special little knob on the back for a grounding wire from one's turntable, supposedly to prevent a humming sound??? Old Technics turntables have that grounding wire (with a little U-shaped clip on the end), but current receivers do not have anything specific for grounding an old Technics turntable.
Does one just connect that loose turntable wire to just any screw on the back of the modern receivers? Does anybody out there know the answer to this one?

burbis's picture
Submitted by burbis on September 26, 2014 - 9:23am

When I upgraded from an old Technics receiver I had bought in about 1982, I was surprised that the new Yamaha receiver seemed to lack a "warm" sound that the Technics had, and I wondered if it was because the Technics had a class A amplifier (I believe it said that on the front). I don't know much about them, but are those amplifiers still put in inexpensive receivers, or is everything microprocessors?

dynodog's picture
Submitted by dynodog on August 28, 2015 - 4:29pm

You should find an old Receiver from the 70's, you can find many on the auction sites nowdays that have been serviced and brought back to their former glory.. You can also find them at yard sales, Thrift Shops, since the 1st of the year (2015) i have found a Marantz 2225b, NAD and Yamaha all from the receiver hayday and they all sound awesome even with 25-40 watts, mate them to some old Pioneer HPM 100's or JBL's from the 70's and you will be rockin !! Plus all the Vintage receivers have good phono stages built in to play your Vinyl !!

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