How to Buy Vintage Audio Gear: Expert Tips You Can Try!

Church Bazaars also are a good place. I found a 1979 Kenwood for free in near perfect condition, and was allowed to take it, as I was there as a volunteer, helping move the big heavy things.

I would also suggest going around on trash day and seeing what is available.
I have found a Sony turntable in good condition, from the '80's, and a vintage Pioneer from the mid '70's, which I have kept. Both might have ended up in the dump.

Also, small towns, if you can get to them, will also have swap areas in the town dump. The swap areas often have treasures.
I would suggest enjoying the hunt as much as the find. The hunt can be very enjoyable.

I simply cannot get over what these sellers are asking for some of this gear.

Beep boop

Sometimes you're just lucky. Few months ago I bought a nice yam 90'ies for 70 bucks, working perfectly...

Dang, this is a good video!

I usually smile when the item I looking at apparently needs a simple/quick repair or just needs a part - the obvious thought is that if it was that easy they would have done it prior to sale.

Excellent video and advice. Thank you for your wisdom on your negotiation skills. You're the best regarding a layman's approach to buying and selling. I've been buying vintage gear in the past 40-years. You've hit it on the nailhead with your expertice. One thing that you failed to cover is the defensive wife. And the excessive hoarding of quality vintage hifi gear over the years. Fortunately I've had to use this negotiation technique to replace and dispose of an existing unit with another plus pay a $200 bribe on each and every purchase. This quells any future arguments plus it has saved my marriage. Thanks again for an excellent video !!

Within the last two years on a locally listed auction site:
Hitachi SR-903 for family room (mint condition, clean, fully functioning): $138
Hitachi SR-903 as spare (dusty, EXC+ condition after cleanup, fully functioning): $120
Hitachi SR-503L for office desktop (mint condition, clean, fully revised-perfect): $120
SONY SS-E34 speakers (New-old stock - perfect): $19.50
SONY SS-CSD1 speakers (EXC++): $60
Marantz EQ20 (mint, perfect): $120
Lenco L82 turn-table (mint, fully functioning): $94
Salvation Army store (top shelf collecting dust)::: Mordaunt Short MS20i speakers (dusty, EXC++ cond. after cleanup, fully functioning): $38

[mint= no scratches...almost like new. EXC+ = a small scratch or ding but very small, no signs of wear/use of note/significance]

Local deals are still out there. I look once a week. Shipping cost me no more than $20, unless I could manage a short drive or pickup.
I did spend about $180 on parts for future revisions (filters, caps, transistors) of both SR-903's, as they are keepers (Class G amps with 75W per channel into 8 Ohm/RMS w/ 160W transient headroom (+3db above rated power). I also spent about $60 on both vinyl case-wrapping material and machined ALU feet for the receivers...to "spruce" them up even if the cases were in excellent condition. The factory black wooden cases are now with a glossy burled walnut vinyl wrap. Along with the 58mm ALU feet...they look stunning.

The hunt for these deals was almost as good as the vintage quality and wonderful sound delivered by these gems.

I was looking for a more 80's looking receiver to compliment my old crt gaming setup. I had a good experience buying a Technics SA-626 off of Reverb. It was shipped well enough. Unfortunately the tuner light bulb went out during shipping, but I will replace that. It is a pretty good site for buying vintage audio equipment IMO.

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is a way to find equipment. I was at a thrift store looking at golf clubs , and started talking to someone about clubs we had bought in the past. I mentioned to him that I was looking for a vintage pioneer receiver to restore , and he had one to sell along with pioneer speakers . It was a great deal for me , and it goes to show you’ll never know what,where,when,or how you find stuff !

Great info .my favorite is adcom .I have 3 set ups

Thanks!

What are ways to find out the age of the device when the manufacturing date is not listed on the tag? I find the production year to be a difficult item to find, even when deep searching the model number on the Internet.

Skyfi audio and The Music Room have nice fully sorted out equipment and great customer service for used equipment in my experience.
They can put a whole system together for customers.
Not cheap.
It’s a good idea to buy used equipment made by brands currently in business, that answer the telephone and are willing and able to service their vintage gear.

I love that guy who passed by who asked if this was for TikTok 😂

Thanks for making this. All good and useful advice.

Not too long ago I would had liked to buy a turntable . Shipping that needs to obey some transport safety precautions. --- As I found out it was not so easy to understand them and the seller did not have the patience to copy them . So shipping it without the right precautions did not make sense, so I broke the deal.
Now I know there was an alternative way, which is a lot easier to communicate.
Something you got to learn by chance after some time.

Also ... "a vintage system will only cost a few hundreds or a thousand dollars" and then shows Marantz 2270 selling at over $1500 and as high as $2000 in today market. So MANY amps are superior to this clunker (and 2245). And I worked as a bench tech for Superscope in the 70's & 80's and say still that.

Buying vintage to get good sound is a "thing" that's been going on these last 20 years that I know of. It is not new. As a vintage refurbisher (my coined word - that speak to what I work on as well as my age) I've been buying and selling vintage at least that long. So to repeat: nothing new. I've had tons of cool stuff over my bench and in my living room. But I am jealous over a few of your pieces. You'd be surprised at the junk I am running!

Philm location reminds me of ARCHIELUXURY.

Thanks for the tips! I stopped by Goodwill today and found a Fisher RS 2002 for $5!

I always check the hi fi shops trade ins .I got some good deals as they want to shift the trades quickly as they take up room .Also they are in very good condition

Good advice… but why are you outside?

in 2018 on Craigslist I bought a sansui g33 000 for 5,500 Plus I traded my g9000 and had to drive over 500 miles to pick it up. it cost over $300 to have it serviced but I think I did okay

I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my vintage 3-way speaker with 15" woofer. Old enough to be huge and new enough to still have a good crossover although the woofer surround was replaced.

My '70s Kenwood with seperate tuner was cool looking. But today, my $100 dac, $200 preamp/headphone amp and $300 100wpc, class a/b amp sound light years better. Plus, I only listen to the radio occasionally in the car.

But Danny said only his gear was worth buying.

I so miss the Audio equipment of yesteryear, some of the best ever made, my newest stereo equipment is from 1999, and beyond to the 1970's, all of it may be much older, but in reality works absolutely perfect, I have no intention of purchasing anything that is sold in today's market other then vintage, other then maybe a decent set of speakers
Case in point, I acquired a 1977-78 8500 series 2 pioneer amplifier in original untouched/un restored condition, it works perfectly, had less then 100 hours of use
Most the time when I do sell a piece of equipment I will price it $50-$100 above what I'm willing to accept, to give the seller the satisfaction of negotiating

Nice advice, thanks. Question: How do you avoid buying stolen goods?!

I bought vintage hi-fi components back in the late '90's and early 2000's on eBay when they would sell very reasonably and VERY cheaply at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, Goodwill, Value Village, etc.

I would always test components at my local thrift stores before buying them since some thrift stores did not allow returns for defective equipment (but others did for a time).

I've built three different systems and it took several years to acquire the pieces for all three, great hobby tho

Treat all used audio as a fire hazard. Power it up in steps so you don't damage other equipment if it blows. Unplug the equipment for the first week when you arent present.
Be sure the equipment is clean enough inside to prevent shorting.
Buy an Integrated amp over a receiver because the tuner ads a lot of complexity that doesn't age well. Avoid used turntables unless they are locked down and the counterweight is removed during transport.
Used speakers with rotten foam surrounds can be repaired at home. Kits are sold to repair many popular brands.

I would love to buy the Pioneer SM 83 tube integrated amplifier, and a brand new pair of Rogers Studio 1 loudspeakers

Recently bought a Technics su v4x amp from 85'. I paid £60 for it as a source of music for my workshed. It sounds pretty crisp and bassy. I still have an original separates JVC ax1 amp from 82' all working perfectly.

You’re sharing trade secrets. Sky Fi Audio and Companies that sell gear won’t like you spreading this information! BTW you did a Dynaco A25 video, any other insights you have on it?

Good advice and thank you. You have to be careful about haggling. If there are ten guys in back of you wanting that piece of gear, you had better be prepared to pay asking price. Set your max price and stick to it.

I buy with paypal that guarantees if it isn't as advertised i get my money back. I have a Car

And vintage hifi were not built to a price in cheap labor countries like China, exploiting workers and ethnicities. China has become rich and military powerful thanks to the greed of Western companies.

Things I bought new I kept the original boxes, receipts, and any sales brochures for that piece. When I got married my wife knew audio was my hobby and she would have to tolerate my hobby, we are a package deal. She could not understand why I kept all the original boxes and wanted to throw them out many times. Now I am much older, single again, and I still have the boxes!

When someone says "restored", question, always ask what work has been done, what has been replaced. Ask for documentation, pictures, video, receipts, bill of sale with what has been done in writing. You could end up paying thousands for a piece of gear that still needs thousands of dollars of work, buyer beware. To some people restored means it is functional.🤔

You would be surprised what comes your way once friends, family, and other collectors just give to you free when they find that you collect, repair, and sell vintage gear. I have to put a stop to taking on more projects than I want to do and find new homes for.
I'm retired, I don't want another job, it is a hobby. Gives me a chance to play with, and listen to, a wide variety of gear and keep only the ones I really really like. You can't keep it all, it has to flow in, stay for awhile, then move out to make room for more. If it only moves in, then you end up with a hoarding situation.

The problem with the thrift stores is that they have gotten wise to the fact there were people buying nice gear for bargain prices and reselling it online for profit. Now all the good stuff, or most of it, goes online on their site, leaving only the junk plastic stuff on the shelves.

They do have to throw a dog a bone once in a while just to keep him coming back, just like the casinos. It does show up, but it is rare, you have to be consistent and be there when they fill the shelves.

I have also seen some very selfish people trying to sell gear for a lot more than it's worth. What gets me is someone trying to sell something used that is still available to buy new but they want to sell the used version for more than you could buy it new on Amazon

You can get a good new system for a few hundred. I'm very serious .

What do you think about a fully serviced dual 1229 fitted with a shure v 15 iii cart? What do you think it should go for and what new turntable would give comparable performance and reliability? Thank you. Also looking for a higher end cassette deck, would love a nakamichi as I had a td 500 in my truck in highschool and sounded phenomenal.

Goodwill is as good as ebay and does a better job packing compared to ebay sellers that don't have a clue in proper packing to send vintage sover 40+ years old stereo equipment across the country! But with Goodwill there's always the magical handling charge? But I believe the best way to purchase vintage stereo equipment is your local Goodwill! But you got to hit them like a caveman to find underpriced equipment that might look hard and put up wet but still functions! Like your videos I just purchase a vintage SL-1200MK3D turntable from Japan properly packed, that has a frozen vertical lock on the tonearm! Like to one you took apart and cleaned! Thanks