You can get them cheaper if you get lucky. Some of those three day auctions on eBay n ****. But there is quite a number of people who appreciate that old stuff. Like me, I see no reason my amplifier needs wifi. I knew we were going downhill when I saw an amp with an RJ-45. And to me, this new stuff mostly sounds like ****.

And I don't like the idea of 12 balsa wood speakers the quality of a 1966 table radio and one woofer. Stereo was invented because we got two ears. I might even tolerate quad, but 7.1 ? Nope. I have a hard enough time understanding the words in stereo and on TV I usually switch it to mono.

Anyway, the prices of some of this stuff are outrageous. A Marantz like my old one, $700. Look up the price of a Marantz 2385. A Pioneer SX-1980. (not sure but I think that was the most powerful receiver ever built) Recently a turntable went for $55,000. What's more I talked to my buddy and mentioned that and he told me they go higher, up into six figures.

And now, down in Sydney, Australia, Elton John was spotted in a record store buying albums. The guy can afford anything he wants but he wants a record player. (and logically, records of course)

There is quite the renewed interest in vinyl these days. Even youngins. Guys on AK for example talking about how they just got their teenager a turntable and an old vintage system. Sometimes for their college dorm if that is where they live, other times wherever.

In fact right now we are setting up something of a lab for this stuff. Distortion tester, standards to calibrate everything for power output measurements, and more to come. The idea here is to be sure the stuff is working right because when it is 40 years old it can have insidious problems that only distort a little and won't be noticed right away. And when you get them running really right, that old 1970s **** blows most of the new **** away.

Don't get me wrong, there is a high end still but if you think about 1979 dollars and a receiver is $400, how much would that be today ? Well, it IS. The same relative level of quality easily costs four times the money. What you get for $400 is like what you got for $79 back then, although THAT quality is a bit better.

Just not that much. Not enough for me.

I don't use it, but I got a Pioneer SX-850. No lid, no bottom, glass in front broke, tuning shaft bent. Power suppl.y board was broke in three places, needed work on that, one channel of the power amp and the preamp as well ! It works. It is a rag. It is filthy but everything works.

Not for sale.