pantomath's Profile

Vintage stereo equipment is great, but you really have to be careful. Older tube gear can be unsafe and should be serviced before you put it into daily use. Other pieces of equipment will also need some cleaning and restoration in order to sound the best. I had my 40 year old McIntosh MC2105 completely rebuilt two years ago. I called up McIntosh and ordered all new parts directly from them! (say what you want, but they really stand behind their products!)

It is a fantastic hobby, but be prepared to spend time doing some extra work or having something sent out to be brought back up to spec. DeoxIT is a great product for cleaning scratchy controls and inputs. I started with the early AR speakers and silver faced receivers from Sony, Pioneer and Marantz before I moved on to other brands. The people over at AudioKarma.org are very helpful with tips and advice on how to best restore and look for vintage equipment.