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5 Vintage Stereos Nobody Wants Right Now (Big Mistake!)

Skylabs Audio

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Vintage stereo gear doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, some of the best values in vintage audio right now are the pieces nobody seems to be paying attention to.

In this video, we count down 5 categories of underrated vintage stereo equipment that can still be found for surprisingly little money — from 1970s silver-face receivers and vintage turntables to 1980s receivers and some seriously good 1990s bookshelf speakers.

After 10 years of buying and selling vintage audio equipment at Skylabs Audio, we’ve watched prices climb, fall, and sometimes get completely out of whack. Right now, there are a few areas of the vintage stereo market where we think buyers can get a LOT of sound for the money.

We’re talking about:
• Lattice-grille “Kabuki” speakers from the late ’60s and ’70s — Pioneer, Sansui, Kenwood, Realistic, Coral and more. They may not all be audiophile classics, but they have tons of vintage style and can be incredibly cheap.

• 1980s stereo receivers — especially models from Onkyo, plus Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony and Technics. They may not have the silver faces and analog tuning dials collectors love, but many are extremely well built, reliable and great sounding.

• 1990s bookshelf speakers — one of our favorite bargains in used audio right now. Brands like Polk Audio, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, JBL, KEF and B&W produced some fantastic compact speakers that can compete with much more expensive new models.

• Underrated 1970s silver-face receivers — especially Sherwood models like the 7100 and 7200 series. If you want vintage looks, great build quality and classic stereo sound without paying Marantz or Sansui collector prices, this is an area worth exploring.

• Vintage turntables — Technics, Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha and others. Entry- and mid-level vintage turntable prices have softened dramatically, and we think a good 1970s or ’80s deck with a decent cartridge can still be one of the best values in analog audio.

We’re also introducing one of Tony’s more unusual ideas: turning a pile of unwanted vintage Kabuki speakers into wall-mounted acoustic diffusers. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see how Tony’s Kabuki Wall Diffuser project turns out.

These are the trends we’re seeing here at Skylabs Audio in West Des Moines, Iowa, but vintage audio markets can vary wildly depending on where you live.

What vintage stereo gear is undervalued where you are? Have you found a killer deal on an old receiver, turntable or pair of speakers lately? Let us know in the comments.

If you enjoy vintage stereo equipment, hi-fi history, record players, speakers and classic audio gear, subscribe to Skylabs Audio for new videos every Sunday.
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20 Comments

@tassosnikogiannis5359 1 month ago

I bought a blackface onkyo receiver based on this channel’s earlier recommendation for 35$. Built like a tank, easily the sweetest sounding integrated I’ve ever owned, regardless of price (and I’ve owned quite a few). Thanks for the tip!

@Thecat1962-h8p 1 month ago

In 1972 NAD , the company was founded in London England by Dr. Martin L. Borish (1928–2017

@Techrewinds 1 month ago

The shag carpet alone lets you know whatever receiver is sitting on that table is going to sound warm. 🔊 Warm analog sound and high-end vintage gear always have a soft spot in any setup, but modern budget gear has its place too. What’s everyone’s go-to sleeper receiver right now?

@عبدالسلاماحمدعبدالكريم-ص3ك6ج 1 month ago

It is said that the best thing in life is being lucky enough not to listen to my own music, but to have a neighbor who owns the best equipment and turns up the volume, which I listen to from my home. My neighbor's taste in music is similar to mine, though his family complains about it. I am happy with this neighbor and even ask him to play my favorite songs over the phone; we have become friends.

@oldtop4682 1 month ago

Thanks for the props to Sherwood. They were much better products than most realized. I have an 80s receiver/amp in the garage for when I'm out there. That thing has had to deal with sawdust for years now. Yeah, I vacuum it out every few months, but zero issues. They were better built than most realize.

Most of the time you are better buying a new TT - but not all of the time.

I can't hate the Kabuki speakers. This is what most of us in the military had in the barracks and later back home. They sounded great to us, and could pump power! Smarter folks bought other speakers, but these speakers ruled the day back then. And, they still can kick butt.

@karlvoigt789 1 month ago (edited)

Thank you, Kevin, for covering Sherwood receivers. They have been “my little secret” since I had my parents’ S-8500 completely redone, along with a pair of L100s. The 35 watt 8500 remains surprisingly competitive among a collection of Accuphase E202, Harman-Kardons, Sansui, and Marantz. It’s obvious that the Sherwood engineers knew what they were doing and created a very warm sounding solid state receiver.

@DYasi-k7l 1 month ago

Another great video... could not agree more on Onkyo, Sherwood, Nikko... all under the radar and represent an opportunity for those looking to get into vintage audio! Way to go highlighting what many of us have been aware of. Nice!

@spkrman-t8g 1 month ago

I worked at an audio store in the mid/late 80s, one of the last to survive Best Buy and those corporate takeovers. You’re right about the Onkyo receivers, they were our mid tier and they sounded great. A little bright maybe, but with the right speakers, good sound. 3 piece set of design acoustics sub/sattelites, oh yes. We had thorens turntables, ortofon cartridges, VERY nice audio technica tower and bookshelf speakers, before they went all Walmart. Sherwood was our entry level, good for the bucks. High end was Adcom and Dahlquist, DQ12 and DQ 20. Excellent with the Adcom separates. Ah, the good old days. We also had Cerwin-Vega blasters for home and car, Alpine and Concorde car audio. Funny story, I installed a car stereo for Trent Reznor before he was famous. Cerwin Vega box, I think it was in a Honda. Hermitage PA. He was from Mercer.

@bmboldt 1 month ago

My first two restorations were a Sherwood S-7100A and a JVC VR-5505 because I got them for next to nothing. Still have them. When it comes to 80s stereos, Yamaha was still making quality products. The M and C series power and preamps are very desirable. I just did some maintenance on a Sansui 8900ZDB. It was one of the last lines of cool Sansui receivers. It was still somewhat vintage but also added a bunch of 80s bells and whistles.

@limulus61 1 month ago (edited)

Back around 1980/81 when I was in college, I bought a Sansui R70. I worked the summer after freshman year and saved to buy that system. It had the classic silver face and analog everything except the led VU meters. It broke back around 1991 and I bought a Denon DRA 1025 which was a Japanese made unit that I still have today. That was $1,000 well spent and today, it rocks my Wharfedale Lintons. When I bought the R70, I also bought a Sony PS-LX2 turntable and RtR speakers. I used the turntable until 2000 and while I don't use it, I still have it along with it's Shure cartridge. Those speakers wound up with my brother and I don't know what he did with them. My RA my freshman year had a beast of a Sansui amp that was the size of a suitcase.

@carlveilleux5744 1 month ago

My daughter is in her 20s, and likes vintage stuff. I got her a 1971 Kenwood KA-4002 integrated amp, which sounds fabulous. I found a pair of Realistic Nova 6 for next to nothing, with the real wood veneer in very good condition. I offered her to get rid of the lattice grille and replace the grille fabric, she said no, and that the lattice grille is one of the reasons she likes them! So the grilles stayed on, and you know what, the Nova 6 is among the most underated speaker that RS ever made, they actually sound quite good, with tight and sharp bass, I honestly didn't expect them to be that good. But the KA-4002... my goodness this little thing sounds like a tube amp!!

@larrygilbert9961 1 month ago

My Sherwood 7450cp thanks you for the attention. I had a Sherwood 7200 when I graduated from HS in 1978. After several receivers over the years, have come full circle and love my 7450CP. Sounds amazing and I like the understated clean look. Works beautifully with my refurbed Pioneer PL518 (grado black) and Infinity RSb speakers. All matching 1979.

@SydBat 1 month ago

You are absolutely right about Technics turntables. Our direct drive from 1982 is still solid. It holds its speed perfectly and sounds incredible. The only thing we have ever had to replace was the cartridge. Same goes for our mid 80's TEAC tape deck.

@ConcreteKid54 1 month ago

I followed your advice for my Garage/Man Cave stereo system and am very well pleased. Onkyo TX-906, ADC 10 band graphic EQ, Cambridge MXN10 Streamer and Adven1 A1104 speakers. Thanks for the information and recommendations!

@UncleSalty1975 1 month ago

I just picked a Onkyo TX 866 for 50 bucks . This receiver is an absolute 85 wpc beast. Real binding posts and pre in and outs. Spot on with the Onkyo perspective!

@stevewausa 1 month ago

The S7100A was my folks first "real" stereo receiver.

@retroman3075 1 month ago

Great video! I like hearing about the less common gear. Also you are spot on about 1980s Onkyo receivers being built like a tank, I have a TX800 that was in a garage fire during a cold MN winter. The shelf it was sitting on collapsed and the onkyo fell a good 6 feet onto the cement. Then after the fire dept put out the flames, The onkyo was entombed in a solid ice block until spring when it thawed out. I found it under a giant pile of debris. The cord burnt completely off< but for some reason I decided to put it in the storage shed instead of throwing it out. About a decade later I replaced the cord and noticed how chard and rusty it looked inside, but I fired it up anyway not expecting anything ,and it still worked fine! Been using it as my speaker test bench receiver since and its still going strong!

@troypatrick9157 1 month ago

I particularly appreciated the Sherwood receiver review. Among the many vintage receivers I own (Sansui, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, Pioneer, Onkyo, Sherwood, Yamaha) I have always felt the Sherwood 7100A is under appreciated. Many thanks to Skylab's for consistently posting vintage audio videos that provide much appreciated guidance on vintage audio recommendations. This has been extremely helpful in my continued vintage journey of vintage audio investments :) I hope to make a trip at some point to Iowa from Cincinnati, Ohio to check out the Skylabs store and knowledgeable personnel!

@brunohebert1351 1 month ago

For 80s receivers, I would add the Denons, The DRA-xxx are pretty available and sound very good .
I had one, once, paired with Technics smaller tower speakers (SB-CR55 if I remember well) it was a great match, it really sounded good.

@genericsomething 1 month ago

I have a pair of Sansui SP 2000s from the early 70s that I run with a pair of Bose 201s. Each pair of speakers sounds mediocre on their own, but when running together they compliment each other well. The setup is great for TV shows and movies with the excellent mid range performance of the Sansuis.