Why I'm Giving Up On Thrift Store Stereo Receivers

I've had a lot of fun tinkering with cheap stereos from the thrift store.  I enjoy the electronics section of Goodwill Stores in my area.  It's fun to find new to me stereos and see if they work.  It's cool to get a stereo that once costs hundreds of dollars for a song.  However, I'm officially giving up on thrift store stereo receivers.

Why?  About half of the thrift store stereo receivers that I've bought have turned out to have hidden flaws or be short-lived in my custody.  I'll post breathlessly about my latest thrift store stereo receiver find, extol their virtues for all the internet to see, and then a few weeks later, I'll notice that one channel fades out intermittently or that one channel is weaker than the other.  It's very frustrating.  Just two weeks ago, I was really stoked about my Marantz receiver and now the balance is completely kaput with only one speaker working.  It happens and these electronics are old.

But...But...  I kow that right about now, an electronics hobbyist is getting ready to comment that these issues can be fixed.  If you visit audiokarma.org, you'll read of people who open up their stereos, deep clean circuit boards, test and replace resistors, and spray circuit boards with electrical contact spray to get better electrical connections.  I'm not in a position to do any of that stuff.  I don't have a workbench, a garage, a basement, or a convenient balcony to do that kind of work.  I haven't messed around with electronics since I had a Radio Shack 101 project kit in the early 1980s.  I do know that AC Power Supplies and capacitors can shock the crap out of you or even kill you.  Thus, I don't muck around under the hood of my electronics.

Here are a few of the items that have died since I've been doing this blog:

• Marantz PM-70/ST-70 - Left / Right Balance, Intermittent Channel
• Technics SA-222 - Broken Quartz Lock Feature
• Miida Vintage Reciever - Intermittent Channel
•  Panasonic RE-777 - Background Buzz
• Sony Boombox - Faint Buzz 

My New Sony STRDH-130 Stereo Receiver

What did I do to stop this endless processions of flawed stereo gear from getting to my home?  I bought a Sony Stereo Receiver.  It's the STRDH-130 2 channel stereo receiver and it retails for around $150 with smart shoppers paying quite a bit less.  I paid $99 at Best Buy.  Then I paid an extra $20 or so for a four year protection plan just in case I have ANY problems.  The latest receivers offer bluetooth connectivity as well.