Vintage Stereo Receivers

There were other experiences that helped to develop my affinity for radio. At about 6 or 7 years old, I discovered music on the radio and began to love the popular music of the time. So, there were little portable radios in my room and of course there were the big beautiful stereo component systems of the 70's. My mom and dad had a Nikko sta-6060 receiver. I had this for a while, but I let it get away before I realized what I had. The system included a Garrard turntable and Quadraflex speakers.

One aunt and uncle had a Marantz. These receivers remain magical to me. The blue displays, and unique tuning control made them stand out. They were beautiful to look at, and the controls were solid and smooth. I do collect these classics, but they are very large; In fact these beauties with their beautiful wooden cabinets border on being furniture! Consequently I only have 2 of them, a 2265b and 2270.

The all silver face on my 2265b is unique for the time, and makes a beautiful contrast with the blue lights. Mine has the walnut cabinet.

The 2270 has classic 70's styling

My other aunt and uncle had Pioneer equipment that my uncle brought back from Vietnam. They would have parties at their home, and I would gleefully play DJ all night long while everyone danced. My uncle's component system was all Pioneer, and included a reverb unit that made everything sound even more cool. My love for music only enhanced the whole experience.



You just can't beat these receivers. They were extremely high quality, and in most cases, overbuilt. Loads of power will make your speakers beg for mercy. You can't buy anything today that will touch the performance of these units without spending thousands of dollars, and if you do, they will never look this good. I remember going into stereo stores like Pacific Stereo in southern California and looking at all of these beautiful works of art. It was a far cry from the disposable black plastic box electronics industry of today. This is what a home component system may have looked like:.

In fact the displays in the stereo stores were set up as showcased component systems like this. This guy has the whole 70's vibe going on with classic album covers displayed above, and of course the obligatory lava lamps.

So the magic of radio is again reinforced in my youth. The next phase of my journey in radio will move into AM-DXing.