5 ms·

So there's little question modern receivers are far higher quality, primarily because of digitization and what it's enabled. In particular, the better room corr

So there's little question modern receivers are far higher quality, primarily because of digitization and what it's enabled. In particular, the better room correction systems make a dramatic difference, and that's based on research that correctly correlates subjective preference to objective measures. But the problem is none of this stuff is engineered to last in the same way. Many of the products are taking a base board design from an upstream vendor and only doing the minimal amount of work to give it a unique looking physical and OSD skin. They cheap out on the components they use as much as possible, even the mid tier brands considered to have high build quality. You're lucky if you get a decade out of one now, though admitted part of what's driving that is the assumption that features and interconnect standards are going to keep advancing fast enough that designing for a longer lifespan is pointless. But it does feel a bit aggravating to throw something out every 10 years or so when you know it's probably just a couple caps or the like that have gone toast, but it's just not feasible to repair these DIY. When I was a kid I got a hand me down Zenith stereo set from my grandmother. I'm sure the materials in the speaker drivers had degraded somewhat, but it still worked as perfectly as the day it was sold decades earlier. Not sure what my folks did with it, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if I found it in the attic, plugged it in, and it was still just fine.

Aloha 5y ago
The old zenith stuff is great because it uses mostly mica caps, so they're pretty likely to be working.
davidthewatson 5y ago
Sadly, I have a beautiful condition Technics turntable from that period. Cast Aluminum, made in Japan. However, I could not find a comparable receiver from that period at any reasonable price, with the expectation that it wouldn't require work, so it's hooked up to a modern receiver that's commodity on Amazon. The sound of this setup is pretty solid given that the vinyl is as old as the turntable, but like the receiver, the 3-ways are contemporary. I've replaced modern receivers at about 1 in 10 years going back to a Sony ES and my current Yamaha is about that old. I'm sure if I had the skills, it's just a power supply or amp or something similar.
varjag 5y ago
Lifespan of modern electronics is pretty good. Just happen to have that 2010 Sony AVR, likely the same model GP has mentioned. It's doing fine, along with its contemporary HDTV panel. And I don't think it's the luck; people get a bit nostalgic for the reality that never existed. Most of the iconic 1970/80s systems now touted as an example of build quality were top shelf equipment, no costs spared in their day. Yes they are repairable, but it was more a function of low integration technology of their time than any deliberate philosophy of their designers.
- OJFord 5y ago
  > Yes they are repairable, but it was more a function of low integration technology of their time than any deliberate philosophy of their designers. I'd dispute that - they came with schematics and proper, useful, troubleshooting. I used to have a bit of a collection of partially working Phillips SA-4xx series stereo amps, I wanted a 7.1 surround system using them for no good reason, (2000s I suppose, got as far as flakey 3.1 iirc) and they all had such diagrams, where ~nothing modern does. They were all before my time, fwiw.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Philips used to be amazingly service friendly, to the point of having a special store where they sold all of the parts to all of their gear, from washing machines to tape recorders and everything in between. It was called the Philips TSC and it really helped my keeping a whole neighborhoods electrical gear in working order (and by extension: to keep me in dough to satisfy my endless need for electronics parts and test and measurement gear).
  - varjag 5y ago
    It makes little sense with diagrams when all you have is an opamp and 3 ASICs. There is nothing to be repaired.
sokoloff 5y ago
> But it does feel a bit aggravating to throw something out every 10 years or so when you know it's probably just a couple caps or the like that have gone toast, but it's just not feasible to repair these DIY. It’s often a power supply that’s failed and those are quite easy to test and DIY replace if it’s the caps that have failed. I know a lot of people don’t even consider doing it, but for those few who are inclined to ask the question “could I fix this?” the answer is often “yes”.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  That depends on how it failed. Sometimes rectifiers fail open and there is no problem, other times they fail closed and then you might end up having to replace all of the semiconductors that that particular rectifier fed.

Aloha 5y ago

The old zenith stuff is great because it uses mostly mica caps, so they're pretty likely to be working.

davidthewatson 5y ago

Sadly, I have a beautiful condition Technics turntable from that period. Cast Aluminum, made in Japan. However, I could not find a comparable receiver from that period at any reasonable price, with the expectation that it wouldn't require work, so it's hooked up to a modern receiver that's commodity on Amazon. The sound of this setup is pretty solid given that the vinyl is as old as the turntable, but like the receiver, the 3-ways are contemporary. I've replaced modern receivers at about 1 in 10 years going back to a Sony ES and my current Yamaha is about that old. I'm sure if I had the skills, it's just a power supply or amp or something similar.

varjag 5y ago

Lifespan of modern electronics is pretty good. Just happen to have that 2010 Sony AVR, likely the same model GP has mentioned. It's doing fine, along with its contemporary HDTV panel. And I don't think it's the luck; people get a bit nostalgic for the reality that never existed. Most of the iconic 1970/80s systems now touted as an example of build quality were top shelf equipment, no costs spared in their day. Yes they are repairable, but it was more a function of low integration technology of their time than any deliberate philosophy of their designers.

OJFord 5y ago
> Yes they are repairable, but it was more a function of low integration technology of their time than any deliberate philosophy of their designers. I'd dispute that - they came with schematics and proper, useful, troubleshooting. I used to have a bit of a collection of partially working Phillips SA-4xx series stereo amps, I wanted a 7.1 surround system using them for no good reason, (2000s I suppose, got as far as flakey 3.1 iirc) and they all had such diagrams, where ~nothing modern does. They were all before my time, fwiw.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Philips used to be amazingly service friendly, to the point of having a special store where they sold all of the parts to all of their gear, from washing machines to tape recorders and everything in between. It was called the Philips TSC and it really helped my keeping a whole neighborhoods electrical gear in working order (and by extension: to keep me in dough to satisfy my endless need for electronics parts and test and measurement gear).
- varjag 5y ago
  It makes little sense with diagrams when all you have is an opamp and 3 ASICs. There is nothing to be repaired.

sokoloff 5y ago

> But it does feel a bit aggravating to throw something out every 10 years or so when you know it's probably just a couple caps or the like that have gone toast, but it's just not feasible to repair these DIY. It’s often a power supply that’s failed and those are quite easy to test and DIY replace if it’s the caps that have failed. I know a lot of people don’t even consider doing it, but for those few who are inclined to ask the question “could I fix this?” the answer is often “yes”.

jacquesm 5y ago
That depends on how it failed. Sometimes rectifiers fail open and there is no problem, other times they fail closed and then you might end up having to replace all of the semiconductors that that particular rectifier fed.