All those sweet memories come back clearly to me..........

People often look at me a little strangely when I let be known the fact that I own more than one stereo setup, like maybe 8 or 10 more than 1, and that they all date back prior to 1980. Usually their first question is, "WHY?".

I just purchased a Marantz 2270 receiver this weekend, from a fellow vintage stereo buff. 70 beautiful watts per channel of clear, sweet Marantz golden sound. Something he said I had to agree with wholeheartedly.

We had never met until we made this deal through Ebay. It turns out he lives on the other side of Kansas City from me, a small world indeed. He even volunteered to deliver the receiver within a few miles of home here, when he brought his son up to a football scrimmage. Nice guy! Most of the people I've met through this hobby/addiction are pretty special people.

As so often happens when hobbiests meet, we began exchanging information about our common passion... vintage stereo equipment. We talked about some of the items we each have, and things we would like to find. The stories of when, where, how, and why we'd acquired our treasures flowed between us as if we were already old friends. During the conversation he said, "Yeah, it's a way for me to own some of the things I only dreamed about having as a kid, and it don't cost that much!".

BINGO! Although part of the reason I enjoy all this is the sounds, that would really only account for owning ONE nice rig. There's more involved in owning several setups. It's not just about having a stereo in every room. It's about spending time being a kid again.

That's a big driving force in this hobby, for me. When I was 16-18 years old, I spent countless hours looking at audio catalogs and drooling over the Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui, MacIntosh, and other stereo gear depicted there. I could recite all the specs of my dream machines, much like a hot rodder does when talking about engines, transmissions, differentials, etc. I'd gaze longingly at the pictures, read reviews in Rolling Stone and other magazines, and sometimes even fantasize about owning such wonderous machines. But alas, a reciever like the Marantz 2270, at a list price in 1973 of $549, was way beyond my reach. That would be in the neighborhood of $2000 today, way to much for this kid to spend on stereo....

Now I collect them. And at a fraction of their original price. It's amazing how well the top of the line equipment has held up, and how much of it is out there if you get to looking a bit. It's like a dream come true!

I smile as I listen to the sweet, rich voice of my new Marantz, and for a few blissful hours, I'm one happy kid again!