Buying Second-Hand Japanese Audio Without Frying It

Why most of the golden-age gear is still in Japan

Back when home audio was a flagship product, Japanese factories were turning out amplifiers, receivers, turntables and speakers several models a year. Names like Sansui, Luxman, Pioneer, Denon, Kenwood and Technics sold mainly at home, and plenty of those models never left the country.

Japanese homes are neither as hot nor as humid as ours, so many units still come with the original box and manual. The drawback of it all staying there is that none of it was designed to leave, neither on power nor on weight.

100V gear on a Thai socket: sort this out before you order

Equipment sold in Japan is built for a 100V supply. Thai mains is 220V. What catches people out is that the flat two-pin Japanese plug fits a Thai socket perfectly, with nothing to stop you. The moment it goes in, the unit takes more than double the voltage it was designed for, and the power supply is gone before you press a button.

The fix is a step-down transformer between the wall socket and the equipment, bringing 220V down to 100V. Sizing one to what you are plugging into it, and adding the units up when a whole system goes on one, is covered in the guide to running Japanese equipment on Thai mains.

The power figure is printed on the plate at the back of the unit, and many sellers photograph the rear panel anyway. If the photos do not show it, message an admin on LINE and we will ask before you order. Never assume the voltage from the model name; read the plate.

What ages on its own, and what a seller can confirm

A forty-year-old unit is never going to be like new. The recurring faults are a short list.

• •Capacitors dry out over time, which shows up as hum or a loss of power. Generic parts replace them.
• •Switches and volume pots crackle as you turn them, usually oxide on the contacts.
• •Dial lamps burn out. Everything still works, the front panel is just dark.
• •Turntable belts stretch, or perish into a sticky residue on the platter.

A seller who only plugged it in writes that it powers up and the dial lights, which means they do not know whether any sound comes out. Someone who hooked up speakers can tell you sound comes through both channels. Nobody can tell you how much longer the unit will last.

Anything described as sold as-is or junk grade is something to repair, not something to plug in and enjoy. Reading the wording sellers use is covered in the guide to reading second-hand condition.

Speakers come with their own failure list

Foam surrounds around the cone go first, every time. In the photos they are the black ring around the cone; if it looks crumbly or notched in places, it needs re-foaming. Thai workshops do this work routinely, but budget for it while you are deciding rather than while you are unpacking.

Drivers that have already been reconed turn up just as often. If the two surrounds differ in colour or texture in the photos, only one side was done.

Cabinets are where photos mislead most. One that has lived somewhere damp swells at the bottom corners and the veneer starts lifting, and a straight-on front shot will never show it. Ask for extra shots of the back and the lower corners before you order.

Heavy units, big boxes, freight charged differently

Amplifiers and receivers from that era are solid metal transformers and heatsinks inside, and far heavier than the photos suggest. Speakers weigh less but take up much more box, and freight home is charged on the weight of the packed parcel, so a large cabinet does not cost what its size suggests. Compare sea and air on the shipping services page.

A heavy unit sitting loose in a carton swings into the walls of that carton on its own, and the dial knobs and rear terminals are the first things to snap off, so a seller who still has the original box and foam has the advantage from the start. A pair of speakers should travel one to a box. The ordering steps are in the guide to ordering from Mercari.

Frequently asked questions