Pre-Owned Hi-Fi

Vintage

Carefully selected vintage and used equipment, tested and certified by our technicians.

The Skylabs Standard: A Decade of Vintage Excellence

For over ten years, Skylabs has dedicated itself to providing what we consider the most reliable and highest-quality vintage stereos in the Midwest. Our mission is to preserve the "Golden Era" of Hi-Fi by ensuring every piece of equipment that leaves our shop is ready for a second lifetime of performance.

Vintage Inventory List

Our Service & Restoration Commitment

We do not simply "flip" gear. Every vintage receiver, amplifier, and turntable undergoes a rigorous inspection and service protocol. We believe in finding the "sweet spot" of restoration-addressing the most critical components to ensure long-term reliability without compromising the original soul of the machine.

  • Power Supply Updates: We prioritize replacing power supply and filter capacitors, which are the "heart" of the amplifier and essential for maintaining correct voltages.
  • LED Upgrades: We replace aging incandescent lamps with modern LEDs. This not only brightens the iconic "Blue Face" or "Silver Face" displays but also substantially reduces internal heat, protecting surrounding circuitry from warping or discoloration.
  • Performance Testing: Every unit is thoroughly tested at our bench in West Des Moines to ensure it meets our standards for sound purity and tactile feel.

Why We Source and Sell Locally

At Skylabs, our business model is built on personal connection and technical integrity. Because of this, we maintain a strict no-shipping policy for vintage electronics.

  1. Preserving Integrity: Shipping 50-pound, 50-year-old electronics is a high-risk endeavor. To avoid the heartbreak of bent chassis, shattered glass, or damaged solder joints, we only sell our vintage inventory through our brick-and-mortar storefront.
  2. Local Sourcing: We source our vintage stereos locally. This allows us to inspect the history of every piece and avoid the "astronomical" price hikes required if we were forced to compete for inventory on global auction sites.
  3. Support and Warranty: We exclusively service the vintage equipment we sell. This ensures that our technician, Rob, and the rest of the team can provide the highest level of support to our local customers.

We do not sell parts

Unfortunately, we do not have a secret source for vintage parts or new componets.

  1. Used vintage parts: eBay is your best best. If the part is not currently available on eBay create a saved search so you can be notified when someone posts the part you are looking for. This is the way.
  2. New components: We use Mouser, Digikey, Parts Express, Midwest Speaker Repair, Simply Speaker, Amazon, Ebay etc. If you cannot find the part on the internet, unfortunately, neither can we.