The most expensive vintage receiver you will ever buy is the cheap one that can never be fixed. The Bench Book is the technician's map to vintage hi-fi: which machines last a lifetime, which are unrepairable traps, what a fair price actually is — and how to tell the difference in sixty seconds, in the seller's garage, with no tools. Second edition — 54 pages, 12 parts, 200+ machines: The Five Laws — name · foam · future, the badge tax, and why serviced vintage beats everything while unserviced vintage beats nothing The 60-Second Bench Checks — what to do in the room, the five photographs you demand when buying remotely, and ten red flags in a listing Receivers & Amplifiers — the buy-it-for-life list, the value plays, the store-brand jackpot (who actually built the Realistic, the Allied, the MCS), the blacklist, and the modern shortcut The Brand Map — what every famous badge means in 2026: which are licensed logos, which are still real companies, and which can still send you a part Turntables · Speakers · Headphones, CD & Cassette — including the Nakamichi myth this book puts down with sources The Parts-Extinction Hall — the part nobody else writes: five ways a machine dies, ranked by how final they are The Investment Shelf — what is quietly climbing, with dated prices, and the famous-but-common list where the money is not How To Actually Buy — where the deals live ranked by dollars per hour, what to pay, and three complete systems that are honestly good Twelve Questions answered without a sales pitch, and five printable cards for your pocket Every price is a dated observation from the open market — not a press release and not an asking price. Every pick carries the honest catch. No sponsors. No affiliate links. Nobody paid to be on a list and nobody could pay to stay off one — which is why two entries carry public corrections where earlier research got something wrong. The Bench Guarantee: if it does not save you its own price on your next purchase, email within 30 days for a full refund. No questions. From The Hi-Fi Bench — written from the repair bench, not the showroom. Name · foam · future.