Q: My wife and I have a pair of 1982 Klipsch Heresy speakers that she bought new. Our vintage Yamaha R900 receiver (also bought new) died. Do you have any receiver recommendations to pair with our speakers?

I want to do what is necessary to have good sound from the Heresys. They are good speakers and deserve a good receiver. However, I don't know how much a receiver that would do them justice would cost. I'm guessing around $300, but I've also seen vintage receivers that I think are pretty good for around $100. The bottom line is that quality is first, price second.

A: The Klipsch Heresy is a great speaker from a company with a storied history and a very interesting, eccentric founder. Anyone with an interest in audio history should go to www.klipsch.com/about-us to learn more about Paul W. Klipsch and the company he founded. It is great reading.

Though Klipsch is a mass-market brand now, it still offers many of the original, handmade models that made the company great. You can learn more about the Klipsch Heritage series at /www.klipsch.com/heritage-speakers. Your Heresy speakers, introduced in 1957, are listed there. The same basic speaker is sold today as the Heresy III for $1,700 per pair.

A hallmark of older Klipsch speakers is extreme efficiency. Your Heresy speakers make 99 decibels of sound for every watt of power fed to them (measured at 1 meter). Compared with a typical 90 decibel-per-watt-meter speaker, they require one-eighth of the power for a given volume. Pairing the Heresys with a 20-watt amplifier will perform like typical bookshelf speakers with 160 watts of power. My point is: I'd look for quality over a high power rating. You don't need much power at all.

I did research on your behalf looking for a few recommendations for your receiver, with your "quality first, price second" guideline in mind. Even as I searched for models up to $500, I kept coming back to the TX-8020 I recommend for a budget system.

The Onkyo TX-8020 receiver might not have the fine finish or cachet of a higher-end brand or pricier model, but there is no need to make apologies for its performance. The specifications actually are better than stereo receivers selling for higher prices, and it has a great reputation. At only $179, it will leave extra funds available if you want to get a new turntable or add Bluetooth streaming with an add-on device. www.onkyousa.com

If you want to get something special to go with your classic speakers, I can make a solid recommendation that costs much more. I've long loved the Neuhaus Labs T-2 integrated tube amplifier. I own one myself. I can't think of a better match, though it costs $795, and you need a separate tuner to listen to AM/FM radio.

The bottom line is, I don't know how much better the T-2 would sound than the Onkyo in this case. It would be better, but would it be $600 better, before you even buy a tuner to get AM/FM? I wouldn't bet on it. What it will definitely give you is a very high quality of construction, pride of ownership, aesthetic appeal, digital capabilities and nice, warm sound from the all-tube circuitry. www.neuhauslabs.com

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at www.soundadviceblog.com.