Not sounding rubbish

[admin_exported]

So, my system at the moment comprises amongst other bits and bobs...
Cambridge 540C v2
Marantz PM6002
Epos M5

Full RRP around £820 (not that I paid that)

The other day, in order to put off doing any work, I raked out my old system, which the above replaced. It consists of...

Technics SL PG380A CD Player (remember the old "MASH" ones from the early 90s)
Cambridge A1 mk3
Eltax Monitor III

RRP would be around £230 I imagine.

I was expecting it to sound utterly rubbish when compared with my new system... but it actually sounded quite respectable. Different? Certainly. As good? No, not by some margin. But I was pleasantly surprised.

I wonder, if you drew a graph of the law of diminishing returns, at what price-point the line would start shooting skywards.

Anybody else resurrected some old (cheap) kit recently and been surprised?

 

[Anonymous]

I actually did the exact same thing a little while ago, incidentally with very similar kit. A CA A5 with Eltax Monitor 3 and an old CA CD5. Loved the sound before and still love it now but very much prefer the sound of my new kit. How do you find the Epos M5 with the Marantz PM6002? It would also appear our newer kit is very similar, great minds.

 

[Anonymous]

I replaced a Tecnics SL-490A (Mash again) CD player from the early 90s with a Marantz CD6002, and couldn't see a big difference - but it was there. I was expecting to be knocked off my seat when replacing a Marantz PM7200 with a Primare i30. I did see an improvement in clarity, but was still seated. finally, I did see a difference going from a Marantz CD6002 to Primare CD31 CD player.

The point is that I have concluded that I don't think it often that I will be swept off my feet. Despite this I am reasonably glad I have made upgrades because I think the changes needed to get to Nirvana (It seems like that the musicians are playing in front of you) are very subtle and small on from good budget gear. For this reason the improvements are more subtle and more perceptional than massively audible.

May be the sameis true of old gear, as good current budget stuff. Those 90s Technics players were really cool - I love my SL-490A!

 

[Thaiman]

That doesn't surprise me because the Eltax 3 are superb. Epos are just a tad better and I think I would prefer Eltax's bass. The main improvement I guess would be details from Marantz and Epos's smoother mid.

 

[Anonymous]

Brisk:How do you find the Epos M5 with the Marantz PM6002? It would also appear our newer kit is very similar, great minds.

Ho ho. Yes indeed. The M5s work very well with the Marantz, much better than the other speakers I auditioned. I didn't get round to auditioning the BR2s, which I've always thought looked tasty, although they were on my list. As soon as I heard the trademark Epos speed and timing, however, I was sold.

TNTTNT:May be the sameis true of old gear, as good current budget stuff. Those 90s Technics players were really cool - I love my SL-490A!

I guess I should also bear in mind that my technics actually cost just shy of £100 back in around 1994, which was obviously a lot more money than £100 is nowadays.

 

[Clare Newsome]

God, I loved my late-1980s Technics - saw me well into the 90s that did.

I may have a far more sophisticated system these days, but ah, the fun I had with my first bought-new player back in student-to-early-career times.