Order of importance for equipment...

[chebby]

on the other hand. if piece of equipment lasts for 34 years and is still in good working condition why should we expect it'll collapse soon after we buy it?

Why indeed?

Baffling isn't it?

 

[6th.replicant]

1= The music. Bad recording can't be fixed by a great system.

1= Speakers.

1= Amp.

1= Pre-amp.

1= Source - CD, TT, Streamer/DAC

1= Room acoustics

1= Cables

1= Power source.

1= Rack

IMHO, a hi-fi is similar to - pompous analogy ahoy, alert... - an F1 racing car; if all of the elements don't coalesce, it ain't going to perform at its best, irrespective of budget - as Ferrari is currently demonstrating

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

on the other hand. if piece of equipment lasts for 34 years and is still in good working condition why should we expect it'll collapse soon after we buy it?

Baffling isn't it?

well, you don't think you'd be able to drive a car without any servicing for 34 years, do you? manual volume potentiometer is more mechanical part than electical so some level of wearing may be expected over such a long period of time. of course, potentiometers don't suffer such levels of mechanical friction as for instance wheel bearings but then again you don't need to make serices every 5 years or so.

plus after so many years you'd do well to replace caps too. they should be able to withstand many years of home use but after 34 years replacing (or indeed upgrading) them would be advisable to return amp's performance to its former glory.

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

on the other hand. if piece of equipment lasts for 34 years and is still in good working condition why should we expect it'll collapse soon after we buy it?

Why indeed?

a good point but only backing up my view. mass production - no good. however, I didn't realise that this thing with poor production standards was plaguing high volume manufacturing for so long.

in other words I'd be surprised if this piece of news was related to for instance Macintosh or Acoustic Research or Audio Note or MBL...

 

[the record spot]

Which is fine if you're buying from a value for money perspective, but not everyone will be buying with that criteria in mind. Some will want new, so a 34 year old amp won't kick it for them, others won't want nearly 40lbs of amp sitting on their sideboard/rack, others will want more up to date technology onboard...

...or if they might want the peace of mind of 3 year/5 year guarantees on their expensive gear. I have had free repairs (major ones in some cases) on an LCD TV, an item of hi-fi, an Apple iMac and a Dell laptop in the last two years.

If they had not been covered by their respective 3, 4 and 5 year guarantees - because of being bought second-hand - then I would have spent a small fortune getting those repairs done by manufacturers (or their approved agents) with all brand-new parts (and shipped to and from my home free of charge). In the case of the TV we were even given a loan set for 2 weeks whilst ours was awaiting parts from Samsung and being repaired.

True in most cases, but many dealers selling secondhand gear will give a warranty - Audio Emotion being the best example who often hand out a five year warranty with their used equipment. See also Jordan Acoustics. Others give anything from three months to a year, or will honour a manufacturers warranty if the item is still in the original warranty period.

 

[the record spot]

on the other hand. if piece of equipment lasts for 34 years and is still in good working condition why should we expect it'll collapse soon after we buy it?

Baffling isn't it?

well, you don't think you'd be able to drive a car without any servicing for 34 years, do you? manual volume potentiometer is more mechanical part than electical so some level of wearing may be expected over such a long period of time. of course, potentiometers don't suffer such levels of mechanical friction as for instance wheel bearings but then again you don't need to make serices every 5 years or so.

plus after so many years you'd do well to replace caps too. they should be able to withstand many years of home use but after 34 years replacing (or indeed upgrading) them would be advisable to return amp's performance to its former glory.

Well, my amp is indeed 34 years old, but it needed a service to remove some corroded capacitors and clean up some of the infamous Sansui glue residue. So yes, it's still ticking over, but rather like old cars, old gear carries a hefty caveat that is ongoing TLC. Then again, my amp's only been serviced twice since I've had it, which is rather better than some Cyrus Servo Evolution players which are some decades its junior...

 

[Anonymous]

A dealer willing to put his neck on the line;

1. Room acoustics

2. Match the speakers to the room

3. Match the amp to the speakers

4. Match the source/s to the amp

5. Match all with transparent cables

(Time to run for cover)

 

[CnoEvil]

A dealer willing to put his neck on the line;

1. Room acoustics

2. Match the speakers to the room

3. Match the amp to the speakers

4. Match the source/s to the amp

5. Match all with transparent cables

(Time to run for cover)

Shaun

You've got guts..I'll give you that.

..Oh and welcome to the mayhem

Cno

 

[aliEnRIK]

5. Match all with transparent cables

(Time to run for cover)

Such as? And if your saying cables go up in budget with the rest of the kit, what range of cables are you speaking of?

Respect too

 

[CnoEvil]

A dealer willing to put his neck on the line;

1. Room acoustics

2. Match the speakers to the room

3. Match the amp to the speakers

4. Match the source/s to the amp

5. Match all with transparent cables

(Time to run for cover)

On reflexion, this is a clever answer.

It means no componant is out of kilter with any other, and all sounding correct within the room where it is placed.....perfect.

Athough it does involve starting with the speakers, which isn't always possible.

Also since "matching" is subjective, it leaves the individual free to decide where their priority lies.....no absolute answer....dealer escapes with credibility intact. I like it.

Cno

 

[Anonymous]

dealer escapes with credibility intact. I like it. Cno

Phew!! It is difficult when starting with a new system but if you have already done some research as in shop demos you already should have an idea of what sort of sound you like. You then can base your speaker choice on your tastes, ie. bass junkie or not etc. As for cables, well, that is always a difficult question and one that can only be answered by home demo's with your own kit and plenty of them.