Vintage gear

[Shanka]

Just my 2d's worth , I have a Pioneer 518 tt, bought by mistake on ebay, NAD C370 and some Mission 720's which I love listening too.

It is not better than my main system ,not even close, but it sounds like a fabulous system as I would have heard 25 years ago or so ( I know the amp is newer but the speakers and ths source give the flavour).
So I love having a little paddle in nostalgia and after a few beers many enjoy listening to it for that same nostalgic reason.

At some point I will eventually get a Pioneer PL 71 because I love the look of it and if I get really carried away a Pioneer SX 1080/1280 for the same reason.

As musical tastes change with age we all get stuck a bit back with how we remember things with rose tinted ears and I think there is no harm in that, it's just about listening and enjoying, I am sure if I had heard my main system 25 years ago my jaw would have dropped to the floor, and quite possibly some very high end kit from those days may have done that too.
Which has just reminded me of when I was with EMI and was listening to a queen cd, a band who I don't particlarly like, in a playback room with some huge amp and massive B&W speakers and my jaw did drop, this was 1987, where does the time go......................................

Anyway ,sorry for the ramble, time for some fairport convention and a beer, I blame the sun.

 

[matthewpiano]

Would be interesting to know what other interests Matthew has?

Er, photography, walking, National Trust, reading, history.....

Why?

 

[plastic penguin]

Would be interesting to know what other interests Matthew has?

Er, photography, walking, National Trust, reading, history.....

Why?

Nothing sinister, Matthew. Just wondered whether hi-fi was your only/main interest.

 

[CnoEvil]

Nothing sinister, Matthew. Just wondered whether hi-fi was your only/main interest.

I suspect that music is the interest, and hifi is simply a means to an end.

 

[CnoEvil]

Well I'm not a hifi expert in that I've not heard loads of different pieces of kit. Some of the people who post here seem to have a view on everything under the sun and frankly I don't know how they find the time to have heard all this kit, they must do almost nothing else! less than £2k and have what I wanted, a system that reproduces music acceptably close to the sound I hear in a concert hall.

Chris

Somehow, you have made being knowledgeable sound like an insult.

I have had an interest for nearly 40 years. I grew up with mates who were into hifi, so we listened to each others systems....which were fairly budget back then, with brands like Trio, Technics, Leak, Wharfedale, Goodmans, Tangent, Keesonic, Aiwa, Videoton, Sansui, Sony, Teleton, Goldring and Audiotronic.

i know two good knowledgeable dealers with whom i have a good relationship.....one for 30 years and one for 6. They have music nights as well as evenings where guest speakers from different companys, give talks and demos eg. John Carrick (Atlas) and Touraj Moghaddam (Vertere and used to be Mr.Roksan)).

I make it my business to keep my ear to the ground and often hear different stuff when I call in, so between that and going to the odd show, I have heard quite a bit of kit..........no big deal really, or very time consuming. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

 

[davedotco]

Well I'm not a hifi expert in that I've not heard loads of different pieces of kit. Some of the people who post here seem to have a view on everything under the sun and frankly I don't know how they find the time to have heard all this kit, they must do almost nothing else! less than £2k and have what I wanted, a system that reproduces music acceptably close to the sound I hear in a concert hall.

Chris

Somehow, you have made being knowledgeable sound like an insult.

I have had an interest for nearly 40 years. I grew up with mates who were into hifi, so we listened to each others systems....which were fairly budget back then, with brands like Trio, Technics, Leak, Wharfedale, Tangent, Keesonic, Aiwa, Videoton, Sansui, Sony, Teleton, Goldring and Audiotronic.

i know two good knowledgeable dealers with whom i have a good relationship.....one for 30 years and one for 6. They have music nights as well as evenings where guest speakers from different companys, give talks and demos eg. John Carrick (Atlas) and Touraj Moghaddam (Vertere and used to be Mr.Roksan)).

I make it my business to keep my ear to the ground and often hear different stuff when I call in, so between that and going to the odd show, I have heard quite a bit of kit..........no big deal really, or very time consuming. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

It's the modern way Cno.

The country is so dumbed down that anyone who shows an in depth knowledge of anything is automatically considered a nerd or a geek and in not having 'a life'.

 

[alchemist 1]

Would be interesting to know what other interests Matthew has?

Er, photography, walking, National Trust, reading, history.....

Why?

The National Trust.........:? Oh dear!

 

[Blackdawn]

To the OP, which items of vintage kit have you tried and liked so far? this may get people coming in with some suggestions for you of exactly what to look out for second hand.

 

[matthewpiano]

Would be interesting to know what other interests Matthew has?

Er, photography, walking, National Trust, reading, history.....

Why?

The National Trust.........:? Oh dear!

Why 'Oh dear'?

 

[Blackdawn]

Matthewpiano, do you have the same issues with SQ when listening through headphones as you do through speakers? Maybe the room size/volume you listen at has a far greater impact than the kit - whether vintage or new? Why not get a bigger house and play you music louder! How often do people go to a concert where the vol. is low?

One reason I don't go to Hi Fi shows is that theres always a system more expensive and better sounding than the one you already own. This means your never particularly happy with the system you have.

 

[plastic penguin]

Would be interesting to know what other interests Matthew has?

Er, photography, walking, National Trust, reading, history.....

Why?

The National Trust.........:? Oh dear!

Why 'Oh dear'?

I'm with Matthew on this one. Our bungalow is on National Trust land. Does the eyes a power of good.

 

[floyd droid]

I make it my business to keep my ear to the ground and often hear different stuff when I call in, so between that and going to the odd show, I have heard quite a bit of kit..........no big deal really, or very time consuming. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

Thats pretty much me too Cno , well minus the shows as I really cant be fussed. Quite often my hifi buddy will ring me saying 'ive got such and such in wanna listen '. So off I jolly well go. Or I will call him to ponce stuff for a play around , if he hasnt got it he gets it in for me.

Next week when its back from a dem I'm borrowing the Ming Da MC300 pre amp , no intention of buying this mahoosive thing either. But will be an interesting play around.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

I'm with Matthew on this one. Our bungalow is on National Trust land. Does the eyes a power of good.

The National Trust is a wonderful institution. Been a member since I arrived on these shores.

 

[plastic penguin]

I'm with Matthew on this one. Our bungalow is on National Trust land. Does the eyes a power of good.

The National Trust is a wonderful institution. Been a member since I arrived on these shores.

Two minutes walk from my house and your in the middle of a forest. Can't hear anything apart from grazing cattle, the occasional deer. Yet we're only 30 minutes ride from C. London.

 

[chebby]

I'd like to know more about about Matthew's photography.

I found a photo of his (I think) of Stevenson's viaduct in Berwick but nothing else.

Walking and NT suggests lot's of UK landscapes (my favourite).

Matthew, will you indulge us one day with a photography thread or some links to your photographs?

Sorry to go OT.

As you all were.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know more about about Matthew's photography.

I found a photo of his (I think) of Stevenson's viaduct in Berwick but nothing else.

Walking and NT suggests lot's of UK landscapes (my favourite).

Matthew, will you indulge us one day with a photography thread or some links to your photographs?

Sorry to go OT.

As you all were.

+1 from a n other NT member who likes photography

 

[Electro]

In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

I hope they will be driven by a pair of Electrocompaniet Nemo's as KEF would recommend

 

[CnoEvil]

In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

I hope they will be driven by a pair of Electrocompaniet Nemo's as KEF would recommend

Unfortunately they won't.

It will be Linn.....either Akurate or Klimax.

 

[matthewpiano]

I'd like to know more about about Matthew's photography.

I found a photo of his (I think) of Stevenson's viaduct in Berwick but nothing else.

Walking and NT suggests lot's of UK landscapes (my favourite).

Matthew, will you indulge us one day with a photography thread or some links to your photographs?

Sorry to go OT.

As you all were.

Chebby, thank you for your interest, especially given how talented you are with a camera. The viaduct photo you found is indeed mine. I'm not as good as you and I don't have huge confidence with it, but I love photography and, as you rightly summise, much of what I do is landscapes. Funnily enough I'm generally more interested in capturing the picture than the kit - I use a Nikon D3100 DSLR now but I don't carry a huge amount of kit around with me.

I'll pick a couple of images out over the weekend and share them.

 

[chebby]

I'd like to know more about about Matthew's photography.

I found a photo of his (I think) of Stevenson's viaduct in Berwick but nothing else.

Walking and NT suggests lot's of UK landscapes (my favourite).

Matthew, will you indulge us one day with a photography thread or some links to your photographs?

Sorry to go OT.

As you all were.

... I love photography and, as you rightly summise, much of what I do is landscapes. Funnily enough I'm generally more interested in capturing the picture than the kit - I use a Nikon D3100 DSLR now but I don't carry a huge amount of kit around with me.

I'll pick a couple of images out over the weekend and share them.

Thanks Matthew, looking forward to them.

The kit doesn't matter a great deal so long as it works for you and it's always with you when a picture presents itself. Despite a C&G (and a bit of luck) I have always tried more to see under the skin of a landscape than take 'technically good' photos and try and get something out from it's history. I don't know what history you are interested in but I was helped a lot - when starting out - by reading Simon Schama's book 'Landscape & Memory' and 'In Search of England' by Michael Wood.

(It's fair to say that reading for the sake of my photography kick-started my interest in history again, so one hobby turned into two.)

It's your feeling and thoughts about the place (and luck if conditions match) that matter more if you can communicate them. That's not easy to get over to others, so you just have to hope they like the result without knowing what was going on in your head.

I have lots of favourite landscape photographers but the real stand-out, for me at least, was Bill Brandt (despite his having achieved more fame as a photo journalist for Picture Post.)

Edit your photos mercilessly. (That means deleting everything you don't really like and does NOT mean 'edit' in the sense of Photoshopping it.)

If you come home after a week away with only one really good photograph, then it wasn't a waste. (In fact there was a time i'd count that as a triumph!)

 

[lindsayt]

I heard some good things about old Sony ES amps, how do you rate them?

Some of them are very good. The TA-F 770ES is a super amp for the prices you can buy them at.

Other amps to look out for are the Onkyo Integra Pre-powers. Kenwood / Trio L series - they had links with Accuphase. Accupahse are good too, but tend to attract premium pricing. Pioneer Exclusives are worth looking out for. Sansui AU 9500's. Yamaha made some monster amps, including the MX-10000. JVC M series. Nakamichi CA's and PA's.

 

[Covenanter]

Well I'm not a hifi expert in that I've not heard loads of different pieces of kit. Some of the people who post here seem to have a view on everything under the sun and frankly I don't know how they find the time to have heard all this kit, they must do almost nothing else! less than £2k and have what I wanted, a system that reproduces music acceptably close to the sound I hear in a concert hall.

Chris

Somehow, you have made being knowledgeable sound like an insult.

I have had an interest for nearly 40 years. I grew up with mates who were into hifi, so we listened to each others systems....which were fairly budget back then, with brands like Trio, Technics, Leak, Wharfedale, Goodmans, Tangent, Keesonic, Aiwa, Videoton, Sansui, Sony, Teleton, Goldring and Audiotronic.

i know two good knowledgeable dealers with whom i have a good relationship.....one for 30 years and one for 6. They have music nights as well as evenings where guest speakers from different companys, give talks and demos eg. John Carrick (Atlas) and Touraj Moghaddam (Vertere and used to be Mr.Roksan)).

I make it my business to keep my ear to the ground and often hear different stuff when I call in, so between that and going to the odd show, I have heard quite a bit of kit..........no big deal really, or very time consuming. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

Not an insult, I'm just surprised anybody finds the time. There is no way I could fit what you describe into my life now even though I am retired. When I was working I didn't even have time to listen to music much and now I'm catching up. I guess hifi is your main interest whereas to me it's simply a means of listening to music.

Chris

 

[Covenanter]

Well I'm not a hifi expert in that I've not heard loads of different pieces of kit. Some of the people who post here seem to have a view on everything under the sun and frankly I don't know how they find the time to have heard all this kit, they must do almost nothing else! less than £2k and have what I wanted, a system that reproduces music acceptably close to the sound I hear in a concert hall.

Chris

Somehow, you have made being knowledgeable sound like an insult.

I have had an interest for nearly 40 years. I grew up with mates who were into hifi, so we listened to each others systems....which were fairly budget back then, with brands like Trio, Technics, Leak, Wharfedale, Tangent, Keesonic, Aiwa, Videoton, Sansui, Sony, Teleton, Goldring and Audiotronic.

i know two good knowledgeable dealers with whom i have a good relationship.....one for 30 years and one for 6. They have music nights as well as evenings where guest speakers from different companys, give talks and demos eg. John Carrick (Atlas) and Touraj Moghaddam (Vertere and used to be Mr.Roksan)).

I make it my business to keep my ear to the ground and often hear different stuff when I call in, so between that and going to the odd show, I have heard quite a bit of kit..........no big deal really, or very time consuming. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to hear some Kef Blades (which I have no intention of buying), but the dealer has them out on demo for a while.

It's the modern way Cno.

The country is so dumbed down that anyone who shows an in depth knowledge of anything is automatically considered a nerd or a geek and in not having 'a life'.

I don't know where you get that from! I didn't say any of those things. I merely expressed surprise that people find the time to hear so much kit as I know I wouldn't have.

Chris

 

[CnoEvil]

Not an insult, I'm just surprised anybody finds the time. There is no way I could fit what you describe into my life now even though I am retired. When I was working I didn't even have time to listen to music much and now I'm catching up. I guess hifi is your main interest whereas to me it's simply a means of listening to music.

Chris

It is far from my main interest and would have made up a tiny percentage of my time compared to other things (Music, Tennis, Horse Riding, Golf, Skiing, Fitness Training, Hockey, and a little bit of photography). Helping raise 4 kids and doing a job that used to take 7 days a week and 12 hours a day, for 6 months of the year, didn't help either.

The trouble is that I have been grounded due to back problems, and latterly a back op......so I come on here far to much, to talk about it.

Music is the main goal, but I'm very fussy about how it sounds, which has meant becoming somewhat knowledgeable about the means to produce it.

 

[matthewpiano]

To the OP, which items of vintage kit have you tried and liked so far? this may get people coming in with some suggestions for you of exactly what to look out for second hand.

Hi Blackdawn.

I still own and like three of the 70s Sansui AU series amps - AU2200, AU2900 (essentially the black faced and I think marginally more powerful version of the 2200), and the AU4400. These have a lovely fluid sound and are also just great fun to listen to. At 10wpc the smallest needs sensitive speakers, but it seems to work well with my 1985 KEF C30s, which are a two way sealed box design but around 90dB sensitivity. I have also previously had an AU3900 which sounded sublime with a pair of KEF Coda IIIs (the predecessor to the C30) and I could kick myself for moving those two pieces on. I'd love an AU-999 or an AU-9900 but in common with a lot of big vintage amps, prices are high these days.

I've also dabbled with Pioneer stuff in the past, principally an SA-508. Slightly brighter than the Sansui amps but again tremendous fun and a really open sound. Another piece I wish I still had. I've also tried an SX-450 receiver some time ago but found that just a bit too cosy sounding. I'd certainly have a x08 or x800 series amp again, but the bigger ones have shot up in price in recent years.

I liked a Technics SU-V55 I had for a while and, again, I should have kept it but the whole 'new equipment should be better' thing got in the way - a 'thing' I need to let go of I think now. I wouldn't mind hearing one of the older Technics models at some point.

JVC is another brand I've been impressed with on occasion, as is Trio/Kenwood. Neither brand has quite captured people's imagination like Sansui or Pioneer and so you can get much more for much less. However, it is some of the smaller Trio amps that I've liked the sound of.

I've never tried any of the better Akai amps and have often wondered about them.

Outside of the Japanese brands, some years ago I heard a Leak Stereo 30 (transistor) and thought it very persuasive sounding. I've never ruled out the idea of having something similar myself.

Regarding valves, I've never owned a valve amp but I have heard a few and I've always liked the sound. Probably the best system I've heard was powered by a valve amp (Unison Research) with floorstanding Opera speakers with a vinyl front end. It was like being in the same room as the orchestra. Way above any sort of achievable budget for me though. Eventually, if funds allow, I may be tempted to look at the Icon Audio range more closely. I've heard their amps briefly and enjoyed them. This would be some time away though.