Vintage

[Jasonovich]

Rega Planner 3 late 80's I'm guessing, it was given to me early 2000's, It sat at work for a number of years waiting to be repaired but I don't think our service engineer was confident in tackling it, so a couple of years ago I took it to a local hifi dealer and had it fettled.
Now wondering whether I should just have had my Dual CS-505 repaired, bought in 1992. The rega doesn't cope very well with being on a hifi rack in a Victorian terraced house with bouncy wooden floors. Maybe the fact that the Dual has - for want of a better word - suspension, it might cope better.
I want to put wall mounted shelves up for the hifi, like we did in our first house but Rach isn't keen.

Little pricy but these might work for your rega or something similar

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-turntable-suspension-pads.html?spm=a2g0o.home.search.0

 

[Rui]

I still have my Rega Planar 2 turntable and Linn Index speakers from 1986 which have never let me down.
This year though I have collected 3 classic NAD amps from the 80's..

-The Mk2 version of the 3020 from approx 1981-83
-3020A from approx 1984 and
-3240PE from 1987-89
They have all been fully serviced, restored and recapped and are in mint condition.
I guess its partly nostalgia but they sound great and have really got me back into listening to music again.

i had this 3020, was great but i do prefer their old equipment

 

[Jasonovich]

Unfortunately I don't have anything vintage but if I can share

Back in the late 80s when I was single and renting out one room apartment. I popped into an old junk shop, they were selling old HiFi . I saw the Sugden's under a stack of records (never called them vinyl back then) and discarded over in the corner was B&W BBC DM4 studio monitors .

I can't recall exactly but I think I paid £20 for them, the best deal ever.

Sadly the Sugden's A21 Class A amp and B&W BBC DM4 studio monitors are long departed. Up in the HiFi heaven, sitting on their cosy sofa's listening to the cherubs singing.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

where did you find it ?it´s hard to get anything near old quality if not around 50.000€ for module

I would very much disagree. I think you're plucking conclusions (and figures) from the ether!

 

[Rui]

I would very much disagree. I think you're plucking conclusions (and figures) from the ether!

i wish it was but you might check some 70´s material and than tell me what is your opinion, but 70´s well restored to original specifications material. i had been gone from the new releases in what concerns to hi-fi this in late 90´s except some speakers and turntables all make me feel sad as i read some results of testing and made me not interested in knowing more but in 2017 for some reason im started to refurbish some componwents i had at home and again i started to follow a lot of reviews from new components and again i felt like all had went down ,off course with some exceptions but too much expensive for the quality,

one matter that i might had lost it´s review was why this new wave of turntables and new cartridges are so badly built and totally diferent from all that was built from the late 60´s till 1999, that´s why i made that statment but can you tell me about where i could find good material of any kind at lower prices, i would be gratefull, the ether was where the main source of information used to move , i could give practical examples but it would be exausting

 

[abacus]

i wish it was but you might check some 70´s material and than tell me what is your opinion, but 70´s well restored to original specifications material. i had been gone from the new releases in what concerns to hi-fi this in late 90´s except some speakers and turntables all make me feel sad as i read some results of testing and made me not interested in knowing more but in 2017 for some reason im started to refurbish some componwents i had at home and again i started to follow a lot of reviews from new components and again i felt like all had went down ,off course with some exceptions but too much expensive for the quality,

one matter that i might had lost it´s review was why this new wave of turntables and new cartridges are so badly built and totally diferent from all that was built from the late 60´s till 1999, that´s why i made that statment but can you tell me about where i could find good material of any kind at lower prices, i would be gratefull, the ether was where the main source of information used to move , i could give practical examples but it would be exausting

Performance has improved dramatically since the 70/80s with way more accurate and realistic sound, however nostalgia for the old sound quality that you knew growing up will always be a soft spot, even though it falls well below the quality and accuracy of today's equipment.
As to build quality, you get what you pay for, no matter what the vintage is. (Add inflation to the price of the old equipment and you will find it would cost more than modern equipment with a Beter quality and accuracy)

Bill

 

[DCarmi]

(Add inflation to the price of the old equipment and you will find it would cost more than modern equipment with a Beter quality and accuracy)

...and I'd argue this is even more true for the entry level to some mid level stuff.

 

[podknocker]

I don't have any vintage kit and I don't see the point in buying it. New materials and computer modelling are now allowing companies to create incredible sounding speakers, something far superior to what you could buy, even as recent as the 90s. I've had several speakers in the last 30 years and the performance now is way ahead of the old stuff. Having speakers from decades ago cleaned up and repaired won't give you the efficiency and tonal accuracy of a modern loudspeaker. Many speakers from the past would explode on the end of most modern amps and some modern designs can take huge waves of current and still survive. I know I've mentioned this before, but why are some people very dismissive when it comes to new things and are stuck with their dated technology? I saw a very old car the other day, like something from the 1930s and I just thought why bother. Go and spend the same money on a faster, more reliable car and they even come with a roof now! Vintage, classic, retro etc. It just doesn't make sense dwelling on past attempts at music reproduction.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Let's take a trip down memory lane! What's the oldest piece of hi-fi equipment you proudly own? Share your vintage treasure.​

How old is Vintage?

In regular use I have a Sony TA-F2464E from the mid 90s in my bedroom. Also in my bedroom but less used, I have a Marantz TT1200 from the 80s.

 

[SallyB]

GyroDec turntable and Yamaha HD1500 CD player and hardisk recorder bought in the mid 90s and still in active use.

 

[abacus]

I don't have any vintage kit and I don't see the point in buying it. New materials and computer modelling are now allowing companies to create incredible sounding speakers, something far superior to what you could buy, even as recent as the 90s. I've had several speakers in the last 30 years and the performance now is way ahead of the old stuff. Having speakers from decades ago cleaned up and repaired won't give you the efficiency and tonal accuracy of a modern loudspeaker. Many speakers from the past would explode on the end of most modern amps and some modern designs can take huge waves of current and still survive. I know I've mentioned this before, but why are some people very dismissive when it comes to new things and are stuck with their dated technology? I saw a very old car the other day, like something from the 1930s and I just thought why bother. Go and spend the same money on a faster, more reliable car and they even come with a roof now! Vintage, classic, retro etc. It just doesn't make sense dwelling on past attempts at music reproduction.

To you and others yes, however you will find many more who get attached to things that modern stuff although better just don't gel. (Everybody is different (Fortunately) which is why there is a wide variation of things out there)

Bill

 

[Cricketbat70]

I have similar issues at home. I want to change the layout to suit the hifi. Other-arf not keen. However, next year we plan to gut the downstairs, so that would be an opportunity to redesign things a bit. MInd you we said "next year" last year.

I wish you luck with designing the room around the hi-fi😂

 

[Stuart83]

Well connectivity has moved on for better or for the lion share sonically worse.

 

[Rui]

Performance has improved dramatically since the 70/80s with way more accurate and realistic sound, however nostalgia for the old sound quality that you knew growing up will always be a soft spot, even though it falls well below the quality and accuracy of today's equipment.
As to build quality, you get what you pay for, no matter what the vintage is. (Add inflation to the price of the old equipment and you will find it would cost more than modern equipment with a Beter quality and accuracy)

Bill

Yes you can believe that, not real by far but i say "each to it´s own".

What about the huge decrease in quality in every sold component in 1980 , only to meet 70´s quality it´s a herculean job much more improve it´s quality,

as it happens with is new things that people call turntables ,also horrible compared to old turntable like from late 60´s to 1999, that i know off.

it´s like believing in Santa Claus or those mitycal beings

No notion about changes in hi-fi world

 

[Jasonovich]

Unfortunately I don't have anything vintage but if I can share

Back in the late 80s when I was single and renting out one room apartment. I popped into an old junk shop, they were selling old HiFi . I saw the Sugden's under a stack of records (never called them vinyl back then) and discarded over in the corner was B&W BBC DM4 studio monitors .

I can't recall exactly but I think I paid £20 for them, the best deal ever.

Sadly the Sugden's A21 Class A amp and B&W BBC DM4 studio monitors are long departed. Up in the HiFi heaven, sitting on their cosy sofa's listening to the cherubs singing.

View attachment 7209
View attachment 7210
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I also recall, those shiny silver dials on the Sugden's aesthetically were not the best. I had replaced these with much larger black aluminium ones I purchased from Maplin's store in Walthamstow. I stained the case to match the B&Ws.
Yep it was the dogs.......
I lament, very sad Maplin's is no longer trading. I hate RS, not the same.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

yes you can believe that, not real by far but i say "each to it´s own"

I suspect there are a few here who would say that you are similarly welcome to believe what you do, but it's not real.

Each to their own indeed, but I fear there's a degree of disinformation in implying that old = good and new = inferior.

 

[podknocker]

I think we've established there are many on this forum vehemently opposed to new technologies and products, because of familiarity with their ancient kit, or just plain old refusal to adopt new things and help carry the world forward. The progress in HIFI in the last 30 years is incredible and I feel many people are just set in their ways. You can buy what you want, even ancient stuff, but you are going to struggle arguing the old stuff has superior sound quality and is somehow better. I get excited when new technology arrives and I can't relate to people wanting to stay firmly in the past, trying to slow down, or even halt progress and not just in the HIFI sector. Nostalgia has its place, but you can't stop the world changing and it amazes me how many people still try to return to 'the good old days'. It's a stubborn attitude and ultimately one that will fail. The world will move forward and leave many people behind.

 

[Jasonovich]

I suspect there are a few here who would say that you are similarly welcome to believe what you do, but it's not real.

Each to their own indeed, but I fear there's a degree of disinformation in implying that old = good and new = inferior.

If I may add further to your comment. I think Old = vintage (or sometimes junk ).

It has it's own value, people looking for this want to stir up the nostalgia, something that's associated with the times, something eventful, something that strikes an emotional cord.
You really can't compare old with the new but perhaps use as a benchmark, how technology has moved forward.

 

[Rui]

I suspect there are a few here who would say that you are similarly welcome to believe what you do, but it's not real.

Each to their own indeed, but I fear there's a degree of disinformation in implying that old = good and new = inferior.

well it´s the changes that are so evident and seems no one noticed from decade to decade ,

always thinking in ways to build cheaper and charge more, this made by all brand that exist not only most of them,

i can give the example that in 1980 one look at the new turntables , even from well known brands ,that i used to critisize, but if well installed they sounded perfect,

now i miss them as no new turntable till 2.000€ including the cartridge as even a similar quality sound ,for the better,

it´s today a totally diferent technology(the worst of all seen) that made us return to early turntables with diamond tip cartridges,

it seems that in some years they will charge more and give you a bag of parts and than "you put it together"it is now close to that, like if the people who lived in the 70´s, 80´s and 90´s all died and left no knowledge to future generations ,

no one today can think that they listen to records like it used to be regualr in those decades i refer but no minimum quality component system was worst than today´s things that can reproduce sound like in the past were used turntables that had old and perfect sound release ,

i can give the example of a old german friend who lives 60 kms apart from me and he only came to Portugal in the 70´s and he has all good turntables known to men but some years ago he said "i´m going to germany and buy a Pro-Ject turntable " to which us, his friends told him , "why ,you don´t need it and new turntables are so bad" ,

but he did it and after christmas and new years eve ,he returned and said that i should visit him to see his good Pro-Ject turntable, and so i did ,

well when arriving there he had some 80´s B&W 800´s nautilus and a early 70´s tube amplifier made by him with 200watts for channel real watts r.m.s. at 4 ohms, it´s a giant device with the biggest tubes i ever saw much bigger and better than in sold tube amplifiers ,with only a cd player like mine a CEC from the 90´s and a signature turntables with a 70´s mc cartridge ,

next was the most expensive turntable Pro-Ject still sales , i was like strucked by lightening as it sounded perfect , how could it be i thought to myself , well the explanation came next,

between the turntable itself and the cartridge he spent 14.000€ , this in 2021 i think a year or two diference at the most ,

the turntable was cheaper than the cartridge but for sure it will not last almost 60 years like old turntables from late 60´s, with top quality

After all said it sounds good but not out of this world like many turntables he owns. just a example .

What about digital and Analog war, cold war type , the perpetuated format or compact disc developed in the 70´s and still the worst format after the 8-track cartridge, in late 80´s the DAT when released for home use i bought the only standart size sony DAT and what a sound and it was digital and were the 80´s ,

some like me even compared it with good open reel decks , but the cd what are they doing in 2024 that still in use the first digital source of sound released for home use and off course it was nothing like it was defined by years of publicity and information not real ,

I listen to vinyl but since 1993 only used at most 10 times my turntable and even spent money on one in 96 this maybe to revitalised the will to continue the use of records at home ,

but only by chance in 2017 i started by doing maintenance to one of my cassette decks and a turntable the last i had bought a thorens TD2001 all personalized with a ortofon cartridge when ortofon meaned "Quality assured"in any cartridge they sold ,now it´s amongst the worst i ever listened to ,which feels strange,

Also have to refer having installed spotify on my computer that i discovered a lot of bands or artists that the last time i heard of them was in late 90´s but now i could see they kept releasing albums, if not from the band, their solo work,

and that´s how i re-started to spend money again in cds and records, maybe since then i bought 500 cds ,very cheap and 70 albums ,some very good others came dirty but sealed, so i would like digital to incrase it´s quality but no it´s bad as it was in early 80´s but at the time at least they were made from a expensive material and everything was better than after 1990 ,

so i think i can say that as we evolve everything turns bad and cheaply built not only in the hi-fi world but also cars my second hobby. Today i think people are free to choose and who am i to disagree it´s their money,

Snake oil is sold but i´m not from the quality control or if some didn´t knew there was a consumer protector agency that it seems they have become extinct,

it´s like Anarquy in the name of profit, as we see all days on tv at all levels of human life

 

[Cricketbat70]

I think we've established there are many on this forum vehemently opposed to new technologies and products, because of familiarity with their ancient kit, or just plain old refusal to adopt new things and help carry the world forward. The progress in HIFI in the last 30 years is incredible and I feel many people are just set in their ways. You can buy what you want, even ancient stuff, but you are going to struggle arguing the old stuff has superior sound quality and is somehow better. I get excited when new technology arrives and I can't relate to people wanting to stay firmly in the past, trying to slow down, or even halt progress and not just in the HIFI sector. Nostalgia has its place, but you can't stop the world changing and it amazes me how many people still try to return to 'the good old days'. It's a stubborn attitude and ultimately one that will fail. The world will move forward and leave many people behind.

That's the problem for me there is so much new stuff I'd love to try but funds don't allow. My AV receiver in the front room is from 2008 speakers the same, RP3 late 80's early 90's . I have an early 90's Denon mini separates that was given to me a couple of years ago in the dining room, I brought into the 21st century with a Chromecast Audio, did the same with the Yamaha AV receiver just a few years to old to have in built streaming. If I had the funds I'd love to start again.

 

[podknocker]

I want a HIFI Rose RS520 and a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 89 speakers, but it's also the lack of funds for me, so I will settle for my fairly new HIFI until I can afford to upgrade. It might never happen, but I never look at old technology and ever think this could be a better path to authentic music reproduction because it can't be. We still have a vinyl revival and even cassette tapes are getting popular again. It's sad to think Sony and Philips invented CD, a far superior sounding and convenient format and it still gets derided on this forum and others. I don't know why people want to reject CD, a format I worshipped for decades until streaming took away the faff of physical media. People still insist they want to own their music collection, but I'm not so precious about this and if my Spotify is ever down, I will just find something else to do. I've always loved music, but it's not the most important thing in the world and I think many people should just be less obsessed with the stuff they own. At the end of the day, it's just material to hoard and when you're dead, it will probably end up in the bin anyway. I can understand people being involved with the sleeve notes and the 'ritual' of vinyl, but the adoration of this format won't make it sound better than a new recording, on a high res format, never mind listening to this format through dated designs and vintage kit.

 

[Gray]

I want a HIFI Rose RS520

Can't be long till they bung you one FOC Pod 👍

 

[Cricketbat70]

I want a HIFI Rose RS520 and a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 89 speakers, but it's also the lack of funds for me, so I will settle for my fairly new HIFI until I can afford to upgrade. It might never happen, but I never look at old technology and ever think this could be a better path to authentic music reproduction because it can't be. We still have a vinyl revival and even cassette tapes are getting popular again. It's sad to think Sony and Philips invented CD, a far superior sounding and convenient format and it still gets derided on this forum and others. I don't know why people want to reject CD, a format I worshipped for decades until streaming took away the faff of physical media. People still insist they want to own their music collection, but I'm not so precious about this and if my Spotify is ever down, I will just find something else to do. I've always loved music, but it's not the most important thing in the world and I think many people should just be less obsessed with the stuff they own. At the end of the day, it's just material to hoard and when you're dead, it will probably end up in the bin anyway. I can understand people being involved with the sleeve notes and the 'ritual' of vinyl, but the adoration of this format won't make it sound better than a new recording, on a high res format.

Hifi Rose is what I keep looking at. When I took my RP3 in for repair at my local hifi dealer they had one model hooked up to some Fyne Audio speakers and I was blown away, it wasn't even in a proper demo room just out on the shop floor in a room full of vintage hifi.

 

[podknocker]

Can't be long till they bung you one FOC Pod 👍

Haha! It's a terrific product and does represent the state of the art in modern technology. I could never imagine streaming amps existing when I was buying CD players and other stuff 20 years ago. The streaming amp market is bringing many new technologies together, in a similar way to new TVs. The range of features in new TVs now is a world away from those 4:3 ratio grey goldfish bowls, sat in massive teak effect cupboards. The last CRT TV I bought was a 32" Philips and must have weighed as much as me. Vintage TVs will never return, that's for sure.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

so i think i can say that as we evolve everything turns bad and cheaply built not only in the hi-fi world but also cars my second hobby.

You can say it, but that doesn't make it true - and a few anecdotes do not change that. Modern cars are safer, more economical, faster, more reliable and better-built than their predecessors - they are an interest of mine too.

They are also heavier (in part because they are safer, but as part of the transition to batteries too), so I'm not saying it's all good. Ride quality is another area that's suffered, but blame people for wanting 'sportiness' with everything and wanting colossal wheels) But empirically I doubt you'll find more than a few people in a hundred who would agree that older cars are better than new. Because they are not, basically...

I think there's an argument that cars from 10-20 years ago are more engaging than their current counterparts (one of the reasons I won't change mine), but their modern day equivalents are, as I say, better-built, more reliable, more economical, safer, faster, have tech that couldn't even have been dreamt up then, etc etc.