I have previously owned and continue to own various vintage pieces. One has to replace electrolytic caps or count on luck to be able to use them. Too much work to continuously recap new vintage purchases, besides new equipment superior to much of the vintage.
Has this happened to you? How can it be stopped?
Well this question is for fun but also kinda serious too.
Have you felt the urger to buy a vintage piece of audio gear when you really didn’t need it? Have you felt that this is an addiction and how can it be stopped?
I have Marantz 2235 receiver in my office, a Sansui 1000x in my bedroom, a Realistic STA-52b in my spare bedroom and Yamaha RX-V995 in my wifes sewing room and a Yamaha RX-V690 in the garage with various vintage speakers connected to all of them. I already have two complete audio systems in my audio room.
When does the madness stop? My wife tells me I have an audio problem!?!
58 responses Add your response
Depends on what you buy. With selectively bought 80’s 90’s top of the line you’ll still pound most of what’s offered today. Restore, upgrade where possible and enjoy what most still can’t afford. It’s all mechanical and all eventually needs work, that said most can still be done. Look inside the average ‘quality amp’ today what you see is the cheapest possible parts and assembly line work, otherwise that $6th unit would be $12th, and so on. Then there’s the specs and hearing, odds are you won’t go wrong there either. The market is there to get you to buy, Great still beats good modern or not. Cheers |
@2psyop I don’t see a problem here. You just need to use the 1:1 spending method with your wife. For each dollar you spend on "irrational" purchases for you, you graciously allow her to "invest" the same amount in "irrational" purchases for her. Just don’t keep score. You may not like what you find out. As for myself, I’m a retired audio dealer who still spends one day a week servicing vintage audio equipment. The goal: "Prevent good equipment from going into the dumpster." Once in a while, I come across a piece of abandoned equipment. I’ll repair and hang on to what I consider "a good example of vintage audio gear" for my grandkids. The problem is, of course, I now have more vintage gear than grandkids. I can also tell you that I have more deep regrets after selling off a piece of gear that I should have kept in my collection, than purchasing a few more items that I shouldn't have. I’m also a car guy and have 9 cars. Hifi gear is much easier (and, cheaper) to operate, maintain, insure and store than old cars. My user ID: "waytoomuchstuff" has more than audio implications Thanks for the post. Good stuff!
|
Nope. Old stuff is just that. Old stuff. I even shake my head at all the people foaming at the mouth for vinyl. I am old enough to remember carting those heavy stupid things each time I moved. The scratches, the pops, the crackling noise. Nostalgia does not work for me. Gimme some Qobuz, thanks. I have about as much desire for "vintage" equipment as I do for a big 'ol box of floppy discs. Simply put, if that old stuff was so great, it would still be manufactured and never updated. It was the best we had- at the time. Electrical equipment does not get better over time. It just gets old. I have a friend (much younger) who is very much into vintage equipment. I go over to his house for a sit-down. He swoons at the "smooth analog sound". All I hear is low level hum from bad caps and feedback. Toss in a nice crackly album and he is in heaven. He has been convinced that old is good. I smile and indulge him. I am glad a young guy is excited by real audio vs some jacked up Bluetooth portable speaker. I won't be fooled, by others or myself. I was there when that crap was new. I too was shiney and new. Now I am dusty and run down as is that equipment. As a point of reference, I have a beautiful old floor model Victrola and a ton of 78's. It sounds amazing- for 1933. I enjoy it for the fact that it is dead tech. I will not try to convince myself that it sounds warm and wonderful- even if it IS pure analog lol.
|
It's difficult to impossible to support an emotional argument with a pragmatic approach. "Vintage" to some is "old" to others. While "old" is factually correct, it falls short in defining all the elements of our attachment to "vintage" gear. Owning competent examples from the time period when we discovered the magic of high(er) quality sound in our lives is very rewarding to some. These were "the best of the best" if the equipment available at the time. Well, within our price range anyway. One contributor expressed his attachment to his vintage car. Yes,, I too have a "feel good" moment when I pull the car cover off one of my sixties "hot rods". Even though my daily driver is quicker, faster, handles better, and, of course, much safer. If it makes you smile when the needle drops or the cassette tape spins -- mission accomplished. |
I love a lot of the old vintage stuff too, but here are 3 things that would stop me from buying them. 1) Much of the old gear doesn't sound good by today's standards; 2) Much of the stuff you can buy wasn't well taken care of and is only suitable for a "scratch and dent" sale; 3) After 25 years or so the capacitors will have dried out. Many of the ICs and transistors are no longer made so can't be replaced. It could cost you hundreds of dollars to get the stuff repaired if you can find a good tech. Good ones are a dying breed. I bought an older Adcom amp a few years back and a few of the output transistors went - no longer made. Now, it's an expensive boat anchor.
|