Has this happened to you? How can it be stopped?

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.

  

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.

That type of vintage gear the op has belongs in the garage only.

Yes it has, no it can't, it doesn't, your wife is correct.

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.

 

@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!

 

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

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.

Have I ever had the urge to but a piece of vintage audio gear? No, not at all.

My vintage addiction ended when I splurge bought an Harman Kardon KH430 (which turned out to be the best sounding of the vintages, with excellent separation and imaging), a Pioneer SX 450, and a Marantz 2238 all decked out with one of those nice wood cabinets...  All beautiful pieces, all professionally refurbed... 

And they all got blown away, one after the other, by the factory refurbished Marantz nr1200 receiver that I bought including shipping and an extended warranty (which I rarely do) for $600 including tax to the door.  The nr1200 sounded more clear, more spacious, more gutsy, better imaging, quieter... plus it has all the modern hookups, including a streamer and subwoofer management, in addition to traditional tone controls and balance control... oh, and the nr1200 has a remote control as well.  The sonic superiority of the nr1200 was obvious.  

Of course, the vintage pieces are all very nice, very cool looking each in their own classy way... but the new receiver is clearly better on every audio aspect as well as functionally.  So, I sold all the vintage stuff on ebay, made some money and saved some money, and lightened my possessions load while improving the overall quality of the stuff I have kept.

Okay guys all great answers, some had me laughing on the floor. I do need to keep my wife, so I am just putting that out there. Also I have the understanding and reasoning to know my more recent Hi-FI gear outperforms and has much better sound than the vintage stuff BUT I am drawn into (in a crazed psychological way) the older gear. Maybe it was that big metal flat box which my grandfather kept under the bed and took out when he was fixing an old vacuum tube radio or later tube TV.... And yes I have a tube amplifier in my main listening room. 

For all of you telling me it's ok to have this addiction, thanks. I am starting to feel better about it. My wife asked me the other day, "what will I do with all your audio gear if you die, I don't even know how to turn it on?"

I have a long established reputation in my area as a lover of hi fi and music. Over the years things have just come my way. Just today a guy from a local radio station dropped off a Teac X2000r, free of charge! A bag of ten inch reels came with it. More to follow. Life is good! Joe

Anyone who has lived through the ’vintage’ years has little or no inclination to return. Much better interest matches are available now than being tied to a Japanese design team.

I still have a Yamaha and two Pioneers (garage and shed.) They are utilitarian, that’s all.

 

I had the exact same problem last niight! But my wife is 76 years old, and has Dementia, so I just turned it off and went to sleep. 

Of course there are some exceptions,but most of the time women and high -end audio don't mix. I made one thing clear before the vows.  Never, and I mean never, should the words TURN IT DOWN! ever come out of your mouth.

I would think audio gear has gotten better over the years.  It all depends upon your ears.  Many of us experience high frequency loss as we get older.  I would think amplifiers have their own sound and for that matter so do speakers.  I know I have hearing loss in the higher frequencies and I would like to buy new speakers that have brighter more detailed tweeters.  The big question is do you upgrade the amplifier first or the speakers.  I would think to hear optimal sound you would have to upgrade both.  I would think as we get older we need to reevaluate our systems and fine tune things to our ears.  I for one would like to upgrade my speakers and amplifier.  However, there is also the wife factor.

There is a flaw in your question. It has never been about "need"! 

I have one great rig [I think] in one dedicated room and do not need anything else beside a tabletop Echo at all. It makes it special to me.  Just sayin.

@mapman 

I have a 1917 Victrola which works great, it is a rather pedestrian model as in the horn is internal and has two front doors that the volume control.  It is in beautiful condition and plays amazingly loud.  I bought about 300 78s.

Whenever I'm thinkin' the main system is not working correctly (not sounding its best) I play some 78s and well that clears up those thoughts real quick.

Regards,

barts

That Harmon Kardon 730 receiver was an excellent piece of equipment! Assuming it’s functioning as originally intended, I’ll bet within its power ratings, it sounds better than any receiver today & can hold its own vs many amps that don’t cost crazy $. 

I’m with you 100% brother. During Covid I assembled two McIntosh vintage tube stereo systems, which I still have and enjoy, just not enough room. I also bought a pioneer integrated amp and an adcom pre…why I don’t know. The pioneer was my modification experiment, after new power caps and various other experiments, died a quick death. Etc etc. What a hobby….

The only way to help you stop this maddness buying outdated vintage gears is you need to recognize the fact the receivers / multichannel int. amp you were buying are in fact junks compared to the modern gears.  Low S/N ratio, low current, low damping factor and high harmonic distortion.  Other than Marantz 2235 which might be collectable, admit the reason you were buying them is probably the low cost.  To me, those gears were low-fi too.  Not worthy.

The receiver in the garage is a Sony.

The receiver in the office is a Kenwood.

The receiver in the basement is a Yamaha.

The downstairs system is Acoustat & Audio Research.

The upstairs system is new.

I thought a vintage Marantz Tuner equipped with a scope would be a nice "shelf filler" for my ARC, Moon, Linn, Wilson system.  After attempting to purchase two tuners that were broken, and having to have Ebay bail me out on both, I realized purchasing 40+ year old electronics was perhaps not the smartest move.  Also, using tube hours that cost $2,000 to replace to listen to FM radio probably wasn't wise either.  I bought a digital clock (not a Tice) instead.  

@frankmc195 : I prefer my collection of vintage Altec and JBL's over present-day speakers!

@jwei : I am out of room and money (almost). I have enough gear and guitars to equip a store!

I also have the sickness too but many of you are saying vintage doesn't have the sound of todays amps.... I have several Pioneer SX models from the 950 up and they all sound wonderful. You might try one of them sometimes... the 1250 especially sounds good. Oh, you do have to use more up to date speakers though.

Wait until the trade in begins from receivers to separates. 

Isn't there meetings you can attend?  A A,  Audiophile Anonymous. 

Start collecting vintage watches, she won't know you have them.

...makes for a sticky conundrum, imh...

Ears once sharp are dulled by the years.

That which we loved tilted our perspectives towards a better 'that' v. 'this'...?

Does the vintage draw one back to that remembered, an exciting time of the time when everything began to be so much Better?
Opposed to the now, when nuance is the name of the game...

Low $ experiment: Play on said vintage owned the album that stirred the crock, if not the soul that sent you on this journey....;)

Does it still 'work' like it used to?

Or is jaded 'n faded the new norm?

WHY , vintage gear doesn’t have the parts quality in technology to sound as good as good gear today , even more so with Loudspeakers ,there are very few exceptions.

ican see maybe a McIntosh or Marantz tube tuner, that would be it.

IHave sold for cheap several old receivers .buy for example a modern Coda, Pass labs ,Gryphon, or many other quality brands.

 high quality integrated ,or separates with a piece of digital or analog gear 

you would never look back ,buy 1 high quality  system and be done with it say   $30-$40k this would be night and day better sounding.

I have to keep telling myself I do NOT need to re-buy my old equipment. Such as my first system, a Marantz 2035, Advent speakers, Pioneer TT with Shure cartridge. Or my second one, a Hafler pre and amp, or my Nak tape deck (especially considering I no longer have any cassette tapes....), a B&K amp/pre, 3D Acoustics speakers (not well know, but a great setup). Mirage speakers, AR TT. Not to mention other great pieces of equipment that have gone though my hands. 

That last sentence covers the girlfriends and wives as well...

I still have my 1978 Kenwood KR8010 receiver and it sounds great.

125 watts per channel with tone controls that make low level listening doable.

The only problem I see is that you aren't actually seeking the good vintage gear.....

@carlsbad 

  +1

  Rid myself of my Albatross as well.

How old does the equipment have to be before it is vintage?

@boxer12 I didn’t have that record player, but I played my Mickey and the Beanstalk record on my brother’s Fisher hifi stereo!

Doesn't look like the link worked... Anyway, it was a Disney record player. The "tonearm" was plastic & shaped like a dog bone. 

@blisshifi 

+1 for: "He probably has the best system for any kid his age"

This is what I had at his age:

 

It’s a hobby, not a problem unless it becomes obsessive that interferes with your mental health.  

I still want a Victrola someday to play old 78s on. 

Old stuff I've tried to resist buying -- stuff that was considered very good but more expensive than I could afford back then.  As time passed, I got richer and those pieces got older and more buyable on the used market.

Gave in a few times; got me a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck and a McIntosh MR78 tuner for my music room.  And for a bedroom system an SAE 8000 tuner and a Carver M-500t amp.

When to stop?  Either when I run out of rooms or money.

Have you felt the urge to buy a vintage piece of audio gear when you really didn’t need it?

 

I bought an AR XB1 turntable because I wanted something to play my records on. After seeing a couple of YouTube videos I fell in love with the elegant simplicity of it.

 

Did I really need it?

No, I didn’t. There’s already far too much music available elsewhere that I could never get to hear even if I had nothing else to do.

 

Is this an addiction?

It is.

However, sometimes emotional needs are just as important as physical ones.

There’s not a lot worse than depression and if buying something that cheers you up, even if only for a while, helps to avoid feeling depressed, then why not?

 

How can it be stopped?

Well running out of time, money or space will all help.

As will the realisation that possessions can’t ever fully make up for emotional needs. Not in the long term.

Orson Welles once made a famous film on this very subject.

LOL.  

@carlsbad I was pulling your chain. Been there got the T shirt.

 

Have you felt the urger to buy a vintage piece of audio gear when you really didn’t need it?

Not really. I don't buy vintage because its too old for me. . But I DO have a Harmon Kardon 730 twin powered receiver which I bought new in 1978 that I want to get restored. That is one fantastic receiver with a huge full  sound. I just would like to see how it stacks up to what I now have. Plus my wife & I both loved the sound.

@2psyop I used to be in the same boat. Vintage audio looks sexy, and the patina of having retro / hip-looking equipment is fun. Sometimes, the gear is not too expensive, either.

But I became more interested in sound quality over time, and to answer your question, yes, parts do need to be replaced. I recapped and restored a number of amps my first decade in audio. I realized while each restore improved the unit, it became less and less worth the time to tinker for incremental improvements, and I realized vintage equipment would only get me so far. Even more so, it detracted me from enjoying the music because I then had more gear than I could play music, and I worried about what I should do with it.

I do still have the last vintage amp I restored, however, which is a Luxman L-85V. I've gifted that one to my 5 year old son, along with the Thorens TD-166MKII that I also fully restored and souped up. He probably has the best system for any kid his age.