How long do you or should you keep your gear.

@elliottbnewcombjr your gear setups is “goals,” as the kids say🤘

I have my Harmon Kardon 730 which i bought in 1978. My speakers have been with me 20 yrs. But the article talks about advertising pointed at us to make us uncomfortable with last years model. Nothing new at all. The Stones had a major hit in the mid 60's which spoke of the same thing

When I'm watchin' my tv and a man comes on and tell me
How white my shirts can be
But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me

Satisfaction

I still have my Pioneer SX-750 that I bought new in 1976

And I have my Marantz 2325 which I bought new in 1976 also.

Some things are keepers

fiesta75

I have a 3rd torn meniscus in my knee from moving my 80 lb McIntosh 2250 amp. Sold the beast to go back to tubes, only 45 lbs. 3 herniated discs, other back problems, Donna and I move it together these days. Took it to VAS to have the internal bias done by Steve.

I designed a self-ventilated unit that allows me to leave my amp (anything up to 125 lbs) in place on top and slide my preamp out from under it, you might like it, shown here

dirgordoncole

gordon?

thanks for the compliment and teaching this 73 year old some modern lingo. why goals plural?

jerryg123

Well, mr. fixit just lost one. Bought a replacement laser for a Denon SACD player, knew exactly what to do, lost 1 of the 3 springs needed to re-install. Trash.

I grew up with no tools, no father, grandparents, uncles, had to teach myself everything. I cut lawns as a kid, didn't even know the spark plug came out, I just yanked the wire off to stop it. My 1st tune up of my 1st car was laughable.

My father in-law believed "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Wise Indeed.

asvjerry

those feet have had 7 surgeries, you don’t wanna see them up close. someone told me people pay for feet photos. my foot dr. is already rich.

did you ever take a 8 track player apart? take an 8 track cartridge apart. Oh my.

the 8 track player works, and anyone who has a working 8 track player must know how to adjust the height of the moving head so it aligns with the tracks, replace the rubber band, clean the roller and heads like any tape machine, not much else can go wrong.

problem is the tapes themselves. the most common problem, nearly ever one, is the pressure pads were foam that dissolved, then the tape doesn’t contact the heads. replacement pressure pads. metal strip that made the head move falls off, and the glue joint holding the tape in a loop dries out and falls off.

then you have the propensity of hunger, they loved to eat tapes, a form of self-canibalism now that I think about it.

..................

when cassettes came out, 8 tracks were on sale, every payday I bought 6 for $5. + tax, .88c each, thinking, I’ll buy things I would never pay ’real’ money for, then listen when I retire, see what these guys were up to, probably find some gems, right?

boxes of foam dust anyone?

then you have the propensity of hunger, they loved to eat tapes, a form of self-canibalism now that I think about it

That is the attribute I mostly think of when 8 track is mentioned. I got pretty good at splicing them using scotch tape. Always worked fine, til it broke elsewhere. I lost a lot of music during that time. But I love driving and listening to music and don't remember any recorder for 8 track. Thank God for cassette. I could buy the vinyl and record to cassette for the car/truck

Out of curiosity, I visited one of the high end retail shops in Denver to listen to Magico speakers.  I am not sure why people in this group brag about them.  They sounded pretty sterile.  They had a pair of Rockports sitting in the same room and they blew the doors off the Magico's.  Their cabinets are gorgeous and the timber from the wood helped make them sound more like instruments.  I guess they should for $60,000 attached to a $60,000 Class A Boulder amplifier and $40,00 speaker wires.  He also demonstrated three DAC's and I didn't realize how much of a difference in sound quality an expensive DAC can change sound quality.  

What impressed me most is they demonstrated Master Set.  I was unable to detect left and right speakers.  The sound projected between the speakers as if there was a large center speaker between the towers.  It helps to hear an obo, French horn and other instruments appear in the space it was recorded.  Wonder why the subject Master Set is never discussed.

i still have my  kenwood kr 9600.  it was my 1st purchase of audio gear out of college .  Still have it and can't wait to hear it drive  the Ohm Walsh 2000 about Feb '22  .   Most recent gear was Rotel 1570 amp  in 2015 . 

Been through both extremes: in my 20s went through decade long period in which many components came and went then i settled on mirage m3 speakers and a system which lasted about 30 years.  This go around I've pretty quickly settled on electronics (hegel 390 and "custom" DAC) and am listening to one of Clayton's Spatial speakers vs one of Walter's LSA floorstanders.

I still love the same type of sound that I first discovered with Dahlquest 10s (open baffle), and Mirage's bipole also found with wide dispersion box speakers (thanks Walter).

Still have a Sansui 7070 that was purchased in 1977. Still works and runs 12 hours a day in my wife's salon. Still using my pioneer pl112D turntable that I received for Christmas from mom and dad in 1974. 

I've had my Quicksilver Mid Monos since 2015 and while they are being replaced, I have no intention of selling them.  Same thing for my cj Classic 2se, it served me well since 2014 and I just replaced it with a Zesto Leto.   I can say will certainty it will be the heart of my system for a while, its that good.    

I've had my Magnum Dynalab MD 102 for about 10 years, no intention of selling ....

DACs ?   Disc spinners? They come and go a little more often, I almost view anything that spins a disc as a consumable.  They die, get out dated.

DACs can be viable for a while  but are forced into obsolescence  by new codes etc...  I spend up to the point of diminishing returns , relative to the rest of my system on those.

@larry5729

i have repeatedly heard Magico speakers that sounded terrible. The speakers are spectacular in their ability to accurately articulate the input. The problem, especially with Boulder is incredibly accurate (like Mark Levinson) … studio monitor stuff, incredibly revealing, but without soul. Speakers and electronics that are peerless in accuracy, but lose the music. On the other end of the spectrum my system (see my ID)… Audio Research / Sonus Faber / Transperant.

So, Magico is unassailable in reproducing their input. Incredibly well engineered. 

@oddiofyl I enjoyed my Quicksilver Monos for years. Tone to die for. After maybe a decade or so, though (through which I lived through stretches of good times and times of finicky tubes and various preamp meltdowns & misadventures), I took a flyer and bought a Primaluna Integrated. Maybe it's because, in the interim, I wanted to simplify my audiophile life and concentrate more on getting better on my musical instruments, but I honestly don't look back.

I've actually had good luck with tubes...QS has been super reliable.   I'm actually going to put the CJ pre and QS monos in a second system.

I auditioned my last two sets of speakers on PL integrated amps and thought they sounded quite good.

Modified JBL Hartsfields, never going anywhere. A friend bought some JBL L212’s with an extra low frequency driver, I still enjoy listening to them when I go to visit.

Captcha 4 times since login, bye!

I recently upgraded all my electronics. I've had my Martin Logan Aeon i's for 18 years and think it's time to upgrade. Obviously I've been very pleased with these speakers but always thought they lacked bass. Once inserted dual Martin Logan 1100x subs, it sounds great; with music and movies however, I'm a huge 2 channel music guy and the Aeons are/were never meant to deliver that kind of heart throbbing bass. Now my downfall...went to a local showroom and listened to the Martin Logan Masterpiece Series, Expression ESL 13A...OH MY GOODNESS!!!! ABSOLUTLEY SPEECHLESS. For the first time in nearly 20 years I heard a Martin Logan electrostat that didn't need a sub to deliver GREAT bass. Hook, line and sinker....its time to upgrade. But it'll take another 20 years to convince my wife to let me spend $15k on a pair of speakers that's not attached to something that sounds like Gucci, Fendi, Hemes, or the likes. What I do have in my favor, she also enjoys listening to great sounding music so that may cut my timeline down 10 years. 😉

Gear tends to hang around here for a while…

Back in the early 90’s during my previous audio journey, gear was in and out. My amp (Cary SLI-50), Tuner (Magnum Dynalab FT101A Etude upgrade), DAC (Theta Cobalt), CD player (Micromega Stage 3) and Phono Stage (McCormack Micro Phono) were all part of the last round of purchases done back then and are all still in use. They sat mostly unused for a long time, and after the divorce, I returned to music, and along with it, my gear. I have some ideas for changing things around, but that will happen over time as funds allow.

As far as the article goes, it was a bit thin and simplistic as far as discussing why gear gets changed out. According to the author, we are victims of either advertising, or needing to “keep up with the Jones’s.”  Didn’t address as listening skills get better, the refinement of gear producing the sound inevitably gets questioned and likely swapped out. The premise of the article is about “new” “better”, not closer to what we like from a sound standpoint, which could in fact be cheaper…

I still have my ADS L1590 Tower speakers I purchased in the early 90s. Just had them refurbished completely. Amazedly the woofers needed nothing! 

I just skimmed the article but the gist I got was that the author equated audio technology with that of computers.  
 

Whatever.

@audiodwebe 

+1

@audiodwebe and if you look at the posts here that is how most treat their audio gear.

Simple rule.

Keep your system:

- as long s you like listening to it.

- and it is still fully operational.

- and it supports all the input formats you listen to.

I’ve been an audiophile since Nixon was president. Like most audiophiles, I’ve upgraded various pieces from time to time. I’ve always prioritized audio over other expenses, like cars. I’ve never owned or operated an SUV or other premium vehicle, but my audio rig was always solid. Even so, I’ve always been very cash conscious. I built Heath, Dyna and Hafler kits back in the day. The Hafler gear in particular was solid. I’ve also been into home brew and kit design loudspeakers since forever. But now at age 70, I’ve gotten to Audio Nirvana.

Like many, I do experience audio lust. I’ve always deeply admired the Avalon line of loudspeakers. They do inspire lust. But then I fire up my custom built Linkwitz Orions and urge to make a change goes away. I’ve had my Orions for 15 years now and they are my forever loudspeaker. Being multi-amplified and calling for 8 channels of amplification, you don’t readily change out your power amp. Fortunately I run a B&K MOSFET 12 channel amp which does the job just fine. My rig is such a sweet system and I’m in love. I did get into a VTA tube preamp about 6 years ago and again, it’s love.

You can see the system at this link.

Still have my (restored) Pioneer SX-1250 and Denon DP-59L turntable, and both see daily use.

@russbutton awesome system and room.

Some great posts in this thread.

Merry Christmas to All.

Heres to 2022 and hopefully the end of the silliness.

I am a Cheers Bot.

Rounded off to the decade:

1950s - speakers

1960s - crossovers

1970s - amplifiers

1980s - preamp, turntable, tonearm

2000s - cartridge

Had my Alon speakers for 25 years. Nice open speaker but it was time for a change and the new ones have better bass and are more detailed and precise. Had to replace the paper woofers about 10 years in. Other stuff 10-15 years (or more - Plinius integrated going on 17...) except cartridges of course.

Whatever floats your boat. 

I still have the first album I bought when it came out- The Doors. 

Until the end. That's how long.

Hmm, can’t imagine trading off a nice vintage amplifier, speakers, or turntable. Updates? Sure! But new gear is guarantee of nothing except loss of fortune. Often, someone had it right a very long time ago and many have been floundering to be different ever since. I buy used, I rarely feel compelled to swap out major components, like the fore mentioned. New records, new phono cartridges, obviously. Though I realize the slippery slope of perfectionist anything. Like that guy said, I’ve somehow sent ten times what I had originally expected to spend but it has me at a place with an amazing curated sound I would not trade…

I’ve always looked at it like a lifetime quest, trying to assemble both the system of my dreams balanced with what I can afford. I think that’s part of the “sport” about being an audiophile. I don’t think I’d know what do do if I have everything I wanted all at once. My 3 cents. 

I'm a vintage audio equipment nut...so I never get rid of equipment, which is very disturbing to my daughter. WHAT am I going to do with all this junk ,when you die.....yeah...errrr sell it... lol

I have always sold off the old gear to upgrade my system. That way I never had to look for a storage place for discarded gear.

I build most of my own gear because not only can I not afford gear costing 4, 5, or especially 6 figures, but for all the money you can't always pick and choose what you want. I see a $10,000 tube amp advertised on this site which has electrolytic capacitors, which go bad after a few years. For that kind of money I want polypropylene capacitors which have an indefinite life expectancy and ESR of at most a few hundredths of an Ohm. Where can you get an SET that has this but to build it yourself? There is a $350,000 SET that can be built for under $2000 in parts. I want the freedom to design the chassis in a style that looks like it is from a Jules Verne novel. 

Several years ago I built my 833A SET which I drive with 245's which I like better than the 300B in the $350,000 stereo. I can choose cathode biasing resistors for the 245's that allow me to couple 6SN7's in choke loaded mu follower which is the best way to do it. I can get off the shelf output transformers that can carry 400 ma before core saturation with the 833A's only having to draw 120 ma at zero grid bias, something you can do with the 833A at 1000 plate Volts. Over the last 5 years I tried different ways of coupling the 245's to the 833A grids: parallel feed, capacitor, and upgraded to Lundahl 2765 which sounds best.

I upgraded parts in my components and rarely components themselves and once I have what I like I keep it indefinitely.

@drbarney1 I just checked out your system pages and your builds are awesome. Love your living “space” also.

Wonderful and it is a pleasure to meet you here in this thread. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.

My main desktop speakers are KEF 103.2s (circa ~1984). The caps were redone by the 1st owner. Other than that, they’re mint--and spectacular. The amp is a 250 wpc class d design (Wyred4Sound ST-500)...a terrific match:

My twin brother still uses and loves my old lit-up Pioneer integrated amp (50 wpc) from 1978. It needed fixing in the mid-’80s and has been golden ever since.

But all the headphone stuff is newer...because most of the developments in headphone audio came later.

Horses for courses...

You should keep your gear till you can afford something better or no longer enjoy the sound.

Always buy the best equipment that you can afford.

Most people will be satisfied if they buy the best.

joe nies

That’s an easy one….until I get the itch to buy something else.

When something moves within your audio system (cd player/turntable) you may have to replace them, as parts failure may render them obsolete.  But if you have really well made speakers that you enjoy then I think you are fooling yourself as to how much you will have to spend to exceed their sound.  I have Thiel CS 6's.  I feel that I would have to spend about 14,000 or more to find current speakers that would be better.  No thanks.  I also own Krell KCT and Krell FPB 300cx.  When parts are replaced and recapped they are the equal of amps that cost way more today.  So unless somebody can convince me through listening that Item A is so much better and doesn't cost a mortgage payment, then I am content to stay with my very good sounding system that is completely full of discontinued pieces.

Still using and enjoying JR149 loudspeakers from 1978. I have recapped them and recently replaced the scuppered foam grills for the 2nd time. In my main system which is largely Naim and dCS the SBL speakers 135 power amps and 2 x Hicap power supplies are 25 years old. They have been serviced and sound glorious to my ears. My dCS digital stack are the old classic series 15 years old. No need imho to keep chasing what's new. HiFi should imho be an investment - not here today and gone tomorrow. Anyway enjoy what you have NOW. 

Back in the mid 80s, after having several other nice speakers and auditioning many others, I got a pair of Quad ESL63s. they served me well for over twenty years and I sold only because of smaller living spaces. Also in mid 80s, I got an Audible Illusions Modulus II pre. and is still going strong as is my Thorns TT of the same vintage.

Other pieces of equipment I've had for some time, still enjoy and plan to keep and use in one set up or another: A pair of psb Stratus Gold I speakers; a ADS Sub10, sub woofer; an old reliable, still great sounding ADCOM GFA 5500 power amp and a Denon 5 disc CDP - still using for a transport/changer.

A few things I had and wished I had back: Nakamichi ZX9 tape deck; PSE Studio II power amp and my decked out HD Screaming Eagle Road King.....

Have been married to the same great gal for 46 years and still counting - sometimes when something is really good it's worth hanging on to😊 Happy New Years......Jim

There hasn't been much of anything that I have ever kept past 10 years or so. The one exception that I can offer is a Carver C-9 Sonic Hologram unit. I only say that because I can switch it in or out of my system. Also, when I own any electronics of that age, changing out electrolytic capacitors is a given! Likely the RCA jacks a close second. Yes folks, caps do age and will eventually cause some sort of trouble. Having said that, I believe there are numerous products made back then that simply slipped through the cracks or out of favor as new ideas came to be. Quad and HT were murderers to a host of already good gear at the time. Then there were victims of one hit wonders>> Sony's El Cassette or digital tape decks never had a chance to make much of an impression. 

This hobby allows you to keep what works for you (and still operates properly) or change in new items as fits your mood.

While I have several new items in my system, I still love my Denon DP-2000 drive and my Stax UA-7 tonearm. These pieces are mid-70s classics so that makes them about 46 years old.

Enjoy what works for you.

Happy listening!

@builder3 As far as I'm concerned, the SX 50 series was the high point of vintage pioneer receivers. The 750 is stupendous. I remember I so wanted a SX650 but my teenage budget could only stretch for an SX450, which to this day I remember fondly. I no longer have it as I loaned it to a relative who after a few years moved to a micro-system, and promptly discarded the 450 without asking if perhaps I would like it back. 

I follow one rule very strictly: I will never commit to buying a single

new piece od equipment without having the requisite cash on hand.

@russbutton

12-24-2021

"I’ve been an audiophile since Nixon was president... But now at age 70, I’ve gotten to Audio Nirvana.

... But then I fire up my custom built Linkwitz Orions and urge to make a change goes away. I’ve had my Orions for 15 years now and they are my forever loudspeaker. Being multi-amplified and calling for 8 channels of amplification, you don’t readily change out your power amp..."

Me too... 

I've had the Linkwitz 3.4 Orion's for 5+ years now with his ASP and the ATI 6012 multichannel amp (his set up).  And... like you... I think they may be one of the best sounding systems available.  I've got Harbeth 40.2's, Magnestand 1.6's (modified Maggies), and others, but - I think the Orion's top them all.  

I have thought about getting the LX521's from Madisound, but I'm not sure their sound would be much better.  

Just wondering if you ever had the original setup and how the set up you noted above is much better?

@bassdude 

I've heard both the Orion 3.x, the Orion 4 and the LX521.   I *LOVE* my Orion 3.3 system as I mentioned.  I haven't heard them side-by-side with the LX521, so I can't tell you how the imaging might be different.  My room isn't exactly perfect either, but it's enjoyable.

The place where the LX521 will certainly excel over the Orions is in the low end because of longer throw SEAS bass driver.  The Orion 4 system had the SEAS bass driver and I was deeply impressed as well there.

I could have swapped out bass drivers on my system and updated the crossover to match.  I would have also required me go with a much more powerful power amp as the SEAS bass drivers need it.  That would have been a LOT of money and it just wasn't that important to me.  

For a couple years I added some subs to the system and at first thought it helped, but have since pulled them.  I'm really quite happy with my Orions now, even with the stock Peerless bass drivers.

The thing I especially love about the Orions is the clarity and detail in the mid-range.  They're just wonderful on voices.  OMG.  After 15 years, it's still a joy, and they have no shortage of headroom either.

You *COULD* do the bass driver upgrade, but it's gonna cost you.  The drivers alone are $330 EACH.  That's about $1300 just for the updated drivers.  Then you have to update the crossover and get into some serious amplification.  The low end will be better - deeper and more headroom.  But it's going to cost you some loot.

Yes... I've thought about upgrading to the SEAS woofers also, but wasn't sure the improvement would be worth the cost, and difficulty.  I seem to recall that Don Naples said I had my ASP upgraded to the 3.4 (I sent to him to upgrade - don't recall the details), but I still have the Peerless woofers.  He did say I would need to replace a couple of resistors (or something) on the board, if I upgraded the woofers, and there was some minor spacers to add to fit the woofers in the current baffles.  

I'm not sure who I could have upgrade the ASP - I'm not sure Don is in business any longer.

I've also considered getting the Madisound kit and cabinets and building the LX521's - but, again wasn't sure the improvement would justify the cost and effort.  

Perhaps, it would be best to discuss via messages.  Maybe you could send me a message, or how I can contact you.  

as long as it pleases you playing music