Is there any one piece of vintage gear you most wished you owned?

Make that 'You Cost Me $750'.

After I got them in place, a good listen to familiar music, I discovered 1 tweeter is blown. I requested and seller gave a partial refund.

So, a pair of new tweeters, might as well put 4 new level controls, so now the total will be $740. Luckily I can do this myself.

Actually, I'm kinda glad it happened this way. 

OP,

Happily, you only cost me $500. for the pair of AR-2ax speakers I just bought/fixed. Happily they fit in my office, and sound great with my little 10wpc Luxman Tube Amp. (they are not very efficient). so, out with the small Wharfedales and Sub, in with these.

I posted photos of the speakers and crossover work here

https://systems.audiogon.com/users/elliottbnewcombjr.

Glad you got me to do this, I’ve missed them since they were stolen in 1973.

 Nakamichi Dragon,I have 3 Nakamichi but not a Dragon..I do own lots of vintage stereo equipment. 

STAX CP-Y and ECP-1. Loved the line input phono set up.

....oh and the audiogirl in the OPs profile photo? ;)

Wish I had my Infinity FET preamp back. My bad trading it for a Bedini 66DE preamp, removed in short order. Didn't know anything back then. Never will decide based on a quick swap and listen with time constraints... need time to assess gear, at least a few days.

Found a pair of AR-2ax in Illinois, bought them, wish me luck.

Thanks for this discussion.

Now, my garage/shop system, recently purchased a nice Yamaha CR-1040, 80 wpc, I run two sets of speakers. It has a hard to find part that blows if you push them too hard.

For these AR-2ax and the shop pair, I may buy a CR-2040, 120 wpc (without that problem), sell the CR-1040. I replaced the burnt out lights, looks and sounds terrific, don't need/want tubes down there.

Pioneer SX-1980

So I could sell it for the ridiculous prices they bring.

And no, I'm not against owning and keeping vintage. I own several vintage amps and receivers, but the SX-1980 is overkill and overpriced.

Quad 57s. I already own 63s. 

I’m still want some KLH Nines

@boothroyd the SD455 was a  nice motor; cool choice!

Brewster Green ‘73 SD455 4-speed TA

A mint pair of Altec Lansing A7, or Dunlavy SC-VI. But I'd need a BIG room as part of the deal. So $200,000 ought to do it.

No.

A '64 Fender Vibroverb.

Back then it would have been the Infinity Servo-Statiks, which were the first speakers to truly dumbfound me.  Now, it would be a room big enough for them (rooms that big are pretty "vintage" in the homes of today!)

Of all my gear I really like and hold the most complicated opinion about my Lamm L1. I would love to try an L2, but financially it is way down the to-do list.

Forgot to mention two others on my list. Dahlquist DQ10's which I purchased in 1980's, will remain with me to the end, the other, Technics SP-10 MkII is in my main rig.

Probably the one vintage I don't own would be Technics SP-10 MKIII with Albert Porter plinth.

JohnK, great choice, but my room size, my listening distance, and / or, I would need to sit several feet higher from the floor. 😟

57 quads

A mint Classe CAP-151 receiver.

A mint pair of AR LST speakers..

the Klipshorn to own from the past would be one of the first twelve ever built.  They had Western Electric 713A compression drivers in them.  These days, you can spend north of $20,000 per pair just for these drivers, and that price would be worth it given what those drivers deliver soundwise.

https://www.itishifi.com/archives//2010/02/klangfilm-euronor-theatre-horn-system.html

I do have two vintage items purchased from my wish list, NOS Revox A77 half track and 80's era Klipschorns.

Also go with a Revox B77 Half Track

I don't know if it meets the criteria for 'vintage', but in '98 or '99 I tried out a Mesa baron that I always kind of wished I would have bought.

I don't think I would have been happy with it for the long haul, but it was fun to play with. 

TDL Reference Monitors

Mission 767

Rogers studio 1

Cyrus 2 w/ outboard power supply 

JBL Everest (Model DD55000) with matching JBL18’’ Everest subwoofers (Model 50000).

ESS AMT-1 Towers, A Marantz 7C and an original Ampzilla.  The AMT-1 Towers were a 10" woofer transmission line version of the original AMT-1, with much more linear bass and better driver integration than the ported 2-way, due IMO to its higher placement closer to ear level.  The 7C is a well known legend of HiFi, and the Ampzilla was the culmination of Jim Bongiorno's career...the first really harshness-free high powered amp.  I spent a lot of time enjoying all of these, but never owned them.

Stax electrostatic loudspeakers

JBL 4350 monitors, first speaker I really fell hard for...couldn't even dream of owning them at the time ~1976.  They are monsters and one of the A'gonrs has two pair I believe.

I'm not really a vintage guy...but if I ever had money to burn, I'd love a 70s era Marantz receiver. They are just gorgeous. It wouldn't even have to work. Just sit on a shelf and look pretty! LOL

Infinity QLS-1s.

Koss 1A electrostatic speakers!

Thanks for this, I just decided, I'm going to re-acquire a pair of AR-2ax speakers.

My college days speakers, many an all-nighter with Alison Steele (the nightbird) and Cousin Brucie 1967 to 1970

Got ransacked, 1973, have missed them ever since. I'll use them in my Garage System, move my current B&W bookcase speakers to my shop, retire the small Boston's there.

Oh yeah, and notice, they had level controls for the mid and tweet.

Revox B-77, half track version.

A mint pair of Dunlavy SC - V speakers in cherry.

A mint 301 would be a nice real world choice of vintage gear.  I actually like the looks of the 401 a little bit more, and it has a better motor.  A friend has a 401 with a transplanted grease bearing from an older model 301.  That is a really nice combination.  

If you want a really souped-up version, check out the Artisan Fidelity reworkings of the 401.  Couple this table with a good modern tonearm and it would be a world beater.

JBL Paragon stereo loudspeaker. Frank Sinatra had three of them for home playback of his studio recording tapes.  They were originally intended as the center channel for a three channel playback system with JBL Hartsfields as the L/R.

Luxman M-6000 power amp and matching C-1000 pre amp. No idea what the combination sounds like, but, the combination is HiFi beauty in my eyes! In addition, a great testimony to the late Tim De Paravicini who designed this system.

68 Charger with a 440-6.

I haven’t followed the old brands but a SET all modern parts would be cool. An AR SP3 preamp. A Krell KSA50 rebuilt would be fun to try. I doubt if it sounds any better than my Pass XA25

@jond a 301 is a nice choice

I’ve IRS Beta’s with Yamaha’s best amplification, top of that food chain. If I had the room size I’d toss it all for IRS V’s….

Rogers L6/A2

JVC S300 Amp

No. Equipment today is far better quality.

A mint pair of Altec Model 19’s  in oak. 

A mint Garrad 301.

A pair of Western Electric 59A amps with meshplate 252 output tubes.  The tubes alone would be worth north of $60k, so the amps would probably be north of $150k.    I’ve heard a single amp, not a stereo pair, and it is easily the second best amp I’ve heard.  The best, a one-of OTL would be a good choice too, but it is a bit scary operationally, so I would be more comfortable with the 59A, not that this would ever be a reality.