Can anyone think of anything hifi thats been in production longer than the Denon DL-103 cartridge? 55 years and still plugging away! Kennedy was in the White House when he DL-103 first came out-
Not many components can say they have been in commerce for a long time, but haven't become dated and superseded by more current gear,
The SME V arm came out in 1985, was considered one of the handful of top tonearms available, and continues now, 32 years later in the same company. Hard to think of any other component that has not only continued in production but has also held its place vis a vis newer gear.
I personally am using a Stax SR5-SDR6 electrostatic headphone system, McIntosh MR74 tuner, and a Yamaha CA800 integrated amplifier on a third, small adio system. What all there of these have in common, besides all of them at least 35-40 years old is that they are still incredible. Trully, totally. So much of this "old" stuff is still in excellent condition. Used with todays latest power cords, power conditioners, interconnects, speaker wires, etc., some of these "ancient" audio products are definitly not out of place today. I can still remember 40 years ago the Yamaha CA1000 integrated amplifier was being praised for it's preamplifier and matching phono preamplifier attributes. And, in fact, my present Yamaha CA800 integrated would be hard pressed to be equalled today for less than say $2-$3000. My Stax headphone system, for which I paid $100, sounded very like a $2000 Audieze pair of headphones I once heard. And my MacIntosh MR74 tuner-well I recently sold my Day/Sequerra as it was nowere being it's equal. No, for the money, carefully selected "old" stuff can be hard tobeat. And lots of this can be found in basicsally mint condition. And, of course, old timers such as myself are dying right and left all over the place. So the current situation should continue for some time. And their prices are sure to be going up as more of us realize what treasures are outtheir for the picking.
That’s right gentlemen. We’re not talking T-Rex or Sabre Tooth Tiger here. They stopped making those models a long time ago. What we’re looking for is a Crocodile - was here, way back when they were making the T-Rex, and still in production today. Racking my brain to come up with the oldest, yet current, audiophile component I’ll throw out the SME, S shaped, tonearm. (I consider it to be a component, rather than just a part). I know when I put together my turntable-base-tonearm-cartridge system in 1980, the SME had been around for a few years already - a little longer than the Shure V cartridge, if my memory serves me well. The tonearm has seen a little improving over the years but no radical change from the early 1970s. I’ll say that’s my Crocodile.
The original Quad ESL was an early one (1957), but went out of production for years, then back in. I believe it is again out of production. How 'bout the Klipschorn? What I find interesting is the once-dismissed but now back in fashion designs---the Thorens 124 and Garrard 301.
Tannoy has been around forever (since 1926). I don’t know what the oldest model is within their line that has a modern counterpart. gdnrbob- my recollection is that "we" (the Allies) got tape technology from the Germans after WWII- the Magnecord,* I believe. Ampex was very early --not sure if it was the first US adaptation. I was fortunate enough to hear the multi-tracks Les Paul cut to acetate--sort of direct to disc multi tracking- which I think was around 1948. (I checked quickly after I wrote this, and he had access to tape before that). ________ *The German machine was actually called a "Magnetophon." I know Magnecord as a brand existed, but I wanted to correct the "record." :)
It's been updated over the years, of course, but Vandersteen's Model 2 has been around for 40 years. 2cis, a Yamaha c2a, a Moscode 300, and an AR table w a Signet TK7E was my first "high end" system.
Dweller, I thought of tubes, but those are just parts. So, no, not what I was thinking of.
Yogiboy, I thought of the MC275 but that's gone through a lot of changes, plus it had been discontinued. So what in thinking of, continuous and unchanged. But yes, the Mac275 is long lived.
Ebm, it's not important. None of this is important
For a number of us, I think our memories move forward after the birth of 2 channel, and the great companies who delivered the goods. Our age directly effects our memories, so I have often wondered whose parents out there were actually audiophiles? We both own old McIntosh tuners (MR71/MR78), but does anyone talk about the MR65, for example? Remembering mono, and coming up short trying, because I was too young to know.
With some resurgence of mono these days, especially on the analog side, it would be interesting to also find out what gear is still working and excelled in sound from back then. Some of us like putting together old classical systems, but I'd be fascinated in learning about golden age mono gear and systems as well. Kenny
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