Two pair of AR-3 speakers. One pair 1961-62 vintage, the other pair
1963-64 vintage. Both still sound great, like music. |
Scott tuner, just turned 54. |
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A Sansui turntable -- 30+ years. |
I have a conrad johnson Premier V that IÂ’m not currently using. But IÂ’m having a hard time letting go. |
A McIntosh 2105. Caps and transistors have been replaced as well as terminals and input jacks, but it is sounding better than ever. |
A pair of Wharfedale WD-90's. 1964 vintage. Look great and sound quite nice. Also a pair of refurbished (Snell original woofers) Snell type C speakers. Truly an amazing speaker now that everything is correct. |
My oldest is a pair of Jeff Roland Model 6 monoblock amplifiers. |
Al, i also have a newer sangean am fm table radio that is the only modern ss radio whose reception prowess remjnds me of those older models. Maybe not quite a match, but a decent modern example of a good performing table radio in a fairly small package.
I also miss the tuner in my older tandberg 2080 receiver that i parted with a couple years back. The amp section as well. |
Why is it that it seems many older tube radios outperform most transistor models since in regards to ability to pick up remote stations clearly? No question about it. The golden age of radio was arguably the 1930s, when a good performing and good looking radio had a place of honor in the living room, providing the family with music and other forms of entertainment, as well as news. And stations in those days were fewer and farther between than today, and used transmitters that were in most cases much lower powered than those used today. So there was much more of an incentive in those days for manufacturers to produce well made, good looking, good performing, and good sounding AM radios than there is today. I have more than a few 1930s sets in my collection that put to shame any solid state AM radio I've ever encountered. As in audio, what counts most is usually how well the selected design approach is implemented, and not which design approach is chosen. Best, -- Al |
My Air king is all wood cabinet. Darn. I guess I won't retire off that anytime soon. :-) It also needs to be refinished.
I used to listen to it a lot as a kid. It has AM and shortwave bands. I recall it being the most sensitive radio I had heard when in good operating conditon, picking up AM stations from many miles away, and shortwave from around the world, with no external antenna even. No transistor radio I have ever heard could match it. Definitely a case of tubes beats SS, at least in terms of reception/sensitivity. Sound quality is OK, nothing special.
Why is it that it seems many older tube radios outperform most transistor models since in regards to ability to pick up remote stations clearly? More sensitivity I suppose. I guess back in the heyday of radio, prior to TV a radio that picked up many distant stations had more general appeal or something. Nothing to do with the tubes, right? Maybe the power supplies? |
The Air King's can be very nice performers, Mapman, if well restored and/or in good condition, although most of them are not worth a great deal. There are a few very rare plastic (not wood) Air King models, though, that are considered to be important and influential works of industrial design and industrial art. Those particular models, depending on their color and condition, can be worth many thousands or even tens of thousands. Most notably two models from the early 1930's, the 52 and 66, and to a much lesser extent the model 770 from a few years later, and the A-600 from the 1940s.
You can find many pics of those models via a Google images search. I've never seen any of them in person, though, in about 20 years of collecting :-)
Best,
-- Al |
Dhcod,
I remember those old Advent 300s. Great little piece, at least when working. Many seemed to have issues, but some still survive. How does yours stack up to your other more modern gear? In terms of Pre-amp? Tuner? Phono? I've on occasion thought of picking one up just because I was always fond of those little gizmos. Thanks.
Al, I have an old Air King AM table radio that's been in my family since I was a kid sitting around. 1940 something vintage I'm guessing. One of these days, I might try to get it working again on my own. I also have plans to pick up an original but nicely refurbed Victrola some day to play 78s on. There is a guy who owns a small General Store not far away in Railroad, PA., near Shrewsbury, just off the old railway trail, that has refurbs and displays them in his store amongst all the other vintage and modern stuff he sells there. I almost bit last time there! Listening to those was quite a treat! |
Acoustic Research integrated amp,purchased new in 1973,paired it with AR 3a's which sounded great,now have in a den with 1980ish Ohm Walsh 2.This little system with a very old Onkyo CD player sounds incredible,friends are amazed by it,the AR amp was designed for 4 ohms which both the 3a and Walsh are. |
Since I sold my 1970 Quad ESLs, it's my Advent 300. |
Nietzschelover Congragulations, you win! Well, maybe not :-) In my antique radio collection I have a working AM radio setup consisting of a Westinghouse RC regenerative tuner/detector/amplifier, a Western Electric 7A amplifier, and a Western Electric 518W speaker. All from 1922. And if tubes count, I have two NOS/NIB Western Electric VT-1's, from 1918! :-) Best, -- Al |
Knight KN-928 integrated amp.
It's in my workshop, driving Klipsch Heresys. |
Nietzschelover Congragulations, you win!
I was wondering when someone would come up with one of those old hand wound Victrola's. Interestingly enough when growning up as a teenager I had a friend who's Dad had a laundry route and on the side collected antiques and collectables. At one time he had 4 of those old Victrolas in his garage with the old shellac records. |
Wow, has it been this long. My Technics SL 1600 turntable. Purchased late 70's or early 80's. I may yet have the receipt along with the original box. All the important functions work well. It works well enough to the point of being hard pressed to replace it. |
Actually, I made an error- I have a pair of Ohm F's in my garage. Late 70's I think. |
OHM Ls from 1978.
Dual 1264 from 1982.
NAD 7020 from mid 80s. |
My ARC SP3c preamp. I purchase it used in 1974 thru a classified ad in the New York Times. Of course, when I bought it, it was an SP3a1. I had it upgraded to SP3c in 2003. |
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My Phase Linear Series II gear. |
I have a Marantz 2226 that my dad bought I believe in '79. I still use it once or twice a week. |
I just acquired a pair of Advanced Acoustics 440 Bi-Phonic Coupler Speakers from the late 50's - early 60's. My son says they're in great shape as he picked them up for me in Toronto. 22"X19"X4". Apparently the entire wooden face/board is made to resonate from behind via some sort of conventional dynamic motor for bass with a tweeter inset at the top corner. Weird. |
I've got a pair of Sonus Faber Minuetto speakers in my office that I've owned for 20 years. |
Wolf, you DO NOT get the prize. I think Almarg does with his (REL) Precedent FM Tuner, from 1954. My Mac's are not far behind, I am the 3rd owner of them. The guy that originally purchased them bought the 1st one sometime in the 50's, don't know the year but I'm sure I could find out from McIntosh. He used it in a monaural set-up. He later purchased another to match the first one some years later when he went "stereo". This according to the SECOND buyer who had them for a year before I purchased from him in 1991. |
I'm not sure when I bought my Adcom ACE 515 power conditioner that is still in use (don't start with me...when it blows up I'll replace it) but my Linn Basik/Akito might actually be older although I bought it a few years ago. I use a pair of reconed Boston A60II speakers (bought new in the late 80's) in my video setup (stereo...I can't be bothered with surround) and they sound great. Do I win a prize or anything? Oh wait...I have a little Sony radio with its own built in speaker box...competed with the KLH I suppose...bought for me in the early 70s (still use it in my garage)...NOW I get a prize...right? |
Advent 300 receiver circa 1977.I use it in my den and it still sounds great! |
I still have a pair of McIntosh 60s in really nice shape. I have a hard time letting them go. |
Radio Engineering Laboratories (REL) Precedent FM Tuner, from 1954. (No relation to the British subwoofer manufacturer REL).
Designed by former associates of Edwin Armstrong (inventor of both FM and the superheterodyne principle upon which nearly all tuners and radios are based).
Mono in itself, but it provides a multiplex output signal that is decoded into stereo by an external multiplex adapter (I use an H. H. Scott LM35).
Mine is the equal of two Marantz 10B's I have owned in terms of weak signal reception, and tops both of them in sound quality.
Considered to be a classic, and deservedly so.
Regards,
-- Al |
My hand-wound Victrola from the '20s. |
Ebm's response would apply to me as well if the gear were still in use. Well, at least I think my stereo loves me. |
Phase Linear 400 Series 2, 1977.
Adcom GFA-1, 1979. |
Telefunken Allegro table top stereo receiver w/phono stage 1950 something. |
Sansui TU 919 production years 1977 - 1980
sounds lovely |
Hafler 220 amp from 1984. Not being used at the moment, but still works great. Dahlquist DQM 9 speakers, still used on a regular basis in a system at home. 1985 I think. (New woofer surrounds about 10 yrs ago) |
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Sanusi TU-X1 Tuner.....1980 (never been serviced)
Infinity IRS Beta speakers.....1987 (foam around woofers replaced)
Oracle Delphi Turntable...1980 (rebuilt in 2001)
I rarely play the TU-X1 anymore. I listen to Pandora and Rhapsody for radio nowadays.
I rarely play the Oracle, I play my newer turntable. I keep the Oracle for audio eye candy, it is a beautiful piece.
The IRS Betas are still going strong and sound great, I'm looking to replace them soon with newer speaker technology.
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Scott 399 receiver. 1960-61. |
33 year old Yamaha NS1000M speakers, still sound and look good to me. |
In my garage system, I have a pair of KLH Model 6 speakers from 1959 that still sound great. |
Kenwood 7100 integrated amp, 1978. Still sounds good. |
