Senior Audiophiles - Audiophile since the 60-70's?

My best system is my current one with Maggie 3.6R, ARC SP-14 phono stage, ARC LS 16 MKII linestage, Linn LP-12 Valhalla/Akito/Blue Point Special record playing system, Sony SACD, and Rotel/Genesis/Theta CD combo. However, I really miss the system I had in the late 70's with my Yamaha YPD-71 turntable with Sonus Blue Gold Label cartridge, Luxman R1050 receiver, and Audioanalyst M6 speakers. The YPD-71 was a 31 pound turntable that really did sound good despite being direct drive. The Sonus cartridge had a wonderfully transparent midrange to die for. The Luxman R1050 was a gorgeous box that had wonderful ergonomics and a decent phono section and adequate power. The Audioanalyst M6 was a little-known 2 cubic foot box that had true 30hz response and a rare for the time crossover that made an attempt at phase coherence. It was an imaging champ and intensely musical. I still think of the magic that system delivered so effortlessly.

OopS - Forgot to menetion my favorite system from years gone by. It was a CM Labs 914 amp,Audio Research SP 4 preamp,Denon DP 1200 with a Denon 103D cartridge. Speakers were stacked Large Advents. That was it. No designer interconnects,speaker cable or power cords. That was way before designer cords came on the market. Still miss that amp though, it was magical.

As good as it was then will keep what I have now, but ever find a CM Labs 912 Power amp that is fully operational,would snag one of those in a heart beat.

Had this up and running from 1976 to about 1984 or so.

I'll confess to being hooked on a desire for high quality audio since about 1967 in high school. The faculty advisor for our school yearbook was an audio nut recently graduated from college. He still lived with his parents at the time, but the basement was his for his audio use, and his pride and joy was a big Crown reel-to-reel tape recorder, a big Crown solid state amp and, in 1969 he acquired a pair of "new to the world" Magneplanar speakers. I remember being amazed at the sound those 1.5" thick Maggies could create from his tapes of live amateur performances. The best I could manage at the time was a suitcase style Magnevox combination turntable and radio: the speakers folded out on hinges (and you could remove them to place them farther apart) and the turntable, such as it was, folded down from the recess inside. Janis Joplin sounded so great to me over this thing And by the time I hauled it off to college, I'd acquired a Teac real to reel (big expenditure at the time) and had spent the summer bugging the devil out of various friends so I could dub their parent’s classical LPs to tape to take with me.

At about this time, I found Stereophile and the every now and again publishing schedule of J Gordon Holt. And when The Absolute Sound got started, I was an early subscriber: probably Issue 3 as I recall, and, yes, I got the back issues to read what I'd already missed.

For me, the 1970s were an exciting time in audio. Seems like we were all learning (or re-discovering) so much about what made for great sound. Tubes were being recognized again in a few places for the great sound they'd always delivered, but that we'd forgotten in the rush to transistors. And many of us, me definitely included, were getting introduced to the concept that the turntable could have a dramatic impact on the sound quality we could get. Today that seems hard to imagine, but then Ivor was fighting virtually a lone uphill battle to convince everyone that his TT really did sound different and better than those direct drive thingies with the strobe lights.

My particular lust, around 1972, was for the drop dead gorgeous linear tracking, belt driven, B&O Beogram 4000 turntable. Boy, talk about being blinded by the beauty of design – to me this turntable was a piece of sculpture worthy to grace any art gallery (and it did find its way to the Museum of Modern Art, I believe). But, this little mis-adventure also taught me a big time lesson about sonics versus styling. I gratified by visual aesthetics with the purchase of one of these jewels in 1974 (the model 4002 by then), but when I traded up to an early VPI turntable some years later, became a much happier camper. (The one thing that did stick with me is a love for linear tracking tonearms.) I’ve never since considered the appearance of a piece of audio gear, just the sonics.

On the very positive side, at around the same time I purchased a used pair of the classic Marantz 9 tube amps on the recommendation of a friend. These amps were eleven or twelve years old at the time, and I paid a total of $360 for them. What a great investment they were as they graced my system for the next 25 years through several sets of speakers!

As much as I enjoyed the excitement of learning about high-fidelity in the late '60s through mid-'70s, and introduction of some great sounding gear (for its time) during this period, I think the world of high-end audio has never been better than it is today. I see a high degree of innovation, sound quality is vastly better for more components than ever before, the best components are simply better than ever before, and source material is superb. My system today is the best I've ever had, and I wouldn' go back to any prior system I've had (or that I’ve heard, for that matter).

And, one final really good thing about enjoying audio today is the online community we can enjoy, such as here at Audiogon and through email listserves. Today I'm able to share my enjoyment of this rather insane hobby with a sizeable group of like minded nuts, and that's very different (and better) than in past decades.

Cheers,

hi i'm from makassar, indonesia i had ampli sansui AU 600 and akai tape deck portable , phono sony, and i need from all friend from this mllist, maybe any can help me i find card for phonosansuiau 6500 because recently i'm eair my audio ampli but an troble with card phono, maybe ay someone an brn me infrmation whre i'm find this car

First, my AARP card, and now this.
First real system was a set of baby Advents, a small Marantz receiver (underpowered) and an AR Turntable. After I really got the bug, I 'advanced' to:
Double Advents, Phase Linear 700, various preamps and Technic SP-10 TT.
Quad '57's with ARC SP 3-A-1 and Dual 75a (which I still have in the theatre system); built a few ST-70 Dyna's along the way.

Graduated to SP-10 mkII and went through a series of ARC tube amps, ending with a Classic 60. Switched out the Quad 57's for a pair of Crosby Quads. Still have all these components, along with the Well-Tempered TT that I bought at the time.

Now using horns and low powered tube amps along with hybrid front-end. The system today is far more alive, although it is less 'coherent' than the Quad 57 setup. (My old Quads deserve to be restored- I also have a pair of old Quad mono tube amps that were restored a long time ago that I occasionally press into service).
Vinyl has been my mainstay since the outset.

My first interest in HIFI as it came to be called began in the mid-50s; I was just out of high school. A neighbor (Stanford EE grad) had built his own amp, had a Gerrard, and, IIRC, a JBL corner-loaded horn. I had never heard anything like that sound. I built a Heath Kit amp, then bought his amp. We used to visit the many HIFI shops around western LA and the beach area, drooling over the EV Patricians, JBL Hartsfileds, etc. Then I started building speaker cabinets and Dynakits, built a bunch of them.

As a post doc in the late 60s, I bought my first high-end piece, a Marantz Model 18 receiver, for a whole month of my fellowship. I moved on to the the AR-3a, and used an AR turntable with a Shure V15II cartridge.

I still have that receiver, but in the early 90s I replaced it with a Proceed PAV and Amp 2, and replaced a pair of ESS Heils with a pair of KEF 102/2s that I still use, along with a KEF 200C, to supplement a pair of KEF 104/2s for HT.

I've heard a lot of high-end systems, but nothing that has made me want to write a check. I'm happy with the sound of my system, even though I tweek or upgrade it a bit from time to time.

Although my musical intersts have remained mostly classical and jazz, I agree that the mid 60s to early 70s seemed a very inventive time for music.

db

4 years since the inception and I still enjoy reading these stories.

Me too Brianmgrarcom. The only audiophiles I knew in those days were locals who I ran into at dealers and later one dealer who I became good friends with. I can remember his going to CES and anxiously awaiting to hear what he heard. I also remember discovering Stereophile and growing old awaiting new issues.

I also remember somewhat later when I got strongly into racing Hobies. Saleboat racing is very time consuming and meant that my speakers would often go weeks without being on. Often my young children would request that I turn them on at bedtime and play them loud.

I think really Senior Audiophiles got started in the 50s, as I did. Heathkits, Knight kits, Eico kits and DIY projects from electronics magazines got the hobby started for my generation. With the advent of transistors, the kit building hobby took a dive, and the high end products of the early 60s were McIntosh and Marantz, not really affordable gear for the rest of us! There is so much cool stuff today for audiophiles of every persuasion and budget that I think this is really the golden age of audio, although much of the stuff from the 50s still sounds great! (But tubes expiring and hum were no fun then.) The big question to me is did the CD help or hurt the hobby; and what about MP3?

I think audio is a lot like cars. I used to tune cars by listening to them or driving them. Now the chip needs to be read by the computer. Not as much fun but clearly better.

It is still a fun hobby and now you meet interesting people even across the world thanks to the internet.

hi my favorite decade was the 60's. there were many great panel speakers available at that time. the tube amps and preamps were wonderful.

there were no audiophile accessories as we think of them today.

the sound of a good system was much better than what passes for so-called high quality audio systems.

a lot of todays expensive systems are headache generators.

Jnhapp, you raise an interesting question regarding CD (and MP3, though I don't feel that MP3 and "high fidelity" belong in the same sentence). Anyone who has been in this game since the 60's or before would surely recognize that every medium since the reel to reel tape has been a lower fidelity medium. Today, the LP still hangs on as our highest fidelity commercially available medium, though I know many would argue against me on that point. Truth is, I can't listen to CDs once I've been listening to LPs in the same session.

The point I wish to make is this: CDs hurt the hobby in the sense that the marketers discovered that convenience was far more marketable than fidelity, and that fidelity could be created with ad copy. I feel this has dramatically delayed the evolution towards higher fidelity mediums. LPs are fraught with problems, and yet they still have more music in their noisy grooves than the best that CD has to offer to this day.

On the other hand, CD really expanded the market by generating a lot of interest in sound reproduction at a time when the entire industry was in need of a shot in the arm. People started to actually listen to this new technology and started demanding higher quality, and the quality has been improving for the past 20 years, though to me it has felt as though progress has been very slow coming. Today, however, we are able to purchase some really fine CDs. Tremendous progress has been made in the medium since its inception, and hopefully SACD and DVD-A will lead to the evolution of new higher resolution formats that will finally surpass the LP entirely.

In conclusion, I feel CDs inception was a deterrent to the quest for higher fideltiy in the short to intermediate term, but long term I think it has the potential to take high fidelity to new highs as well as grow the market at all levels. Of course, that's just one man's opinion.

Theloveman:

Actually, marketers discovered convenience's marketability with the cassette tape. Audiophiles from that era forget the advice that we were given at the time. We were actually advised to make cassette copies of LP's for most of our listenting, as LP's scratched too easily. LP's were to be saved for those special critical listening sessions.

It was just that cassettes, especially prerecorded ones, were just so bad. Every LP purchase was essentially a double one. You purchased both the LP and a high quality blank tape for the backup copy.

Cassettes though still kept alive the idea of audio as a hobby.

If CD's represent anything, it is the end of audio as a hobby. The technology of sound medium is what the story is, not the equipment. CD's and technology, in general, also represented women taking more of an interest in audio. Prior to that there would be audio magazine articles on how women's hearing was skewed to the treble end of the spectrum and men preferred the lower registers. Women who dig technology, the convenience it brings, and the integration into the home are a major group now for manufacturers to satisfy.

I left LP's behind quite awhile ago, because they weren't worth the bother. I really like turntables, not the warped, noisy medium that was played on them. I do miss the pageantry of buying and unwrapping a new album though and looking at the artwork, etc. CD's don't engender any real satisfaction in that regard.

Be well,

Rich

Great thread! Really enjoyed reading all the stories and history.

Lord, I had totally forgotten this thread. At 78, I'm still buying hardware, software, tweaks and cables like there's no tomorrow.

Maybe there isn't :-(

I hope that I can make that statement when I am 78. I will feel blessed to just make it to 78.

the only thing I miss about the sixties and seventies is the great audio dealers,who would let you try out equipment,help you set it up without charging you hundred $,and make you feel they are doing you a great favor.I do not miss the LPs at my age if I had to get up every 20 minutes to change record I may live longer because of that exercise but I just would not bother.Nor do I miss the tuning of the arm and cartridges nor the expense of wiping out the styluses.I beleive our memory deceives us the rate of improvement in audio in the sixties by marantz,mac ,JBL,Bozak followed by levinson was so impressive that we believed it was the best equipment today the rate of improvement is very slow and incremental at best that we tend not to appreciate how good audio equipment has become.I have to admit that I still try to improve on the quality of the reproduction by wasting money on the latest of whatever,but it is more out of boredom on no financial constraints.But once you cross into the seventh decade of your life you might aswell try enjoy every moment.

1970's : ESS Tempests, Luxman L-80V, Dual turntable, Shure cartridge. I guess that makes me an audiophile from the 70's, but "Senior" at 52?! hmmmmm.....

What do I think about the current state of audiodom? Wonderful and silly. The former because of all the great equipment; the latter because I have 500 CD's, many of which need some tweaking re. eq. Should I start saving for 500 different cables/interconnects? Where in the world are the tone controls?

Steve O.

Ramy, I too miss the quality dealers who expected their business would yield them a living without pressing like a used car salesman. They also could talk about what they had seen at CES and the wonders to come. JG Holt's Stereophile also brought me wonders that seldom appeared in Tallahassee. I also agree that much of the equipment is revered today but was just okay. The Marantz 7 is one such piece.

I continue to play LPs today and think this sources to be superior to digital, but vinyl today is far superior to what I had then. I also still surf the crest of the wave of quality reproduction today but with fewer financial restrictions as you say.

Going on 63.

What was your favorite decade and why?

70s.

What are your thoughts of the current state of Audio?

Generally better, but more cynical.

Would you trade your current system for a past system?

No.

I am 73 and still seeking the holy grail in audio. Got interested in it when I was 14 and the most ear opening experience was in the early 50's at the NY Audio Show when the original Quad ESL was first shown. It was unbelievable.

Donaudio, I remember first hearing the Quad ESLs at a friend's in 1961 and thinking I had to have them. It was 1976 before I got a pair, actually two pair. Keep up the quest! It sounds like you are still having fun.

I am 51 and have been an audiophile of sorts since the early 70's when I was in high school. When I was in college almost everyone had a component stereo. I hit the audiophile bug when I got out of school in 79 and have had this sickness ever since. Funny that my oldest son is in college and when he introduced me to his friends, almost all had computer-based stereos. I also heard a lot of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd on these computer stereos.

I'll ride along with the recent rash of posts to this thread. At 45 I'm no senior, but I got into this in the mid-1970's and the way I have dealt with it is likely more pathological illness than logical progression. I'll answer the questions succinctly, and then seek treatment fro what I have concluded after considering them in the forum under a new thread.

1. Musically, about 1972 to 1982 was my favorite decade-- Music was evolving, minty used recordings could be had cheaply at any of the the many local record stores for hstorical reference, and quality two-channel audio was something every male, and many of my female friends, appreciated daily. People had time to sit together and listen to the newest release or turn friends on to their own favorites. Mentally and emotionally, I cling to these times, constanly awaiting the chance to pour guests a cab or zin or IPA or porter and spin some classic vinyl-- cell phones and Blackberries be goddamned.

2. Currently, gear-wise it's like the automobile and motorcycle industries in 1929. The best-made, most exotic stuff is available to us now. One day the bottom will drop out, maybe soon. I hope that doesn't go for the domestic wines and microbrews mentioned in (1) above. Music-wise, in my opinion, electronic manipulation during production, compression, and digital delivery has superceded the communal experience of allowing an LP album and its artwork (the medium of music delivery for my generation) to present an artist or band on its own terms.

3. Here is where I'm going to need some therapy-- I *did* trade "modern" equipment for vintage. Because I was not able to afford decent equipment in the '70's, '80's, and '90's, I have decided to use my disposable income of the past several years to recapitulate those decades and have constructed a few representative solid-state systems that function almost as time machines. I fully intend to pursue "modern" equipment in the sense that my newer pieces tend to be domestic hand-wired tube gear and high-efficiency horns or updated classic loudspeakers, and the only sources I take seriously are turntables and analog tuners, although I do have several CD units and digital tuners-- so I guess that my non-vintage purchases are even more retrograde than my thirty-year-old classic stuff.

I would not trade my current system for the best system I had in the 50s to date. Some of the components would be ok, i.e., Dynakit Stereo 70s and some of the McIntosh amps. But the big difference today is the lack of hum and noise in the system, and the quality of turntables, arms and cartridges. Another feature of todays equipment is the use of invert switches. After I read Johnson's The Wood Effect I became, and am, very aware of out of phase LPs. (CDs are almost never out of phase.) I use my invert switch all the time, and it makes a huge difference. All in all, todays pre-amps and record playing systems beat all of the golden oldies in every respect, but power amps are not much better, IMHO.

Personally, I hear polarity differences almost as strongly on CDs as on LPs, with the most pronounced effects on reel-to-reel tapes. I have no idea why. I agree with you about the lack of hum and noise on current vs. vintage (50s) equipment being one of the most important benefits of the new stuff.

Senior Audiophiles - Audiophile since the 60-70's?
How many Senior (true) Audiophiles do we have here since the 70's or prior?

What was your favorite decade and why?

What are your thoughts of the current state of Audio?

Would you trade your current system for a past system?

Sadly, I confess to being a "senior" audiophile, does that earn me a free breakfast at iHop?

My favorite decade is 60's and today. 60"s because I was very young and working in the business and the music scene was amazing. Today because the equipment is amazing and much of the old music is being repressed on vinyl.

Current state of audio? We have the best offerings of equipment that has ever existed. Phono cartridges are better than ever, speakers are better than ever, cabling is amazing compared to old days, LP's are thicker and quieter than ever and sound wonderful and even CD's have improved greatly.

Trade current system for previous? No.

I somewhat agree with Albertporter on most of the topics he refers to. The exception being vinyl that is pressed today. While some of the offerings do indeed approach the quality pressings from Verve, RCA Dynagroove, Columbia 6 eye and 2 eye, Riverside, Fantasy, and others far to numerous to menetion in this limited thread response. Having been with CBS for many years, perhaps I have a deeper insight than most in the realm of vinyl reproduction. The actual decline of quality vinyl pressings came about during the oil crisis of 1974. Bulk virgin vinyl escalated very high at this time to near 60% above previous levels. It was believed at that time the record consumer was price sensitive and any increase in msrp would have negative impact at the retail level. the other approach adopted and used was to reduce the vinyl content by 20 percent, of which we did and most other labels did as well. Take any major label product from the 50s,60,s and early seventies and compare that pressing in weight, quality and grooves engraved and you will see a startling difference between the two.

As far as present day offerings, while some are of decent quality the mass of them do not measure to previous standards. I know I have a few so called audiophile pressings and when compared to the original near all fall far short of the original.

While I do not have the elevated system of Albertporter, mine being a Goldring GR 1.2 with Rega RB 250 arm, bascially a copy of a Rega P2.

Albertporter has made some very valid claims, such as he mentioned, however when it comes to vinyl, I have to dissagree for the most part.

Ferrari, I have quite a few original 6 eye, Verve, Blue Note and other old record labels in my collection.

The new issues from Speaker Corner in Germany, Music Matters Jazz (Blue Note), Acoustic Sounds (Chad and AcousTech) and many of the projects Steve Hoffman is involved with are all stunning compared to the old stuff.

Also, many modern releases by artists like Kate Bush, Farben, Roger Waters, Bjork, Radiohead, Daniel Lanois and the like are Japan or Euro pressings (at least the ones I buy). I play these modern artists on vinyl along side my original (very old) LP's and for the most part, the new ones are superior.

Considering price, the new stuff is a steal. The new Blue Note 45 RPM releases (THIS week) is $50.00 in a 24 pound gatefold color jacket with original photography by Francis Wolf. Try buying a pristine Blue Note of a hot Jazz name for that and you'll have no software at all.

Some of the Blue Note titles being released are hundreds of dollars (if you could find a first press at all).

I'm happy with the state of things, my system has never been better, my LP's have never been so quiet. Maybe it's the Walker.

Albertporter we agree to disagree on vinyl. Have far more years in saddle. Please don't even menetion Speaker Corner product with any mention of sanity. I have some of those pressings, well did have, could not wait to ditch them, the absolute worse pressings I have come across, when compared to the original pressing. Music Matter and Acoustic Sounds I cannot comment on, as I have not as of yet heard them. There is no substitute for an original pristine issue. Its kinda like do you want a Picasso or a copy? I do applaud some of the new kids on the block for trying and doing their best in pressing vinyl today. They have come a long way, but have miles to go for the most part. As for me I have given up the so called audiophile pressings, unless reviews of such come from unimpeachable sources, with credentials to match. It is indeed sad to see what has happen to the Norman Granz Verve catalog. In many ways thank God he is no longer around to see what has happen today with the reissues of dubious quality. He would never have released the dreck we have today. But then again we no longer have the Norman Granz or Alfred Lion of today, only pretenders and few contenders.

Albertporter we agree to disagree on vinyl. Have far more years in saddle. Please don't even menetion Speaker Corner product with any mention of sanity. I have some of those pressings, well did have, could not wait to ditch them, the absolute worse pressings I have come across, when compared to the original pressing.

Interesting, the blues LP's of Howling Wolf and Little Walter are so much lower distortion and so much better dynamics on the Speaker Corner over the original Chess, I thought they must have found a newer version of the masters. Also the Sarah Vaughn Speaker Corner is stunning, every bit as good as the original on my system.

Certainly the tonal balance of the two are different as the represses are done with modern equipment. Generally more highs, but clean.

When you say a few more years in the saddle, are you referring to age? If yes, we can't be too far apart or your hearing would be in question :^).

Oh, hell my hearing is always in question at 65. Putting up with all the artist and corprate butt drafters at CBS and later on TV Guide. It's a friggin miracle I have any hearing at all, and of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most.

Other than that I am doing well, I think. But then again I would have to find my brain to be certain.

Although we disagree on many levels, nonetheless enjoy the music. For me in the final analysis it has always been about the music we all enjoy.

Agree Ferrari, the music is all that matters and the only reason for the equipment in the first place.

Happy New Year, come tomorrow night for our regular Tuesday night music session and I'll pour whatever drink you like. Then we can find some of your favorite music in my collection and we can all enjoy ourselves.

Sounds like a plan to me. Some nice Brandy in a snifter will do nicely and kick back and listen to some marvelous music. I shall be there in spirit enjoy the evening.