Still happily using vintage gear?

I removed my three posts because I don't want to be seen as a braggart! Suffice to say that I own enough old gear - and guitars! - to fill a store. 

Instead I will post what I am presently using out of the piles of HiFi gear at hand. From where I'm sitting I have the DCM Time Windows 1A (52779, 52780) driven by a Sumo Andromeda amp connected to an RGR 4 preamp. Signal sources are: Ariston RD11 TT/FR29 arm/Coral 777 Sleeping Beauty lomc/ADC magnesium headshell/black magnesium mat and a custom-made SUT with vintage mike transformers. Marantz CD67, JVC slim DVD player, Khadas KTB DAC, Mitsubishi DA-F10 tuner. Also right at hand is a custom SE tube amp using two 6BG6 output tubes, a single 12AT7 input tube and a 5U4 rectifier - this is not yet hooked up. ICs are a mix of Audioquest Silver Extremes, Vampire, DH Labs and a Chinese flat ribbon IC with silver RCAs. Speaker wire is a pair of 12 foot Q Audio (Canada) Time Stream twisted multi-strand with Monoprice gold bananas. 

Right outside this room are a pair of nicely restored Dahlquist DQ-10's bought from a nearby seller for $375 - including black grill cloth and custom stands! Not yet in use - lack of space! Outside the doorway are a pair of Rogers LS3/5A's 11 ohms bought from an eBay seller in Lithuania for $960 including shipping! For these I bought a new pair of 28" heavy metal stands and plan to set them up next to the TW's. On top of the Rogers I have a set of Koss ESP-9 phones in their case awaiting use.

My primary speakers are Infinity RS 1.5s. They are 40 years old.

I love my JVC QL-Y66F turntable.  It can hold its own with some of my newer more expensive tables (after some extensive damping of the plinth with plasticlay).  I also have a Realistic Lab 440 table and some Klipsch Quartets.  Oh, and a few FM tuners...

I've got several tuners, including a tube Scott and a McIntosh MR77!

Most of my stuff is about 30 years old, and still working and sounding fine (fingers crossed). Some of the oldest are my Sonus Faber Electa Amator speakers, Classe Audio DR-15 amp, Stax Lambda Signatures, MFA preamp and Denon 3520 CD player. Over the years, I have added several newer pieces: Oppo 105D, Stax 009 phones w/tube driver amps, Benchmark DAC1 and a JA Michell GyroDec turntable with Rega arm and Benz Micro Reference cartridge. Can’t imagine selling any of it.

In my office system I have a Mac C-26 that I have owned for 46 years, it was recently restored by Audio Classics. Also, an Accuphase T101 tuner and a Denon DP-52F turntable. Reluctantly, I recently had to replace my Crown DC-300A amplifier with a Parasound. The Crown had a mechanical hum that I could not repair. Also, there is an older NAD CDP that I wouldn't necessarily consider vintage.  

First hearing of DQ-10s is what pulled me in!

I've got 30yr old Soundlabs, Krell amp & BAT preamp that were just "light used" when buying them. After a decade of happy use, now I suppose they are vintage! Cheers,
Spencer

Original owner of a pair of JBL L65s (A) bought new from Pacific Stereo, Spring of ‘78 and which are still in daily use. They’ve been looked over & refoamed once in the mid nineties…no complaints since then. I bought a fair little collection of amp/source components around this same time (1978) to hook up to the ‘65s all of which are long……long..fizzled and gone.

 @jasonbourne52

Nice the Rogers - you should here them on my Class A mono blocks with the 16 Ohm taps!

Also try a RCA 5R4 instead of the 5U4  similar but different  eBay about $20 shipped.

Guitars - got a '69 Strat and about 6 Les Pauls' a few Hamers, ES-330, ES-335, a Blonde Tele, etc.  I have been searching for a good lunch box head amp to try out now.

Best vintage power amp I found was the Lafayette KT-550 changed the tube complement - hard to beat them if you can find one!

Building my own product line all point-to-point wired I guess they are all based on Vintage components in a way just better parts and transformers.

Happy Listening & Playing!

I still use my 1976 Linn LP-12 though it's my back-up turntable now and has been periodically upgraded. It's kind of like the story of the guy who owned the axe that George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree and was in original condition except the head had been replaced twice and the handle three times.

I have a pair of Acoustic Research 3a speakers on walnut stands pushed by Audio Research M100 monoblocks through a conrad-johnson PV12 preamp with a McIntosh MR67 tuner. My turntable is modern though I still have my original Dual CS508 in the basement.  I love it all! 

I have a collection of vintage components, but the oldest (and Best) is a Scott LK-150 tube power amp (1961-1964). It’s been updated, respectfully, but not modified. It’s dead silent (unless it’s playing music, lol), works perfectly, looks awesome, and sounds amazing. I bought it as a second system amp, but it’s since replaced the excellent, current model amp that was in my main system. The main system is a mix of vintage and new components. They all play nice together. 

@jasonbourne52: We Floridians would like to know when you're opening your vintage store for business:-)

PSB Stratus golds. 🙋

I have Wilson Watt 8 watt puppy’s and run McIntosh for amps but I still own a Nakamichi  Dragon cassette player. When I have friends over and I play cassettes they are blown away on how clear and wonderful the sound is. Old gear still plays well if you take care of it! 

I recently replaced a 41 year old Audio Research SP6B and a 46 year old GAS Ampzilla with a Cary SLP05 ultimate upgrade and SST Son of Ampzilla II. Old stuff still sounds good, both well maintained with Ampzilla recapped and retransistorized, but oh man, new stuff is better! I also owned DQ10’s for 24 years, loved them, but the ATC’s are better too.  

1961 Mac 240 is the senior citizen..

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7106#&gid=1&pid=11

To the OP - Hopefully you realize the Vandersteen model 5 is…still….world class….

My rig is all vintage and most components are over 30 years old.

Bi-amped system with one channel of amplification for each speaker driver/panel.  No crossover components in the speakers.  

Magnepan Tympani 1D speakers (modified)

2 Mirage BPS-400 sub woofers (XO @ 40Hz)

Threshold FET ten/hl preamp

Threshold FET ten/pc phono pre

2 Nakamichi PA-7 Stasis power amps (low pass)

2 Forte Model 7 Class A mono blocks (high pass)

Marchand active crossover XM46-2 (for subs)

Marchand passive crossover XM9 (custom made for my setup by Phil)

Linn LP12 / Ittok LVII / Mose Hercules with Grace F9e on a Target TT1 stand

Marantz CD-67SE CD player

Forte F 50A DAC

AppleTV with iFi SPDIF iPurifier2 (streamer)

2 Monster HTS3500 power conditioners

Morrow and White Zombie interconnects

DIY speaker cables

Marantz: 7, 8b, 10b.
Thorens: td125 mk II with SME 3009 Series II improved and Sumiko Songbird

I’m I still happy with vintage gear?
I am until I connect my recently acquired (10 year old) Luxman L-550a II to my system.

It’s a very different (didn’t say “better”) presentation. Especially the phono-pre! It’s much punchier, more articulate.

Lol, I wish I never heard it.

I see a phono preamp in my future.

I compared the old Marantz gear to Dean Martin. It has an occasional slur, but it sure can sing.

The Luxman has a bit better diction.

thrive

My system is mostly vintage but all of the gear is new to me within the last 2.5 years. Denon DP-62L with a Gold Grace F-9 cartridge and Soundsmith nude ruby OCL stylus, Pioneer PL-41A with a Denon DL-102 mono cartridge, DYNA FM tuner, DYNA PAS-3X preamp, Prima Luna EVO 400 power amp and Magico A3 speakers. 

The system has evolved a lot since starting it back up in 2019. I dusted off the Infinity RS4b speakers and bought a Yamaha A-S3000 integrated amp. Sold my TEAC V-900X cassette deck, ADC 315-SS eq, and dbx 3bx III. I also took a Sony ES series CD player out of the system. I upgraded speakers and amp within the last year.

The sonics improved nicely with every change I made. I worked one one thing at a time. I started by upgrading the stylus on the Grace F-9 cartridge. I then obtained the best tonearm wand for the cartridge (black HT straight wand) based on calculations for cartridge mass, tonearm mass & cartridge compliance. The sonics followed the math and provided a rich new sound from the TT! Along the way I addressed the 1st and 2nd reflexion points in the room, which made a huge difference in sonics. Eventually I upgraded the speakers and then the amp after listening to four other amps in the system two of them SS and two vacuum tube.

Regarding your question, The PL-41A is from 1970, the PAS-3X is from 1971. I believe the FM Tuner is from around 1970 or so.

My oldest piece of gear is a fabulous Audio Research D400MKII from 1993!!

My Favourite audio topic..Vintage 
Teac CD PDH-600
Yamaha Tuner Tx-1000u
      “       C. Deck Kx-1200
      “       Pre. Amp. CX-1000
      “       Amp. Pc 2002m
      “       Amp. Pc 4002m
      “       Amp. Pc 5002m
Infinity  Infinitesimal 0.2 speakers X 4
Infinity IRS Beta speakers
Infinity  SSW-212 servo subwoofer
The pc2002m amp. 4 small 0.2 speakers and SSW-212 work with the T.V portion of the system.
I seldom use the Tuner and C. Deck
There is streaming gear although of course not vintage.
I could ask for newer and find it…. But why !

My main system Klipschorns, inherited from my father, are from 1973, albeit with extreme slope crossovers that are about 10 years old.
Atm I'm using a Luxman 307 integrated amp from the same year or I use a fantastic 2.5W Miniwatt but I have some old Mullard amps from the '60s that I rotate through there occasionally.The front end is an Antipodes S30 server/streamer via a Denafrips Pontus DAC.

My 2nd system has home made KEF Transmission Lines that I made in 1977 and I use the old Mullards here too.
The front end here is either a Digital/internet radio or streamed content from my PC via a Rega DAC.

*S* Some things just follow one around like puppies....;)

Recent "new"/old in the house, a pair of SMGa Maggie's that spouse has taken a shine to, Garrard Z-100 for vinyl (Shure, of course...), a Rabco SL-8 just because it is (and we're running the calendar backwards now), a pair of 12" Utah's with their matching horns (just because they're fun to play the latter's LOUD *L*)....a pair of older ESS large amt dipoles (like the Utah's horns.....Loud, but Better....*S*

...but the widget that's still in near daily use....

A Niles Audio CPM-31 6in/6out switch bay.  'Very analog.'  *G*
A>D>C>E.....or whatever combination you'd prefer.....A>A even, but why?

....or the other 'twins', for that matter...*shrug*

@dabel....My 1st 'serious receiver' was a 2270...driving a pair of 901B's.
Cranked, the dial lights would dim on the bass lines.
Refused to implode.  Kept until I opted up to the Kenwood separates that I kick self harder for leaving get away....

@1971gto455ho....I had a serious case of lust for 4 Infinitesimal 0.1's when I first heard them....Those and a nice sub of the era "coulda' been a contenda' "....their Watkins' double drive woofers, woofwoofwow *L*

"Next up on the History Channel...." ;)

The three eldest pieces of kit in my current system are:

Michell Gyro Dec - circa 1992 (modified to Orbe platter/DC motor in 1997/05)
Audiolab 8000PPA phono stage - circa 1996Monitor Audio Studio 50's speakers - circa 2000
the rest of my system is fairly "modern", although my Koetsu Black dates to 2007 !!

Sansui au-555A - 1974 capacitor coupled amp, 100% meticulously restored following Leestereo from Audiokarma, plus some other tweaks.

To suggest that it is a thing of sonic beauty may be an understatement.

The system I use is mostly composed of vintage gear, or of cables that are inspired by vintage technology. 

Analog front end: Linn Axis TT with Linn K9 cartridge;
Digital front end: Philips CD transport & Muical Fidelity Digilog DAC (from 1987, using TDA1541A chip, now set into NOS mode, and it's got a new output stage with premium caps and fully discrete op-amp);
Amp: Audio Innovations ALTO mk1, recapped
Speakers: JPW AP2
Cables: Duelund 

I have owned this system for a while now, and having audiotioned some more recent equipment, I haven't got the wish to upgrade so far (well, maybe the cartridge). 

Still happy with my old gear:

ADS 1230 speakers (1983), Thorens TD166 mk table (1985), Yamaha T3 tuner (1982 - though I bought it used 4 years ago), Quad 405 power amp (Dec. 1977), Nakamichi 410 pre-amp (Dec, 1977), NAD CD player (2016). My Sumiko Bluepoint #2 cartridge, at two years old, is the newest piece of equipment. The Quad and Nakamichi got rehabbed within the last few years and the cross-overs in the ADS speakers were recapped in late 2018. 

As noted, I'm still happy with this stuff, especially the ADS speakers. To get "better" sound, I'd need to spend thousands more, something I'm not motivated to do at this late stage in my life.

Garrard 401 purchased as NOS from a guy in Germany who acquired it as part of EMI Germany's surplus inventory.  My personal end-game vinyl rig.  A couple of closet "waiting to repairs" from Tandberg and Audionics.

Hello,
All you you are so funny. Your gear is incredible. It might be old, but an old Porsche or Ferrari is still awesome and tons of fun to drive. I have a few older Sony pieces that are on a second system that I really enjoy. Too bad we can’t do an audio crawl. I am certain these systems you all have sounds unique and amazing. I also want to say how much I appreciate everyone taking the time to help out each other when auditioning and getting gear is so difficult. 

For a couple of years, not long ago, I used a re-capped Accuphase E-303x integrated amp, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I have mostly vintage gear. A pair of Altec A5s, a pair of Altec model 19s, and a pair of Altec model 15s.  I still have a Kenwood M1D amplifier. Turntables are a Thorens TD 318, and a Dual 1229. The McIntosh MC 7100 is getting old too. My preamp and subs are new. Also new are my cabling, crossovers, diaphragms, Dac, streamer, and things of that nature. I do love vintage gear. 

I only have one piece of vintage gear that is still wired up in one of my rooms. It's a 45w Harman Kardon integrated amp I bought in the early-mid 1980s for about $250, IIRC, from a high-end shop near Washington DC.  No WiFi capabilities, no LED front panel, no remote control ... but it still gets the job done, year after year.

In contrast, less than 2 years ago I bought a combination DAC/streamer/pre-amp. Made in China. Sells for about $3400.  Well, lately, my system no longer recognizes it as a "Roon-Ready" networked device. So on the LAN, it now only works as an Airplay receiver.  I've been trouble-shooting the darn thing for days, trying to figure out if it's a hardware problem, a settings problem, a network or firmware or software problem.  Complicated! 

System #1: Fully restored Sansui AU-717 (1977) and fully restored Sansui BA-F1 (1979), horizontally bi-amped. Marchand XM-9 active crossover. Canton speakers (1990 and 1996) and subs (1989 and 2002). Morrow Audio interconnects and speaker cables. Denon DCD-A110 SACD player. Denon DNP-800NE streamer. Furman Elite 15 PFi power conditioner.

System #2: Harman Kardon HK 730 receiver (1976). Canton speakers (1979). Canton sub (2002). Marchand XM-9 active crossover. Morrow Audio and Kimber Kable Silver Streak interconnects. Kimber Kable speaker cables. NAD C 516BEE CD player.

I’m big on vintage gear also having just the past couple of years gotten back into the audio world. Kids, college, etc. being the main reasons I got out of it the past 25 years or so.
   But I digress. MY main rig right now is Martin Logan CLS driven by a Audible Illusions 3, Krell KSA 150, Velodyne sub, McIntosh MR71 tuner and a Revox B77 R2R. Some pretty old, some newer but I’m happy as a clam with what I have and find the sound more enjoyable than some friends stereos with Wilson’s, Levinson, etc.
  it’s not always about what is the latest and greatest although I’m sure much of the newer gear is exceptional sounding, but I’ll keep my old man stereo any day.

An Aiwa f770 & f660 tape decks, cambridge t500 tuner (if considered vintage), and a kenwood 4007 tuner...all work great. Everything else is up to date stuff...

Listen daily to a pair of AR2ax speakers while drawing.  Rotel equipment with a Nakamichi cassette deck.  

I am using a recaped Marantz 2285 Piooner SX-1250 With klipsch Frote  Ii ; Nakamichi cr7A , Sony  760 Es , technics St-9038 (Great tuner)
and waiting repartir is my first piece of gear ; Sansui AU-217 II amplier..
Nice Sound , but not better than New components

This thread is certainly more fun than reading about streaming issues and arguments over the merits of MQA! 
Vintage joy. Cheers, Spencer

@dabel....Yeah, sometimes you've got to be a dolt to comprehend what it feels like..*L*
Good of you to post the link to lights....when they go *foom*, we're in the dark and guessing about such.....loved the 4300 on his site, a subtle beast that one could fondle until the salesfolk chased you off.....

Oh, one vintage' item not remembered but assigned to the 'shop audio'; an SAE 2 band parametric EQ that makes whatever can survive 'being in a wood shop and the abuse thereof'....a Sony rcvr and CD changer for tunes to drown out the chop and other saw breeds....
The speakers?
Anything that survives....hung from the beams, where relative safety from dust exists....*L*

I recall from the early '70's a bud working at a t-shirt printing shop had an air-driven 4-color printer that was Loud as F when 'engaged'....so they'd slung a pair of old JBL's aimed at the operator 8' away running at 9+ on the knob....don't recall what drove it 8+hr./6days/monthly/yearly (since I didn't work there), but it apparently didn't implode from the 'enthusiasm' required to overcome the racket.
It had to....once you started that machine, it ran until that 'run' of prints was either completed, or something went awry....
The latter was not a pleasant occurrence....ink drying in 4 aligned silkscreens, potentially 'blocking' the images and/or sticking to a shirt in the middle of the sequence?
Like stuffing a large firecracker into a large ant mound and watching the frenzy wrought....*L*

Headphones were popular, even with the JBL's. ;)
I assume that most of the operators wear hearing aids like moi'....but I never worked there, instead into other loud environs....like a panel saw, cutting aluminum or brass sheets @ 1" a minute....

"Hey, Jer'!"

"HUH?!"

"I SAID..."

"WHAT?! (Stop saw...)

"The office wonders when you'll be done...."

"Within your lifetime..."  (Hit the switch...deadlines is deadlines....)

I have been using Altec 604E speakers (made around 1965) since 2005
and EMT 948 turntable (made around 1990) since 2011.
All off them are great stuff and very good value for money.
EMT turntable is plug and play.
Altec 604E sound nice as is. But to get more modern sound and to use all their potential they need some tweaks like - super tweeter and better crossover (although the stock crossover is not bad at all).

Regards,
Alex