Townshend Rock 7 TT. What a simplistic yet technically thought through piece of (art) engineering! It just sounds fantastic!
Your Forever Pieces? What and Why?
Pretty sure a number of members have some equipment they have owned forever or intend to where feasible.
Curious as to what, how long so far and why?
Curious as to what, how long so far and why?
99 responses Add your response
Absolutely love this post! Thanks for starting it Uberwaltz! i am totally ashamed that I have a bunch of 70s gear in a closet I never use but nostalgia and sentiment will not let me depart with them. My original Dual 1019 Turntable I had in 1970, an old Thorens 125, am old Kenwood stone-base turntable, my Denon DL 103 I had in law school. And a bunch of (at least 12) pieces of old Marantz gear - mainly amps, tuners, I integrateds or receivers (solid state unfortunately rather than tubes). I also have a number of old Marantz cassette decks and a few old Reel-to-reel tape decks by Akai, Tascam and Teac, Also in a box in MINT condition but not in current use is a Rotel Michigan RHT -10 tuner that this post may motivate me to bring out and use. I have a fabulous new rooftop antenna with a rotator I never installed too. As far as the current pieces I have: my Conrad-Johnson ART-3 line stage with ten NOS Telefunken CCa’s (love it to death) SME 30 (not version 2) turntable with SME IV.vi arm Lamm M1.1 Reference monoblock amps, Silent Running Audio CRAZ triple with rankin white maple Reimyo CD-77 (all of the above bought 15 years ago - the ART-I was bought then but upgraded by c-j in 2009j my beloved Rockport Aquila loudspeakers bought I 2008 - unless I ever get a bigger room where I’d go to the Rockport Altair, I will die owning these fabulous transducers. A set of Silverline SR-15 (circa 1993) that I am hoping to use in a second system soon), and last but not least, due to my OCD addiction, the following headphone gear: the fourth ever built 1998 Moth Audio s2A3 amp (original amp not the later integrated amp) and from Eddie Current (Craig Uthis, the designer/owner of defunct Moth Audio): ** Eddie Current Studio Amp ** Eddie Current Balancing Act ** Eddie Current 445 ** Eddie Current 2A3 MK.iv ** Eddie Current Zana Deux SE (OTL) ** Eddie Current Zana Deux ZDT ** Eddie Current Super 7 (if anyone has an Eddie Current Electra for sale, I will buy it) ** an Allnic HPA 3000 ** an Allnic HPA-5009 plus and assortment of headphones (Focal Utopia, Audeze LCD-3: LCD-X; Sennheiser HD-800 and HD-650) Planning on converting a small bedroom to a Headphone Room with all of the forgoing pieces of gear (plus a couple not mentioned) in use with various sources. yes, I have an illness Frank |
Let’s see, I have had a Threshold Stasis S2 for probably less than 20 years, a PS Audio 200C for longer, an Audio Research LS15 for a decade or so, a Coda 05R about the same. Various Sony ES CD players and DVD players. All of it has been highly modified. The end of last year however I got a Schitt Audio Yggdrasil DAC, and that changed everything. Now I have a DS2 preamp, and an amp very similar to, but not as good as Don Sachs’ amp. His electronics just embarrass most of the rest of my gear. I really can’t imagine replacing anything in my system currently. If you had 20K for an amp and preamp you MIGHT be able to better Don’s, but you would have to see search high and low to do so, and the Yggdrasil might also be slightly bettered, but I think that I’ll stand pat, for the first time ever, I don’t suffer from listening fatigue. A lot of that was due to speakers honestly, but as good as my SS gear sounds, it sounds good compared to other SS gear, and lessor quality tube gear. Don Sachs has been working on tube gear his whole life and has found some amazingly good components that are simply neutral. He has found components that I had never heard of, and he has allowed other components that I had tried and pulled, to fully burn in. I thought that they sounded so bad that they could never sound good, but he had the patience to allow them to fully burn in, and it turned out that they were truly good sounding after a proper burn in. I cannot recommend him highly enough! BTW, if you do buy from him, he'll make you some very inexpensive interconnects that will better anything I have heard, but only if you are buying an amp or preamp from him. don@dsachsconsulting.com |
Why? Pure Love. Nostalgia. Remembering how you felt about these treasures back in that stage of your life. In 1972, I bought my first serious Stereo System. I wanted a B&O BG4000 TT so bad I could taste it but settled for a Sony 2251 with a B&O SP adapter. Still have it, still love to look at it, and if I ever get around to restoring it, I'll still love listening to it, at least now and then. If you ever see it on eBay, it'll be because one of my Grandkids is cleaning house. I didn't scrimp on the speakers though. Back in those days, $500 a side was a lot of money for a pair of Tannoy Stuarts. At least my Wife, (ex), thought so. Oh, I paid dearly for those Speakers. But, the joy they've given me over the years was worth a whole lot more. The best part is, I can let the 'HDL' Placebos run wild, because I can still hear how FABULOUS it sounded then, back in the day. Back when you could REALLY hear the difference excellence and mediocrity. Thanks for the great Thread Uberaltz! |
The modded Audio Research D79 power amp I bought here on Audiogon a few years back, which is the long-sought replacement for a D79b that I had in the ‘80’s and wish I’d never sold. I also keep a D90b as a backup just in case the 79 needs to go away for service. On on the list of pieces I regret selling are a Krell KSA250 that was magic with B&W 802’s, a Willie Hermann rebuilt Nakamichi ZX7 and an Equitech RQ10 balanced power unit |
Oldest would be my Pioneer SX750 receiver, bought new in 1976. Was in use until a few years ago. Still not going anywhere. That $315 doesn't sound like much today, but it was back then to a teenager making $4/hour.It's replacement two years ago was a Luxman L-590AX. I don't see that going anywhere anytime soon, either. |
Slaws nomination of his Townshend Rock 7 tunrtable has broken down by resistance to contributing my own nominee. I have a much older Rock, the Elite (Mk.2), from the early 90's. Mounted on it is the Zeta arm/London Super Gold (Mk.7, w/fineline stylus, and Decapod) pickup combination, which makes the music in the grooves of my LP's (only one groove per LP ;-) sound as much like live music as I have heard. Not for everyone, including my long-time turntable man, the late Brooks Berdan, who was amused by my preference. As my mama useta say, "Each to his own, said the lady as she kissed the cow". I never understood that one. Slaw is quite right, the Rock is very special, unique. I'm not alone in considering the original Quad about as classic and timeless as they come. Inherently flawed in ways that make it an unsuitable speaker choice for many, it none-the-less remains, more than sixty years after it's commercial introduction, unmatched at what it does best---vocals and acoustic instruments, my musical priorities. Hopefully mine will be playing J.S. Bach or Iris Dement when I take my last breath. |
AR-3a Speakers bought in 1971. Have had the surrounds replaced several times, but they still are amazing, albeit power hungry, speakers. Thorens TD-320 turntable bought in 1986. It is my mono rig now, and still plays flawlessly. Threshold SA4e amp bought in 1994 to replace the Nakamichi PA-7, which used the same general circuit, but was not class A. There is NO substitute for class A! |
This is pretty easy for me as I’ve had most of my gear forever already. My keepers, with the number of years I’ve had them, are: IN USE 40 years - Altec Lansing 604C - 16 ohm, 101 dB. The serial number dated them at 1954, so they are as old as I am. They have been reckoned 3 times 33 years - VPI HW MK II (MK IV with SAM for last 8 years) 33 years - Sumiko MMT arm 31 Years - Julius Futterman OTL monoblocs, the OTL3 version made by NY Audiolabs. Converted tovtriode and with new caps 2 years ago 27 years - Beard P505 preamp 22 years - Mastering Lab crossovers. New caps 12 years ago 20 years - Koetsu Black 4 years - Koetsu Onyx, Koetsu Rosewood Platinum ON THE SHELF, for back up 46 years - Dynaco MK III monoblocs 50 years - Dynaco PAS |
My Sota Sappire, purchased used in 1987. It's still amazing! And my beloved B&W 801-series2's. I've tried many times to replace them, and i keep coming back to them. I've upgraded all of the crossover capacitors over the years, and re-oriented the inductors to reduce crosstalk. My next upgrade is to consolidate the bi-wire terminals with one set of better binding posts. I have tried many times to bi-wire them, and they always sound phasey and weird when i do. So I'm converting them to just one good connection! |
The oldest piece I still own is a Stax SR-40/SRD-4 set that I got in the '70s. I have upgraded to a SRX Mk 3/ SRM-T1S(pretty vintage, themselves); but I still plug the SR-40s in to the T1S from time to time. They have something in their sound that I will always love. The SRD-4 is in my small system so I can use the SR-40s there, too... In my 1991 Nakamichi Receiver 2. |
B&W 801, purchased in 1976. When they were gifted they sounded terrible, flat. I understand B&W designed them to be purposed as studio monitors. Fortuitously, I learned of a company, North Creek, that made crossovers (40 lbs of copper, each!) specifically to overcome the speaker’s shortcomings. After installing the crossovers they became extraordinary. I pretty much use them everyday in my second system. |
I guess I should add my TT to this list as after contemplation it is going nowhere. Nottingham Analog Spacedeck. I always wanted one while I lived in England but could not afford it. Funny thing is their factory is just 6 miles from where I grew up! May have other TT along the way but will be keeping this one. |
Mirolab, I just noticed your post. You may want visit North Creek’s web site, www.northcreekmusic.com. It has a detailed, interesting write up of your and my beloved 801s. |
Probably my McIntosh C2500 tube preamp and MC452 solid state power amp...maybe my Focal Sopra No2 speakers and JL Audio F113V2 sub woofers. My all-digital sources are probably the things that will see the most improvement in the future, not so much with amps. Love the Focal/JL sound quality, they work well together and with my amp. |
@bdp24 I probably asked you this before. I have a (treasured since 1987) Mk7 SuperGold with paratrace fineline too. It's due a retip amd I was thinking about adding a Decapod. I read another opinion saying it took away something, a certain life in the music. Could you kindly let me know your thoughts? |
@noromance, if someone has a non-Decapod Decca in their system and thinks it sounds lifeless, something is seriously wrong! Decca users have for many years packed the space between the top of the metal cartridge body and the underside of the stock plastic mount with modeling clay/Plasticine, to prevent any relative movement between the two. The plastic mount attaches to the cartridge body rather flimsily, allowing a lot of flexing, and not securing the cartridge body to the headshell very well. I had a Decca Supergold without the Decapod years ago, and now have a London Supergold with the Decapod. I can't attribute the superiority of the Decapod-fitted London over the non-Decapod Decca completely to the Decapod, as John Wright has make significant improvements to the guts of the cartridge. But the Decapod is inexpensive, and I can see no reason why it doesn't make for a more secure coupling of cartridge to arm, surely a good thing! |
I’m tempted to paint my SDR Ducati red, think anybody’d notice? Straying for a moment I came very close to a 2014 multistrada when my dealer had the annual fire sale, but I got caught up in the hype of the sdr and never even took the MS for a demo. After reading more of this thread and getting a better feel for it I want to throw my bose 901 VI after finally reading the instructions and suspending them from the ceiling 2’x2’x2’ in the bass lock and dynamic punch from a realistic 55wpc receiver was fascinating! Had a nosey neighbor not introduced himself and then me to ’hifi’ I would be living in ignorant bliss enjoying music instead of constantly analyzing my system for shortcomings. |
I'd also add: My Thiel 02 and Spendor S3/5 speakers. I've had the Thiels (fairly cheap monitors put out when Thiel wasn't yet doing time/phase coherent designs), since '92, and the Spendors since around 2001. The 02 was my entry in to good sounding speakers and they remain for me a sort of benchmark, the way they combine organic tone, with a chameloen-like ability to do any instrumental timbre, and an aliveness and palpability that brings everything alive. I still put them in to my system now and again, as I have for the past few weeks, and it still seems like they have things to teach me. Same for the little Spendors. |
I scooped up a pair of DSP8000’s sl that I upgraded to se and I’m sold on dsp now. A lot of speakers have passed through this room and any bass below 70 hz was a problem and made most speakers sound clinical. My room doesn’t seem to affect the output from these so they’re going to be difficult to let go. |