What old stuff do you still use?

[crazyfingers]

I considered posting this in the "What New Stuff Have you Bought" topic but decided to go nostalgia and ask what old stuff do you still use.

I think about this.

Of all of the alarm clocks I've had I have always liked this best because it has real switches, dials and buttons to set it. No looking at the manual to see how many times to press one button to set the time or alarm.

This alarm clock is 45-50 years old and still works great though the radio part doesn't work any more. But it's the alarm I use every day.

I recall in the mid-1970's my parents took me to Jordan Marsh department store and got it for me.

Here is a 45 year old,1980, photo of it in my freshman dorm room.

I also still use the turntable and the Allison Three speakers.

 

[Bobby Bass]

I have a Bose wave radio and CD player that I bought used. Reminds me of the one my Dad had when I was a kid. It sits on my desk and I use as my clock and occasionally play CDs on it. Vintage is cool if it still works and sounds good.

 

[TLS Guy]

I considered posting this in the "What New Stuff Have you Bought" topic but decided to go nostalgia and ask what old stuff do you still use.

I think about this.
View attachment 68953

Of all of the alarm clocks I've had I have always liked this best because it has real switches, dials and buttons to set it. No looking at the manual to see how many times to press one button to set the time or alarm.

This alarm clock is 45-50 years old and still works great though the radio part doesn't work any more. But it's the alarm I use every day.

I recall in the mid-1970's my parents took me to Jordan Marsh department store and got it for me.

Here is a 45 year old,1980, photo of it in my freshman dorm room.
View attachment 68954

I also still use the turntable and the Allison Three speakers.

I use lots of really old gear regularly, some of it going back 60 to 70 years. It is some of the finest gear I own.

Here are some pictures from my "working museum".

The equipment in my AV room. The old and he new.

3200 watts of vintage Quad power drive the AV room. And another four vintage power amps power my other two systems.

The vintage turntables and preamps.

1971 Decca ffss playin an LP via a vintage tube preamp.

Playing a 78 RPM disc with Decca ffss purchased in 1966.

Thorens TD 125 MK II and SME Series 3 in family room. with vintage Quad preamp and tuner.

Very early Digital recording set up from 1984.

So that is just some of the items that you can see here.

 

[crazyfingers]

Wow!

 

[lovinthehd]

Still have some gear from the 80s, Carver pre amp and some amps (the Amazing speakers didn't survive).

 

[Hobbit]

I have a Sony Radio Cassette Recorder, eg Boombox, from '88. It's in my garage and I occasionally use the radio on it. Though it doesn't sound very good at all. Highly doubt the tape player works.

Not sure if this gear is "old" enough. I have an Acurus A200x3 which is still regularly used and a B&K Ref20 in that was mostly working when I put in the closet. Both are from the mid90s.

 

[highfigh]

I use lots of really old gear regularly, some of it going back 60 to 70 years. It is some of the finest gear I own.

Here are some pictures from my "working museum".

The equipment in my AV room. The old and he new.

3200 watts of vintage Quad power drive the AV room. And another four vintage power amps power my other two systems.



The vintage turntables and preamps.



1971 Decca ffss playin an LP via a vintage tube preamp.



Playing a 78 RPM disc with Decca ffss purchased in 1966.



Thorens TD 125 MK II and SME Series 3 in family room. with vintage Quad preamp and tuner.





Very early Digital recording set up from 1984.

So that is just some of the items that you can see here.

The piece at the right- PCM processor for recording on VHS? Hard to read all of the info on the face. The stereo store where I worked had the Sony PCM-F1 a matching portable Beta recorder. Later, we sold the PCM-701ES and SL-2700 combination.

 

[JerryLove]

Truly old? Like "20th century" stuff? Nothing comes screaming to mind.

AVRs dated (thanks to changes to video), so while I have one from 1990, it's not in use.
Few setups at have dedicated amps, and the one that does happens to be from the 2000s.
When I went through "all the speakers"; while there were some older ones that absolutely were amazing, most ended up leaving for one reason or another (usually aesthetics) as I settled in on what I have now (which are generally about 10 years old). Some stand outs.

• Infinity RS IIIb speakers (somewhere in the 1970s). Those were donated to an uncle who is still running them today.
• PSB 400i's. Not sure how old those are. They were my computer monitors until I recently "borrowed" my wife's Vanatoos for that job. Not going back, but the PSBs may see new life on someone else's rig.

Now, I still *have* some older gear; and it gets trotted out to be played with from time to time; but really nothing in active use.

 

[highfigh]

I have a Kenwood stereo receiver from 1973 that, compared to newer equipment, doesn't perform very well in high frequencies, but if there's nothing to compare with, it sounds OK. Output is rated at a blistering 14W/channel and it has pre out/power amp in. Now, a lot of expensive integrated amps and stereo receivers don't have those. I also have a Sony STR-5800SD- I liked that model line when I started selling audio and it was a current model at that time in early 1978. I also have a JVC CD-1770 cassette deck that needs belts, but when I used it, it sounded as good/better than a lot of more expensive models. That was a current model when I started selling, too.

Non-stereo related, I have a 1958 Fender guitar amp that still sounds great and is surprisingly noise-free, although part of that is because I have maintained it but before I replaced any components in about 1980, it was very quiet WRT hum and hiss.

 

[highfigh]

• Infinity RS IIIb speakers (somewhere in the 1970s). Those were donated to an uncle who is still running them today.

I always liked those speakers- mostly for acoustic and less in your face loud rock, but for acoustic music, classical, Jazz- really nice. We started selling Infinity in 1978 and that was a current model.

 

[Joe B]

My first home theater set up is now in my basement. It was originally in the living room. Most equipment is intro SONY stuff from the dawn of DVD releases. I use it when doing cardio (Waterrower, NordicTrak, etc.). The SONY Trinitron display just won't die.

 

[davidscott]

I have a Bose wave radio and CD player that I bought used. Reminds me of the one my Dad had when I was a kid. It sits on my desk and I use as my clock and occasionally play CDs on it. Vintage is cool if it still works and sounds good.

I have a Bose wave radio that I never use. It's in my 3rd bedroom/ office and I might check the time occasionally.

 

[davidscott]

My REGA Planar 3 from the late 90s is the oldest component in my Hi FI. But it has a new belt and cart so maybe it doesn't count.

 

[TLS Guy]

The piece at the right- PCM processor for recording on VHS? Hard to read all of the info on the face. The stereo store where I worked had the Sony PCM-F1 a matching portable Beta recorder. Later, we sold the PCM-701ES and SL-2700 combination.

It is the Sansui PC-X1. The video recorders are Panasonic VHS units.

Even the oldest of that gear sounds very good. An LP played with the Decca H4E on the Garrard 301 via the tube Quad 22 preamp sounds very good indeed. On a nice quiet surface LP you would not know it wasn't the latest gear. You don't have to make allowances for the age of any of this except when playing 78s.

I was playing a Dolby B 7.5 ips reel to reel tape recorded in Westminster Cathedral (not the Abbey) under Sir Colin Davis, of Mozart's Great C minor mass, recorded in 1974. The recorder was Revox A77 from 1977 and an Advent Dolby B decoder. There are a lot worse recordings made now. In those days, the recording companies had career engineers that really knew their craft. In that recoding the balance was perfect and the acoustic wonderfully captured.

I think we are starting to return to that somewhat, as engineers are now having lifetime careers with symphony orchestras and opera companies. Matthew Pons for instance is doing a superb job with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. These recordings in my view are of a higher standard than the major labels, who now hire by the job.

I have been very discriminating in my purchases over the years. On the whole I have managed to pick the best of gear. There is zero Far Eastern gear in equipment prior to 1984. There is as little as possible in the years since.

The cassette units are Japanese, and the digital disc units TVs and AVP are from Asia, but nothing else.

Every day, I am particularly grateful for Peter Walker's wonderful pre-amps, power amps and FM tuners.
I doubt we will see that kind of dedication again.

 

[j_garcia]

My bedroom system has an old Sony bookshelf setup with AM/FM, CD, Aux. It is 34 yrs old and still works fine, but I plug my 2024 tablet into the Aux so I have my streamed music.

 

[highfigh]

It is the Sansui PC-X1. The video recorders are Panasonic VHS units.

Even the oldest of that gear sounds very good. An LP played with the Decca H4E on the Garrard 301 via the tube Quad 22 preamp sounds very good indeed. On a nice quiet surface LP you would not know it wasn't the latest gear. You don't have to make allowances for the age of any of this except when playing 78s.

I was playing a Dolby B 7.5 ips reel to reel tape recorded in Westminster Cathedral (not the Abbey) under Sir Colin Davis, of Mozart's Great C minor mass, recorded in 1974. The recorder was Revox A77 from 1977 and an Advent Dolby B decoder. There are a lot worse recordings made now. In those days, the recording companies had career engineers that really knew their craft. In that recoding the balance was perfect and the acoustic wonderfully captured.

I think we are starting to return to that somewhat, as engineers are now having lifetime careers with symphony orchestras and opera companies. Matthew Pons for instance is doing a superb job with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. These recordings in my view are of a higher standard than the major labels, who now hire by the job.

I have been very discriminating in my purchases over the years. On the whole I have managed to pick the best of gear. There is zero Far Eastern gear in equipment prior to 1984. There is as little as possible in the years since.

The cassette units are Japanese, and the digital disc units TVs and AVP are from Asia, but nothing else.

Every day, I am particularly grateful for Peter Walker's wonderful pre-amps, power amps and FM tuners.
I doubt we will see that kind of dedication again.

Where, in Asia?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My wife

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

My wife

L. O. L.

 

[Tankini]

I'm using this now, it belongs to my Oldest Son he's 45. He has the Original Nintendo one with the cartridges, many games for it. I play Final Fantasy Four on the PS1. Since I upgraded my TV, had to buy a HD video converter, RCA, Video, L/R audio into HDMI out so I could hook it up to a HDMI port on my TV.

 

[davidscott]

I have a model of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 and a Klingon Bird of Prey on top of my Infinity tower speakers. I believe that they are from the 90s.