Vintage Gear Department?

highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Oh, it's on now buddy boy! :D
I've got an SX-650 that sounds sweeter than any of that high falutin' post Y2K you're listening to. :p :cool:
My sub is from the early nineties too !!! ;)

... but it's a rich 13 watts. :)
My integrated amp is from '89- whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
Now, now, don't get naughty and ask impertinent questions!
compared to some of the other questions asked on here, I found this one fair. :D . I still play football with some of the neighborhood kids, and get comments like..."that old guy can throw the ball far" :confused:
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
compared to some of the other questions asked on here, I found this one fair. :D . I still play football with some of the neighborhood kids, and get comments like..."that old guy can throw the ball far" :confused:
Yeh, but what else can you throw far, or more to the point, what can't you?
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
20 minutes of pitch and catch and my arm feels like rubber:(
You need to warm up more. I didn't when I was younger and after I started doing that, it lasted a lot longer and felt better after. Now that I made both arms rotate the wrong way like a slot machine, I can't throw anything far, at all. In high school, I could throw a softball about 300' and now I just hit myself in the back of the head.:D
 
Johnny2Bad

Johnny2Bad

Audioholic Chief
To some people, "vintage" is just a fancy word for old, and judging from the way it's used on eBay, perhaps a fancy word for "unwanted junk" as well ... it reminds me of how some people eagerly seek to buy "faux" items, not knowing that the word means "fake" ... another favorite, which was in heavy rotation a decade ago is "virtual", which means "not really".

Regardless of what period, though, getting back to audio, I think the collectible or interest in older audio products broadly falls into three (well, four) categories:

There have always been some remarkable products that stand out from the rest. Some can stand on their own as audio devices judged against contemporary gear, without apology.

Others are remarkable for one reason or another, perhaps as breakthrough products or because they occupy some place in audio history, even though they may show their age in comparison to "good" gear.

And then there is stuff that is sought after more because of nostalgia than any inherent qualities as sound equipment, at least in terms of it standing up to the best of today taken as a whole.

The fourth category, of course, is junk. Mr, "Vintage Realistic AM/FM receiver", I'm looking at you, right now, on eBay.

Without going overboard (because you can, easily, with such a list) I'll just mention one or two examples, of what I mean, for illustration. These are just things that popped into my head that I know well; it's not a list of "my favorite" or "my top ten list" or anything of the sort. Just examples for illustration.

My hifi history starts in the early-to-mid 70's ... I know of stuff before that, but I never lived through it, and from where I am now, looking back, I can see that makes a difference.

Anyway ... examples of stuff in the first category; that can hold it's own today ... Quad ESL loudspeaker; Denon DL-103 phono cartridge; Threshold 400A power amplifier; Thorens TD-125 turntable, etc

Second category; historical significance or turning point in audio ... Apt Hollman preamp; TEAC 3440 multitrack tape recorder; Nakamichi 1000 cassette deck; B&O Beogram 4000 turntable, quite a few FM tuners from the 70's ... etc

Third category; mostly nostalgia: The Marantz/Sansui/Kenwood/Pioneer you owned in college, regardless of it's inherent qualities (good or bad); 8-track players; colorful record changers; most mainstream graphic equalizers; etc.

Junk ... well junk is stuff nobody really wanted then, but for some reason people want now, unless of course they were old enough to remember them, in which case they still don't want it and were hoping one of the rewards of growing old was that you would never see them again. Wrong again, I guess.
 
A

audiofox

Full Audioholic
To some people, "vintage" is just a fancy word for old, and judging from the way it's used on eBay, perhaps a fancy word for "unwanted junk" as well ... it reminds me of how some people eagerly seek to buy "faux" items, not knowing that the word means "fake" ... another favorite, which was in heavy rotation a decade ago is "virtual", which means "not really".

Regardless of what period, though, getting back to audio, I think the collectible or interest in older audio products broadly falls into three (well, four) categories:

There have always been some remarkable products that stand out from the rest. Some can stand on their own as audio devices judged against contemporary gear, without apology.

Others are remarkable for one reason or another, perhaps as breakthrough products or because they occupy some place in audio history, even though they may show their age in comparison to "good" gear.

And then there is stuff that is sought after more because of nostalgia than any inherent qualities as sound equipment, at least in terms of it standing up to the best of today taken as a whole.

The fourth category, of course, is junk. Mr, "Vintage Realistic AM/FM receiver", I'm looking at you, right now, on eBay.

Without going overboard (because you can, easily, with such a list) I'll just mention one or two examples, of what I mean, for illustration. These are just things that popped into my head that I know well; it's not a list of "my favorite" or "my top ten list" or anything of the sort. Just examples for illustration.

My hifi history starts in the early-to-mid 70's ... I know of stuff before that, but I never lived through it, and from where I am now, looking back, I can see that makes a difference.

Anyway ... examples of stuff in the first category; that can hold it's own today ... Quad ESL loudspeaker; Denon DL-103 phono cartridge; Threshold 400A power amplifier; Thorens TD-125 turntable, etc

Second category; historical significance or turning point in audio ... Apt Hollman preamp; TEAC 3440 multitrack tape recorder; Nakamichi 1000 cassette deck; B&O Beogram 4000 turntable, quite a few FM tuners from the 70's ... etc

Third category; mostly nostalgia: The Marantz/Sansui/Kenwood/Pioneer you owned in college, regardless of it's inherent qualities (good or bad); 8-track players; colorful record changers; most mainstream graphic equalizers; etc.

Junk ... well junk is stuff nobody really wanted then, but for some reason people want now, unless of course they were old enough to remember them, in which case they still don't want it and were hoping one of the rewards of growing old was that you would never see them again. Wrong again, I guess.
Belloq had it right (in Raiders of the Lost Ark) when he said:

"Look at this (pocket watch). It's worthless - ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, I bury it in the sand for a thousand years, it becomes priceless."

We should all just pack up our junk and give it to our kids, and tell them to give it to their kids and not to sell any of it until THEY are old. :p BTW, I agree with you on the TD-125, which is still one of my favorite TTs-a true classic (or vintage, or antique (pick your favorite adjective).
 
adwilk

adwilk

Audioholic Ninja
20 minutes of pitch and catch and my arm feels like rubber:(
Theres a rick joke in there, but for the sake of not derailing this thread; I'll leave it alone... :p:D. I know, I know, you were pitching.
 
Tower Boss

Tower Boss

Audiophyte
Hello Folks,

I frequent both AK and this forum, and find that there are many like myself who are members of both. I run current gear for HT setups and vintage for 2-channel systems. I would be up for a section here, even if just a dedicated 2-channel area.

Regards,
TB
 
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dkane360

dkane360

Audioholic Field Marshall
If it's older than me, its vintage. lol. That being said, the forum should be called "Older Than Dkane360 Department"
 
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