"Vintage" equipment or new?

[kellymuses]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I've been thinking about going back to the stereo setups I had in the late 70s and 80s. I find that I miss albums and their sound more and more as I get older.

So, as I've been researching all over the place, I've heard advice to go back to vintage turntables, receivers, etc. instead of purchasing new equipment. I've heard that it's best to avoid USB turntables and instead use something like Audacity to convert albums to mp3 or wav files from a standard turntable and connections.

My head is spinning, as you can imagine. So, my question is less what brands to buy now since I don't have a budget figured out yet, but more your opinions on the old versus new equipment question.

I can tell that there's a wealth of knowledge in this forum and I look forward to your thoughts on this.

Thanks in advance,

Kelly

 

[Irvrobinson]

I've never understood this vintage equipment thing, except perhaps relating to phonograph hardware and analog tape. I doubt that turntables, arms, and cartridges of today are substantially better than those of the 1980s and 1990s. Anything with electronics in it probably has substantially better specifications than most equipment over 20 years old. Of course I'm talking *comparable* equipment; I'm not comparing Krell class A amps to AVRs.

I've read some articles lately saying that amplifiers and receivers from the 1970s are superior because of the old FTC rules about all channels driven RMS power requirements within a stated bandwidth. That's a red herring. If you look at the 4 ohm and 2 ohm performance of the old amps they really can't hold a candle to a lot of more modern equipment. Back then most speakers didn't have impedance curves that fell much below 6 ohms so most amps weren't designed to handle low impedance loads. Today many speakers have impedance values that fall into the 3 ohm range, and modern amps are largely designed for that workload.

Pre-amps are generally much quieter today, mostly due to improved ICs that began to appear in the late 1990s.

Anything digital is a lot better than in the 1980s. I get such a kick out of the Phillips TDA1541A S2 DAC nostalgia.

IMO, speakers have gotten so much better in the past five years that vintage speakers are a really bad idea. Take any brand that has been around since the 1970s or 1980s and compare their latest offerings to the old stuff. THe new stuff is worlds better, especially tweeters.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I've heard that it's best to avoid USB turntables and instead use something like Audacity to convert albums to mp3 or wav files from a standard turntable and connections.

Do you have a large album collection you're looking to convert?

USB turntables tend to be cheap, and intended for non-audiophiles. That's why you're hearing that it's better to use all-analog phonograph equipment.

 

[markw]

I love vintage. i've got a bunch of it.

Of course, when I bought it, it wasn't vintage. I love my blue-dial Marantz 2230 and JBL L-26 speakers with my Miracord 50H turntable. I loved it 40 years ago and still do. I also love the stuff in the link in my sig line as well.

There is nothing vintage can do that modern equipment can't do. Granted, nowadays phono stages ave pretty much disappeared and the emphasis on quality FM has diminished but that's due to the change in consumer interest, not technical abilities.

Keep in mind that odds are any vintage equipment won't be in brand-spanking new shape and to get it back to new (or close to new) performance will take a visit to a skilled tech.

Yes, things have changed. Speakers are "different" simply because the focus on big box/big drivers has pretty much been relinquished to PA/DJ speakers but, thanks to more efficient design, a more realistic bass presentation can be had with taller, slimmer enclosures with smaller drivers. But, some still like the big, woolly sound of the old speakers (my L-26's on the Allman's Live at the Fillmore East ) on some music.

As for turntables, newer is better. ...period. I know someone will chime in that their '53 turntable is the best thing since free oxygen but the fact is that, on the whole, newer is better.

Electronics too. There's noting the old stuff can do that the new stuff can't do better, and with remote control. As for phono stages, they are available anywhere for a variety of prices. Likewise software to convert those vinyl wiggles into digital bits and bytes for your computer.

So, vintage is great. I love it. But, on the whole, if forced to make a purchasing choice, I'd go with new.

 

[lsiberian]

While driver technology has advanced a lot in the last 20 years. Enclosures and crossovers haven't improved that much. A B&W 800 series from the 80s is still better than a lot of the new speakers on the market.

In the last 5 years most of the improvement I've observed has actually been in small amp technology and dsp technology.

For example today the miniDSP does in the size of your hand what took a rack space a few years ago. It's no surprise subs are adding this to their amps. Even my new receiver has a manual eq built in it.

The Chip amps are nearly as small and deliver as much power as many receivers do. I wouldn't be surprised if active speakers with wireless signals are used soon. With wireless electricity you could have a speaker with no external wires. Could you imagine a receiver that simply sends a wireless signal to your 7 speakers?

We aren't there yet, but it certainly seems possible.

The other major rise has been the Internet Direct dealers. If I had a nice woodshop I'd probably sell speakers online as a side business.

 

[slipperybidness]

I like vintage, I like new.

For a noob, new equipment is a safer bet. If you're going vintage, it's good to know what you are looking for and what are the red flags to avoid.

 

[slipperybidness]

While driver technology has advanced a lot in the last 20 years. Enclosures and crossovers haven't improved that much. A B&W 800 series from the 80s is still better than a lot of the new speakers on the market.

In the last 5 years most of the improvement I've observed has actually been in small amp technology and dsp technology.

For example today the miniDSP does in the size of your hand what took a rack space a few years ago. It's no surprise subs are adding this to their amps. Even my new receiver has a manual eq built in it.

The Chip amps are nearly as small and deliver as much power as many receivers do. I wouldn't be surprised if active speakers with wireless signals are used soon. With wireless electricity you could have a speaker with no external wires. Could you imagine a receiver that simply sends a wireless signal to your 7 speakers?

We aren't there yet, but it certainly seems possible.

The other major rise has been the Internet Direct dealers. If I had a nice woodshop I'd probably sell speakers online as a side business.

It's getting there. I don't think this is quite the final solution, but this is a huge leap in the right direction (minus the over the air power).

Aperion Intimus 4T Summit Home Theater System | Home Theater

 

[agarwalro]

Back in the day, good stereo was art. Getting the right mix of inaccuracies in record mastering, transport, preamp, amp, speakers and room induced effects was a hit or miss for the masses. The field required vast experience to acquire the knowledge/pro expertise to get it right and even the pros got it wrong may times. Sometimes one inaccuracy affected the other positively and the overall sound was desirable. There was magic .

50 years of research has shown us that in electronics ruler flat frequency response with low distortion metrics is good and in speakers certain acoustical properties are desirable over others (depending on room/application). This is understood in a scientifically documented and very reproducible manner. Basically, the mumbo jumbo and folklore of the last generation (technology wise, not people wise ) has been replaced by a push for accurate sound in this generation.

Modern devices, media players, amps and speakers allow one to control the variables in a much more understood and methodical manner and therefore are the best bet for good sounding stereo/home theater applications.

 

[kellymuses]

So, vintage is great. I love it. But, on the whole, if forced to make a purchasing choice, I'd go with new.

I think my last receiver in the 80s was a Marantz, Mark. Great quality. Thanks for your input too. I'll definitely check out your link.