Are all Tube lovers rich and/or old?

[Rex Everything]

Now that you got that off your chest, do you want a McIntosh 1700 or a 1900. For $350 to $500, you will have your Mac.

Another $500 will get you Klipsch Cornwalls, unless you were at yesterday's auction in St. Louis, where $275 would have purchased a perfect pair of oak Fortes.

You need to save the money, get a nest egg, and make friends with a few members who can help you to obtain the nice gear. Rants, diatribes, and playing nasty will not get you far.

To piggyback on this move to where there are more jobs and better pay. If you are not willing to move to where the jobs and pay are how can you expect anyone to help you? Gotta help yourself some first.

The moving will also get you to an area where these items are. I lived in rural MO for a number of years and guess what, the folks there did not own McIntosh or other high end vintage stereos as they never could afford them in the first place. When I moved into the metro area it became much easier to find the kind of gear you are referencing.........

 

[mr.jones]

Hammondcrazy......I feel your pain. If bucks are tight for your audio jones consider flipping gear. Do your research on market value for desirable gear. Look for gear that needs a little work that you can pick up for cheap and sell for a profit. Audiokarma is a great resource for info on fair prices for desirable gear and repair advise.

 

[Rex Everything]

I don't dissagree with the fact people work for what they get. So do I. I work my backside off and after all the bills and the people tht rely on me. I can't get a McIntosh. I have known about McIntosh when I first started taking banjo lessons with Bill Kieth. He had a chrome plated tubed pre-amp and a huge power amp that had the huge blue meters. That was 39 years ago. I STILL don't have that. I have seen some people's pictures on here and they have like 7 of them. Yes I am jealous. Once and a while it would be nice to get a break and have one. It wasn't like i heard of them yesterday. I am not wanting 7 of them but a pre-amp power amp McIntosh like my banjo teacher had would be nice to have. I hope if I make it to my 90s and some young struggling hard working family man comes along. I would like to make his day and give him an affordable price. I had a bad day and so forgive my rant. Just tired of not being able to afford a McIntosh or other high end gear. I am tired of repurposing organ amps and tone cabinets to make something work. But yes if you're 18 or 80 it is hard work and all that, allows you to have what you want. But it is still sometimes frustrating. sorry

I'm late to this thread but another thing you need to know.

Many of us have been doing this a long time and have been trading"up" in one form or another. I know I started with midfi receivers that I loved, moved to SS separates, moved to tube console pulls and on from there. Along the way I made amazing friends like Jaymanaa and sheltie dave who not only helped with gear (both fixing and getting) but also imparted knowledge on good places to find gear and how to treat folks right when getting said gear. While learning this and dealing with other I am constantly making friends and contacts.

I was rather lucky recently and found that Mac score you are talking about. The children of man who owned it and had passed had an idea of what it was but did not want the hassle as it needed repair. While talking about it and giving the son enough money to get a couple of six packs for helping me load everything the son turned to me and said "I'm really happy to know you are getting this. My father would be so please someone is going to rebuild and use this again. Can I get your number in case I come across anything else here or anything his friends may want to move along."

And that is how it's done. Do to my kindness, honesty and love of the gear I made a contact with a fine man who knows many in the retirement community his parents lived in.

 

[www.records]

I looked for years for any some tube gear. It went on like this so long I had just about decided no one in my area ever owned anything audio with tubes in it. My persistence finally paid off and I met the fella I had been looking for. Do the footwork, don't give up and eventually you will find your McIntosh. But I doubt it will just fall in your lap.

 

[Ken Boyd]

There are plenty of other amps other than Mcintosh that sound very good, lots of small tube amps that competed with Mcintosh during those old days when tubes where king. I don't have any Mcintosh Tube amps, but I enjoy an old Fisher which was much cheaper, I paid a little over 200 dollars for it and took my time getting it fixed with the help of others here on AK, and I don't know much about electronics, but know how to use a soldering gun, and meter.

I love that little Fisher, and it sounds great. I suppose I could go buy a nice Mcintosh as I have plenty of resources, but I am quite happy with the Fisher for now. Sometimes its best to appreciate ones health and simpler things in life. Don't let high expectations of what others have get you down, as somebody will always have something nicer than you. But Fisher, Scotts, Eico, and right now I see a nice small Jolida tube amp for sell reasonable on Barter Town, they all have plenty of capablities to sound very nice if paired with the right sweet efficent speakers.

I have a lot of stuff, and lots of huge big speakers and racks of audio gear, but right now, I almost always listen to that small Fisher tube amp system as I find it very enjoyable.

 

[Rex Everything]

There are plenty of other amps other than Mcintosh that sound very good, lots of small tube amps that competed with Mcintosh during those old days when tubes where king. I don't have any Mcintosh Tube amps, but I enjoy an old Fisher which was much cheaper, I paid a little over 200 dollars for it and took my time getting it fixed with the help of others here on AK, and I don't know much about electronics, but know how to use a soldering gun, and meter.

I love that little Fisher, and it sounds great. I suppose I could go buy a nice Mcintosh as I have plenty of resources, but I am quite happy with the Fisher for now. Sometimes its best to appreciate ones health and simpler things in life. Don't let high expectations of what others have get you down, as somebody will always have something nicer than you. But Fisher, Scotts, Eico, and right now I see a nice small Jolida tube amp for sell reasonable on Barter Town, they all have plenty of capablities to sound very nice if paired with the right sweet efficent speakers.

I have a lot of stuff, and lots of huge big speakers and racks of audio gear, but right now, I almost always listen to that small Fisher tube amp system as I find it very enjoyable.

Bingo!

Lot's of stuff out there that sound excellent. Scott 299D pops up often on all the audio sites and auction sites. Hard to go wrong with one.

 

[sKiZo]

That reminds me of the term I just recently learned about...Entitlement Generation. It had me wondering where I've been, not to have noticed that one before. It was worth a snicker.

ENTITLEMENT GENERATION

Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: The group born between 1979 and 1994 who believe they are owed certain rights and benefits without further justification

Example: The entitlement generation expects higher salaries, flexible work hours, and ample time off.

*******

Stands to reason they'd figure they have exclusive rights to the name "Entitlement Generation" ... Harumph.

 

[capt.chaos]

What is considered old or rich? I like tubes and own McIntosh gear, but I would not say I am old or rich. Unless over 40 and employed is old and rich.

 

[sheltie dave]

And you can't get help unless you reach out and let people know where you are, what you will settle for, and how much you can spend.

And if you are in the Mojave Desert, want a McIntosh C22 and MC275, and only have $300, you have two options.
1) Put down that crack pipe you are huffing, get real, and
2) Go visit one of your newly made friends, and listen to his C22 and MC275.

There are systems NONE of us will ever have, due to cost, rarity, out of production, lack of house space, all kinds of circumstances. Sometimes you need to face reality and be happy with what blessings you have obtained. Life is about the friends you have and music you share, not the gear.

 

[onepixel]

I got my tube amp for free.

 

[charles 1973]

If you want an inexpensive NEW Tube Integrated amp just look around, there are a few in the Entry Level range (under $1,000) and one highly recomended Tube Amp at Audio Adviser for $280. No you Don't need to be rich. Good SS Amps and AVR's can cost way more than that. The Tecnology to build high quality SS and Tube Amps has been around for at least 40 years, whether a company chooses to use it or not is their choice.

 

[hammondcrazy]

that is true. I remember a peavey rack mounted tube amp and it was reasonable. Don't know if it was Hi Fi or not but think so. I am having good luck with these Baldwin tube amps. they have a good amount of iron and they were cheap. I am installing them into my huge console hopefully the sound will be what I am looking for. Need to recap them I am sure. but got the RCAs installed and the power done. I am off my pity pot was just frustrated. I am having a lot of luck rebuilding these consoles into something awesome. Maybe i can sell some off or trade for some other gear. I would love to make friends and I can't with being frustrated agreed. thanks for all your understanding. and any advice you give. Now I need to figure out this Motorola pre-amp and figure out how to post pictures of it. I so badly want to make it stand alone. Thanks again Mike.

 

[sKiZo]

Not to forget ... the hardware is just a start. When it comes to tubes, you need variety for rolling ...

Hmmmm ... this is Sunday, so I'll go with the green one ...

 

[loonze]

yes- we are ALL not just old-we are ANCIENT-AND F I L T H Y R I C H- the 1%- hah! peasants!-we are the .001% we own the world and when we pull stings kings fall and empires crumble!-[not really]

 

[zandru]

Doesn't anyone really get it. Be it an electron tube or a thermionic valve,
Tube Lust is not romance for the rich or elderly, " It's a Disease".

 

[Auto Analog]

Doesn't anyone really get it. Be it an electron tube or a thermionic valve,
Tube Lust is not romance for the rich or elderly, " It's a Disease".

Indeed. Once you take one piece of equipment home and begin to like it, suddenly you want more, until you have no more flat spaces in your home that aren't occupied with tube equipment, and the garage is full floor to ceiling with boxes of tubes. Well, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. It's an addiction.

 

[ducati_EL34]

Indeed. Once you take one piece of equipment home and begin to like it, suddenly you want more, until you have no more flat spaces in your home that aren't occupied with tube equipment, and the garage is full floor to ceiling with boxes of tubes. Well, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. It's an addiction.

Oh nay! It is not an addiction, if you are not trying to quit.

In motorcycles, the rule for determining the proper number to own is, the number of bikes you currently own plus one.


.-.-.-

 

[ssmith3046]

I'm 105 and worth billions.

 

[zandru]

I'm 105 and worth billions.

Dear Mr. Smith,

You should have mentioned to AUDIO⊕KARMA about your age. "Congratulations!"
You are a member of AK's 100+ club and Your yearly subscription
fees will be waved for life, Plus You will be refunded any subscription
fees paid since You turned 100.

"Sir, Oh! Sir, I said Sir, did You Hear me Sir"

 

[nbarber]

WTF, 100? I'm under half that but feel (excuse me sir, it's just an expression) twice that at times. If I hit a full century and am still capable of enjoying my tubes... I bet they will still sound as sweet, I just hope my biological faculties will allow me to enjoy them.