KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
Your speakers are welcome in my house, so is the AR XA. We're not very far apart, and we are compatible in our thinking.
Top Ten Cool Things about Vintage Hi-Fi
- Thread starter birchoak
- Start date
Your speakers are welcome in my house, so is the AR XA. We're not very far apart, and we are compatible in our thinking.
reydelaplaya
Super Member
I just dealt with this here in my neighborhood last week. The lady (a widow, maybe in her late 70s) across the street had been sitting on her porch, absolutely bored, for almost the whole week. I usually say hi and chat with her a little when I see her, but it was odd to see her just constantly on her front porch like this. During conversation, she complained that she’s been without TV (and her soap-operas) waiting for the cable company to come out and fix her connection. I told her that we should go have a quick look at it. Turns out she had hit a button on the remote that switches her TV input from cable box to VGA PC monitor. That’s all. Poor lady had missed a week’s worth of her favorite shows over something as simple as that. I told her next time to just ask me as soon as something goes wrong with it, we’ll at least have a look.
punprankster
Super Member
remote control? They had remote controls???
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punprankster
Super Member
Heck my wife and all my kids are collectively are not as old as your mother and they can't operate the tv without me. After owning the first one for four years and this one for two. They even have to get me to even change sources sometimes.
punprankster
Super Member
You can buy a vintage hi-fi equipment today for $500 and still sell it after four year for $500 or more.
You can buy a current piece of hi-fi equipment today for $2000 and sell it after four years for $300.
Yep. That's how much my current home theater receiver (Marantz SR7007) is worth now. Thank God I only got it for half that price when I bought it because the next year's model already was out. And it's never gonna spank my Marantz 2770's ass performance wise, let alone my Model 500.
You can buy a current piece of hi-fi equipment today for $2000 and sell it after four years for $300.
Yep. That's how much my current home theater receiver (Marantz SR7007) is worth now. Thank God I only got it for half that price when I bought it because the next year's model already was out. And it's never gonna spank my Marantz 2770's ass performance wise, let alone my Model 500.
fmueller
Super Member
True, but 40 years ago there were 40 pieces in a shop. 39 of those are in a landfill. Some of them went there a long time ago. Today only one sits on a shelf at Goodwill for a few bucks. Only that one has stood the test of time!
That will likely be the same with modern gear, but how do you know which one of the 40 pieces in the shop today will still be around in 40 years?
With a piece that already has 40 years under the belt, chances are with tender loving care it will last another 40. That's not only true for audio equipment. My mixer was built in 1956, for example. I just love vintage stuff!
birchoak
Hi-Fi Nut
Nice guy. That must have meant a lot to her.
birchoak
Hi-Fi Nut
I like anything that was built well, too. It appeals to the tool-user gene in me. It could be a knife, a lawnmower, a pencil, or an amplifier.
No.
You’re only a hipster if you have vintage gear and are 35 or below.
If you’re 65 and have old gear, you’re just an old guy who never moved on.
You could not have one, but be ironic about it.I couldn’t do a man bun at 35, even harder now at 53.
JH Magnecord
Member
The all-around ruggedness and integrity of how things used to be built as well as, technically: the design principle(s) of one-sided circuit boards and all discrete/non IC amplification.
However...what is certainly NOT COOL is: the PRICES guys have driven up former yard sale/flea market items to the hype (the guys who want to "be cool") they've been at for the last 5-7 years. Nobody wanted half this stuff in the 1990s/early 2000s. In a month (circa 2000): I would see -on average- a boatload of Marantz 2220's and 2230's for no more than $25. Most of them needed dial bulbs or the occasional power transistor replaced (sometimes it was easy as a tape monitor switch having dirty contacts). They weren't, though, treated -by the vendor- as "pay dirt"...they'd be on a tarp on the ground (usually full of dust which had gotten damp at some point) or on his bench with old power tools stacked on top.
However...what is certainly NOT COOL is: the PRICES guys have driven up former yard sale/flea market items to the hype (the guys who want to "be cool") they've been at for the last 5-7 years. Nobody wanted half this stuff in the 1990s/early 2000s. In a month (circa 2000): I would see -on average- a boatload of Marantz 2220's and 2230's for no more than $25. Most of them needed dial bulbs or the occasional power transistor replaced (sometimes it was easy as a tape monitor switch having dirty contacts). They weren't, though, treated -by the vendor- as "pay dirt"...they'd be on a tarp on the ground (usually full of dust which had gotten damp at some point) or on his bench with old power tools stacked on top.
birchoak
Hi-Fi Nut
I agree 100%. It's very sad. I suppose you can't blame people for jumping on our bandwagon, and, like the bottle bill, it keeps the things out of landfills. But yeah, the prices have gotten as inflated as those of real estate.
birchoak
Hi-Fi Nut
Vintage hi-fi triumphs yet again. Although very nearly "vintage," a Sony STR-GX 80 ES was no match for a Yamaha CR-800 today. With a giant toroidal transformer, 30,000 uF of filter capacitance, and 110 watts RMS specifically rated for 4 ohm loads, the brutish Sony should have blown the elderly Yamaha out of the water, but it couldn't make a pair of Wharfedale Dentons sing like the 800 did. Let me be clear: there is a very, very noticeable difference in overall sound, sense of power, dynamics, and "I can't stop listening" factor, and while it's possible the Sony might need restoration, the Yamaha is bone stock except for a pair of filter caps, is 30 years older, and sports a paltry 45 watts in comparison. Magic smoke. The Sony is extremely well made--profit margins had to be slim on this one--but the Yamaha somehow bests it. I have learned to touch as little as possible in older receivers and amplifiers and if the 800 gets sick I will suck up my pride and pay a technician to repair it. It sounds that good and the build quality on the Yamaha CR series is better than anything else I've opened up with the possible exception of a Scott R74S, from their Professional Series.
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
Vintage is what it is because of the enthusiasm which is reflected in high demand and price appreciation. You might think yourself old school and tut at the new money coming in but that strikes me as disingenuous. If you were one of the cool kids, you would have gotten into Silver a long time ago. Price appreciation helps to preserve the Silver population and that is a good thing. More will get repaired/restored and less will go to the landfill. You can't say that about BPC.
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
The OP has captured how to really enjoy the collecting side of vintage. It doesn't matter what the prices are when you start. When I got into it, folks were howling about Monster Receivers crossing the $1,000 mark. Today, the same people would fall over themselves to score a $1,000 SX-1980 or Marantz 2500. Like anything else in this life, the secret to success is effort. The OP mentions the hunt which is everything when it comes to making a score. Back in the day, I used to know or know of all the flippers in my area. They were professionals who hunted all day long and were ready to roll at a moment's notice. They made their own luck through hard work. There are some great score stories here at good ole AK but the stories I heard were epic. I've seen living rooms stacked to the ceiling with Silver. I've visited retail stores stacked to the ceiling with vintage. I've seen garage operations in which the bird dogs would deliver garage sale scores. The occasional thrift visit or garage sale drive around will not get you to this level.
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I used to collect Mastercrafter clocks! At one time i had around 30 of them, including your beautiful starlight. Eventually it was just too much clutter and they all were sold. Great memories !
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Me too! My wife collects vintage Coach and slightly newer Dooney & Bourke handbags. The Coaches that were made in New York City are simply stunning . I am not talking foo foo , but excellent leathercraft. So I am a mild expert on Coach and D&B . Quality is quality, no matter what the item.
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My wife collects new Coach and D&B purses, and while they are beautifully made (especially the D&B) I don't see 3 to 500 bucks (or more)there. She doesn't quite get why I was so thrilled to throw a grand at a pair 40 year old amps either, but we have our own money and if the bills are paid nobody bitches about what the other one spends theirs on. It's a good system. And I agree. Quality goods are quality goods.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
I'm not so much a collector as an opportunist. If I see something I like, I get it, but I never become too attached to anything. I moved about 9 months ago, from a 2700 square foot house to a 1250 square foot townhouse. I sold of lot of my stuff on consignment though a local vintage shop. I did have quite a few pieces of vintage Viking glassware, just because it seemed to keep finding me. When I first called them, they said they weren't really interested in the glassware as it doesn't move well, but asked me to send some photos anyway. Within 5 minutes of sending the photos, they replied and said they'd take it all. I was pretty selective about what I bought, only mint condition samples of desirable items.
That must have been quite the clock collection you had. For now I have one clock, one lamp and I just added a Airguide Director desktop weather station.
For those who don't know, here's what the MasterCrafters Starlight clock looks like:
Here's the Airguide Director weather station:
And this is the rest of the decor where they now reside:
