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Found a whole hoard of vintage audio gear - need some advice on value

canuckaudiog

canuckaudiog

On a quest for high fidelity
All right guys, I need your help.

I just stumbled upon what could be a bunch of awesome treasures - I'm not very familiar with all of the gear but you know, if the price is right..

So here's what I have found.

Wharfedale W60's - $75, apparently all original, as far as working or not hard to say.
Wharfedale W70's - $200, all original again but one speaker seems to be giving out? Could be a bad crossover? Gentlemen said I could bring my multimeter but uh, well, that's gonna be a tough call isn't it?
Scott HH R237 - Anyone know anything about this? Didn't ask for a price.
Realistic ST 84 - Unknown to me as well
Phillips 560 amp - know nothing
Garrard Silver Plinth Zero 100 - he italicized the silver plinth part.. is this a special unit or something?
R.W. Oliver speakers - Canadian speakers, with audax and polidax drivers. anyone heard of these or know anything?

My goal is to buy a bunch of this stuff and get a sweet deal for it all.. from what it sounds like he just has this collection and doesn't really know much about it or isn't enthusiastic about it. But he seems to know models fairly well and knows at least a bit.

I'm wondering what I should go for. I want to get a score here, so what would you do if you were me?
 
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I have pair of W70's and love them, just be aware that the crossover cap may need to be replaced. Since they do not use foam surrounds, a re-foam job won't be necessary. For what it's worth I got mine for 50$, but that was mainly due to the seller not having any idea what he had.
 
CowboyDan said:
I have pair of W70's and love them, just be aware that the crossover cap may need to be replaced. Since they do not use foam surrounds, a re-foam job won't be necessary. For what it's worth I got mine for 50$, but that was mainly due to the seller not having any idea what he had.
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I have no problems recapping the crossovers - did it to my IMF's and if I can do it to those, I'm certain I can do it to any speaker. In fact it's necessary, makes 'em sound better (and to not start something controversial, I mean speakers that have failing capacitors!). :music:

So $50 huh.. well, since he mentioned they need work, I'm going to try and get him down to something like $100. I see these speakers go for around $150-$200 in working shape.

I think my strategy is this. Go in, check out the gear, say "Look, blah blah blah this is why it should be around this, I've got this much cash on me, will you do all these pieces for that much?"

We'll see how it goes.
 
The Garrard Zero table is a really nice tt, from what I remember they really spent some R&D in it. However they really don't seem to grab a high dollar amount, I think I've seen them range between 50-125 a pop. Nice table but just depends on what you want/need/like, ect... lol
 
Considering that those W70s are the main attraction here and that you already have IMFs - I'd say pass on this stuff. If these were W90 - I'd say go for it... but as is... I recommend to walk away and wait for a better opportunity.
 
With W70 speakers, you don't say what is 'giving out'. Could be a crossover as others mentioned, but it could also be a woofer with a rub on the voice coil. Seems to be a bit of a problem; my W70D Series II had that issue; had to replace the woofer on one side. Sometimes that problem can be fixed by turning the woofer 180 degrees and remounting it, but not always. As to price, I haven't enough knowledge. But like someone else here, I paid $50 for my W70D in non-primo condition. I see a local pair for $75 that have remained unsold for months. $200 seems quite high unless they are in top nick. Sorry I have no idea on the rest.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm gonna go check it out, just to see the stuff anyway, and I'll see what I can do to negotiate price.

You never know what could happen. :) I'll report back my findings.
 
I'd try to snag the Olivers too, they made some good stuff and used nothing but quality drivers, Fostex and Philips in addition to those already mentioned.
 
I would be wary of any large lots I don't know anything about. And especially if they were not original owner purchases. They could be junk the seller has accumulated and selling in a lot to save the disposal fee at the dump.

I prefer looking for what I want and intend to use and descriptons that indicate the gear is in good working condition.

It's important to test before you buy if you can, but with a large lot like that you may tend to rush through the deal. You don't know if gear has been hacked or need repairs and maintenance beyond your skills and budget. Some things you won't see unless you open it up or test it out.

With turntables, I would consider if it would be worth it if cartridge and stylus or belt needed replacing.

Receivers check stereo indicator, even channel output, meters work, etc.

I would google for any info and see if owner and service manuals are available to perform adjustments.

But sometimes, one man's junk just becomes another man's junk.
 
Thanks guys. Luckily I've done enough vintage audio deals to know what to look out for, and actually I plan to spend some time with the guy as he is about 1.5 hours away from me. Rushing is the last thing you want to do when spending money like this :)

Again thanks for the pointers. I've messaged him saying that I'm not sure if I do want to make it out there due to the pricing - I'll see if he's willing to negotiate and get a feel from there. If not, I will forget about it. If so, I may come home with some new gear..
 
terra1 said:
I would be wary of any large lots I don't know anything about. And especially if they were not original owner purchases. They could be junk the seller has accumulated and selling in a lot to save the disposal fee at the dump...
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Gosh, I could see that if it was truly a pile of stuff, but having a collection of items is much different. I doubt this guy was considering his wharfdales for the dump.
 
janikphoto said:
Gosh, I could see that if it was truly a pile of stuff, but having a collection of items is much different. I doubt this guy was considering his wharfdales for the dump.
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I guess I didn't know it was a collection items instead of a pile of stuff working or not for over $200.

That is much different. :D
 
terra1 said:
I guess I didn't know it was a collection items instead of a pile of stuff working or not for over $200.

That is much different. :D
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I was just going by the OP's statement:
"from what it sounds like he just has this collection and doesn't really know much about it or isn't enthusiastic about it."

I was into music, stereos, and speakers long before I knew much about all the different classic brands or cared much about vintage gear. He just doesn't sound like a "pile of junk" guy from the limited info we've been given. But, you never know... it could wind up being a true pile of junk! I think a visit to the gear is the best way to gather more details!
 
The price is right for the W60. The woofers in the w60 are desirable. I had a beat up pair and sold the woofers on ebay to someone in Asia. Can't remember what I got from them but was surprised by the interest and price.
 
pich said:
The price is right for the W60. The woofers in the w60 are desirable. I had a beat up pair and sold the woofers on ebay to someone in Asia. Can't remember what I got from them but was surprised by the interest and price.
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I think the Wharfedales alone are going to be worth it. From the pictures, everything is in very good shape - no major nicks or scratches, and cabinets for the Wharfedales are in very nice shape. Just need a little elbow grease and restoring on the parts side and they will be good to go.

Having them would be very cool, I will then have three british brands in the house - IMF, Celestion and Wharfedale. How cool would that be? I just need some Tannoys to complete the set after this!
 
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janikphoto said:
I was just going by the OP's statement:
"from what it sounds like he just has this collection and doesn't really know much about it or isn't enthusiastic about it."

I was into music, stereos, and speakers long before I knew much about all the different classic brands or cared much about vintage gear. He just doesn't sound like a "pile of junk" guy from the limited info we've been given. But, you never know... it could wind up being a true pile of junk! I think a visit to the gear is the best way to gather more details!
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And I was going by the entire post by the OP.
Not just a specific sentence.

And if you look at my entire post I explained what to be cautious about.
I gave what I thought were reasonable tips on what to look for when visiting.
I did not tell him not to go.
It's his dime, his gas.
 
terra1 said:
And I was going by the entire post by the OP.
Not just a specific sentence.

And if you look at my entire post I explained what to be cautious about.
I gave what I thought were reasonable tips on what to look for when visiting.
I did not tell him not to go.
It's his dime, his gas.
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly.

And I appreciate the comments all the same. :)
 
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