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Any lovers here?
I've been keeping my eyes out for an old Marantz receiver circa late 70's. They don't come up very often in Aus and the ones that do are recapped and serviced and command a high price. These kind of things crop up in thrift stores in the US for pennies but often shipping is the killer as they are heavy beasts. I will get one eventually, probably just end up sucking up the delivery cost then getting the serviced. But omg I love them. Even the 2215b despite only being 15wpc have quite some kick to them. Perhaps with an old and restored pair of JBL speakers is the kind of thing I'm aiming for.
If you have any old kit, post some up. Be great to see what you have.
I'm currently running a mid-school Yamaha 5.1 receiver and some Wharfedale Diamond 9.5
I've 3 retro turntables on the go just now,a Dual cs 515 looks naff but still sounds good, my Systemdek biscuit tin I need sold to recoup the £200 I spend reconditioning it before Xmas but currently playing The Nightfly by Donald Fagen is my Rotel rp-830 with new Rega carbon cartridge . A bargain for anyone at £150 and has vinyl
I've got a turntable planned too but the amp is first. Such pretty pieces of kit imho!
I have a Thorens TD-147 turntable with two Arcam Alpha 10 amps bi-amped into Monitor Audio GR20s. Also have an Arcam Alpha 8 CD player as well.
There is a Denon Tape deck in the rack but does not get used that often.
I love it 🙂 Or is this stuff too modern 🙂
I have had a Rega Planar 2 turntable for 36 years and it's as good as new and sounds awesome.
Audiolab 8000 with Celestion Ditton 66s.* Turntable is a eighties (?) NAD.
*Except they got banished to storage as they apparently look like coffins. A pair of newish Bowers bookshelves not-quite filling their shoes.
Celestion SL12si speakers. Rare things, and they are great!
Musical Fidielity A1001. I've recapped it, a monster and still going strong.
Meridian 506. Still going, not sure the laser is in the best condition anymore 🙁
Bunch of other stuff, all at least 25 years old.
It's mostly all been bought second hand.
Does my Laserdisc player count?
I’m in a quandry- my Little Pink Thing’s motor has packed up. It will cost more to repair than some decent new turntables.
But I’ve had it since 1990- saved up for it and a Musical Fidelity B1 amp plus Celestion C5 speakers after getting my first job since university.
My Dad was quite into retro hifi…..and had some older stuff that he never got ride off. just sold his nice B&O 901 amp/ receiver. Also inherited his QUAD 34/FM4/306 system with rack. need to get it rigged up with some decent speakers.
I would love an old Marantz amp
eg:
Actually, I just really want them to start making amps again with VU meters
Finally got pics up. Not got a proper listening room yet.
Marantz CD80, Musical Fidelity Preamp, Linx Stratos Monos and Monitor Audio R300’s
I'm not really bothered about performance but I do like things that look nice. Over the years I've picked up various bits either from junk shops or caught them as they were heading for a skip. So currently (well for the last 20 years mostly) I use
A technics 1200 Mk1
An Aiwa AF3090
A pair of Grundig 403a speakers which have a nice Dieter Rams look to them although I don't think they're his handywork
and a pair of good old British Kolster Brandes *
* I've got a KB tv too... but so did someone else..... makes you think!
I saw some of these in a local HiFi shop the other week and I really like. ;o)
Think they're probably the other side of a lottery win though (and a divorce).
Remember seeing a pair of Quad ESL speakers at a family friends when I was younger (maybe 16) and hearing them, **** me. I’ve wanted a pair ever since. Even if I could afford them I don’t think I’ve the space to do them justice. Still want though.
I inherited my dear old Mums Hifi, a Marantz CD like Zeus's which is now rarely used, with an Audio Incinerations Series 300 valve amp feeding Snell type K speakers. These days I mainly play through an iFi bluetooth reciever, and I love it!
@boblo thankyou I bought the speakers new 34 years ago ditto with the CD, that’s 31 years ago.
@surburbanreuben I would love a valve amp
currently playing The Nightfly by Donald Fagen is my Rotel rp-830 with new Rega carbon cartridge .
Cougar
Subscriber
Does my Laserdisc player count?
No, probably just plays laserdiscs?
Those JBL speakers are a modern take on an old classic.... Pricey but lovely. There's a company in Japan that refurbishes old JBL's....Kenrick Sound. Have a look at their site. OMfG.... There's a few vids on youtube of their work. Honestly amazing.
I have Yamaha CA810, Leak 2001 Transcriptor and some LNB Para Lab 20 speakers. All sound bloody lovely, especially so taking into about it’s all at least 40 yo.
Anyone with an interest in or looking for help with or trying to source vintage gear I’d highly recommend joining the Audioshite group on Facebook. The admission questions will reassure you that you’re in the right place for such things.
Be warned though - a thoroughly decent bunch but you may end up with rather more audio gear than you bargained for as people are always posting links to tempting looking stuff 😀
Acoustic Research The AR Turntable
Cambridge Audio A1
Cambridge Audio CD5 (not the Topaz)
B&W 110
Rega Planer 1 Turntable
Sherwood AX-4050r Amp
Mission 700 (tried some Mordant Short 20i but they didn't suit the amp so well)
Chromecast audio.
I love the sound I get from this setup.
I have Cyrus power supply, amp and CD player, plus a Planar 3 deck. It’s all up in the loft at the moment though and I’m using my Naim Qb for music until I have the space to use the full system again.
Only back to the 90s
Pioneer A400
NAD 5420
Arcam Alpha Speakers
Think I still have a Yamaha cassette deck and rotel tuner on stock somewhere at the folks.
Rega turntables are like the Gaggia coffee machines on here, better than a Dual but I canny afford that Glesca Linn stuff
FB-ATB do some research, replacing a motor will be piss easy, finding one might be tricky tho.
I have some AVI Neutrons, Ruark Icons (I designed the crossover and sound on them) a pair of Crimson monoblocks and a magnesium cased Cyrus 2 which doesn't work.
I'd love to repair the latter but I think it's beyond me, any suggestions for a compact replacement? Power stage only I ok, compact as possible. I'd love a micromega...
Lovely Marantz amp up there.
just the kind of thing I'm looking for.
Current set up is:
Naim 62/140 pre/power
Linn lp12 with ittok and origin live power supply
1976 Tannoy Cheviot speakers.
Recently swapped the speaker cabinets over for some fancy walnut veneered cheviot cabinets with upgraded crossovers.
Sound really nice on the naims but looking for a suitable 70's amp to drive them.
Al I’ve looked- there’s a replacement/ upgrade unit that’s swaps from ac to dc (or vice versa).
It’s a bit pricey and there’s some surgery to the unit involved.
The main man behind PT has his new company in Hove. Last time I looked they were doing upgrades too but not cheap.
Oh yeah I forgot the DC aspect.
Have you researched forums? There might be a good DIY fix/upgrade.
You'd be surprised how simple s lot of turntables are
I used to have a MF 3A pre and P140 power amp. Lovely sound.
Used to run hot like, and the build never gave me confidence. For some odd reason that makes little sense to me now I sold them and got the Audiolab 8000C and 8000P combo instead, which had more grunt but sounded cold and I never loved them.
I'm actually getting my proper hifi back into shape, after a house move. Going to get a network streamer and go all internet/hi-res/Tidal/network drive/yadda/yadda.
you wanna watch this. Mental.
WOW.
Must admit I do watch people's gear reviews on YouTube. I supposed it stops me from making silly purchases to a point...
I spotted one of these on eBay but it's $1400 - full serviced but it's divorce material.
Dual CS 503-1 Audiophile turntable, NAD C521BEE CD player, Mission Cyrus One Amp, with Mission 761 speakers. Denon Tuner, and an Aiwa ADF270 cassette deck both relegated to a shelf somewhere. All but the CD player are 1990, bought with wedding present cash.
I had a mint Nakamichi tape player for a while too. I feel I should've kept hold of that. Not sure why...
@AndyWill if you still have the Mordant Short 20i then I was looking for some for the garage.
JBLs reviewed here
I've a set of Mission m33i speakers but they are so dull sounding. Bought them years ago as they looked great but I was maybe duped as I had to buy no demo. They have never been opened up as far as I can see but not sure whether to spend money on them. My old Aegis one speakers slightly tatty sound brilliant, anyone got any ideas what to do ?
I had a mint Nakamichi tape player for a while too. I feel I should’ve kept hold of that. Not sure why…
I had a 582. Magnificent thing.
redmex are suggesting altering your Missions? Is there a scene for that?
I'd be using what you enjoy.
They are currently boxed but take up a load of space, I know very little about loudspeakers but didn't think you could do too much damage to them other than blowing them up
The Sony amp is 70w/channel into 4ohm
Speaker 25-100w 8ohm compatible
Not sure what that means but guessing my amp should be up for the job
Another chance to share the sofa! And the ELS 63's, of course. But mostly the sofa.
Mission m33i speakers
They review well. What's the source? How are they positioned? I had a pair of M31i which were tiny things but sounded great. I swapped them for a pair of Cerwin Vega xl6 for the kitchen / dining room and they sure kick!
Actually, I just really want them to start making amps again with VU meters
Yamaha were listening...
Yamaha unveils a trio of analogue-only stereo amps with VU meters
Anyone want to try them out ?
no probs
I am not a particularly discerning listener compared to friends who are hifi buffs, but I have always had a descent set up. My current set up is markedly better than anything I have had before.
Marantz PM6006 amp sounds crisp and powerful.
Q Accoustics floorstanders sound much better all round than my B&W DM602s. B&Ws are quite flash for kitchen speakers.
Projekt turntable
Tibo DAB reciever
Bluetooth thingamajig
Retro gigi can be beautiful if maintained, but like retro mountain bikes they aren't as good as modern kit. And yes I do still want Leek Stereo 20 monoblocks, but I'd prefer a new Croft valve set up.
Those yamahas are nice, couple of euro websites have prices for the lowest spec at around 1700 quid
The speakers that came with a Sony hifi stereo system in 1989, our family's first CD player, with twin tape decks, FM receiver and a turntable, those speakers, old, faithful friends of thirty years or more.... those old, anonymous, anodyne friends have just started to sound a bit blown and fuzzy, and I am so sad. 🙁
Thread revival here.
I got a DJ Controller for Xmas. I wanted some speakers for it. Easiest (least spendy) way was to dig out my old Technics speakers and amp from the loft. Did that at the weekend brought the whole stack down tuner / turntable / CD / tape player as well.
Ordered a new stylus for the turntable that turned up last night got the vinyl out of the loft. My 9 yr old son has been obsessed after finding some tapes at his grandparents (pre-lockdown obvs). His grandfather found a really old bedside clock radio cassette player - he plays all these tapes on this thing. The tape speeding up down all the time.
Well we got some old vinyl out and popped it on to the turntable. My son loved it!!!
Maybe I'm a bit sentimental but it was fun. Nothing like the little pop and crackle as the needle finds the groove on an LP...
It was a bottom of the range Technics stack bought in 1990...
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Still got my Tannoy dc2000 speakers from the 90s, three way sealed box dual concentric floor standers. Really linear bass response, watching movies sounds almost like you’re at the cinema. Paired with an 80s Nad series 20 amp that probably needs a recap but still sounds good.
Also had a pink triangle turntable which I stupidly sold for peanuts 10 years back. They go for quite a bit now.
What do do with an ancient Band & Olufsen turntable?
It's a Beogram 3400 which started to make crackly sounds, so I plugged in another turntable and stuck it in the cellar until I could get around to sorting it. That was 1993. Dug it out and surprisingly after checking it wasn't going to go bang with the voltmeter, it ran! The needle in the MMC20s cartridge is all floppy, like whatever ssuspension it had has left altogether, but the drive and auto place/return works as it used to. THe veneer needs re-doing and one of the three hinge points has snapped, but if I was keeping it, gorilla glue is better than anything I had in the 80s.
So , is there someone who restores these and might want to revive it or part it out for bits?
@Freester- are you my wife? She bought the same as you in 1990!
@crab- fool. I’ve still got my Little Pink Thing (even though it’s poorly- one day I will get it sorted even though it will cost as much as a decent new turntable to do so).
@midlife The B&O sounds worth saving. I was after a B&O system but the Pink Triangle got my cash on the day
Back in the mists of time at Uni circa 89-90 used to pop into JonnyRoadhouse near the Poly in Manchester to gaze at secondhand Naim stuff. Now Cyrus but rarely crack out the cds anymore
Sony Ts-22 turntable, Nad 3020B amp, Majority Fitzwilliam Dab/Internet radio, Goodmans RB20 speakers.
The turntable and speakers must be nearly as old as me.
@FB I know I know....
But I bet yours has gone in the same place mine did, the resistors on the psu board. The components are cheap so it shouldn’t cost too much to put right.
Bit of a mix.
Audio Technica LP5X TT
Marantz CD63 Mk 2 KI Signature
Sony ST-SE500 FM/AM tuner
Marantz PM5005 Amp
All moving my DALI Spektor bookshelf speakers
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The CD player has been further modified from the KI spec and is stunningly good.
It's just come back from a retro audio repair specialist who described it as having a practically zero noise floor and revealing sounds she's never heard on her test disc. It needed a new laser block. Definitely a keeper.
@kayak23 - how's the Majority DAB performing? I was considering one.
@crab- had it looked at by a good local indie a few years ago. It can’t remember if it was just psu or psu/ motor. They recommended a swap to dc motor that PT originally wanted but was to pricey at the time to sell. Funk Firm do an upgrade for £500 or there’s another company doing the same for c £300 but a few forums don’t rate the latter. So I dither and another year passes!
My Rega 3 is 33 years old this year and still sounds amazing.
The Royd A7's and NAD amp I bought to go with it are long gone, as are the Quad II's and LS3/5a's that replaced them.
Still have my first CD player though, Technics SL-PG 520A. Again, about 30 years old but I can't find anything at sensible money to better it.
@kayak23 – how’s the Majority DAB performing? I was considering one.
It's brilliant!
Connected up to the wifi no bother, paired with my phone no bother.
Seem to have good Dab reception inside a plywood box in a poky attic.
The remote is really handy and saves me having to drag myself 2 feet across the room.
I'm liking the internet radio thing.
Great bit of kit for £100 👌
Anyone running a graphic equalizer with an integrated amp?
I have loss of hearing in one ear and when I'm playing from my MacBook I use an App called Boom to tweak the sound to how I like it.
I was thinking of picking up an old Technics equalizer but don't know how to hook it up to my Marantz amp.
Ta!
Don't they usually have a line in and line out? So you put it between the source and amp eg between the cd played and amp?
I think you loose the ability to have the equaliser for different inputs on your amp though.
If you have a tape monitor function on the amp then you could connect the equaliser to the tape connections on the amplifier and use record / monitor function to send sound to equaliser and listen to it maintaining the ability to use many sources for the graphics equaliser.
Even the 2215b despite only being 15wpc have quite some kick to them.
A chunky power transformer putting out plenty of current, it’s why valve amps always sound so good.
Did someone ention amps with VU meters? They never went away...
Been discontinued, though, which might be a good thing for anyone taking a shine to it;
McIntosh MA8000 Integrated Amplifier $18,995.00
Never went away and also discontinued... Schroedinger's amps? 😂
Aren't valve amps always class A? And with no consistent PS to them?
still clinging onto my 1980's Michell Engineering turntable
I've got a lovely old Lenco Goldring GL85 turntable.
That replaced a 70's Technics SL-1300, which was nice and solid, but had issues with speeding up and down very slightly. I tried servicing it from various youtube videos, but couldn't fix it.
Still got £150 for it on ebay 🙂 I imagine they fixed it and sold it for double 😆
Amp is a Technics SU-A600 mk3 - bought this in London in about 1997. Not the top tier of amps, but sounds pretty good to my untutored ears.
Currently they're running into some Roth Audio OLI RA3 speakers. These aren't retro at all!
I’ve got a Tag McLaren 5x100R 5 channel power amp from circa 2001 that still sounds absolutely awesome. Is that classed as vintage yet or just old?
Weighs more than an Orange 5 and I expect it would survive a nuclear bomb going off.
Currently being fed Tidal from a Cambridge 851N network streamer and bi-amped to a pair of Neat Momentum SX5i’s that were an absolute steal from eBay.
One of the few things that come out of lockdown have been some excellent late night listening sessions accompanied by a good stout!
How old is retro?
I've got some Audiolab kit from the 90's 8000CDM, 8000DAX, 8000S and 8000P. I actually don't use it anymore the display went in the 8000CDM - a really common fault with Audiolab stuff, there was a bit of a buzz from the 8000DAX. Then one of the channels went on the power amp.
I've still got it all boxed up under the stairs, I might get round to repairing the amps at some point I don't think I'll bother with the CD and DAC.
I do still use my B&W CDM7 speakers that I bought in 1998, but they are wired up to a Yamaha network receiver now. It doesn't sound as good as the Audiolab stuff but its still sounds pretty good and takes up about 20% of the space of the old set up.
I’m a music fan more than a hifi buff but alot of my stuff falls into the retro camp.
I’ve got some B&W DN5 speakers I think, from 1976 that cost £4 from an old lady at a boot sale. Running of a Technics SUA700 amp I got in about 91 and a cheap Technics DD deck off gumtree.
I’ll skip past the 6x 1200/1210s I have in my possession currently.
Best Buy was a complete 1984 system that appeared in my local record store in 2013. Turntable stand/speaker stands. Castle speakers. Naim Nait1 amp. LP12 with Ittok arm. All for the princely sum of £400.
This is my baby from probably '82 - bought with my first proper wages - burning a hole in my pocket. They didn't make a matching DVD player, that was a later addition.
Been used mostly all my adult life, through Uni halls and houses, except for a short banishment to the loft. Looking a bit out place at the moment, needs a nice shelf somewhere where it can spread out in its retirement.
I've got a cupboard full of old laptops and other electronics not even a quarter the age of this. It's got a fault on the tape mechanism, which is apparently common, but otherwise has never failed.
That’s got a look to it. Not seen anything quite like it. 70s chrome vs ubiquitous dark grey that things had after.
We had a huge silver amp in a house share 20 years ago that looked the biz and hurled out some big noise
Its's all separates:
AP-M7 Linear tracking turntable
DT-M7 Timer / Power control
AT-M5L Equaliser
AT-M5L Tuner
AM-M5 Amplifier
HX-M5 Tape
CD-M015 Rogue CD player
I think it was marketed under Clarity M5 or M7 :
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Akai+Clarity
Still sounds and looks great, can run 4 speakers, single button turn on through the power unit, has a timer etc - function overload, equaliser still looks cool.
That's ace Haloric! 1st rule of 80s HiFi stacks was they had to have more flashing lights than Blackpool illuminations. 🙂
+1 that Akai stack is mega
I'm not sure if you'd class it as retro, but I have an Arcam Alpha 7 CD player, Musical fidelity XA1 amp and some Monitor Audio floorstanders (monitor 3), all from about 1998ish. The Arcam has recently bitten the dust so I'm contemplating treating myself to a new CD player, probably a Marantz cd6007. I'm just wondering about whether the rest of my setup will do it justice?
I have this Bang and Olufsen from mids 80s (86/87):
Beomaster 5000 (amp)
Beogram 5000 (turntable)
Beogram CD 9000 (with 5500 front to match)