The love of vintage

bigrod

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Now Comet warehouse. That takes me back. Bought a pair of Celestion ditton 15's and a Sansui synthesizer tuner from Comet in Brighton, which my mother still has in 1980!

I remember climbing about 20 flights of stairs to get to the audio section , right at the top of the warehouse. Them was the days!😉
It was like a pilgrimage to go to Comet on Saturday and drool over the shelves of mainly Japanese gear

Pioneer where absolutely huge at the time

I remember going to a Hifi show in Harrogate based at the new Barbican centre , with many of the hotels also having rooms with HiFi dealers in them..Pioneer had the biggest stand in many orders of magnitude 

Sat at breakfast in our hotel on the Sunday with Jack Charlton

I brought a pair of Solavox PR 45 speakers from Comet when my mum let me off paying board for a month ...I was earning £32 a week . They were the only new speakers I have ever brought nee from a shop ....Working for a coatings manufacturer specialising in wood lacquers I was able to access speakers direct from manufacturers via the Reps …Wouldn’t be able to do it nowadays..

 

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It was like a pilgrimage to go to Comet on Saturday and drool over the shelves of mainly Japanese gear
It certainly felt like a pilgrimage, going up all those stairs. The warehouse was huge in Brighton and right next to the station. Now mainly flats I believe.

Yes, as a 17 year old I thought Japanese gear was the way to go, until an older guy in the factory I worked, introduced me to Rega, Nytech, Mission and A&R Cambridge A60! What an amp that was. I never bought another Japanese amp again.

I had been educated by this guy and swopped out my Rotel amp and turntable and Celestion ditton 15's, for Rega Planar 3, (had to wait 6 weeks for it to be made), A&R Cambridge A 60  and AR 18 speakers.

I did keep a nice sansui tape deck and tuner though. They seem to know how to make those products really well and cheaply.

 
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peacebro
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Thankyou. 

Don't know where your based, but if your ever down this way your always welcome to pop in for a brew and a listen, and if your localish keep an eye out for my next BO in November. 
Thanks Lurch, I was hoping you might say that! Yes, I am not far from you. About an hour as the crow fly's.

I noticed you didn't go for Brinkmann's tonearm on your Bardo! 

 
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hiesteem

peacebro
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Speakers from the 80s, Deck from the 80s, Dac from 1990, amp from the 70s. Even the cartridge is from the 80s!
That's a very comfortable looking room too. I like the way everything sit's either side of your fire place. I wish I could do that, but don't feel comfortable with having my Equinox's rattling the neighbours foundations, 😆.

 
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Carrington

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I don't use it as it needs a wee bit of attention that I haven't quite gotten around to (even in the 25+ years since the issue occured) but I still have my early 80s Myst TMA3 amplifier. A beautiful and simple look with great engineering, it currently has a MC board fitted but to swap back in a MM board is just a couple of screws to remove the cover and they just pull off and push back on. Can't recall what the sound was like but this review from 2018 was rather positive - https://www.hifinews.com/content/myst-tma3-amplifier

tma3-vintage.jpg


 
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bilspe

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Great thread and much more my territory. I make a living dealing in vintage....... mostly photography, tools, bit of furniture/lighting, and some Hifi. It's become so fashionable over recent years, no doubt in part because of all the tv programmes and their buzz words....salvage, restore, upcyle etc. Manufactures of the latest technology now design their stuff with a vintage' look' maybe to imply it's better or more desirable. 

Ive managed to secure some lovely classic hifi from travelling around auction houses and carboots. Some of the best finds include....

Thorens TD124   Michell Gyrodec   Celestion 442 speakers, an early pair of gold badge Rogers LS3/5a’s, and some Quad ll valve monoblocks (these were practically for free, because nobody thought to look in the back of the dusty cabinet which housed a Garrard 301 and preamps !)

All this stuff was gotten for a pittance relatively, although now is getting very hard to find due to auction houses selling online and the general public getting wised up to how much things are actually worth.

Am in the process of getting everything serviced and will be building a plinth for the thorens and a new table rack (made from salvaged materials of course) Will post up some pics as it develops.

New expensive gear is amazing but the satisfaction for me is in ‘the journey’ of sourcing and restoring old stuff. Better than paying top dollar for a piece of kit that often loses alot of money the minute it walks out the shop.

Here’s a pair of unusual (and scarce in the Uk) Grundig Fine arts speakers. Won in an auction for 45quid ! Of course Grundig Fine Arts stuff is not considered High Fi but these sounded stunning and were built like tanks. A collector bought them off me and was well pleased

grundig.jpg

 
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hiesteem

peacebro
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I don't use it as it needs a wee bit of attention that I haven't quite gotten around to (even in the 25+ years since the issue occured) but I still have my early 80s Myst TMA3 amplifier. A beautiful and simple look with great engineering, it currently has a MC board fitted but to swap back in a MM board is just a couple of screws to remove the cover and they just pull off and push back on. Can't recall what the sound was like but this review from 2018 was rather positive - https://www.hifinews.com/content/myst-tma3-amplifier

One of the best integrateds around back in the 80's. Quite often saw them in the middle of a fully fledged linn turntable system back then. I wish I still had my A&R Cambridge A 60. Personally I feel we have known how to build very good amplifiers for a long time.

Might be worth getting it fixed!

 
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Carrington

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One of the best integrateds around back in the 80's. Quite often saw them in the middle of a fully fledged linn turntable system back then. I wish I still had my A&R Cambridge A 60. Personally I feel we have known how to build very good amplifiers for a long time.

Might be worth getting it fixed!
I have plans to get it checked out, just been sitting on them for rather a long time! Iirc, I think it maybe the volume pot misbehaving so could be a simple fix.

 
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hiesteem

peacebro
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Here’s a pair of unusual (and scarce in the Uk) Grundig Fine arts speakers.
I think Grundig fine arts are where Restek audio arose from in germany way back in the 80's. So I would suggest what you have there is most definitely high end of the day.

 
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hiesteem

peacebro
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I have plans to get it checked out, just been sitting on them for rather a long time! Iirc, I think it maybe the volume pot misbehaving so could be a simple fix.
I don't think you will regret spending a bit of money on that amp. They really do show how good these amps are. My Restek sounds better than ever! Best £500 I have ever spent on any equipment ,  and heaven knows how many thousands I would of had to spend to get even close to replacing it.

 

bigrod

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My pioneer SA 706 from the 70s , just needs a new bulb on the right hand meter but it’s not lost any of its umph after more than 40 years .. it’s true that a lot of new higher end gear is turning out equipment that looks a lot similar … The one thing you do find with vintage stuff , the knobs and switches have very positive actions where you can feel the pots click along , 

9691E9F1-99DE-48DC-85BE-119D1D64CDE2.jpeg

 

Fantasque

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My current vintage based system is a homage to the system I had when I was a young man in the late seventies (GL75/33/303/Wharfdale Dovesale 3) which had to be sold to partly fund the deposit on my first flat.

So when I had a bit of spare cash after retiring 5 years ago I bought my current system, 1970’s Technics DD/34/405/LS3/5. The speakers are modern day versions of the original LS3/5’s. I wanted to add some original Tannoy Eaton’s but sadly the little modern house we now live in just hasn’t the space for them but the little Graham Audio’s do a great job.

 

hiesteem

peacebro
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My pioneer SA 706 from the 70s , just needs a new bulb on the right hand meter but it’s not lost any of its umph after more than 40 years .. it’s true that a lot of new higher end gear is turning out equipment that looks a lot similar … The one thing you do find with vintage stuff , the knobs and switches have very positive actions where you can feel the pots click along , 

9691E9F1-99DE-48DC-85BE-119D1D64CDE2.jpeg
Looks to be in excellent condition too!

 

oldius

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That's a very comfortable looking room too. I like the way everything sit's either side of your fire place. I wish I could do that, but don't feel comfortable with having my Equinox's rattling the neighbours foundations, 😆.
Thank you for the kind words. Nice speakers, the Equinox. My NS1000 have plenty of bass in this room but my neighbours are deaf...Hurrah!

 

Klassik

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The one thing you do find with vintage stuff , the knobs and switches have very positive actions where you can feel the pots click along ,
This is quite true.  It seems your Pioneer uses some of the same pots and switches that my Pioneer uses.  Actuating those switches in particular leaves ole' Klassik with a very satisfied feeling.  There's nothing quite like the smooth heft and precise click of those switches.  Sadly, ole' Klassik has used some equipment from that era, some of which is even higher-end than my Pioneer, and it does not leave such a satisfying feeling so not all vintage equipment does have such nice controls.  Still, certainly some of them do.

Klassik will admit to occasionally actuating the switches on the Pioneer even when the amplifier is not in use just to feel the precision.  xD

Klassik's SX-650 has the wood veneer finish on the sides of the receiver.  It looks nice, but unfortunately, it has started to peel in some places.  :S   Given that, maybe it's better that your amplifier doesn't have the veneer.

 

bigrod

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This is quite true.  It seems your Pioneer uses some of the same pots and switches that my Pioneer uses.  Actuating those switches in particular leaves ole' Klassik with a very satisfied feeling.  There's nothing quite like the smooth heft and precise click of those switches.  Sadly, ole' Klassik has used some equipment from that era, some of which is even higher-end than my Pioneer, and it does not leave such a satisfying feeling so not all vintage equipment does have such nice controls.  Still, certainly some of them do.

Klassik will admit to occasionally actuating the switches on the Pioneer even when the amplifier is not in use just to feel the precision.  xD

Klassik's SX-650 has the wood veneer finish on the sides of the receiver.  It looks nice, but unfortunately, it has started to peel in some places.  :S   Given that, maybe it's better that your amplifier doesn't have the veneer.
I have a Pioneer A9 J that I picked up second hand for practically nothing ..Probably a little over 10 years old .Not as good as the SA 706

 
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Lurch

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I noticed you didn't go for Brinkmann's tonearm on your Bardo! 
Yeah, bought it used without an arm on eBay in early 2018 for a very good price, armboard was drilled for a Morch (19 or 21mm?) so had it drilled out to 23mm for the Encounter3C I had at the time. Upgraded to a Conqueror 3C last year, then had a little windfall this July, and Mark Baker offered me a fantastic PX deal so went for the 12"Enterprise Mk4 

 
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Idlewithnodrive

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I don't use it as it needs a wee bit of attention that I haven't quite gotten around to (even in the 25+ years since the issue occured) but I still have my early 80s Myst TMA3 amplifier. A beautiful and simple look with great engineering, it currently has a MC board fitted but to swap back in a MM board is just a couple of screws to remove the cover and they just pull off and push back on. Can't recall what the sound was like but this review from 2018 was rather positive - https://www.hifinews.com/content/myst-tma3-amplifier

One of the real hidden gems; the TMA3. Well worth hunting down.

I've owned and enjoyed some really capable (and good  looking) vintage kit over the years.

My current TT (1978 Denon DP-80) is the best TT I have owned by some margin and my current amp (1985 Sugden A21aL) has been something of a revelation.

 
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