Tell us about your stereo!

[gcczep]

Vintage love...

^Good to hear that you are happy with your set. Upgrade-itis is an audio affliction that is hard to satisfy.

Sometimes music with properly matched and placed gear sounds so much better at the 9, 10 or 11 o'clock position than loud, obnoxious ones. The true test of a set-up to some is how much detail is still put out at lower volumes.

That same friend of mine who is working on the Akai picked up a beautiful, vintage Marantz two channel stereo a year ago from a thrift shop. Not a nick on the face, top or sides maybe save little ones on the bottom edges. He changed the caps, resistors, lamps and what not. Totally refurbished and cleaned it. It was large, vintage and screamed 1970's with gorgeous blue lighted meters. It was on its last legs and he brought it back to life. Now it betters all the off the shelf 2 channel offerings nowadays sound-wise. I mentioned to him that he could sell it for a very, very tidy profit. The look of horror on his face was something I would never forget. It is now the centerpiece of his system.

I really wish I had his talent with doing such things. I suppose I could learn but this paranoia thing.

With meters, I think the only manufacturer that has them in their products is MacIntosh if I'm correct.

A long time good friend of mine from high school to this day deeply regrets selling the really nice Yamaha set-up he had. Now it's iPods and downloads. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Can't see that in my immediate future.

 

[LG]

^^I had a rush when I finally got a Yamaha CA 1010 integrated amp last year at this time. It was the first piece of good quality gear I bought as a teenager. I regretted parting with it for decades after trading it in.

I can't explain it, but everything feels right in the universe now that it's back on my stand, which is the same stand my Dad built for me back when I owned it in 1978. So I know exactly how your friend feels about his Marantz George. And the CA 1010 is totally rebuilt, it will outlast me now.

Some other high end amps still have meters I think...but am not sure either.

 

[gcczep]

Back to the past...

I can understand having fondness for gear that was part of your life. I wish I could have retained that nice Teac cassette deck I used to have. It was part of many a tape trade and recording sessions I did. This was the Marantz stereo that my buddy resurrected, the 2325.



For the above, he had to hunt down the woodcasing that came with it. The one that it had was cracked. The replacement that he bought was wood stained by him and looks really nice. He also took time to polish the knobs and clean the input jacks. The sound is smooth with no glare whatsoever being analog and all. Just a total beauty... Big and heavy too.

 

[LG]

^^It's a beautiful piece of vintage gear.

There are still parts out there, you have to be patient and some technicians specialize in bringing old electronics back to spec. Any of the old 70's/80's receivers/integrated amps are still popular and worth restoring too.

 

[mrJim]

I agree with you that speaker companies seek to have their product assembled overseas. Cheap labor just like the offshore companies who handle customer service accounts for major entities. The nostalgia is gone with these tactics done for the sake of the P&L statements.

If I played my music loud I would have kept my old MK IV's, but now it's modest volume only so my new MA RX-8's are nice and provide me with enough 'oomph' on the low end without subs and the midrange/highs are smooth and transparent. Add the deal I got after Christmas and I could not help myself. I did look at some ML's too but they were another $1500 more and I couldn't justify the expenditure.

I can't even get myself to pull the trigger on a set of speakers. Now I know my budget expectations may not be in line, what's out there is kinda nonsense for what your getting.

I tossed the cabinets to a set of studio monitors I had and been regretting it ever since. If I knew then what I know now, I would have just rebuilt them.

probably just need to get over it and buy something.

 

[gcczep]

No Change

I can't even get myself to pull the trigger on a set of speakers. Now I know my budget expectations may not be in line, what's out there is kinda nonsense for what your getting.

I tossed the cabinets to a set of all studio monitors I had and been regretting it ever since. If I knew then what I know now, I would have just rebuilt them.

probably just need to get over it and buy something.

Restraint is always a good thing. If you have a set of speakers that you really enjoy presently, no reason to replace them unless they conk out. I'm set with my Martin Logans unless I hit the numbers. $1K for the pair was a steal IMHO.

Auditioning speakers could be very involving if you have the time, is within your budget and appeals to you sound-wise. Doing listening tests with a good ear helps.

I bought my parents a set of JBL Northridge bookshelves for their home theatre set up. Running eight plus years now and the quintet still sound great.

 

[mrJim]

I'm set with my Martin Logans unless I hit the numbers. $1K for the pair was a steal IMHO.

you were fortunate.

I am trying to get a listen to a pair of Martin Logan Motion 40's to see if those would be something I would jump on. That's just a pair of Motion 40's. I have to drive an 1-1/2 to a dealer that is trying to get a pair in his showroom for me.

Jim

 

[gcczep]

Tweets...

you were fortunate.

I am trying to get a listen to a pair of Martin Logan Motion 40's to see if those would be something I would jump on. That's just a pair of Motion 40's. I have to drive an 1-1/2 to a dealer that is trying to get a pair in his showroom for me.

Jim

Thank you. The Motion 40's with the folded tweeters are unique. I've never had the pleasure of hearing one but someone who had told me that it projected a wide dispersion area enlarging the sweet spot. Totally different from domes. I hope you get to check them out soon and find them to your liking. Even their conventional speakers are very respectable.

What turned me on the stats were the new ESL's and some Spires at a Magnolia store. They had an Adele concert playing through a pair and it sounded really good. It was just being driven by a mid-line Denon receiver.

 

[LG]

I can't even get myself to pull the trigger on a set of speakers. Now I know my budget expectations may not be in line, what's out there is kinda nonsense for what your getting.

I tossed the cabinets to a set of studio monitors I had and been regretting it ever since. If I knew then what I know now, I would have just rebuilt them.

probably just need to get over it and buy something.

Speakers are the most critical element when it comes to listening to music, you have to like the sound and can't feel 'fatigued' after a good session of listening.(For me personally I can't deal with horn tweeters, I find them harsh and very limited to what they can reproduce properly, never liked Klipsch and never will but there are folks who love them.)

I did some research online first Jim to get a feel for what's available, narrowed the field to what I could afford and then made the rounds to my stereo shops here. I didn't really consider the big box stores, although Future Shop does carry George's Martin Logans' which surprised me. After doing some listening I waited another few weeks for the year end/clearance sales. Best deal was on the Monitor Audio speakers I ended up with, also they had the nicest bass of the 3 brands I was interested in so that was my deciding factor.

Vintage speakers...there are some great ones but when you are spending over $1000 it can be risky. Plenty of reputable folks out there but also some shysters too. I would only ever buy vintage speakers if I could listen to them in person, that's my golden rule. (For anything over $500 anyway)

 

[mrJim]

^^ completely agree, sums up exactly where I am. have never liked Klipsch and have never met a horn speaker I liked, just my preference.

No real interest in a used speaker, unless I knew who and where they were coming from . Even then it would have to be a special deal. I don't want to do and redo the speaker thing. That's one of the reasons I have walked away from the Axiom thoughts I was having, there is so much "drama" around them, then I have to buy'em to hear them....... ship'em back if I don't like them.

I am headed up to the dealer tomorrow, we'll see how it goes. give a listen to the Motion 40, PSB Image T6 and anything else interesting. Martin Logan and PSB are what I am looking at now, with a dealer in reach. when I listened to the Definitive Technology stuff I didn't like that at all.

looked at Monitor a bit but not a lot. they seem to have a good rep

I must be a Dino or something because I look for speakers that can handle a broad range of audio first. then I'm sure the variation in my music tastes have influenced my preferences.

Jim