Vintage gear that makes you say "Wow"...
- Thread starter Connor G
- Start date
damacman
Resident Psycho
What shop was that may I ask? I wanna' see 'em!I had a very unexpected WOW moment today. Stopped in to browse at a local hifi shop today at lunch, and they had two of these monster McIntosh MI-350s on the bench with the tops off getting a checkup. I literally had to ask "holy crap, what is that!?!"
Not my pics, I was too dumbstruck to think to ask if I could take one.
damacman
Resident Psycho
Some really great photos here, as usual for these types of threads. I got really interested in audio in my teens and had no money to buy anything. I do remember reading the ads in stereo magazines in their entirety though dreaming of the day that I'd own some of it. Some of those ads cemented gear and people in my mind forever. Looking through these photos is like a trip down memory lane.
Bob Carver - here was a man of genius. Pure genius. His ad copy was so far beyond intoxicating to a 15 year old. Here's a guy that has the balls to build an amp in his hotel room to take on all comers. [Where are those guys today?]
Matthew Polk - here's this guy in a white lab coat standing next to the biggest speaker I'd yet seen. He's obviously got a PH.D. in physics with a lab coat like that. His personal endorsement put it high on my must hear someday list. When I finally did hear them, they did not disappoint.
McIntosh - their ads just put it out there, there is only one BEST and that's us. No apologies. I recall sending in the card in the mail for more info at which a glorious large envelope shows up with stacks of the finest literature I'd ever seen within it. As if that wasn't enough, also included was a letter from Gordon Gow himself telling me McIntosh was Best. Just wow.
Nakamichi tape decks - from the very first time I laid eyes on a Nak, I just knew this is the deck of all decks. Want. Must have. Then I saw the Dragon in 16 Candles - that's a Nakamichi Dragon tape deck I tell my buds in the theater.
Technics Reel to Reels - what mysterious machines are these? They're HUGE but man do they look super cool, especially with those giant reels of tape and big VU meters. It would be 2015 before I finally got a RTR but the wait was definitely worth it.
The Gryphon - big, imposing, and very refined in a mechanical sorta way. The ads had only enough to pique your curiosity. You just kept turning the page back to the ad thinking you'd discover more. These just HAVE to be special.
Keep the great pics coming!
Bob Carver - here was a man of genius. Pure genius. His ad copy was so far beyond intoxicating to a 15 year old. Here's a guy that has the balls to build an amp in his hotel room to take on all comers. [Where are those guys today?]
Matthew Polk - here's this guy in a white lab coat standing next to the biggest speaker I'd yet seen. He's obviously got a PH.D. in physics with a lab coat like that. His personal endorsement put it high on my must hear someday list. When I finally did hear them, they did not disappoint.
McIntosh - their ads just put it out there, there is only one BEST and that's us. No apologies. I recall sending in the card in the mail for more info at which a glorious large envelope shows up with stacks of the finest literature I'd ever seen within it. As if that wasn't enough, also included was a letter from Gordon Gow himself telling me McIntosh was Best. Just wow.
Nakamichi tape decks - from the very first time I laid eyes on a Nak, I just knew this is the deck of all decks. Want. Must have. Then I saw the Dragon in 16 Candles - that's a Nakamichi Dragon tape deck I tell my buds in the theater.
Technics Reel to Reels - what mysterious machines are these? They're HUGE but man do they look super cool, especially with those giant reels of tape and big VU meters. It would be 2015 before I finally got a RTR but the wait was definitely worth it.
The Gryphon - big, imposing, and very refined in a mechanical sorta way. The ads had only enough to pique your curiosity. You just kept turning the page back to the ad thinking you'd discover more. These just HAVE to be special.
Keep the great pics coming!
I've been talking to the owner.
miscrms00
Active Member
Audio Video Choices near Indian School and 7th St. I think they were just in for service, but so cool.
ScottFan355
Super Member
My Scott 355, I was in the market for a tube preamp and found this on Craigslist. In my opinion one of the prettiest examples of audio equipment ever made
Very nice. I have a close relative of it, the 340a, that gets a lot of looks whether on or off. Sounds great also.
My IMF Compact Monitor II's. Bookmatched walnut veneer on all sides, and they go so very deep for such small boxes (8" woofers in 18"x10"x11" cabinets, but they still play clean down to 30 hz.).
And my "new" Als 40 II's.
They have much the same characteristics, but with a richer/sweeter mid-range, and some serious added oomph down low
I'm guessing quads?
Killer Fox
Super Member
The Clair Brothers was a spec amp made for Clair Brothers Audio who ran the Flying S4 rigs at major concerts in the 70s and 80s and I think they still do in fact but different speaker arrays now?? The amps were used to drive them. Both Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd used mine. They had special black faceplates engraved with Clair Brothers Audio and were Phase Linear 700 series II amps with hot transformers. Sorry about crappy pic, lighting bad in the livingroom for imaging a black amp. Anyway, it also has the max White Oak upgrades and puts out 514wpc
Interesting tidbit. My dad has lived in Lititz, PA for many years and has been friends with Claire brothers. I went to a party at one of their homes once years ago where they had some cool looking gear. That wowed me but would have blown my mind if I was interested in hi fi at the time and I actually paid attention to what it was.
sqlsavior
Lunatic Member
A bronze pair of Quad ESLs from the early 70s. I replaced the legs to get them up higher. They turned out well, I think.
Welcome to AK!
Nice speakers, beautiful environment!
blhagstrom
Mad Scientist, fixer.
DUUUUuuuuude!
I have the split level coffee table and end tables that "match" your table.
blhagstrom
Mad Scientist, fixer.
Another "Vintage gear that makes you say WOW".
A fully re-capped and adjusted vintage anything with all bad actors replaced.
I just sent home a few pieces of Marantz and Kenwood and the owner is blowing up the text on my phone with "WOW"s.
A fully re-capped and adjusted vintage anything with all bad actors replaced.
I just sent home a few pieces of Marantz and Kenwood and the owner is blowing up the text on my phone with "WOW"s.
sqlsavior
Lunatic Member
I'm curious what the end-tables look like. Mine is from a neighbor who passed on.
blhagstrom
Mad Scientist, fixer.
Kidney shaped.
The coffee table has a lower outer "ring" with the center raised.
The end tables are mirrored with a full kidney lower level and a small full kidney upper area on one end like a typical old end table set up.
All in that white washed oak Formica with tapered legs.
Scored them at a yard sale from someone that turned out to be an old friend of some new friends we were just going to meet.
They are in one of my other homes or I'd get a photo.
I looked to see if there were any photos online and found THIS, I have one of these too. Its from an optometrist office.
The coffee table has a lower outer "ring" with the center raised.
The end tables are mirrored with a full kidney lower level and a small full kidney upper area on one end like a typical old end table set up.
All in that white washed oak Formica with tapered legs.
Scored them at a yard sale from someone that turned out to be an old friend of some new friends we were just going to meet.
They are in one of my other homes or I'd get a photo.
I looked to see if there were any photos online and found THIS, I have one of these too. Its from an optometrist office.
