Classic High-End Gear

I was reading about these Mark Levinson Madrigal 33 amps this morning; 3 feet high and 350lbs each! Dealer arranges delivery and set up which require 3 men.
yes
 
Some of the greatest. Threatened by the disappearing MT200.

Yups all the amps I like and posted are all powered by MT200 output stages... I am vexed and somewhat disgusted they’re becoming unobtanium...

I seriously would like to get hold of a pair of Gryphon Mephisto Solo Power amps... 2 x 200w @ 8 ohm in full class A and is true true high current.. doubling as impedance halves and is 1/4 ohm capable
 
You can't have a vintage classic high end thread without Infinity's top of the line speaker of the 70's. In fact this picture was from a stereo magazine contest give away. The dream system giveaway.
If you waited until 1980, you were able to get the significantly improved IRS. I heard them at Sea Cliff using a Koetsu Black, Goldmund T3, Dennesen JC80 and Conrad-Johnson Premier One.
 
If you waited until 1980, you were able to get the significantly improved IRS. I heard them at Sea Cliff using a Koetsu Black, Goldmund T3, Dennesen JC80 and Conrad-Johnson Premier One.

I do have limits on what I allocate to my music system. The thread was show us your classic high end gear so I selected a few from my collection, not all mind you. I understand that in the 80's Infinity came out with better, but I still feel my contributions were notable. As for the 80's I have the Infinity RS-1b's which are the poorer mans version of the IRS. They might not be the best Infinity had to offer, and they were not the best speakers out there, but I think they certainly meet the definition of Classic high end vintage speakers

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The thread was show us your classic high end gear so I selected a few from my collection...
Perhaps you are confusing this topic with another that includes "ownership". This one does not.

"This forum is for discussion of leading edge vintage gear, regardless of cost. So, I'd thought I'd start the whole thing off with a list of a few true classic pieces, to illustrate. Each of these units was widely praised as being ahead of its time, and the absolute best at that moment, and many of them were good enough that they're still highly desired and priced accordingly."
 
Perhaps you are confusing this topic with another that includes "ownership". This one does not.

"This forum is for discussion of leading edge vintage gear, regardless of cost. So, I'd thought I'd start the whole thing off with a list of a few true classic pieces, to illustrate. Each of these units was widely praised as being ahead of its time, and the absolute best at that moment, and many of them were good enough that they're still highly desired and priced accordingly."

Oops! Oh well I think all of mine still fall in that category, never mind that I own them as well.

I wish I owned the IRS V's, a bit more than I want to spend on listening to music.
 
Oops! Oh well I think all of mine still fall in that category, never mind that I own them as well.
My post was not to disparage your gear as what you referenced was an ad.

And I'm pleased to see you don't use Crown amplification which has never been part of my "dream system". :)
 
I have used Crown's, thousands of them, but only in commercial use, as in 70 volt distributed systems. The Crown Com Techs were a great amp for that purpose. I was tempted for my system with a Crown Reference but got outbid.
 
I have used Crown's, thousands of them, but only in commercial use, as in 70 volt distributed systems. The Crown Com Techs were a great amp for that purpose. I was tempted for my system with a Crown Reference but got outbid.
I had a D150 for a while as a teenager. Reliable, yes. I used mine with double Advents for the 1974 Miss RHS high school pageant and inadvertently shorted the outputs with a screwdriver while it was powered up. Switched it off, yanked the partially welded screwdriver from the posts, finished wiring, powered it up and all was well. :)

The Audire One that replaced it two years later offered more resolution and lacked the hard and closed in top end.
 
How about my very first eBay purchase from about 19 years ago...
McIntosh MC-250
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The old Technics SU-8099 that my father purchased new in 1979. I still have it but it is in dire need of a recap...
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Or the Accuphase C-200 that I recapped on my own and also upgraded a few resistors and diodes. Sold it for more than what I paid for it including the upgrades...
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Or even the Teac A-3300SX reel-to-reel that I had for a while...
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Like the Ferro graph tape deck the smaller tandbergs and a whole bunch of Ampex 1000 and 2000 models, they all had serious mechanical compromises. The chassis of the A-77 was very delicate, the switches and volume controls were very fragile. The machine performed well in the beginning, but with a lot of hours began to fail in so many ways. The B-77 and the A700 were better machines, but still light weights.

Marantz units are worth their weight in gold in some markets, but the 8B didn't come close to the MC240. The model 9 was a true performer,but a pair of MC-75's out performed them. The Macs didn't have the cool factor at the time. Though the C-22 electronically wiped the 7C, the touch and feel of the controls sold a lot of units for Marantz. The 10b was a pioneering great unit. But a MR 78 with MPI-4 wiped the 10b in metropolitan areas where weak stations were next to very powerful ones and the 10B couldn't select between the two. In rural areas with stations on adjacent channels the 78 again out performed the 10b. I know the Macs again weren't as cool as a 10B, and therefore will never rate as high in most folks minds. And I hate to have to say this, but all the other tube stuff didn't qualify even for third fiddle. That includes Dyna, Citation, Fisher, Scott, Grommes, Sherwood, Eico, etc etc etc. Even Altec tube amps, were big compromises. So if you want vintage, and want the best of the best. Keep your eyes open for good Marantz and Mac pieces ands have them restored. They may last another 50 to 60 years. Of course if you have the coin their is a new version of the C-22 MKIII with a MC input and MC75's and 275's. If you need big power. Theres the MC2301 and Audio Classics has the best tube amp ever made in the 20th Century, the MC3500 for sale totally reconditioned.
After I built my Heathkit AR-1500 receiver back in those heady hi-fi days of 1972, I had it tested at a McIntosh "clinic," where they hope to demonstrate that your item is substandard due to test measurements vs. published specs and generate sales. I'll never forget the McIntosh Sales/Tech person's remark that "If you keep building these like this we'll never sell you a McIntosh." The AR-1500 was considered to be the most powerful and sensitive receiver at that time, and even the stodgy & somewhat biased Consumer Reports magazine concurred.
 
I had it tested at a McIntosh "clinic," where they hope to demonstrate that your item is substandard due to test measurements vs. published specs and generate sales.
I took my AR Integrated to one such event in 1972 where Dave O'Brien handed me the personalized THD graph verifying that it was performing to the 0.25% spec.

It was that experience as a teenager that illustrated the meaningless of hte total harmonic distortion metric as really telling you anything useful about how an amplifier actually sounds. While the AR was fine at high levels, low level resolution was poor. I've owned many amplifiers since that likely measure no better, but sound considerably more transparent.
 
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