Anybody using gear 30+ years old that hasn't been restored?

I cleaned the pots on mine when I got them and it made a huge difference. I noticed the lack of midrange and it was caused (on mine anyway) by the dirty pot causing a short. They are really nice sounding speaker that I rotate in and out of service. But I like the Nova 6s better believe it or not. I am a sucker for a nice two way speaker.
I had a pair of 6s that changed my whole perspective on Realistic gear.
 
All my old Mac has been restored excepting my 48 year old MC 2505. It gets its controls cleaned every so often and I use RCA plugs with split tips that are ggold plated to prevent intermittent signals. The TD 125 has never had issues except for a few drops of oil now and then. Same goes for the Rabco tone arm. The B-77 and A-77 revox are packed away, but only needed a few drops of oil. My 581Z and 682 Z Nakamichi's have only had the pots, tape path, and rollers cleaned. I dont remember how old they are. Middle 70's I think is when I got them. Some of my DBX stuff came from the middle 70's and has never been touched except for cleaning the controls. My Urei crossovers have never been touched from the middle 70's. Both Crown EQ-2 have had one IC replaced and one needs another. My MR 77 which is now owned by a friend hAS never been touched. My former C-28 had some touch up work by Davie Obrien when it was less than a year old but is still running with out issues since then. All 6 of my Bozaks speakers are still like new. The crossover caps in the two B313's have been replaced, two caps in the Grands, but the Symphonies are untouched. MY Stax ear speakers have never been touched, neither has the Signet. My C-29 which I had for 31 years never had issues. Oh my SAE Equalizer from 1973 has never had issues. Just clean the controls and oxidizing RCA jacks. My Herseys were 40 years old when I sold then a few years ago, were never touched. I don't know what happened to the Altec Carmels, Coronados, and Klipsch Cornwalls, but they were still going strong some 20 years later i the 80's and 90's. I wonder if my 240's 275's and MC 60's are still kicking?
 
I would say that 80% of all the unrestored 70s and 80s vintage gear I acquired (20-30 units) after a little TLC was plug and play and sounded great doing so.o_Only had one piece recapped.A Sansui 890db.
 
40+ years other than normal maintenance, a resistor replaced in tuner, belts and idlers in deck and a recapping of speakers nothing really
has been restored and they seem to still work fine.
 
I have a Sherwood S7100-A in unrestored condition.
I will not work on that one until it is necessary.
It sounds great as-is.
It probably does not sound as-new, though.

Of the receivers and amps that I have refurbished (5) I have no regrets about any of them.
 
I had a pair of 6s that changed my whole perspective on Realistic gear.

I had to make a choice to sell either the Small Advents or the Nova 6s.........The Advents are gone.......they had a bit more bass than the Novas but the the 6s blew them away on the top end and is a much more balanced speaker. Mine were new old stock still in the boxes, sealed. I doubt I will ever sell them. I got a set of Marantz Imperial 5s a few weeks ago and I really like them but the Novas are damn close as good.
 
I had to make a choice to sell either the Small Advents or the Nova 6s.........The Advents are gone.......they had a bit more bass than the Novas but the the 6s blew them away on the top end and is a much more balanced speaker. Mine were new old stock still in the boxes, sealed. I doubt I will ever sell them. I got a set of Marantz Imperial 5s a few weeks ago and I really like them but the Novas are damn close as good.
If I recall the 6s weren't the crispest or the deepest but had a musicality about them I really liked.I was neck deep in gear so they went with a small system i gave someone.Wouldn't mind having them back to go with my Nova 8s.
 
If I recall the 6s weren't the crispest or the deepest but had a musicality about them I really liked.I was neck deep in gear so they went with a small system i gave someone.Wouldn't mind having them back to go with my Nova 8s.

I agree. They should not sound as good as they do but feed them with about 40+wpc and they will absolutely smack you. The more power you feed them the deeper they go. The Advents were deeper with far less power for sure but the Novas are simply better on the top end. They sound the best with my STA-95. For a while I had a pair of Pioneer CS 33s and the 6s flat out smacked them and took their lunch money.

I have been looking for a pair of decent Nova 8s (or the Optimus model) for a while now but I have been missing them.
 
Pristine Mac 50+ year old C22 preamp bought used in 2000 off somebody, via eBay in CA..
Checked it out on my bench before placing in use.
1 festoon bulb bad, replaced both after Mac sent me 4.

Probably sprayed all controls and switches, whether they needed or not.

Even had all the original Tele tubes installed, and they still spec`d out !!
All electrolytic PS capacitors were, and still are in good shape, surprisingly !

I run it driving my "non used anymore for fires, fireplace" placed rotational tube amps(MC 30`s, MC 225, ARC D76A, 2 pairs of Dynaco Mk. III`s, all amps reworked) at least once a month for around 16 hours or more, in fact it`s running right now sending sweet WAV. sounds to my DQ-10`s in my Sunroom.

Mac 50+ year old MR 67 tuner, bought from AC, via Frank Gow (RIP) in 2000, and it didn`t appear to have had anything done to it, with the PS caps still original, as well.
The last time I checked it out on the bench it still was in spec, though I quit listening to FM back in 2010 when I had my attached car garage`s Sony receiver(also has run 27/7 since install in 2000 :thumbsup:) hard wired fed for L/R distributed signal feed from my living room`s main A/V rack.

Before that I had built a Ramsey kit TOTL FM transmitter for feeding my living room`s rack`s audio to the garage(93.3 Mhz. "WBIL", as my friends called my 100 milliwatt output station, and I would monitor my FM signal`s quality with the MR 67, as I thought my music programing was better than my local commercial FM station`s offering`s..

One of the several reasons I like, own , and use Mac gear a lot. :bowdown:

Now my purchased, used in 1986, MC 2205 needed it`s main caps replaced as they started dripping electrolyte, 2 years ago, and the front panel bulbs + the AC inrush Thermistor, but it runs 24/7 too, being driven by a circa, early to mid seventies, also 24/7 running, C27 preamp, in which nothing has been done to it at all, outside spraying controls/switches before placing in use, after full bench check out.
I love to own and use used electronic gear that I don`t have to usually work on, probably why I test the crap out of it before placing it in service.

Enjoy the music, as you see fit folks.

Kind regards, OKB

EDIT : I forgot my about my purchased brand new in 1986~87 Mac MCD 7007 CD player, with nothing done to it but a voluntary LED front panel upgrade 3 years back.

Ran it today for about 4 hours S/PDIF connected to my DAC, and it`s analog output to my C 37 in the same rack to check 4 Gino Vannelli CD`s before ripping them to my WAV. music files.
I usually use my OPPO UDP-203 for CD playback testing prior to ripping, but thought to check it out, and it still performs properly and sounds very good.
 
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Kenwood KR-4070. I replaced the stereo indicator bulb, otherwise it's un--messed with and sounds great.
 
I put it on the shelf last year, but up to then my JVC R-S77 was is daily use since 1980. Great receiver.
 
Turned back on today for the first time in 2 years my Fisher 400 rev. It is all original, it also makes a good story I got it for free from a tag sale. Someone at this sale moved it from upstairs downstairs and placed it in room full of model RR gear, this person did not know that this room was offered all for one price, when my RR collecting buddy found it buried in the bottom of a box he gave it to me. I did tell him what it was and what is was worth, he did not care all he cared about was the complete Lionel pre-war sets, that's right sets that were in this room.DSCN0565.JPG DSCN0570.JPG
 
I have a Sony STR-6055 that looks and sounds like it just came out of the factory. I am terrified to mess with it as it sounds so good and is used daily in the bedroom...
 
Everything in my sig except the B&K Reference 50 which was refurbished by Stargate a year ago. Most of the stuff there is 20+ years old but the CR-2020 and the Yamaha speakers and the Sony PS-X5 are all 40ish.
 
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