I as a vintage guy have to agree with you. I love my old audio gear, like I do my old 65 Chevy, but it isn't really a part of what's going on in today's world of audio any more. A big part of the vintage route for me is because it was paid for over 40 years ago and it, lacking anything close by to compare, sounds good enough to enjoy music with. Probably nostalgia and the vintage look and feel is a bigger draw for me than it should be.
Vintage Audio News
- Thread starter audionut373
- Start date
I as a vintage guy have to agree with you. I love my old audio gear, like I do my old 65 Chevy, but it isn't really a part of what's going on in today's world of audio any more. A big part of the vintage route for me is because it was paid for over 40 years ago and it, lacking anything close by to compare, sounds good enough to enjoy music with. Probably nostalgia and the vintage look and feel is a bigger draw for me than it should be.
Yep I like whatever works good and is fun., but ...
You know how the record sales stats come out every year for vinyl copies and how it keeps going up? Well they can only mesure new vinyl records and no sales on used records and for most buyers of records used probably dominates most their collection. However the market doesn't care about something sold new 40 years ago and or used today. Can it be a business? most definitely, does new manufacturing benefit from used items, only to see a trend and to help make new items to supply that trend.
FOH Engineer
Lunatic Member
Sound check for 12, my phrase of the day....lets turn down what we CAN hear.
FOH Engineer
Lunatic Member
tonight's console is the endlessly routed Yamaha LS 9,... why have 10 functions per channel when you can have 25?
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
I like the idea of some sort of column, blog, editorial or article about vintage gear. I mean, primarily, it's the reason I come here, is to read about people's finds and whatnot. It might make a pretty good blog if the content was constantly coming in. A magazine though is a stretch for many of the reasons listed here in this thread.
I like writing, so this has piqued my curiosity. If there was a blog out there with articles on vintage gear, would you subscribe to and read it?
Maybe it could be an AudioKarma blog with people contributing their own articles?
I like writing, so this has piqued my curiosity. If there was a blog out there with articles on vintage gear, would you subscribe to and read it?
Maybe it could be an AudioKarma blog with people contributing their own articles?
Hipocrates
Super Member
Absolutely
Around the millenium, I used to teach at a boys boarding school, and had a friend who was buying and selling records. Every now and then, he would give me the crates and crates of records that he had had to buy to get the ones that actually were worth selling. I'd set the records out in the hallway and let them have at it, or sometimes, divvy the good ones into piles and let them take a pile each. They always disappeared. I also had a speaker building club, which was popular. We relied completely on Zalytron over on Long Island for drivers and crossovers, and we produced a lot of excellent speakers, though you don't know terror until you unleash inexperienced teenagers on power tools - somehow no one ever had to go to the hospital. And I sold, for very cheap, a lot of good equipment from tag sales and the dump.
Inspired by all the enthusiasm of the kids, I wrote to Stereophile, suggesting that a vintage column, aimed at common but good old equipment might be a way to draw young and impecunious people into the hobby. Given that Ken Kessler started his Anachrophile column in HiFi News and Record Review during John Atkinson's tenure (I think) and Atkinson had often referrred to older equipment while at HiFi News, I thought he might be receptive. As far as I know the letter was not published, nor was there any movement in that direction at the time. Now, they do review vintage stuff, perhaps stimulated by the popularity of sites like AK and others. But I get why they didn't rush right in to do as I suggested - every vintage purchase is (possibly) a new equipment purchase not made, and advertisers pay for magazines. This is the capitalist system - if you want something, you pay for it. And clearly, there are not enough people to pay for professional audio press without advertisements - many have tried, and I don't think any are still functioning. Amateur sites like AK can do well, and may even do a better job, but they cannot routinely offer the sort of expertise and careful measurement that audio magazines used to provide month after month, even if they did cushion the blows to advertisers sometimes.
Some of this is moot, of course. The vintage market is segmented, chaotic and unpredictable, and wildly personal, that advertising is going to be minimal, ruling out any professional reviewing. And almost all new equipment is either so absurdly expensive or so grimly built to a cheap Walmart price that I have no interest. So I'm not in the market for a magazine.
Inspired by all the enthusiasm of the kids, I wrote to Stereophile, suggesting that a vintage column, aimed at common but good old equipment might be a way to draw young and impecunious people into the hobby. Given that Ken Kessler started his Anachrophile column in HiFi News and Record Review during John Atkinson's tenure (I think) and Atkinson had often referrred to older equipment while at HiFi News, I thought he might be receptive. As far as I know the letter was not published, nor was there any movement in that direction at the time. Now, they do review vintage stuff, perhaps stimulated by the popularity of sites like AK and others. But I get why they didn't rush right in to do as I suggested - every vintage purchase is (possibly) a new equipment purchase not made, and advertisers pay for magazines. This is the capitalist system - if you want something, you pay for it. And clearly, there are not enough people to pay for professional audio press without advertisements - many have tried, and I don't think any are still functioning. Amateur sites like AK can do well, and may even do a better job, but they cannot routinely offer the sort of expertise and careful measurement that audio magazines used to provide month after month, even if they did cushion the blows to advertisers sometimes.
Some of this is moot, of course. The vintage market is segmented, chaotic and unpredictable, and wildly personal, that advertising is going to be minimal, ruling out any professional reviewing. And almost all new equipment is either so absurdly expensive or so grimly built to a cheap Walmart price that I have no interest. So I'm not in the market for a magazine.
editor@hfa
New Member
With the popularity of vintage audio, I don't understand why none of the current print audio magazines have a column dedicated to vintage equipment. I think that they are missing out on a rather significant audience that would subscribe if they did.
Yes, a while back we wondered the same thing and created a specialist e-zine dedicated to vintage gear (989 pages so far) and here it is: http://www.hifianswers.com/category/vintage-audio-equipment/
Here are links re vintage that some of you might find of interest, hopefully.
Vintage domestic Celestion https://www.facebook.com/groups/216919988891344/ (only a few days since it started)
Mainly classic receivers https://www.facebook.com/groups/166769220324379/?ref=br_rs
Vintage cassette decks https://www.facebook.com/AkaiGXF44R/
Howard
hemiram
Active Member
It's sad I only have one friend who really cares about audio, the other ones don't at all, except the one below. If it plays a movie loud, that's all they need. They listen to music with mostly junk earbuds. One of them is showing major signs of hearing loss at 30 years old! He's endlessly impressed with my car's stereo, which is the mid level Chrysler set up, with a so-so sub, and upgraded dash speakers. It's ok, but is just that, OK. It sounds good enough when I'm driving, but if you're sitting still, the sloppy yet weak bass is obvious. It plays decently loud and with the new dash speakers and some sound deadening, it's much smoother than stock, but I'm not all that impressed with it. If I had the cash and the desire, I would duplicate what a friend had in his identical car 5 years ago. Lots of $$$ I don't have, so I don't, and besides, the car should be gone by this time next year. The new one will get the same upgrades along with a better sub, and that's it, and that will be good enough.
I have a friend who is currently building a set of speakers. He's bought an MCS receiver and a Pioneer Integrated amp after expressing an interest in vintage stereo, can't think of the model numbers, but both are about 1979-80 vintage. The only speakers he has to use on them are tiny ones that he uses for his TV along with a soundbar. It sounds as bad as it can. The soundbar was like $13 on ebay, so he decided to build some "big" speakers.
If the speakers aren't a disaster, I would probably have a heart attack. He's doing everything wrong:
1. Plywood boxes. He is bracing the corners and center though. When i mentioned plywood as not being good for speakers, he seemed blown away that MDF would probably be better.
2. His driver choices are pretty amusing. He's using 10" 8 ohm woofers he got out of some old speakers he found on the curb. I don't know who made them, he "didn't pay attention to the brand". His midranges are 4 ohm 6" X 9" coaxial car speakers, Krako level ones he got at a hamfest, and his tweeters are some really cheapo 6ohm ones he got at Parts Express, along with the terminal cup, the fiberfill (He had no intention of using any before I asked him about it), and some speaker wire. His cheapness kept him from buying a decent size wire gauge, but at least he got copper and not that junk clad stuff. I tried to explain he probably didn't need tweeters as the 6X9's had them already, but he didn't seem to understand.
3. His crossover is the cheapest one he found on Ebay. There's no thought about it at all, and he originally was planning to run all the drivers in parallel. That was too funny. I suggested the HIVI 3 way kit on Amazon, but the $250 price tag scared him off, he's cheap. He does nice work with wood, and he could have actually had a nice pair of speakers, but his cheapness takes control. He has money, his house and cars are all paid for, and his wife makes as much as he does, and he does ok.
The boxes are close to done. When I talked to him Tuesday, he said he's sanding and getting ready to stain and varnish them. So I should get to hear them next week. I hope I don't bust out laughing.
His cheapness keeps on biting him over and over again, regardless of what hobby he's into. He goes cheap, then complains about what he bought, because it's cheap and isn't what he hoped. He does no research on stuff he's going to buy, ever. He overpaid a hundred bucks on a monitor last year because he simply went on Amazon, and bought it, but if he had searched on google, he would have found it, brand new, for $100 less with free shipping from a totally reliable seller. It's funny, he will watch endless videos on YT about whatever, and then do no real price research. I probably shouldn't even talk audio with him. I mentioned I was looking at an Onkyo amp and he said, "Is that some new brand?". I don't know how it's possible to know most other major brands and not know Onkyo, just from WORKING in a store that sold it for almost 3 months, and many other brands that have been around a long time. He mentions seeing something on Ebay that is really nice stuff, and he asks me, over and over again. "Is that brand any good?", seeming to totally ignore the huge price tag on it. He amuses me and frustrates me at the same time.
I have a friend who is currently building a set of speakers. He's bought an MCS receiver and a Pioneer Integrated amp after expressing an interest in vintage stereo, can't think of the model numbers, but both are about 1979-80 vintage. The only speakers he has to use on them are tiny ones that he uses for his TV along with a soundbar. It sounds as bad as it can. The soundbar was like $13 on ebay, so he decided to build some "big" speakers.
If the speakers aren't a disaster, I would probably have a heart attack. He's doing everything wrong:
1. Plywood boxes. He is bracing the corners and center though. When i mentioned plywood as not being good for speakers, he seemed blown away that MDF would probably be better.
2. His driver choices are pretty amusing. He's using 10" 8 ohm woofers he got out of some old speakers he found on the curb. I don't know who made them, he "didn't pay attention to the brand". His midranges are 4 ohm 6" X 9" coaxial car speakers, Krako level ones he got at a hamfest, and his tweeters are some really cheapo 6ohm ones he got at Parts Express, along with the terminal cup, the fiberfill (He had no intention of using any before I asked him about it), and some speaker wire. His cheapness kept him from buying a decent size wire gauge, but at least he got copper and not that junk clad stuff. I tried to explain he probably didn't need tweeters as the 6X9's had them already, but he didn't seem to understand.
3. His crossover is the cheapest one he found on Ebay. There's no thought about it at all, and he originally was planning to run all the drivers in parallel. That was too funny. I suggested the HIVI 3 way kit on Amazon, but the $250 price tag scared him off, he's cheap. He does nice work with wood, and he could have actually had a nice pair of speakers, but his cheapness takes control. He has money, his house and cars are all paid for, and his wife makes as much as he does, and he does ok.
The boxes are close to done. When I talked to him Tuesday, he said he's sanding and getting ready to stain and varnish them. So I should get to hear them next week. I hope I don't bust out laughing.
His cheapness keeps on biting him over and over again, regardless of what hobby he's into. He goes cheap, then complains about what he bought, because it's cheap and isn't what he hoped. He does no research on stuff he's going to buy, ever. He overpaid a hundred bucks on a monitor last year because he simply went on Amazon, and bought it, but if he had searched on google, he would have found it, brand new, for $100 less with free shipping from a totally reliable seller. It's funny, he will watch endless videos on YT about whatever, and then do no real price research. I probably shouldn't even talk audio with him. I mentioned I was looking at an Onkyo amp and he said, "Is that some new brand?". I don't know how it's possible to know most other major brands and not know Onkyo, just from WORKING in a store that sold it for almost 3 months, and many other brands that have been around a long time. He mentions seeing something on Ebay that is really nice stuff, and he asks me, over and over again. "Is that brand any good?", seeming to totally ignore the huge price tag on it. He amuses me and frustrates me at the same time.
Hi-Fi World (UK) always used to have features about vintage equipment, and the companies and individuals who made it. (I think the had a column called Old Worlde) I haven't been a subscriber for a number of years already, but they did a good job covering the vintage scene, and I learned a lot from reading about it there. I'm not sure if the magazine has changed, but if it hasn't, I would strongly suggest checking it out.
If you're looking for a print magazine about hi-fi, I think it's hard to beat hi-fi world. I really like the writing, the technical analysis, and the topics they cover, and some of they key people who work there really know their stuff. Noel Keywood especially.
As for the guy above building his own speakers, I suggest to complement his result, whatever it is... sounds to me like the kind of project I would have done when I was 14, and was looking for ways to use my shiny new black & decker jigsaw. At least I had David Weems to guide me!
If you're looking for a print magazine about hi-fi, I think it's hard to beat hi-fi world. I really like the writing, the technical analysis, and the topics they cover, and some of they key people who work there really know their stuff. Noel Keywood especially.
As for the guy above building his own speakers, I suggest to complement his result, whatever it is... sounds to me like the kind of project I would have done when I was 14, and was looking for ways to use my shiny new black & decker jigsaw. At least I had David Weems to guide me!
shstrang
Vivien's Daddy
You know you can go to these places to read old Audio and Stereo Reviews don't you? It's really cool and all are downloadable as PDFs.
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Audio-Magazine.htm
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/HiFI-Stereo-Review.htm
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Audio-Magazine.htm
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/HiFI-Stereo-Review.htm
Advertisers and manufacturers of new equipment are not interested. Ad revenue and “new” drive print audio media. And more than a few are worried that vintage may be better than new.
Art Dudley at SP listens to and reviews vintage equipment in the context of a current system. However all is filtered through his narrow prism of tubes and horns.
Jeff Day (now affiliated with Positive Feedback) regularly reviews vintage tube equipment.
Vintage coverage is more prevalent in UK publications.
HiFi News and Record Review has monthly columns devoted to vintage equipment, many including test results and repair advice.
HiF-World has a monthly section devoted to vintage equipment.
I think What HiFi has vintage coverage also.
If you want vintage history and coverage, find the back issues of TAS with article written by Steve Stone covering the early days of HiFi, and all of the great equipment from the era. His comments (25-30yrs ago...) still reverberate through the vintage community and affect cmv of vi take equipment.
Art Dudley at SP listens to and reviews vintage equipment in the context of a current system. However all is filtered through his narrow prism of tubes and horns.
Jeff Day (now affiliated with Positive Feedback) regularly reviews vintage tube equipment.
Vintage coverage is more prevalent in UK publications.
HiFi News and Record Review has monthly columns devoted to vintage equipment, many including test results and repair advice.
HiF-World has a monthly section devoted to vintage equipment.
I think What HiFi has vintage coverage also.
If you want vintage history and coverage, find the back issues of TAS with article written by Steve Stone covering the early days of HiFi, and all of the great equipment from the era. His comments (25-30yrs ago...) still reverberate through the vintage community and affect cmv of vi take equipment.
