What constitutes "Vintage" equipment?

Not specific to audio, but years ago, I understood from those in the "collectible" trade, vintage was 25 years or older and antique was 75 years or older.
 
If it is from the '70s or earlier, it is definitely vintage.

If it is from the 80's, it might be vintage, particularly if very early 80s, but most likely it is BPC.

Stuff from the 90's is just old.

Stuff from the 2000s is obsolete, as is anything older than 2015.

:rflmao::rflmao::rflmao::rflmao::rflmao::rflmao:
 
Everyone seems to have their own interpretation. I consider anything before the "mass consumer / BPC" era (probably late-80s) to be vintage. Anything after that is just...old :p
 
For me vintage is equipment that was in advertisements in Playboy, Penthouse, Stereo Review, that gave me more of a hard on than the girls did. Even, to this day, a look at my SX-1250 and SX-1280 stirs a solid memory of that era. I never had the money to purchase any of that stuff back then; so it is the ability to purchase these items now that attracts me so much. To me, that is vintage. Except for the black European models of our favorite receivers, and Sansui or Yamaha amps, black is out.
 
If you grunt/groan picking up something you remember as a child, that's when that era starts being vintage.
 
I’ve mentioned in other threads, but to me, we need to accept that a lot of the earlier BPC era equipment is now vintage too. Though I usually refer to this as neo-vintage since it at least helps clarify if we’re talking silver faces with wood cabinets (what most of us here would consider vintage), versus the 80s/90s black plastic, with digital displays and remotes and buttons, instead of knobs and physical switches.

In its defense, I think we can justify calling qualifying-age BPC ‘vintage’ now since like its predecessors, it has survived the test of time while others from its era are in landfills. If they’re still around now, they’ve earned the moniker.
 
For me it's the changing of the guard. About 1980 from what I can gather. Ten years after the hot rod cars.
 
The term as we all know is taken originally from wine making. However I would not attach that term to something not worthy of high regard as to a wine of quality. Clearly the term has been dummyed to the absolute bottom in an effort to appease the subjective masses. No such thing as objectivity, right? It's all great stuff. It only needs to be...well let the reader decide...so many years old and it qualifies whether it's a pos or not. All for one and one for all, like the three musketeers. Although it seems to parallel something else.
 
I know to be considered an Antique it MUST be at least 100 years old, Vintage I would think would be around 40 years old.
That would mean anything manufactured in the 70's and earlier.
 
I know to be considered an Antique it MUST be at least 100 years old, Vintage I would think would be around 40 years old.
That would mean anything manufactured in the 70's and earlier.
I think that rule has been revised since all the good stuff is gone and the antique market is a growth industry.
 
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