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Why don't companies go retro??

mikey3117

mikey3117

Victory is mine!
Okay guys! We have the VW New Beetle, the retro looking Ford Mustang, etc. etc. Why don't companies like Marantz, Pioneer and others come out with equipment that harkens back to their heyday? I know times have changed, it's mostly all multi-channel "home theater" stuff these days, and high quality electronic parts are more expensive....but wouldn't there be a market for some well built 2 channel equipment? Everybody loved the VW Bug from their childhood, so when the New Beetle arrived, people jumped! For the amount of money this stuff trades for on ebay, etc., you'd think some companies would take notice... :scratch2: When I lift the beautiful walnut veneer cover off my Realistic STA-2100 receiver, you can plainly see an extremely well built electronic component. It has a beautiful brushed aluminum face with 4 meters, knobs everywhere, and a beautiful lighted dial. When my son was 12 or so and just barely getting into music, I had 2 receivers that I had picked up while collecting. One was a Marantz 2252B and the other was a newer black Marantz 2 channel receiver with remote control. I placed both on his bed and asked him which one he wanted. I explained the benefits of both, one was newer with remote while the other was older but well built. Without hesitation, he chose the 2252B, and I know it was based solely on appearance! This from a 12yo kid! That particular series from Marantz, in my opinion, is absolutely stunning! It just seems that these beautiful units could be (and should be) created again. I know you can buy Krell, and all that other "super high end" stuff, but I don't have a spare 10k to spend on an amplifier.... Can you imagine Pioneer coming out with an anniversary edition of the "SX" line of receivers or a 30 yr anniversary edition of the Marantz 2600! BTW - Look at the pic of the inside of my Kenwood KA-6000...high quality construction and build quality. The lettering is engraved, the knobs are solid aluminum with 2 set screws each! This thing was built in the early 70's....Can't this sort of thing be built again or would the price point simply be too high?
 
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i dont think the price would be too high, i just don't think the demand is high enough for it. average people would have to do too much research to see the benefits of their new retro line of components, as opposed to their newer looking stuff.

build quality could definatly use a boost....but appearance is just a sign of the times. too expensive to appeal to people like us for a company to come out with a seperate retro line with different build quality.
 
Outlaw did a retro receiver. HK has at least one serious stereo receiver. But like most things, J6P equates marketing hype over actual substance, so no way could anything with two channels and less than a kabillowatt be worth it.

I think companies are catching on that SACD et al isn't where it is. Vinyl outsells it by a wide margin, and that alone may lead to more dedicated analog 2-channel in the future. I bet we see a return of faux-wood side panels in the not-too-distant future. Urushi, anyone?

"...high quality construction and build quality. The lettering is engraved, the knobs are solid aluminum with 2 set screws each! This thing was built in the early 70's....Can't this sort of thing be built again or would the price point simply be too high?"

Way too high. Thousand plus. Silkscreening, plastic, light guage metal replaces all and it's too expensive to ship this stuff anymore.
 
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An interesting idea. I have wondered that myself, if maybe the marketing departments will take a look at the selling price of vintage gear and realize they are competing with themselves.

One problem might be the availiblity of parts. We really don't know what caused the audio industry to change.

Did the black plastic trend begin with an attempt to push up profits, or was it because of a lack of parts. Everything else was switching to touch logic switches, did the audio industry have to follow and plastic become manditory to machine the faceplates?

The audio industry is small compaired to the rest of the elctronics world. Would there be enough interest to start building variable capacitors again? Would someone think they could buck the ipod trend with a reel to reel?

There seems to be a ready made audience, do they care, or are there enough of us?
 
Like this? :)
The cost is quite reasonable for American made with things like hand wound transformers, quality and finish second to none.


Carl

275-3.jpg
 
CarlV said:
Like this? :)
The cost is quite reasonable for American made with things like hand wound transformers, quality and finish second to none.


Carl

275-3.jpg
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Gasp, that great picture almost brings tears to my eyes.
 
Holst said:
An interesting idea. I have wondered that myself, if maybe the marketing departments will take a look at the selling price of vintage gear and realize they are competing with themselves.
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I have some pretty serious doubts that any major electronics manufacturer would consider the trafficking in vintage equipment as competition of any real magnitude, if they even cared enough to realize that there is such a niche market- and that's all it is- a niche market.



There seems to be a ready made audience, do they care, or are there enough of us?
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Short answer- no to both questions.
 
Hepcat said:
Gasp, that great picture almost brings tears to my eyes.
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Beautiful - it almost looks like someone carved a chunk off of the front end of a locomotive! (that's a good thing...)
 
I don't think it's in the numbers.
Not enough folks are really into music like us boomers were in the 60's -70's that really seem to CARE about what they're listening too. The Ipod generation just wants their tunes and conveniently.

I remember when I was in college all the guys had nice stereos (even if they didn't have a car) and always were checking out gear and tunes at big record stores and stereo shops. Think about what happened to Allied Radio, Pacific Stereo, Tech HiFi, Flanner and Hafsoos, Hi Fi Fo Fum, Team Electronics, Port O' Sound, Olson Electronics, Heathkit, 1812 Overture Records, Peaches Records, NMC Discount Records, ( I guess my Milwaukee roots are showing, but I'm sure most can paint similar pictures for their hometowns) and on a global scale AR, KLH, Akai, High Fidelity and Stereo Review magazines, etc, etc,.

Simply aren't enough bucks chasing the products to give it a go.

Klipsch probably would be out of business if they olny produced Heritage products; they need ths $$ from the HT fields to keep the doors open.

Don't get me wrong; it would be cool, but I just don't see it happening, especially with the plethora of great vintage stuff still hanging around (doubt it? go look in you garage, or maybe just turn around :lmao:)
 
After 2 two years of production the 275 MkIV's are still selling as fast as they make them.


Carl
 
I think some have tried the retro route but they went back in time even further for their inspiration. There were (are?) a number of cheapie TTs done up to look like very old gear (sorry I'm fairly new to this so I can't quote an exact "era" but I would guess it was more from the 20's through 40's).

And don't forget the Tivoli radio models... retro in appearance (and sound from what I'm told).

Cheers
 
I walked through Circuit City the other day, just seeing if they had any speaker stands... I walked past a display of little Bose speakers that fit into the palm of my hand! They didn't have anything in the store that rivaled the vintage system I have at home! In appearance and certainly not sound quality! I understand the convenience factor, Ipods, mp3's, etc. but at some point won't people start caring about the sound quality again? I wanted to take this little Bose cube outside and see how far I could hit it with a baseball bat!
 
CarlV said:
After 2 two years of production the 275 MkIV's are still selling as fast as they make them.


Carl
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I don't doubt that at all, but Macs always were a niche' market and prolly always will be.
I hate to say it, but I'll bet in 30 more years all this stuff will be ancient history :tears: :tears:
 
I would not say a niche market, there isn't the mass marketing so they are not a household name is more like it.
My MC275 MkIV will be original and fine fine running order in 30 years. Not likely I will be though. ;)


Carl
 
My brother and I were talking about all this yesterday. I think the key to success in a "vintage" line would be not to pitch it as "vintage" or some throwback series. Integrate the beauty and style of the 70's stuff into new equipment. Heck, you could even do it with HT stuff.

All it would take is maybe some glass faceplates again, analog dials (there could be a display in digital as well, kinda like the flouro pioneer stuff), substantial knobs, and most of all, real lamps! Add better build quality and advertise the new units as high end with the specs to back the claim, and you'd have high end beauty again! Even if people didn't realize that it was taking cues from vintage styling, they would just like love the look, take the example of your son choosing the 2252B over the black marantz. The new mustang flourished because it took the old style and modernized it for the times. This is the same exact thing that Pioneer, Marantz, H/k, etc. should be doing with stereo equipment. I think those throwback cars are a perfect sign that people are ready to appreciate good styling again. Same goes for stereos.

Also, for the record, i'm 22 years old. I've shown and auditioned my equipment for my friends, and not ONE has been unimpressed. They are shocked and appalled that such styling exists and is not being applied to current equipment. IMO, the main reason why people of my generation are buying BPC and satisfied is because they are unaware of the old stuff in terms of performance and looks. Even my girlfriend who is uninterested in music for the most part loves the look and sound of the old equipment. There's living proof!
 
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In the 70s and 80s, computers were computers and audio equipment was audio equipment.

The computer age and Moore's law has shifted our expectations of both price and quality. Today we believe that whatever we buy now will be half as expensive and twice as powerful/feature-packed in a year's time.

Today's fast-expanding technology has merged computer hardware and software, along with video and other digital formats, into the audio world. Today's audio equipment is more correctly viewed as multi-media, and is often more computer than anything else. Oh and lets not forget small and portable. Now your entire album collection fits on something the size of a pack of gum.

I'm afraid the age of vintage iron is gone. If anyone revives the 'retro' look, it will be just that, a look.
 
CarlV said:
I would not say a niche market, there isn't the mass marketing so they are not a household name is more like it.
My MC275 MkIV will be original and fine fine running order in 30 years. Not likely I will be though. ;)


Carl
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Naw, they're like the epitome of a niche market, and there's zero wrong with that at all.

"Niche marketing is the process of finding small but potentially profitable market segments and designing custom-made products for them. Niche marketers are often reliant on the loyalty business model to maintain a profitable volume of sales.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niche_market"

I'd say many items of unusual quality are niche' market products (but not necessarily the reverse, there are low end niches too) and would include Rolex, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and any other creme' de la creme brand companies.

As far as the market in 30 years, I think a lot of the gear still may be going strong, but the folks that love to listen to it will be dwindling.
 
i think the start of the downfall of the great stereo's was the yen was worth so much more than the dollar and they had to save costs. so they started making equipment outside of japan with cheaper labor, parts, designs, etc.....

pioneer had some great elite pieces in the 90's even and they quit making them also......

the average consumer doesn't want to pay much for stereo equipment... maybe they will come to their senses and have equipment for us audiophile's that is good and not too expensive....
 
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