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Classic High-End Gear

Problem with these threads is..
Everything under the sun eventually gets recommended ... and the line between "Vintage" and "Classic" gets blurred ..

Vintage is old .. and IMHO, mostly a fad ..
Classic pieces have always been, and continue to be desirable based on their inherent State of the ART sonics ..

50 years of a bad audiophile habit have made me particular ..
 
Akustic said:
Problem with these threads is..
Everything under the sun eventually gets recommended ... and the line between "Vintage" and "Classic" gets blurred ..

Vintage is old .. and IMHO, mostly a fad ..
Classic pieces have always been, and continue to be desirable based on their inherent State of the ART sonics ..

50 years of a bad audiophile habit have made me particular ..
Click to expand...

True.

But who decides what is classic and what is vintage?

I have a big 1980's yamaha amp, a naim integrated from like 2010 and some ADS speakers from the 70's - all of which I think are classics...and some will call them vintage.

The thing that keeps this hobby interesting is subjectivity.
 
johnkent77 said:
True.
But who decides what is classic and what is vintage?
I have a big 1980's yamaha amp, a naim integrated from like 2010 and some ADS speakers from the 70's - all of which I think are classics...and some will call them vintage.
The thing that keeps this hobby interesting is subjectivity.
Click to expand...

My wife likes little Bose bluetooth speakers ..different strokes applies, but

I would have to say it depends on the designer and the intent of the piece from conception as a starter ..
If it was intended to, and did in some way approach or further the State of the Art, and remained in demand for successive years that's "Classic "..

Back to car analogies .. an old Ferrari is a classic .. an old Chevette is just an old car ..
 
johnkent77 said:
True.

But who decides what is classic and what is vintage?

I have a big 1980's yamaha amp, a naim integrated from like 2010 and some ADS speakers from the 70's - all of which I think are classics...and some will call them vintage.

The thing that keeps this hobby interesting is subjectivity.
Click to expand...

Akustic said:
My wife likes little Bose bluetooth speakers ..different strokes applies, but

I would have to say it depends on the designer and the intent of the piece from conception as a starter ..
If it was intended to, and did in some way approach or further the State of the Art, and remained in demand for successive years that's "Classic "..

Back to car analogies .. an old Ferrari is a classic .. an old Chevette is just an old car ..
Click to expand...

You guys seem to be forgetting the thread title. It's Classic High End Gear.
 
Would the Luxman C-5000A preamp from 1979 qualify?

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c-5000a-in.jpg


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As I am now finding out by my recent acquisition, the Proton AP1000.
Classic dual mono construction, quality parts, construction-and very useful features.
It really gives you a great taste of what a high end preamp sounds like, at a budget price.
Very detailed, yet completely natural sounding with a huge, stable soundstage.
After messing around with (overly) colored sound, but fun stuff-I really forgot what I was missing, till I installed this in my system.
Nice to get back to the 'basics", so to speak-and it's sound reminds very much of the best sounding systems I have had the privilege of hearing over the years...….it has all the good stuff in the right proportions for the most part....as many have mentioned-hit's well above it's 'mid-fi' categorization...
Pretty cool stuff!!
Proton AP1000 1.jpg
Proton AP1000 2.jpg
 
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Ok-not the prettiest amplifier out there, but with the exception of the Madrigal/H-K Signature amps, this was the last in a classic line of Harman Kardon SS amps-and it's best incarnation IMHO, stable, powerful, transparent, and the ability to drive any speaker out there to satisfying levels.
You can see the family resemblance between the HK 870, Citation 24, and it's added transparency, and uncolored bass (and stability over time) is a welcome addition over these great amps.
Also the auto turn on features solves the worn out power switch issues-and very convienant!!
PA2400.jpg
 
automojo said:
Ok-not the prettiest amplifier out there, but with the exception of the Madrigal/H-K Signature amps, this was the last in a classic line of Harman Kardon SS amps-and it's best incarnation IMHO, stable, powerful, transparent, and the ability to drive any speaker out there to satisfying levels.
You can see the family resemblance between the HK 870, Citation 24, and it's added transparency, and uncolored bass (and stability over time) is a welcome addition over these great amps.
Also the auto turn on features solves the worn out power switch issues-and very convienant!!
View attachment 1613091
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Heatsink shape similar to the XX.
 
sKiZo said:
Granted quad is an acquired taste, but ... hail to the king! The Sansui QRX-9001 was top of the line and state of the art in quadraphonic development, and certainly more that capable of satisfying most any power hungry afficianados as well ... 2X mode can tickle 200wpc.

Also a purty lil thang ...

completed2.jpg

I figure I put a good hundred hours into the restoration over the span of several months ... and don't regret a minute of it!
Click to expand...

Absolutely stunning job :bowdown:
 
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