It's always something else. It's a shift in demand which is more or less defined as a sufficiently large group of people all wanting same thing at the same time.
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Have you seen Ebay? Would you pay $3000 - 4000 for a Sansui 9090db?
- Thread starter jamiecantar
- Start date
It's always something else. It's a shift in demand which is more or less defined as a sufficiently large group of people all wanting same thing at the same time.
My money says most of "the next generation" couldn't care less about the gear we care about and I would suspect prices will begin falling for much of our nostalgia as the boomers dwindle. One of my daughters has a vintage receiver/turntable/speakers, but it was not in use at her old apartment, and the speakers are the base for a glass plate plant stand in her new condo and not hooked up. The other has no sound system detectable.
Sell your spares and backups before they wind up like the aforementioned Beanie Babies going for a buck each...
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Bone Yard
Super Member
I think a fun examination would many Sansui 9090's have sold on Ebay over the year, I can't believe it's many, sure some were bargains but not many.
Also if you have some free time, get on some of the Chinese Search Engines and look up the equipment, they also have auction sites and vintage audio sales over there but not at the bargain prices we have.
Also if you have some free time, get on some of the Chinese Search Engines and look up the equipment, they also have auction sites and vintage audio sales over there but not at the bargain prices we have.
Adamo0926
Active Member
Very well said......but I really don't think anything is "overpriced" if there is a market value for it. But I partially agree with that assessment anyway.....like I think there is art that looks like a 3rd grader did a finger painting on a canvas and it sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars....and sometimes millions. I would say that is overpriced...but if people are willing to bid and pay for it, is it really "overpriced". I think it would be overpriced only if nobody would purchase the item at that price.
I think audio is a balance for most of us between getting great sound along with collector value and owning a piece of audio history. For me the sound is number 1 but the nostalgia and collector part is a close 2nd. That's what makes this whole hobby so much fun and so enjoyable in my opinion.
I recently got into separates and thus am not really listening to any of my 4 legendary receivers.....yet I will still be hesitant to part with them. I will likely keep 1 or 2 of the four. One is already listed. But I like owning those legendary receivers that are a BIG part of audio history even though my Hafler separates have surpassed them.
Be careful about making long range predictions. Who would have guessed vinyl would have gained popularity with a demographic that was born long after it had been considered dead? Frankly, I don't see "traditional hi fi" going anywhere in the foreseeable future.
Maybe it’s because I’m turning 70 this year and have dealt with the estates of both of our parents, Kegger, and others, plus have been buying and selling gear for at least 20 years that I feel this way. I’ve seen too much stuff that was once valuable fall by the wayside. Hopefully streaming won’t do to vinyl what it has to video, but honestly, I intend to sell off 90% of my physical media, since much of it goes unplayed and is available in acceptable quality online for the price of a single new release. $12.99/month for Quboz HiRez is a screaming bargain, especially when my phone takes it with me anywhere I have coverage.
I'll disagree with that, I'm finding the market is shifting over hard to millennials these days, and that's one of the reasons for the spike in prices -- more competition in the market. They're inheriting boomer money now, like to collect things, and have an insatiable desire for mid century styling and anything with a Marantz badge on it. This is the reason a 2500 has risen in price by around $5k over the last five years, and why a small watt Marantz receiver can now fetch $1000.
My experience with my late 20s daughters and their college grad friends is different, as only my eldest has any interest in vintage audio and none have much, if any hard, copy media. Streaming from their phones or laptops to Bluetooth devices rules the roost.
I may be wrong about the future, but now is great time to sell one’s unused vintage audio, as the OP indicates.
I may be wrong about the future, but now is great time to sell one’s unused vintage audio, as the OP indicates.
My experience with my early 30’s and mid 20’s daughters and their friends is they are the same as we were when I was growing up in the 70’s and early 80’s. Most everyone is into music, a few are into it at a high level of play back.
Same as it ever was…
The ones that where into my system when they were in High School are the ones that have nice systems now.
Same as it ever was…
The ones that where into my system when they were in High School are the ones that have nice systems now.
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My daughters were born into it like I was (my dad always had/has nice stuff)… they didn’t have much of a chance to be normal about it
They have nothing special. Oldest has my 350a and KLH 17’s an uncle gave me in 1976 and the youngest has Adcom separates and KG-4’s she stole from me.
Edit: and when I say their friends it’s all dudes.
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Yup, there comes a point in some guy's lives where they just start spending too much on stereo equipment.
Last three small Marantz receivers I took out of storage were all sold to guys around 30 or so who didn't think twice about paying the current rate for a nice example. They like the aesthetic and will probably use them to play records and stream with a DAC I would imagine, they all seemed really into audio and sort of knowledgeable in their own way. Youngsters are also verrry into cassette decks atm, and it's driven the price of many units (and tapes) sky high the last couple years. It's all good, different generations find different ways to do the same things.
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gizzyman47
Addicted Member
I don't get why so many AK'ers get so upset about current prices. Yes, it would be great if you could still buy such and such brand for next to nothing, but things change. It's good for the ones that bought when the prices were still low. Bad for the ones just getting into vintage audio.
Nothing stays the same forever. Stocks, muscle cars, housing, ect... Coulda, woulda shoulda.
Nothing stays the same forever. Stocks, muscle cars, housing, ect... Coulda, woulda shoulda.
Probably because many of them sold out for little or nothing years ago and are now regretting it. Now they must come up reasons why x shouldn't be worth $y.
Nobody but nobody... complains when their stuff goes up in value.
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Taketheflame
Super Member
I'm one of those 30-somethings guilty of helping support a robust vintage market. Yes, some of us love the old school aesthetic/sound, and vinyl and DACs are the usual sources. Although I'm also guilty of contributing to the cassette renaissance too - and FM is alive and well in my household.Yup, there comes a point in some guy's lives where they just start spending too much on stereo equipment.
Last three small Marantz receivers I took out of storage were all sold to guys around 30 or so who didn't think twice about paying the current rate for a nice example. They like the aesthetic and will probably use them to play records and stream with a DAC I would imagine, they all seemed really into audio and sort of knowledgeable in their own way. Youngsters are also verrry into cassette decks atm, and it's driven the price of many units (and tapes) sky high the last couple years. It's all good, different generations find different ways to do the same things.
On another note, I just ended up making an unexpected turntable purchase today. I just wanna reiterate that good deals do still exist - but it does require patience from local searches and not getting caught in the madness that is eBay
Sharpstik
Stuck in the 70's
Correct.
And that is what I have done. In the last 3 years:
Two restored 1010s, a restored Kenwood 8050, a restored 780 and a few others. I made little to no money on any of them. The 1010s were magnificent pieces with way over 150 parts replaced and I barely got a thousand for each one.
There is a store local to me , this guy buys this stuff and sells it for retail. In the last year I noticed he had about a half dozen lower end Marantz. Most are still sitting there. With 3/4 hundred dollar price tags.
I did not sell my stuff to him . He wouldn’t touch the 1010s I had . Even with two pages of data sheets.
I have no idea where these spenders are, I can’t locate any. I have a gorgeous Pioneer on cl now for months, can’t get an inquiry. Too many of these look great on the shelf, but stay quiet. At least 6.
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Sharpstik
Stuck in the 70's
Yup .
I’ve got an 850 and ‘sui 8 here, like you. And yes the 850 is restored and I thought it was better than my 1010s.
There’s a free Marantz 2240 and a 10 buck 2285 here also . I had an AK’er restore them for me, but I’m not sure if I will sell those.
Sharpstik
Stuck in the 70's
Ya think , lol ?
I had about 100 Mad Magazines here from the 60s and 70s that , out of 3 local comic book dealers, two didn’t want them and one offered to buy them at .25 each .
And they were nice ones.
They went to eBay, where I barely got a dollar a piece.
grillebilly
Empty Head
They sold a zillion of Mad Magazines. They were at every drug store in the country. Look at the super-hero stuff from Marvel. The ones you actually had to go look for. Maybe the movie popularity has an effect on pricing.