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I'm regressing

Wigwam Jones

Wigwam Jones

Caesar non supra grammati
I'm no stranger to audio equipment from various eras. And I have what some would consider relatively high end equipment ( no, nothing truly high end, call it medium high end). I love good music played on good systems.

Lately, however, I've found myself thrilled by old equipment. And I mean old. Definitely not high end, or even middle.

I recently purchased a Garrard Type A. It came with a GE VR II cart. I'm playing it over an Aiyima El cheapo amp (modern of course) and a set of also recently purchased Wharfedale W40 speakers.

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Freaking magical. I feel like putting my Luxman away.

What's happening to me?
 
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completely normal.

As we age, things from the times of our youth tend to get rediscovered and very often, cherished. Things that you had once, things that we never had but wanted, or things that just remind us of older times. Things always look a little better than they were when we are looking back at them.

I still listen to 8 track because my dad used to play them in the car when I was still a squirt. certainly not for the audio quality, but that loud mechanical "kachunk kachunk" on track change just kicks off the memories for me.

Never underestimate the nostalgia effect.....
 
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Keep in mind that YOU drive the system, and IT doesn't drive you.


Many fall into the above "rabbit hole", wherein the music takes second place.

Looks like you have some decent gear. However, if you think to upgrade (eventually), go for what you consider to be the proverbial "weak link", splurge...then sit back an re-enjoy again.

FWIW

Q
 
I switched from SS to tubes some years back. I've built 99% of my gear from either scratch or kits.
My favorite amp in my main system is almost an exact clone of an old design. A 17wpc Dynaco ST-35. It just gets everything right for me.
An amp I listen to a lot to at my bench when building, doing repaires, and making modifications is a PP tube amp out of an old stereo console. It's only rated for about 10wpc but it sounds very nice also. I've made a lot of mods to it like replacing the tube rectifier with SS diodes, updated power supply, etc. But I really like the old thing. So I get it.
 

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Wigwam Jones said:
I'm no stranger to audio equipment from various eras. And I have what some would consider relatively high end equipment ( no, nothing truly high end, call it medium high end). I love good music played on good systems.

Lately, however, I've found myself thrilled by old equipment. And I mean old. Definitely not high end, or even middle.

I recently purchased a Garrard Type A. It came with a GE VR II cart. I'm playing it over an Aiyima El cheapo amp (modern of course) and a set of also recently purchased Wharfedale W40 speakers.

View attachment 3416410

Freaking magical. I feel like putting my Luxman away.

What's happening to me?
Click to expand...
Sometimes less is more ! I had a Sherwood 7100a with some epi cube speakers and was amazed at the sound no it wasn’t detailed but it just sounded magical , sold it to friend can’t keep them all !
 
Wigwam Jones said:
Lately, however, I've found myself thrilled by old equipment. And I mean old. Definitely not high end, or even middle.
Click to expand...

I've done the same thing with no regrets. A few years ago, I had a VOM tube suitcase turntable with built-in speakers. The fidelity was horrible from the musical reproduction to the mechanical noises it made while playing an album. I loved it for listening to old 78s, often operas or instrumentals. It was just fun to listen to and took me back to another era. I currently have a Sony reel-to-reel that once again is not the highest in 'fi'. I've got a better reel unit but the little Sony is a joy to listen to. There's not always any rhyme or reason to our audio choices/enjoyment.
 
I love period correct music equipment, got some old Les Baxter Albums? a nice tube amp and old table might be just the ticket for cool sonics.

Unfortunately a ton of this equipment was not cool in the later 70's and tossed out, it can be very difficult to find locally. I've got enough to put together a decent system; Heathkit A9, Eico Tube HFT-90 Tuner, Stephens Tru Sonic Single Speaker and maybe an old TT somewhere. Older music sounds wonderful and not so clinical like it can on a decent newer system. I did get rid of my giant AKAI pre-M8 tube R2R, it just took up too much room but worked fine.

Good luck with your quest, I always thought it would be interesting to hear something like Frank Sinatra's Stereo.
 
I've always felt that audio was more a matter of taste than a real opportunity to experience anything like true perfection. Perfection might be the thing that sounds like live music, but there's no audio system that I'm aware of that can fool a listener with good ears into believing that they're listening to live music. Then there's the fact that so many recordings, even whole genres, don't even pretend to capture a live experience, so things are even more subjective. Everything colors the sound in some way, so we choose the colors we like...
 
Bone Yard said:
I love period correct music equipment, got some old Les Baxter Albums? a nice tube amp and old table might be just the ticket for cool sonics.
Click to expand...
Les Baxter?!! I have a few LPs, but also Martin Denny and Arthur Lymon. I have to suffer listening to that stuff on an old transistor amp and newer table, cart, phono pre and speakers, but it all sounds pretty good to me. I could image that there might be a really nice vibe happening with that kind of music though a tube amp and other vintage gear.

Funny, I became aware of this kind of music in the 90s, when I few friends started hoarding these old albums and I didn't really get it. It just came off as cheesy, and I suppose that it does have that element to it, but I've come to really enjoy this kind of stuff... and have built a pretty good collection of it. Prices for those LPs have gone up quite a bit, but occasionally I'll still find a bargain on something I don't own...
 
I always grabbed any Les Baxter, Martin Denny and Ventures Albums back in the day when they were pretty much a dollar. I got hooked on exotica from the local AM 1400 station that used to play all kinds of cool, swinging music until they sold out in the 2000's. I had no idea those albums had any value, there used to be a lot of them out there.

I always thought it sounded great on my tubed Silvertone All-In-One, there's a photo on here years ago where I first got that thing working over Christmas and they were playing 50's Christmas Music on the radio.
 
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