Poll: acquiring more vintage gear

[theblackknight]

Do you buy anything and everything you see thats related to vintage audio if its a decent price? do you "impulse buy"? Or only the stuff you need? or only certain pieces fit your collection? or only to improve SQ?


poll coming........

 

[bolly]

hey henry, I'm at the point now where I'll really only buy a MINT piece, or TOTL piece, cosmetics being most important. Oh yeah, I still keep my eyes peeled for them dusty ol' toob thingys too!

 

[panhead]

This is a toughy,i voted other.

I collect vintage gear & use modern gear,my main interests in vintage gear are mostly vintage Mcintosh gear but i will leap on a classic speaker system if its priced right & near me.

I refuse to pay top dollar for anything that i just plan on storing,if i plan on using it right away i'll pay top dollar but if its a peice i want to add to the collection i have to get a great deal & it must be an 8 out of 10 minimum.

 

[dogscanskate]

I voted "other" because I concentrate more on the lp's and cd's than the gear! I'll cherry pick my way around gear but it would have to be something absolutely incredible ( stand alone phono section, high end tt...) to incite me to bite! If I can't integrate it with my gear, I pass and let someone else grab the gear.

 

[Mystic]

My "collecting" is confined pretty much to the odd vintage (or not-so-vintage) McIntosh component and, rarely, a pair of speakers that are interesting to try with the McIntosh components. Still, if I happen to spy a cool old SS or tube piece in a garage/yard sale or at an antique store (this does happen in the area where I live), and the price is right, I'll collect it. Don't sell much; supposed to by agreement with SO, but I tend to accumulate components and LPs.

 

[Mark W.]

I will buy a piece or pieces if I know that I can turn a good profit since I pretty much have the gear I want and I can always use funds towards having another unit refreshed.

I would buy if something came up that fit into my system or I thought would be good to turn a friend on to.

I would pass on the majority of good deals if they were not going to be plugged in and working within a month or too I don't need to store anything else around here.

 

[RichPA]

OK, I voted for "premeditate" because that's my official policy - but of course there's the $7 amp I recently bought off eBay because ... well, just because

 

[motorstereo]

I've been turning up my nose at some pretty good bargains lately. Seems I only buy now if it's an upgrade of a component I already have. No sir no more sx950s, kabuki speakers and japanese tt's cluttering up my space. It's debatable how long that frame of mind may last though.

 

[Njord Noatun]

Bolly and I think alike this one (I voted "Other - Please specify"). I live in a small beach house with a family and a large dog. Due to the constraints imposed on this hobby by these factors, these are my guidelines (somewhat flexible - self constraint is demanding!):

1. The unit must be one that I have researched and decided I might be interested in getting.
2. It must be minty mint.
3. It must be TOTL or near TOTL.
4. I must have space and a use for it in my day to day life (if I don't, I must be willing to let one of my current pieces go to make room for the new unit).

If all these parameters are met, price doesn't really matter.

By the same token, if one, or more, of the parameters is not met, I am happy to walk away from that "great deal" or "score": To me, this hobby is about conservatorship, not flipping gear to make a few bucks: Shipping risks are unacceptably high.

All the best,

 

[krimney]

buying style has changed

I used to buy just about anything so long as it was decent stuff and not BPC. As I eventually ran out of room to store the stuff, I cut back to only buying higher end stuff or if it was really cheap.

I'm now at the point where I've had some really good stuff including BA-5000, G-33000, NS-1000M, Tannoy Monitor reds, Quad ESL -57, SR-2004 and HPM-100., Now it's more about enjoying what I have rather than trying something new.

I can honestly say, I enjoy music just as much on an old pair of no-name 2 way with good sound than on some of my better gear. With the better gear that I may have spent a couple garnd on I EXPECT it to sound better and it doesn't always. Or I find myself being critical of some little nuance instead of just enjoying the music.

I think my next step is to get some new/near new components to pair with some vintage speakers.

 

[spartanmanor]

If it is a good deal that I know I can sell for a good profit sure I will buy it, funds for what I want. I have reached the stage where there are pieces that I want and will pay the price to better my system.

 

[tentoze]

The only possible reason I would buy another piece of vintage equipment is if I had someone in mind to give it to, immediately. Other than that, I never want to see another piece come in the door.

 

[Urizen]

I have reached the point of implosion, here. I have picked up some nice gear in the last few years, but I am running out of room to store it all.

I am ready to sell the majority of it, and buy some good stuff, that I will use on a daily basis, and free up a room in my house.

I am going to turn one of my spare bedrooms into a dedicated listening room, instead of using it as storage space for things that others could be enjoying.

Ken

 

[Jovinyl]

I still look for gear when I go on LP hunts. Don't see much out there anymore. Non tech. Have three small Reciever's that need service. I'll Get those done one of these days. Have all I want right now. Won't pass a deal on the power houses though or other audio units.

 

[Twenty20Man]

I always my eye out for specific receivers Pioneer, Yamaha and a couple others on a piece basis. as long as they will clean up and be presentable thats important to me.

 

[thedelihaus]

I'll admit, as long as I have the money, I'll almost buy anything and everything audio related if its at a decent price, and, as long as I have the room.

I recently passed on some more Micro Acoustics and a Rotel receiver- but I just couldn't bring home another piece of gear- not untill my apartment is set up. Just not now.

Stuff I pick up- I can usually re-sell it, with some items breaking even, others showing profit, others taking a loss. I also give a few pieces away. In the end, I break close to even.

In regards to what I keep- it's a small selection of gear, really. Either I really wanted it for a long time, or can really use it, or it's a big improvement to my setup.

It's a hobby and passion of mine. It helps keep me going. I had a run of bad situations, and this hobby is not only a passion, but a therapy for me.

This past week and weekend, I've given away two pair of Baby Advent IIs, a Pioneer SX-680, a later Pioneer black plastic reciever, sold a Technics TT, gave a Technics TT away, almost sold an Awia tape deck (belts went- foiled that plan with a thunk!!!), accidentally gave away a Technics cassette deck, gave away a Nakamichi cassette deck and two Yamaha cassette decks,

This following week I'm giving away a handful of CD players, a JVC tt, a BSR tt, two Pioneer SX-550s, three more pair Baby Advent IIs, a Sony vintage receiver, possibly a HK/330i receiver, an audio timer or two, maybe selling a Sony TT for a friend, a stack of records, and some Large Advents and possibly a few other speakers.

I've lost a bit of cash in this, but minimal- maybe I'm not a good businessman, but the happiness I get from hooking a friend worse off than me (or maybe better off, but in need of a friend and some good cheer) up with a system, and also keeping these fine vintage pieces out of landfills, well, that's gold to me.

 

[sansui9090]

If it is a good deal that I know I can sell for a good profit sure I will buy it, funds for what I want. I have reached the stage where there are pieces that I want and will pay the price to better my system.

Yeah, thats what I do in a Nutshell.
EG : I recenlty bought a Yamaha B-2 Power amp wich is a Keeper and I paid the going price for it. To fund that purchase, I flipped a few mid-fi amps and turntables that I picked up cheap at garage sales.
If I make a profit from a deal, it just goes back to buying more CD's, LP's or bettering the listeing experience. :thmbsp:

My 2c
Mark

 

[Damage]

Buying audio stuff at the thift stores is like looking at porn.

 

[thedelihaus]

Buying audio stuff at the thift stores is like looking at pron.

I Agree!!!

 

[Arkay]

I've been getting MUCH more selective about what comes in, and clearing out a bunch of mid-fi stuff - mostly acqurired during the first few months I was into vintage gear. More and more, I'm resisting the "tyrrany of the temptation" and the "kid in a candy shop" syndrome, to emphasize quality over quantity.

I'm increasingly narrowing down what items I'll bring home. Units don't have to be TOTL, but nearly so (upper couple of models in a series), or at least higher/better models than what I already have. For example, I happily grabbed an SX-1050, since I don't yet have an SX-1250 or SX-1980, but I don't bother with three-digit SX series models, now that I have the 1050. I happily picked up a Sony STR-V6, although there is a V7 model beyond it. I would pass up on an STR-V5, since I already have the V6. I would pick up a Sansui G-8000 or above, but regularly pass up on lower models like the G-3500.

If I bring home speakers or a turntable, at least one pair has to go out in exchange; I won't add to the number of those that I have, and want to gradually reduce the number. I sold two turntables a few days ago, but haven't bought any new ones, so I'm making progress in that direction. I bought three pairs of speakers in the past few weeks, but have taken three sets (one a 5.1 system) for sale, so that is also progress. I'll only bring home speakers that I KNOW (from reading here, at least ) are really good-sounding; I don't buy unknown speakers out of simple curiousity to hear them, any more.

I've also grown pickier about what condition I'll accept. Gear can be dusty and dirty, wooden cases can have minor scratches that will sand out, but nothing can be damaged in ways that I can't restore to near-mint cosmetic condition. For example, a few tiny scratches around the volume knob would be acceptable on the faceplate of an amp, but a big gouge or broken-off corner would not be. [Exceptions would be made for really-rare units like a Marantz 500 amp, if I could find one! ]

Since I buy at wholesale, I often cannot test gear before buying it. I always assume some functional repair work will be needed. After all, even when the unit still works (which they often do), controls should be cleaned, aged caps should be replaced and things adjusted/aligned, anyway.

What has changed for me, significantly, is ... I do buy boomboxes, which I never used to. I've started buying the bigger and rarer models because I can do so in a market where they are available and not highly valued, when most collectors who want them in other locations cannot find them. Due to this difference in supply and demand, I can make money from those, so I buy some for resale. I'm keeping a very small, select collection of a few of the rarest "holy grail" ones for myself, like a beautiful TOTL Marantz PMS-7000, but the rest I only buy for eventual resale. If the prices on the "keepers" goes up enough, I might sell them all. Flipping some of these helps to fund other vintage purchases.