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Vintage against new stuff

DVjorge

DVjorge

Active Member
Hi guys,
Do you think vintage receivers and amplifiers may sound better than new stuff such as Rotel, Nad, Parasound, Cambridge Audio, etc.?? Let say a well keep or recapped vintage Marantz, Sansui, Pioneer, etc. The question is if it worths to keep the old stuff or is better to get newer gears to get a better sound since the technology has advanced. I don't mean digital playbacks but amplifiers and receivers.
Thanks,
Jorge.
 
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I'm not a critical listener, and I would never claim to be an audiophile. That said, for your basic class A/B amp, not much has changed. There were some great designs in the past, and some great designs today. It all comes down to cost.
 
Its a matter of what you like, not 'better' or 'worse'. Some really like the way vintage gear sounds. Some prefer modern stuff. In either case, its less a matter of vintage vs new than it is the good stuff vs. the bad. There's excellent gear from any time period. I'm listening to a brand new receiver acting as a preamp into an amp from around 1980 into speakers from the late '90s with the source being a CD player from 4 years ago. A hodge podge of years, but all chosen because I thought it was the best at what it does.
 
The pieces in my main system at the moment cover a timespan of four decades or so, from a tube tuner that was made in the mid-60s to a phono pre that's still in production. For me it's a matter of finding what works for me on a very limited budget. Having said that, most of the gear I have in use would have to be classified as "vintage". The important point is that it has to sound fine or it doesn't stay around.
 
I do prefer the new middle to totl stuff. Plus you have most of the time trouble free stuff in your set up.
 
Duke Ellington said: "There are only two kinds of music...good and bad."

As JohnVF said above, you can apply the exact same logic to audio gear. During the time that "vintage" equipment was being made, there was high quality gear, and low quality gear. The same is true today.

If you compare the best of then to the best of now, they will both sound great. Generally, used is less expensive than new. Unless you're comparing something that has collectors' value in addition to practical value, and then it's no longer only about the sound.

Decide how much money you want to spend, and then just listen. Follow your ears.
 
DVjorge said:
Hi guys,
Do you think vintage receivers and amplifiers may sound better than new stuff such as Rotel, Nad, Parasound, Cambridge Audio, etc.?? Let say a well keep or recapped vintage Marantz, Sansui, Pioneer, etc. The question is if it worths to keep the old stuff or is better to get newer gears to get a better sound since the technology has advanced. I don't mean digital playbacks but amplifiers and receivers.
Thanks,
Jorge.
Click to expand...

I own both vintage and modern and have compared the two in my system. The vintage stuff held its own quite well against the modern gear. Where the modern gear excelled IMO is in the areas of transparency, imaging and midrange purity, and then not by leaps and bounds. Although the modern gear was better overall, a couple of the vintage pieces each had at least one area of performance that I preferred over the modern gear.
 
I like vintage gear over modern gear because:

Cost. I'm on a budget and I bought a lot of vintage equipment for cheap.

I like the looks. Silver, meters, dial tuning, easy to read. Reminds me of an old muscle car.

Easy to repair. Most vintage equipment come with transistors, resistors, diodes and capacitors. Most modern equipment come with IC's which are hard if not impossible to find.

I don't like digital readouts or presets. It's nice when I'm driving, but at home I do not like.

I listen to the radio a lot. In most modern 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound receivers, the FM and AM sections have something to be desired. Both sensitivity and selectivity are not good. On vintage equipment, tuners bring in weak stations with ease and the signal is strong. In the age of digital radios, most AM/FM tuner sections were put in as an afterthought.

It is just a matter of tastes. I like vintage equipment for those reasons. I'm sure there are fine pieces out there, but a little too much for my budget.
 
That depends on which peaces you are compairing. For instance, if you compair my (self recapped) sansui AU-919 or my kenwood L-05m mono amps (self recapped) to some of the new Luxman integrated amps. The only way to know the answer to something like this is for someone to have all this stuff on hand to live with for a while. I'm sure I would love the Luxman. I just don't know how my stuff would compair. I would think that the Luxman should come out ahead. Who's to say? :scratch2:
 
DVjorge said:
Hi guys,
The question is if it worths to keep the old stuff or is better to get newer gears to get a better sound since the technology has advanced. I don't mean digital playbacks but amplifiers and receivers.
Thanks,
Jorge.
Click to expand...



"My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never."

Another Ellington quote worth noting

"There are two kinds of worries - those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter."


Steve
 
Awww, beautiful pets there Steve. I'm partial to labs myself.

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JohnVF said:
And the best looking new stuff, IMHO, looks like old stuff. (Leben and Luxman.)
Click to expand...

Get the new stuff and look after them.

In time they will become vintage.

The are some new Luxman amp, Spendor speakers, and VPI turntable on my list.:music: :D :thmbsp:
 
Balifly said:
Get the new stuff and look after them.

In time they will become vintage.

The are some new Luxman amp, Spendor speakers, and VPI turntable on my list.:music: :D :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

Or maybe Accuphase? Any era of Accuphase is among the best looking stuff out there.
 
Vintage gear has personality. Newer stuff tends to look cold and clinical, IMO.
Presentation is part of the experience.
Plus, I love analog controls ... dials, meters, switchs, etc.
 
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