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Vintage speakers are getting ridiculously over priced

When It came time for 6.0 home theatre I wanted speakers to match my Concert Grands, Moorish. I waited and waited for a pair of 4005 Symphony. We'll they never appeared, but I finally found a regular pair for $400.00 5 years ago. So I drove to Phoenix from West texas to pick them up. I got an extra midrange and woofer, too. I added super tweeters with a passive crossover, and bi-amped them. F inding a matching Urei crossover was a real trick though it only cost me a few dollars. Next came the 313 rear side speakers, $250. Not a bad deal either except I had to recap the crossovers repair a broken spider wire on one of the midranges, and touch up the cabinets. So 720 dollars got me speakers and crossovers. Another $3000.00 got me the MC 206 power amp for the rears and bi-amping the center. Later on I removed the 206 and installed another 207,. So today if I went thru the same process I could easily spend almost $10,000. The price of the speakers has almost quadrupled, the crossovers aren't available anymore, and the 206 price is still holding its own if you add shipping. But its cheaper than buying slightly used 4435's and 4430's from JBL or a bunch of DD series stuff . I would still use the 207 amps and bi-amp, so no change there. But then again if I went with 601's or my Favorite 1.2K amps for the front and 301's for the sides and back, I'd really be broke. So thank heaven for vinatge speakers. They are still a great value at any price. Speakers of today just don't put out the same unless you pay the big bucks.
 
sKiZo said:
It's OUR age driving the prices. All the boomers retiring and having attacks of nostalgia ...

On the bright side, only a few more years to go - I figure "classic" gear prices should only quadruple before they begin to bottom out again ...
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I guess my nostalgic attack started in the early 70's and never ended. Note I am still running the original speakers and amp I bought new in the middle of that hi fi nostalgic age, the mid 70's!
 
toxcrusadr said:
Makes you wonder what the next wave is going to be. As in, what is considered old and outdated but not old enough to be desirable so everyone is tossing it now, but in 20 years it will be worth a small fortune. :idea:
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Flip-phones, tube TVs & VHS decks. Hit the transfer station, start warehousing 'em now!;)
 
If tube television sets hadn't become valuable collectibles by now, chances are it will never occur.

A handful of portable "futuristic" styled models from the '60s/early '70s have become hot collectibles but to my knowledge, those are SS.

I doubt VCRs will be going anywhere, anytime soon.
 
No, as far as TV's go, Predictas, Sylouette Halolights, etc., most all are tube. The only SS ones I can think of that are really collectable is the Zenith Avanti and the JVC Videosphere, and that's more for their spacey design, than the fact that it's solid state. There are television collectors, just that the market is so much smaller. Plus you really need to be able to work on your own set because there are not many others who do these days. That and the fact that CRTs are no longer able to be rebuilt, anywhere in the world at this time, tends to keep some people away.

If Hi fi is anything like radio collecting, there will be another 15-20 years, then the market will collapse. The antique radio market peaked in the 1990's. People like to collect what they are familiar with.
 
62caddy said:
If tube television sets hadn't become valuable collectibles by now, chances are it will never occur.
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actually those into retro gaming seek out the sony trinitron. ive no idea how valuable they might become but they sure are not being made anymore.
 
toxcrusadr said:
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Makes you wonder what the next wave is going to be. As in, what is considered old and outdated but not old enough to be desirable so everyone is tossing it now, but in 20 years it will be worth a small fortune. :idea:
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What I would predict would be NOS Apple iPods from the 1st or 2nd generation. You can still find them cheap , but prices are going up since at the time , no one would have left an iPod unopened! Also, black faced gear from the early '80s like the early Pioneer Elites, Onkyo P304/M504 combo or similar, Sansui AU-x901, AU-x701...the shiny black face with rosewood side panels...I believe they will become the next classics...
 
Sparkie said:
actually those into retro gaming seek out the sony trinitron. ive no idea how valuable they might become but they sure are not being made anymore.
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Couldn't give away my 36" Sony Wega XBR400 a few months ago. All 250 pounds of it. Donated it to goodwill where it sat on the floor for weeks. That pig was $2500 new. Oh well.
 
Sparkie said:
actually those into retro gaming seek out the sony trinitron. ive no idea how valuable they might become but they sure are not being made anymore.
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Probably the next big thing. Those late 70's early 80's Trinitrons were considered the best there was at the time. Not easy to fix though.

And I too had a 36" Wega. Great picture. Got it for free, gave it away for free. Not too many TV's being made anymore with a built in sub. But yes, 245# is just too much. Takes three people to move and even then, not easily.
 
I can't believe how much prices have gone up on EVERYTHING..lol I just got back into vintage audio almost 2 years ago and I'm so glad I got everything I did back then. My HPM 40's cost me 75 and they are mint. My HPM 100's cost me 150 and they are beautiful with the exception of a couple of scuffs on the top of the cabinets. My Son's HPM 60's were 100 and they are excellent condition. I regularly check EBAY just to see what they are going for and of course am scouring craigs list everyday. The EBAY prices are outrageous. HPM 40's going and selling for near 300. bout blew my mind.
 
I want the guy who straps consoles to the back of his sedan to send us a picture of one those huge Sonys strapped to his trunk! That's definitely worthy of a place in the 4th of July parade.
 
ggregg said:
No, as far as TV's go, Predictas, Sylouette Halolights, etc., most all are tube. The only SS ones I can think of that are really collectable is the Zenith Avanti and the JVC Videosphere, and that's more for their spacey design, than the fact that it's solid state. There are television collectors, just that the market is so much smaller. Plus you really need to be able to work on your own set because there are not many others who do these days. That and the fact that CRTs are no longer able to be rebuilt, anywhere in the world at this time, tends to keep some people away.

If Hi fi is anything like radio collecting, there will be another 15-20 years, then the market will collapse. The antique radio market peaked in the 1990's. People like to collect what they are familiar with.
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Vintage video gamers seek old TVs because they have the frame rates capability that make all the difference in certain games. Their are professional leagues that have huge competitions --- it is a huge throwback seeing a giant conference room filled with 1980s-1990s TVs
 
SoundsAlike said:
Vintage video gamers seek old TVs because they have the frame rates capability that make all the difference in certain games. Their are professional leagues that have huge competitions --- it is a huge throwback seeing a giant conference room filled with 1980s-1990s TVs
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It's not just the refresh rates. Its also because CRT's aren't fixed pixel displays. Fixed pixel displays look terrible for retro gaming. I got back into it a while back and have a few consoles and my personal console TV is one of the very late model 27" CRT's (made around 2007 or so) because it has a digital tuner for modern reception, new-ish guts, a full compliment of inputs including component video, but is still a CRT and fully "SD" so it doesn't upconvert any signals.

Much like vintage audio gear you have to avoid making the mistake the un-informed do and think all whatevers are created equal. We know that just because a speaker is old/vintage doesn't make it good and so do most (not all) of the people paying inflated prices for things. Same goes for CRT's, VCR's etc., only certain models are sought after. With landfills eating up more CRT's and the crowed wanting them growing, the price might go up. The other major factor preventing an easy sale of a giant CRT is its size. Being too heavy to ship makes them currently a local-sale-only market. Makes it harder for you and the buyer to find one another.
 
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Just had our big Habitat garage sale at which we always have a lot of donated CRT TV's. So many that we had to rethink our strategy. We started accepting only WORKING TVs with A/V inputs AND remote controls. That cut down on the unsellable junk. Then, we got them all playing at the sale. Sold probably 10 of em, from 15" up to 27" or maybe a bit larger. Only had 4 working ones left. People are still interested in them. Grandmas who don't have cable and parents who need a cheap second TV or gaming set for the kids.
 
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