Any Long Term Audio Purchases?

doug s. · « **Reply #20 on:** 18 May 2007, 01:34 pm »

i still have my bose 901's, purchased in 1969, but they haven't been used since ~1988, when they were displaced by a pair of spectrum 410 floorstanders. (tho they were used as end tables until ~2002.) the spectrum's are still in use in the ex-wife's main system, alonq with a revox b261 tuna (early 70's) vintage, that i purchased in ~1993. the original pioneer sx828 receiver, also purchased in 1969, along w/a dual 1229 turntable, lasted until 1984, replace w/an adcom gfa555, gfp1a & gft1a system. the dual got tossed into a dumpster in 1982, replaced by a cheap plastic pioneer something-or-other, until until it got replaced in 1984 w/a c&j walker cj55 deck w/signet arm.

in my main rig, i have my vmps larger subs & marchand x-over from ~1993. (subs were upgraded w/megawoofers when they came out, about y2k? i am on the fence about upgrading w/vmps' latest 15" woofer...) the subs are driven by a pair of electrocompaniet aw75dmb's, one purchased in ~1993 for my mains, the other purchased in ~2002. these replaced a pair of original adcom gfa555's, one purchased in 1984, the second purchased in ~2000. (i still have one, the other was sold.) my main rig also has an oracle delphi turntable, which i purchased in ~1998; this displaced the c&j walker cj55. then there is the melos ma333r preamp, also purchased in 1998, & modded a coupla times over the years.

i can't imagine the subwoofer system going anywhere soon, tho i might replace the marchand w/a deqx room correction crossover, if i can find one at "the right price".

i also cannot imagine replacing the melos for any reason, or the oracle, unless i stumble across funny money, in which case i might succumb to some overpriced winyl-spinner, based upon its eye-candy appeal.

re: digital playback, my trusty modded art di/o dac w/cheapo denon transport has also been around for a long time; i have no huge desire to upgrade, yust cuz i think the gains would be so tiny - my system was no worse than the resolution audio digital gear which so many folks rave about. i also tried a non-os dac, & was underwhelmed. but, i admit to being tempted to trying the musiland md-10, as it upsamples to 176.4, which in my mind just has to be better than 192, cuz it's a direct multiple of 44.1. and, the altmann dac also seems interesting... but, digital audio has never really done it for me - i am yust happy to be able to listen to it & enjoy it now, something that was not possible for me, prior to discovering the little art di/o. so, i am not really enthused about going thru different digital gear.

tuners, main speakers & amps, tho - well, that's a different story. they can change monthly, weekly, hell even hourly!

doug s.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #21 on:** 18 May 2007, 02:59 pm »

Sumo Athena preamp circa 1989 (on the livingroom rack)
NAD 6300 3 head tape deck circa 1988 (upstairs, next to main rack)
Infinity Kappa 9 circa 1989 (in my mom's garage in Atlanta.)

I do have older gear that I bought second hand that can be 30-40 years old, but since I did not own them from the onset, it is irrelevant.

mikef · « **Reply #22 on:** 18 May 2007, 03:17 pm »

My old mid-80s budget system:

B&K ST140 amp
Superphon Rev Basic Dual mono pre
Denon TU600 tuner
Celestion 5 speakers
TARA cables

Still putting out good tunes in my daughter's room. She usually uses her IPOD as the source.

Mike

Thebiker · « **Reply #23 on:** 18 May 2007, 03:40 pm »

Being an old dude, I grew up on "high end" of the era, Fisher tubed integrated, circa 1964, a custom built speaker system, 3 way with 15" Universities, 5" mids and horn loaded tweets. My older brother (11 years older) taught electricity & electronics. It gave me a early view of what music should sound like, so that's like 43 years ago

, damn.

My longest existing piece of gear is a Onkyo Integra integrated amp in my office system. I have had it for over 20 years and am beginning to think it may be bullet-proof. It's the only solid state piece that I use regularly. Everything else has changed many times since then and my 2 main systems are tubed.

WEEZ · « **Reply #24 on:** 18 May 2007, 04:58 pm »

I still use a Proton AM-200 (similar to NAD 3020) in my TV system. I've had it for 15 or 16 years. Damn thing just keeps playing. It's a 20 wpc integrated that still has pretty good sound. (it's rugged, that's for sure...)

The piece I had for about 9 years that I regret selling was my Dyna ST 70.

Had my VPI HW19 JR for 12 years. Then the motor quit. A guy nearby put a new motor to it and he enjoys it as much as I did

Used my Large Advents for 11 years. Wish I hadn't sold them either.

WEEZ

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #25 on:** 18 May 2007, 05:03 pm »

An Onkyo TX-25 receiver, 25 years old, still serves wonderful duty in my 3rd rate video set-up.

richidoo · « **Reply #26 on:** 18 May 2007, 05:16 pm »

I have a hand me down technics SA-104 rx. Little 2 ch, maybe 30 watts? Its from early 80s. Got it free from a friend who moved up to separates in 1990 and I thought he was crazy to waste the money! I use it for my computer sound with a pair of Infinity Entra 1 CMMD. It still sounds great, runs perfect except tuner dial background light. It is NOT hi end by any means but has a phono pre so I have used it for ripping LPs.
Rich

rollo · « **Reply #27 on:** 18 May 2007, 06:13 pm »

Well its the Linn LP12 for me. Its been 19 years and still going strong.

rollo

Airborn · « **Reply #28 on:** 18 May 2007, 06:18 pm »

Still have my EPI Magnus A1100 speakers purchased new in 1986. They survived a college dorm room and several cross country moves, so I don't think I can part with them despite my wife's complaint that they never get used. I just tell her they were here first.

JLM · « **Reply #29 on:** 18 May 2007, 06:57 pm »

Although I've changed models, I've had Fried loudspeakers since 1977.

djbnh · « **Reply #30 on:** 19 May 2007, 01:08 pm »

Quote from: aerius on 18 May 2007, 01:47 am

My parents' turntable. I've been listening to it since before I was born, and now I own it.

My dad's minty - all NOS tubes - Fisher 800B receiver (circa 1960), given to me a few years ago, took residence in my bedroom system before being moved to my gym room. This receiver is paired with a (donated) set of KLH 20 speakers from the same era, and a Sony CDP-50 multidisc cd player purchased in the mid-late 80s.

In my main audio system I still use Polk SDA-1C speakers purchased in the late 80s, albeit with upgraded tweeters and some mods. An NAD 2200PE amp and NAD 1240 preamp, purchased in the same time period, now run speakers for video; the NAD pre also gets hours as a headphone amp.

Additionally, I have the following equipment that works but I'm not using: a Sony PST-33 turntable (purchased in the early 80s?), a Sony STR-VX5 receiver (early 80s purchase), and a TEAC V-SRX cassette deck (early 80s). And a set of Fried speakers, purchased in the early 80s, that need new drivers and screens.

Man, I guess I still hold on to a lot of older gear!

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #31 on:** 19 May 2007, 03:45 pm »

Quote from: Airborn on 18 May 2007, 06:18 pm

I just tell her they were here first.

I also use this when my wife complains about my dog and my stereo addiction. Nice

Bill Baker · « **Reply #32 on:** 19 May 2007, 05:35 pm »

Quote

In my main audio system I still use Polk SDA-1C speakers purchased in the late 80s,

I regret getting rid of all my Polk monitor speakers from the 80's. I had the 10B, 12A, SDA-2A and 1C. Although those damn SL-2000 tweeters were hard to keep.

In my opinion, this was the best era for Polk and only went down hill after going more for the mainstream/HT arena.

WEEZ · « **Reply #33 on:** 19 May 2007, 05:47 pm »

Fully agree, re: the older Polks. I used the 10b for a while, too.

WEEZ

Zero · « **Reply #34 on:** 19 May 2007, 05:52 pm »

I mine as well add in to the comments re: vintage Polk's.

While I never owned em in the 80's (still learning the ABC's then); I ran a pair of SDA 2B's a number of years ago. Yep, that SL2000 tweet could get a little aggressive... but man, what a great speaker! It is one of the very few products I've owned to where friends/non audiophiles were taken back by the sound they heard.... no one, and I mean -- NO ONE could help but get a big cheesy whenever those things began playing music.

Its a speaker everyone should hear or own during some point of their audio journey.

yashu · « **Reply #35 on:** 19 May 2007, 06:23 pm »

Oldest decent product are my JBL 2500 bookshelves, but they are not exactly "audiophile". I pull them out occasionally for a 2nd system, but I will probably sell them.

My oldest true hifi that I still have is my 7 year old NAD integrated amp. That thing is a workhorse. I don't see needing a new AMP at least for a long while yet. I have been looking for a pre for a while, but the amp section in the NAD is pretty good, and the sound has become "like home" to me.

I just got a set of JBL studio monitors, I did some upgrades, and I feel like I will own these for a long time to come (once I am done with the cap replacements). Hopefully they will be like my last set of JBLs I got in the 80's, something that I will keep for a long time to come and always have a use in some way or another.

DeeCee · « **Reply #36 on:** 19 May 2007, 11:37 pm »

Well, I still have a NAD 4155 tuner I bought some time between 1977 and 1980
that is still in use and still works on my audio rack.

Saw no need to update it (although a remote would be nice nowadays)...

Also still have a working Nakamichi 420 Power amp and a busted Nak 410 preamp (both in storage).

-DeeCee

Bigfish · « **Reply #37 on:** 20 May 2007, 01:26 am »

I have a pair of ADS 810IIs I bought in 1978 and they still sound/look great. Also have an old Yahama 2040 Receiver I bought the same year.

Ken

djbnh · « **Reply #38 on:** 20 May 2007, 01:33 am »

Quote from: A6M-ZERO on 19 May 2007, 05:52 pm

I mine as well add in to the comments re: vintage Polk's.

While I never owned em in the 80's (still learning the ABC's then); I ran a pair of SDA 2B's a number of years ago. Yep, that SL2000 tweet could get a little aggressive... but man, what a great speaker! It is one of the very few products I've owned to where friends/non audiophiles were taken back by the sound they heard.... no one, and I mean -- NO ONE could help but get a big cheesy whenever those things began playing music.

Its a speaker everyone should hear or own during some point of their audio journey.

Quote from: A6M-ZERO on 19 May 2007, 05:52 pm

I mine as well add in to the comments re: vintage Polk's.

While I never owned em in the 80's (still learning the ABC's then); I ran a pair of SDA 2B's a number of years ago. Yep, that SL2000 tweet could get a little aggressive... but man, what a great speaker! It is one of the very few products I've owned to where friends/non audiophiles were taken back by the sound they heard.... no one, and I mean -- NO ONE could help but get a big cheesy whenever those things began playing music.

Its a speaker everyone should hear or own during some point of their audio journey.

Ditto the comments on the SL2000 tweeter; I got rid of mine some time ago. Polk offers the RD0194-1 tweeters as replacements ($48/each for Club Polk members), and IMO, with my gear, they are far superior to the SL2000 tweet. It's like the 1Cs became a brand new speaker. Nice to see there are other Polk fans out there who appreciated what that company did in its heyday...try the Polk vintage gear forums for more on the older gear.

ecramer · « **Reply #39 on:** 20 May 2007, 01:57 am »

Hey does this count i have a Phase linear Model 400 series 2 that i still use and a Phase linear 200 series 2 pre i bought them new. I still use i think i bought them about 78. Had the amp gone over two years ago by Circle stereo in texas replaced the caps and dielectrics behind the output trans. sounds as good now as she ever did.