Dusted off some old stereo equipment, that I bought new in 1990. It was top end stuff back then, but that was 20 years ago!
Models are
ADC SS-525x EQ
Dbx Cx-2 Preamp
Dbx Cx-3 Amp
I have used them on and off for 20 years and still have all the original pieces/ parts, but I'm just wondering what’s changed technology wise and I'm sure a lot has. So what am I missing out on by not upgrading to a newer system? Thinking about getting new TV and want a nice system for home movies mostly.
I sold equipment in the '70s - 1980. Back into high-end in about 2000. So I kind of missed the 1990s. But observations:
IMO speakers are one of the biggest areas of change. While there's plenty of junk on the market, there are also many speakers that do an outstanding job for the money. Few classics keep up with today's better speakers in terms of price performance.
Starting in the late '70s, the industry started going to inefficient speakers and higher powered amps. Today’s trend for many is minimalist or simplification. Greater efficiency in speakers and often times lower power (with better sound quality).
Digital has come a long way (CD players and DACs). Again like speakers, IMO with the right vendor you can get much more for your money today.
In general I think many savvy enthusiasts have come to realize that no matter how much you spend on equipment, speaker / listening position and room acoustics are major variables in how the system sounds.
Unless you spend $5000 or more, don't get pulled into expensive cables or speaker wire. Even if you do spend $5000 or more, you may be able to get by with DNM Reson or Anti-cable for example, and put your money toward better components or acoustical treatments for your room.
Tubes are back in a big way for small vendors and low power applications. Tubes solve some problems and can be very pleasing to the ear, but that does not mean there aren’t solid state alternatives worth considering (I use tubes in my preamp and solid state for my amp).
Biggest change may be how audio is sold. At one point it was heavily oriented toward stores and often big name vendors. The Web -- and sites like this one -- have made it possible for smaller vendors to design and build products that IMO (often) offer much better sound for the dollar.
Another big change is the ability to research gear on the Web. At one time you had magazines and what your local dealers had on display. Most of my purchases were researched on the Web, then purchased by phone or Web on a 30 day in home trial.
In my experience, enthusiasts are very responsive to PM (personal messages), and can be a great source of knowledge.
Another big change is an open market for buying or selling used gear – Audiogon being a good example. (I bought all my gear new, but it was nice to have an easy way to sell the old gear on forums and Audiogon).
Headphones are big. Many on a limited budget, or with constraints like living in an apartment, have turned to headphones to get great sound for the dollar (headfi.com).
Some are choosing to bypass CDs and go directly to streaming digital audio via a computer or digital server. Done right, a computer can be as good as a very pricey CD player. This assumes you have a quality external DAC (digital to analog converter) to process the digital files.
If you want the best quality in digital, do NOT go MP3 (like standard iTunes). Go to a lossless format (MP3s are compressed and are a compromise in terms of sound quality for a critical listener).
Vendors still like to hype their technology. But in the end your ears are more discriminating than specs, buttons or technology. Many of my favorite products have very few features. All the money has been applied to removing as much as possible between you and your music. Said another way, products with lots of buttons IMO often times do not sound as good as products with only a couple buttons / knobs.
China is the other big variable. Personally all my gear is made in the USA by specialty manufactures (my Apple Macbook as a digital server is the only exception). But the market is being flooded with Chinese gear. I've seen Chinese products come in that needed to be repaired locally before they could be shown at a local user event. I've never had a US-made product shipped to me that needed to be repaired to work. Many respected brands also come out of Europe. And there are some very well respected products made in Japan. But US based audiophiles, on average, are likely to have a high percentage of US made gear in their system (this is a generalization based on observation and not quantitative data).
Hopefully someone will respond who better knows your gear.
