Favorite classic audio gear?

[deacongreg]

Yeah,

that is really tough. Unfortunately, with audio gear, stuff like this can happen. However, I would venture to say, that quality control overall, has gotten better in the last few years.

[Duckmcdaffy]

Originally Posted by pdjmwj

Had a bad experience this summer with my DQ10's. I've had them new since 1977 and have taken very good care of them. Woofers have been re-foamed. I don't listen to them all the time and swap them out with several other speakers I own. My system is in the basement and I store them in an unfinished area.

The area I store them in is next to the hot water heater. Long story short, one of the copper pipes at the top sprung three pin hole leaks. The leaks shot straight across the room and SMACK DAB INTO THE DQ10'S. Looking at the amount of water the leak must have been going on for a couple of days. They are ruined.

What's bad is I had the other pipe replaced a month earlier with the same issue only it missed them. Foolishly I did not move them.

Also lost a Denon turntable, the rose wood base model, a Yamaha integrated amp from 1976, and a Nakamicki cassette deck from 1978. I don't care about the exlectronics, but I feel like I lost my youth when the DQ10's were destroyed.

I share your sorrow. If I lost any of my gear I would be devastated. Most of it is now irreplaceable. And certainly all the vinyl could never be replaced. One very important point to consider is that you should NEVER keep your equipment (of any type including "program" material (vinyl/CD's, tapes and etc.)) in an unfinished, uncontrolled environment. The temperature and humidity variations will destroy it all in a very short time. Metal will corrode and rust and timber will warp and split. Speaker cones and surrounds will rot and decay. Please take it all out of there. PLEASE!

I have just purchased a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 Quiet Point noise cancelling headphones. Whilst they sound reasonable and are absolutely fantastic for travel, they are NOT high fidelity. The electronic processing ensures this.

For my listening at home, I have a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-7's purchased in 1981. The original electret version. And they are extraordinarily good. I rate them above the Stax electrostatic Earspeakers I tried before I bought the A-T's. I sometimes use them instead of running the speakers. I also have a Jecklin Float Model 1 headphone purchased in 1989. They may not be the most attractive looking, but they sound awesome. Both are worthy of "classic gear" status not only for their design and engineering but also for for their sheer audio reproduction quality.

I said in my very fist post that the only other "wet dream" piece of equipment that I would want for was a pair of Apogee Scintilla's. I will now add to that Sennheiser's truly superlative benchmark Orpheus headphones. I listened to a pair belonging to a friend recently. Words fail me to describe how truly and utterly brilliant these are. I know I shall never own a set as they sell for around $20,000+ and they are not being manufactured any more so there will never be any more.

Enjoy the music.

[xorbitman]

1st receiver circa 1974: Marantz 2245 with flywheel to change the channels and the two lovely little vu meters: signal strenght and signal center! That blue hued light that the receiver would give off at night with the lights off...that was so cool! Bass, Mid and Treble controls....Pioneer Headphones (Padded soft leather) They had great bass and highs.
Marantz Cassette Deck (Powered).AR2ax Speakers...great highs and mids...Bass was somewhat strained.

Worked as a DJ in University: Electrovox Speakers with 2 Panasonic TT with SME tonearms and Shure Cart. (Mk14?) and Quad 405 Pre-amp and 2 Quad Amps. Kicked major butt. Crown amp as backup in case...

Radio Station: Rek-Ko-Kut TT with Nakamichi Dragon Cassette Deck. Neve Mixing Board and Cartridge Tapes for (Similar to 8 track) for commercials. Senheiser Mikes.


Later Home System: Harmon Kardon Receiver (1980) HK560 That thing got so hot you could fry eggs on it! Rega Planar II TT with Shure Cart. Polk 7's

Later Yet: NAD 3140 Int Amp with 2140 stero amp both running in special Brigded mono Mode,Rega Planar 3 with Grace tone arm and Grado Cart, NAD Cassette Deck with Dolby C HX PRO, Polk RTA 12 (Real Time Array!) Very advanced for their time. Butyle Rubber with plasticized dual 6" drivers and Sanwiched Foam 15" passive sub. The Tweeter was part of the x-over that sat inside a cover on top of the speaker! That's when I discovered: Simple Minds, The Stranglers, Phil Collins more Pink Floyd, Crissy Hines and the Pretenders, Quincy Jones, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Rush, Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock, Luthor Vandross, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Commodores, Barry White, Madonna, The Police, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, Bryan Ferry, Geez ...I could keep going on for hours.

Later: SimAudio Pre-Amp with 4070SE Amp and my Rega Planar TT with Magnepan IIIC speakers, Classé Audio 200 WPC amp, AKAI Cassette Deck Yamaha Surround Sound Processor, NHT Center Chanel and Boston Accoustics Rear Speakers. Rotel CD Player....was the best sounding CD for the money back then.

With those Magies I discovered Anita Baker, Four Play and lots and lots of Jazz (Miles Davis: Kind of Blue)! More Rolling Stones, More Pink Floyd, Rush, Phil Collins and Sting, Robbier Robertson etc.

Yeah, those Magies were soooo smooth they could literally sing babies to sleep!

The neighbour friend that I bought those Magies from bought very heavy Apogee Accoustic Speakers as replacements. They were amazing.

I also have something many of you may not have heard of: Museatex. I have a Top loading Meitner CD-3 modded and upgraded. Still in use today....exteamly smooth and revealing. Museatex AMP (100 WPC Bi Amped and Bridged) still in use for CC.

I am moving to an all Totem system. I find that they have a lot of emotion that seems to be missing from many speakers today. I know Vince the owner from here in Montreal....he's very cool.

Peace everyone!

[duffer]

here is my classic audio setup that I purchased in Jan.1989. Bought this equipment straight off the showroom floor, at the CES show in LasVegas. Displayed at the Riviera Hotel. The Aragon amps were one of the first ever built with the green light on the on/off switch. The amps have since been upgraded to the MKII's. The system is still running flawlessly and never had any problems after all these years. They sound just as dynamic as the day I bought them. Money well spent.
(2) aragon 4004 mkII amps
(1) aragon 24k pre amp
Duntech Marquis loudspeakers (Australian light oak)
Analogic Design Group hyprid tube CD player ( Scott Nixon) designer
Audioquest only cables and interconnects

Thanks Duffer

[Dave]

I still have a pair of the original DCM Time Windows. I still remember the first time I heard them and I was so totally blown away by the sound that I just can't part with them. I have since replaced them in my system, but every once in a while they get brought out just to prove to people that a 30 year old speaker is still a match for a lot of modern stuff.

[pdjmwj]

Originally Posted by Duckmcdaffy

I share your sorrow. If I lost any of my gear I would be devastated. Most of it is now irreplaceable. And certainly all the vinyl could never be replaced. One very important point to consider is that you should NEVER keep your equipment (of any type including "program" material (vinyl/CD's, tapes and etc.)) in an unfinished, uncontrolled environment. The temperature and humidity variations will destroy it all in a very short time. Metal will corrode and rust and timber will warp and split. Speaker cones and surrounds will rot and decay. Please take it all out of there. PLEASE!

I have just purchased a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 Quiet Point noise cancelling headphones. Whilst they sound reasonable and are absolutely fantastic for travel, they are NOT high fidelity. The electronic processing ensures this.

For my listening at home, I have a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-7's purchased in 1981. The original electret version. And they are extraordinarily good. I rate them above the Stax electrostatic Earspeakers I tried before I bought the A-T's. I sometimes use them instead of running the speakers. I also have a Jecklin Float Model 1 headphone purchased in 1989. They may not be the most attractive looking, but they sound awesome. Both are worthy of "classic gear" status not only for their design and engineering but also for for their sheer audio reproduction quality.

I said in my very fist post that the only other "wet dream" piece of equipment that I would want for was a pair of Apogee Scintilla's. I will now add to that Sennheiser's truly superlative benchmark Orpheus headphones. I listened to a pair belonging to a friend recently. Words fail me to describe how truly and utterly brilliant these are. I know I shall never own a set as they sell for around $20,000+ and they are not being manufactured any more so there will never be any more.

Enjoy the music.

All. I just finished my basement home theater and hooked up my washed out DQ-10's. They still play, cannot believe it. They still sound good after being drowned in my basement. The stands are ruined and I had to toss them. I'll keep my DQ-10's a little longer, just cannot bring myself to trash them.