how did you get into vintage audio

how did you start collecting vintage audio. were you a DJ back in the day or did you just get into it

 

i found my dads 85' pioneer when i was 11 and i have loved vintage audio ever since

 

inherited my dad's 1970's Hi-Fi around 1999/2000.

the thing was comprised of low-end components,

a NIKKO stereo receiver,
BSR changer TT,
RADIO SHACK REALISTIC 12-band graphic EQ,
and a late-80's PIONEER CT-980W dual cassette deck,
all driving some no-name white van three-way floorstander speakers.

i had that system for a couple/three years, found myself developing a specific fondness for the PIONEER brand,
and their late-80's/early 90's offerings, and in the last decade have built myself a very formidable Hi-Fi/A/V system
very close to what i have long dreamed of owning;

-AUDIO COMPONENT-

* PIONEER VSX-D1S AV Receiver (1990) (much,MUCH better than you may think!!)
* PIONEER PD-91 Reference Compact Disc Player (1988)
* PIONEER PD-M90X Six-Disc Magazine CD Player (1987) (THE very first ELITE PD-M model)
* PIONEER PL-112D Manual Belt Drive Turntable (1975) (with Audio Technica PRO11E cart/styli)
* PIONEER CT-S800 Reference Cassette Deck (1988) ( TOTL 3-head model, with casted-iron transformer and Laser Amorphous playback head)
* PIONEER GR-777 Ten Band Stereo Graphic Equalizer (1988) (TOTL remote controllable EQ with dual spectrum display)
* ROLAND BOSS BR-1180CD Hard Disk-based Audio Recording Studio (2002)



-VIDEO COMPONENT-

* JVC HR-S8000U S-VHS VCR with DIGITAL FX (1988)
* MITSUBISHI HS-U80 S-VHS VCR with DIGITAL FX (1988)
* PIONEER CLD-3030 Compatible Laserdisc Player with DIGITAL FX (1988) (LD/CD/CDV video multi-player with upgraded isolators/feet)
* PIONEER DV-37 Reference Digital Versatile Disc Player (2001)
* PIONEER BDP-31FD Blu-Ray Disc Player (2007)



-INTERCONNECTION CABLING-

* MONSTER CABLE M-SERIES/THX/HOME SERIES/INTERLINK SERIES


-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS-

* PIONEER PD-M6 Six-Disc Magazine CD Player (1986) (THE very first PD-M model, with wood panels)
* PIONEER PD-M700 Six-Disc Magazine CD Player (1988)
* DENON DCD-1500 Single Compact Disc Player (1986) (customized and improved, with the optional wood panels)
* NAKAMICHI BX-100 2-HEAD, 2-Motor single-well cassette deck (1984)
* PIONEER CU-AV200 Programmable Remote Control Unit (1989)
* PIONEER CU-AV100 Programmable Remote Control Unit (1988)
* PIONEER CU-AV70 Programmable Remote Control Unit (1989)
* PIONEER MR-100 Multi-Room Remote IR Sensor Unit (1989)
* PIONEER CU-MR100 Remote Control Unit (1989)
* JVC RM-S1 LCD TOUCHSCREEN Programmable Remote Control Unit (1989)
* PIONEER DV-09 Reference Digital Versatile Disc Player (1998)
* MITSUBISHI HS-U70 S-VHS VCR (1988)
* MITSUBISHI HS-U50 VHS VCR (1989)
* MITSUBISHI HS-413UR VHS VCR (1987)
* SONY SL-2300 Betamax VCR (1984) (intend to replace with SUPER BETA or ED BETA model)
* SONY BDP-S300 Blu-Ray Disc Player (2007)

 

I found an old pioneer tuntable about 10 years ago and since that time I have accumulated a garage full of junk........uuhh sorry ,I mean vintage audio equipment.

 

By being a vintage person interested in contemporary audio.

 

My bpc Fisher "Studio Standard" rack system was falling apart about five years ago. I purchased it for $90 at a SA when I moved back to the states in '04. Thinking about what to do I found Audiokarma. From what I read there I decided to buy a Sansui 2000X. Upon hearing this receiver I realized there was more to SQ then I had ever appreciated and started rebuilding my stereo system based on what I was learning at AK. I had a Technics SLBD-20 turntable that I found one night walking to work which I was using with the Fisher and initially used with the Sansui. I then had the Sansui serviced to replace the old, leaky transistors and upgrade a few other things. I later upgraded my TT to an SL1200MKII and then I bought another 1200 fully modded. Eventually I added JBL speakers, an Onkyo cassette deck, an AKAI reel to reel and some Grado headphones. Another step was my purchase of an AT150MLX phono cartridge which elevated vinyl playback to a whole other level for me. On another walk home one morning I found a Lafayette LR-9090 monster receiver in excellent condition which I have my first 1200 hooked up to. The Lafayette has a faulty power/speaker select switch that I get around by only using headphones and switching it on/off from a switched power strip. In a couple of weeks I'm having someone do some mods on the faulty switch. Once that's done I'll be looking to buy some bookshelf speakers for it.

 

I just kept the gear I bought when it was new. That old crap still sounds good to me.

 

I actually started getting into older music, music with less production value. I had a nice pair of headphones (I thought were decent) and all of a sudden none of this new music sounded good at all. just wasn't giving me the sound I was expecting. I ended up of course purchasing a turntable a two vinyls. the one vinyl I had to have very first was Mayhem - Live in Leipzig first pressing. It was a collectors item for me, It also had the only two studio tracks Dead (on vocals) ever did with Mayhem. It was a must have. then I realized the table I had was a hunk of junk, purchased the Atlp120usb, modified it to better suite me, started collecting more vinyls and now I have a full sound system, about 150 vinyls, and a nice sl1100a all within about 5 months. just because I wanted to hear that one album the way it was meant to be heard.

 

I'm cheep...

 

I'm vintage myself.

 

Exactly. My first system, from over 40 years ago, consisted of AR-3 speakers [bought used] and an AR Amp and AR XA turntable with Shure 91ed cartridge [bought new].

 

Friends were selling there old rubble for a song, I found out that with a lot of picking and choosing, and careful listening I could assemble a pretty cool third system for a few songs.

 

Started in 1967 with a really similar unit to this:


Paid $99 + tax from paper route earnings, about $5/week. Sounded really good, if you could believe it. It had built-in Loudness that kicked off at a moderate volume and a micro-touch 2g tonearm that really was gentle on the records. I really cared for my records and still spin some that started off on this, sounding fine. Of course, I replaced the needle about 4x a year.




Then upgraded into components. Shopped at PLAYBACK-The Electronic Playground, TEAM Electronics, Apple Tree Stereo, and 20th Century Electronics-a private Stereo shop near my hometown in Chicagoland.

They all had programs whereby a customer could upgrade electronics excepting phono carts within 90 days, receiving full credit for the price paid towards a better component. Speakers were up-gradable for a full year, as long as they were in great condition.

Playback always advertised in the Thursday newspapers (Chicago), and often ran Midnight Madness sales. I scored a Garrard Zero-100c for $99 brand new-in-the-box at half price at 3 AM one weekend. Plastic base & dust cover was $6 extra.

I upgraded my way to a MARANTZ 1060 Integrated Amp and 5220 Cassette deck, Technics SL-1900 Direct Drive tt, EPI 50's, 100's, and 150's between 1972-75 plus a pr of 202's I acquired in 2003. I still own & use all but the 5220 most every day, and the 1060 is stored in favor of a MARANTZ 2265b I acquired 7 years ago in as-new condition. Since, I have acquired & sold several components, and had a couple vintage systems configured in my previous house.

I have never felt the need to move away from my EPI's, which were mfg in Conn., I seem to remember. They sounded, and still do sound, very natural, open, and airy. I have needed to rebuild (3) of the 8" woofers and replaced 2-3 of the 1" tweeters and that's it for service.

All the best,
GT

 

I have a fetish for brushed alloy.

 

I started in the vintage stereo game when I was young and the vintage equipment you lust over was considered modern state of the art equipment. The equipment and myself have just become vintage by surviving.

 

When vintage was new I had no money and no time. Now I have a little time to collect some of the classics I missed.

 

I was 18/19 years old and heard a McIntosh 240 amplifier / Dynaco PAS preamp combination driving (then new) Quad ESL-63s. It was an eye opener.

 

I just kept my gear a long time and now it's vintage. I am too.

 

I bought it new, (various summer jobs as a student allowed me to afford it) and have kept it - I'm old!!

Still in daily use, however

 

Me too.

 

I couldn't afford new audio. Then suddenly I was hooked.

 

Couldn't have said it better.

 

It wasn't vintage when I bought it.

 

My dad handed me down his Sherwood S7110a receiver, Superscope tape deck CD-301A, and home built speakers. As a young teenager I thought it was bad ass. I later saved up $300 for my first CD player. Had that system for 5 years. When I was in my early 20's I saw a similar receiver at a thrift store. Bought it and have had the addiction ever since. It comes and goes, but I currently have 7 vintage receivers, 1 turntable, 3 sets of vintage speakers and various other stuff. I am on the very light side of my addiction. At it's peak I had 15-20 receiver, 7 sets of speakers, 3 turntables, reel to reel deck, tape decks, etc.

 

I started realising the value of vintage hifi when my 1970's modified Lenco sounded way better than my vastly overpriced Linn LP12/lingo.