Still happily using vintage gear?
1961 Mac 240 is the senior citizen.. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7106#&gid=1&pid=11 To the OP - Hopefully you realize the Vandersteen model 5 is…still….world class…. |
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My rig is all vintage and most components are over 30 years old. Bi-amped system with one channel of amplification for each speaker driver/panel. No crossover components in the speakers. Magnepan Tympani 1D speakers (modified) 2 Mirage BPS-400 sub woofers (XO @ 40Hz) Threshold FET ten/hl preamp Threshold FET ten/pc phono pre 2 Nakamichi PA-7 Stasis power amps (low pass) 2 Forte Model 7 Class A mono blocks (high pass) Marchand active crossover XM46-2 (for subs) Marchand passive crossover XM9 (custom made for my setup by Phil) Linn LP12 / Ittok LVII / Mose Hercules with Grace F9e on a Target TT1 stand Marantz CD-67SE CD player Forte F 50A DAC AppleTV with iFi SPDIF iPurifier2 (streamer) 2 Monster HTS3500 power conditioners Morrow and White Zombie interconnects DIY speaker cables |
Marantz: 7, 8b, 10b. Thorens: td125 mk II with SME 3009 Series II improved and Sumiko Songbird I’m I still happy with vintage gear? I am until I connect my recently acquired (10 year old) Luxman L-550a II to my system. It’s a very different (didn’t say “better”) presentation. Especially the phono-pre! It’s much punchier, more articulate. Lol, I wish I never heard it. I see a phono preamp in my future. I compared the old Marantz gear to Dean Martin. It has an occasional slur, but it sure can sing. The Luxman has a bit better diction. thrive |
My system is mostly vintage but all of the gear is new to me within the last 2.5 years. Denon DP-62L with a Gold Grace F-9 cartridge and Soundsmith nude ruby OCL stylus, Pioneer PL-41A with a Denon DL-102 mono cartridge, DYNA FM tuner, DYNA PAS-3X preamp, Prima Luna EVO 400 power amp and Magico A3 speakers. The system has evolved a lot since starting it back up in 2019. I dusted off the Infinity RS4b speakers and bought a Yamaha A-S3000 integrated amp. Sold my TEAC V-900X cassette deck, ADC 315-SS eq, and dbx 3bx III. I also took a Sony ES series CD player out of the system. I upgraded speakers and amp within the last year. The sonics improved nicely with every change I made. I worked one one thing at a time. I started by upgrading the stylus on the Grace F-9 cartridge. I then obtained the best tonearm wand for the cartridge (black HT straight wand) based on calculations for cartridge mass, tonearm mass & cartridge compliance. The sonics followed the math and provided a rich new sound from the TT! Along the way I addressed the 1st and 2nd reflexion points in the room, which made a huge difference in sonics. Eventually I upgraded the speakers and then the amp after listening to four other amps in the system two of them SS and two vacuum tube. Regarding your question, The PL-41A is from 1970, the PAS-3X is from 1971. I believe the FM Tuner is from around 1970 or so. |
