Bought some `Vintage Gear`


On a whim and a hunch, I bought some old gear locally. 

Marantz 500 Amp
Marantz 3300 preamp
JBL L200B Speakers

The gear is 46 years be old!!!

It sounds WAY better than I thought. I had a blast tonight. Played it for wife and kids (who think this hobby is rediculous) and they were super impressed.

Anyone every had a similar experience? 


Maybe bc will get a reel to reel next

pawlowski6132
Speaking of the Shure V-15 IV, I bought one recently with a broken cantilever for around $100 and put in a JICO SAS stylus. I’ve been listening to it the last couple of nights on my 2nd turntable and it sounds great. Now I have a really nice setup for my new and like new vinyl (my main table) and will use this for some of the less than pristine used records I pick up. It seems to play a lot quieter on worn records than the Van Den Hul MC Two I had on that table with almost as much detail and at a much lower cost to replace the stylus when needed.
I've seen this a few times on this thread; describing sound as "Warm" or "Tubey" or "Vintage". Is that just a euphemism for rolled of highs and bloated bass?

;^)

@fasteddie99, i'll contact you separately.
FWIW, I hooked up my KEF LS50 and REL sub to to direct comparison using the Marantz 500 AMP and Marantz 3300 Preamp combo. I liked the bass from that system better and it actually sounded pretty damn close in terms of which I liked better. However, I thought the JBL speakers actually presented voices in what seemed like a more natural or "In-the-room" experience. It was noticeable to even a layman. Mids were similar. Overall nod though goes to the LBLs. 

@kosst_amojan 
The Marantz 500 had all four power capacitors replaced and the fan repaired. The VU meters aren't working (and glass/plastic is cracked) but, no impact to function.

The Marantz 3300 preamp could use a good cleaning. Pots, knobs and sliders are noisy.

JBL Speakers are good except one needs new foam/suspension replaced around the bass driver. I can buy a kit and do it myself. 

My question is, should I do this if I tend to keep the speakers ( I think yes) or, if I plan to sell, would a normal buyer want them as-is so they can decide what to do??


Damn, I love this talk of vintage gear. I still have and use a Technics SL1900b TT I bought new in '76 and a Shure V15 typeIIIG cart and several (Jelco) needles for the cart. My office rig isn't '70s gear but '80s vintage Carver. The 'old' stuff still rocks.

ray