The Allure of Vintage Audio Gear

My first quality system, bought in the late 60s still resonates in my mind.  Sansui AU-555, TU-555 with a Dual 1019 Turntable and Shure B15 Type III cartridge.  Speakers were Sansui SP-100 with beautiful wood lattice front.  I also had an AKAI R2R with Crossfield heads.

It was what I could afford, but the vinyl of the day was high quality and all my feiends loved coming over and listening to tunes.  The late 60s / early 70s were a magical time for music, both live and recorded.

I know my current system of 3.6 Maggies, McIntosh MC501 mono blocs and Mc Preamp with streaming probably sounds better, but those memories are priceless and that most likely colors my memories.  That said, not all gear sounded great to me, Carver amp and preamp a friend had played loud, but very harsh.

There is no bad audio choice if it makes you smile.

@vitussl101 -Amen. Not all old equipment qualifies. And the brand name Marantz became a different story once Saul Marantz sold to Sony/Superscope.

I still have my Quad 57s from 1974 that were sympathetically restored by Electrostatic Solutions and a pair of Quad IIs with period glass that Bill Thalmann went over - he said he hadn’t seen real GEC KT66s in a long while. That stuff is enduring, though it still has limitations.

I had a set of Crosby Quad 63s which I basically gave away when I moved-- I preferred the original Quad loudspeaker to the 63, even though the latter is a better "all-arounder."

Some of this gear enters collector’s territory, eg. the Marantz 7 tube preamp. The "C" is for cabinet, does not necessarily mean it is a tube unit. Lots of those were around back in the day, some were modded. At the time, I preferred the ARC SP3-a-1, which is now itself an antique collectible. But your point- that "older" Marantz doesn’t equate with quality sound is a fair one.

@1971gto455ho I hear ya.

I love my IRS Beta powered by SA12e Thresholds and (not as old) Manley Snappers.

Sound is awesome

I don't consider my 43 year old tube amps vintage,  but they are old.  They are quieter (dead silent on 97 dB speakers), clearer, more neutral,  and faster any other tube gear I've owned except a new version from the same company that retails for 9X more.  Sent them in to the manufacturer for a checkup.  Nothing wrong with them / out of spec.  They just happen to be a great sounding very robust design in my opinion.  That doesn't mean that I think all early 80's tube amps are terrific and I will use them exclusively.  I like to have a variety of amp flavors, not related to their born on date.

I don't have these particular amps for nostalgia and warmth.  Like their sound, their looks don't color my system. I listen to them every day because they sound great.  There is more nuance than all vintage gear sounds warm, more forgiving of the bad recordings of it's era, is of inferior design, highly unreliable, and all new gear is quieter, clearer, less distorted, more reliable, superior quality and design. 

I look for certain attributes in my gear and work towards the best value,  which is never brand new.  I used to think I wanted the best gear.  Now I look for gear that compromises the least in order of my attribute priorities. 

Whether newer or older, I prefer point to point wiring whenever possible for long term serviceability and sound quality in analog devices.  PCB's are designed to be throwaway,  which is fine until you can't get the board anymore. Newer or older I'm always thinking who will service,  do I have to ship, what their hourly rate is, what is their reputation.  I will not buy certain popular brands based on high repair costs or poor service reputation alone. I had the only US authorized dealer refuse to service an amp because it was out of warranty and vintage, which for them was anything over 10 years old!  Because it was point to point wired though I was able to take to local shop and repair with no issues.

perkri:  Glad to hear you’re going to delve into a pair of Heathkit UA-1’s. I’ve restored a few of these along with Heathkit EL84 integrateds which use essentially the same circuit. Some things I learned:  Use the schematic to the UA-2; minor but important changes. Use orange drop caps for a (slightly) vintage sound, fancy caps for a more modern sound.  Good luck finding good 6AN8 tubes!  Buy a bunch 😆.  Rewire the feedback switch to full feedback and no feedback.  The Heathkit circuit is designed to be totally stable with no feedback.  Also, the 6AN8 that is the quietest without feedback is a keeper. Most importantly, the power supply was designed for a 115 VAC primary. Today’s AC at 120 VAC+ will run the outputs at or beyond their limits so build a bucking transformer,  simple and cheap.  This also applies to ANY vintage tube circuit. I have a set of rebuilt UA-2’s on my den system driving B&W 805 D3’s with no want of any more power.  It’s glorious 👍.