The frontier between ''vintage'' and ''junk'' ?

People have misused the term 'vintage' for years.Look up the definition to see what it means.

Tpreaves, I don't think anyones has confused "vintage" with Asian boats either.

When it comes to stereo equipment, I guess vintage refers to a specific age. Whether or not it matters to you and me depends on the sound.

Sonicbeauty, I agree with your implied position.

Scanning posts on Vintage Asylum I'm amazed and amused by many of the products discussed. Lots of amps, receivers, speakers, etc. were not considered all that good when they were new so why get excited over them today?

It seems many folks use the vintage label strictly based on age, not quality or any other enduring qualities. Even age is arbitrary as some consider 5-10 year old equipment to be vintage.

So maybe it is like the evolution of antiques. I remember when an item must be 100+ years old to become an antique. That was adjusted to mean pre-WW 2. Now I see items from the '70s called antiques. So I guess vintage audio is just staying in step with the times.

It seems many folks use the vintage label strictly based on age, not quality or any other enduring qualities.

Which is arguably correct, as TPReaves and Rrog have indicated. "Vintage" can indicate superiority in the making of certain wines, such as Champagne, but outside of that particular context it arguably relates just to age and not to quality.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vintage

Regards,
-- Al