Why Vintage Always Win (HiFi Days of 1980-2000)

[Analogue_Avenger]

Dear All,

I am new to the forum but wish to know members views…..do they also feel like me that the days of true hi fidelity sounds are over?

Just attached a photo of my studio which has the best “TAPE DECKS” of last century and decorated “MD PLAYERS” and “DAT MACHINES”.

Also SACD and Technics SL-1200 LTD Gold Edition Turn Table.

Will list the entire equipment list soon enough.

Still learning how to post…

Thanks for encouraging replies. Sharing some snaps of New Arrivals last week.

Will post details of Each Equipment soon Enough. I only have New Old Stock collected from more than 10-15 nations with limitless browsing research and pain. It includes New Sony Flagship TC-KA7ES and New Nakamichi Dragon and Two New Sony DTC-2000ES DAT Players from Japan. Also, please don’t ask me if anything is for sale, these are my babies and they are not for sale at all. Would love to share my reviews and usage experience for members of the forum.

 

[DAB]

Welcome aboard mate...

Those are great loking and I am sure sounding machines you have...
Care to share more info about them.. Model nunber, age, usp, price, place of purchase..
I am sure all of us would like to know...

People like the true audiophiles Like yourself (seeing the stuff you have) countless others at HFV and the audiophile community are the ones keeping the hifi alive tbh..
Commercially its as good as dead.. No one is bothered really especially the equipment manufactures and music companies, about the sweetness of home listening the hifi audio..
No budget audiophile stuff anywhere anymore... not even midrange.. Whatever is available out there is just dabbas and Earbuds and headphones that's it...
(I may be wrong just my 2c)

 

[nphutane]

Welcome to the forum !
Phew ! That's some studio you have in there, pure classic vintage stuff.
Love the sweet sound of the vintage systems.
Looking forward to know more about your setup.

Cheers !

 

[IndianEars]

FAB COLLECTION!

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

The New Dragon and Sony Like New TC-K555ESJ.

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Please find some more stuff i am using in my studio….
Technics Tape Models and Much more….Have taken three years to assemble this stuff. Covid inspired me to trace my roots in HiFI which i cherished since the day i turned a teenager….

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Now, Will share more pictures of my studio and the pics are usually taken when the equipment arrives from abroad. Trust you enjoy the pics. Once again i implore members to not ask me if anything is available. It is not. I have taken tremendous pain and incurred heave expenditure to see this day. I am undergoing reshuffling my studio,,, will keep sharing my gear. I welcome all members to share their experience with the equipments for which i am posting the snaps. Thanks in Advance.

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Welcome aboard mate...

Those are great loking and I am sure sounding machines you have...
Care to share more info about them.. Model nunber, age, usp, price, place of purchase..
I am sure all of us would like to know...

People like the true audiophiles Like yourself (seeing the stuff you have) countless others at HFV and the audiophile community are the ones keeping the hifi alive tbh..
Commercially its as good as dead.. No one is bothered really especially the equipment manufactures and music companies, about the sweetness of home listening the hifi audio..
No budget audiophile stuff anywhere anymore... not even midrange.. Whatever is available out there is just dabbas and Earbuds and headphones that's it...
(I may be wrong just my 2c)

I will share all the info you have asked. Meanwhile i have posted some photos for my fellow audio aficionados and trust the HiFI community here on HiFi Vision enjoy the pictures.

FAB COLLECTION!

Thank You, Hope you will enjoy some of my pics.

Welcome to the forum !
Phew ! That's some studio you have in there, pure classic vintage stuff.
Love the sweet sound of the vintage systems.
Looking forward to know more about your setup.

Cheers !

Yes, my fellow Hi-Fi Friend, the sound is indeed sweet and full of melody unlike Digital Sound.

Welcome aboard mate...

Those are great loking and I am sure sounding machines you have...
Care to share more info about them.. Model nunber, age, usp, price, place of purchase..
I am sure all of us would like to know...

People like the true audiophiles Like yourself (seeing the stuff you have) countless others at HFV and the audiophile community are the ones keeping the hifi alive tbh..
Commercially its as good as dead.. No one is bothered really especially the equipment manufactures and music companies, about the sweetness of home listening the hifi audio..
No budget audiophile stuff anywhere anymore... not even midrange.. Whatever is available out there is just dabbas and Earbuds and headphones that's it...
(I may be wrong just my 2c)

I agree in TOTO Mate. Gone are the days when R&D and New Formats used to be on horizon with each passing year. It’s all decadent Digital World we live in….

 

[bornfi]

do they also feel like me that the days of true hi fidelity sounds are over?

What? How did you arrive at this conclusion? If you could share your thought process, it would be easier to contribute meaningfully.

 

[arj]

What a wonderful collection ! I may not agree with you fully on the vintage being better but Thoroughly support and enjoy your passion !

Instead of Vintage and New,I would divide it into Good designs and the rest there have been so many vintage brands but only a handful survive maybe because only those were good enough, hence under the broad brush of Vintage there are several bad ones which may not even exist anymore.

I am sure only a handful of the current ones may survive 40+ years and am sure there will be someone then loving the "New Vintage".

On Turntables building the same product as 50 years back is astronomically more expensive to produce, but DACs are far more cheaper. whiles speakers/amps may have become relatively cheaper despite inflation, am sure we have some gems even now although not at the enthusiast pricing levels...

 

[mshifi]

Dear All,

I am new to the forum but wish to know members views…..do they also feel like me that the days of true hi fidelity sounds are over?

Just attached a photo of my studio which has the best “TAPE DECKS” of last century and decorated “MD PLAYERS” and “DAT MACHINES”.

Also SACD and Technics SL-1200 LTD Gold Edition Turn Table.

Will list the entire equipment list soon enough.

Still learning how to post…

Awesome collection and we'll kept. Rare to find ones so good

 

[General_sound]

Excellent collection. The amps are superb. Please show us some speakers too. Thanks

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Dear All,

Once I finish posting snaps of the gear in use, and my private service control room...I will happily address all queries and my fellow hifivision members thoughts......

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

I am going to primarily concentrate on “Tape Decks” including DAT Machines on which there is very little data sharing on forums. Also I will be covering up Golden Days of Car Media when “PIONEER” ruled the car audio world. Vintage necessarily does not mean half a century old. The pace with which world moves two or more decades are enough to qualify the equipment as Vintage…

Pls find some more snaps which may make you feel more nostalgic…….

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

You are surely having time of your life !

That’s lot of work babying all of these.

I loved the Sony ES series…

And owned many Sony walkmans…

Thank you. I have to keep a personal technician to take care of each of them. The rubber parts and capacitors keep giving me nightmares. But once done the equipment is done for next three decades if not more. I am 45. I hope I live to love them forever. Thanks. I welcome all queries from any member of HifiVision Family. Like where to buy how to repair, and how to care.

Excellent collection. The amps are superb. Please show us some speakers too. Thanks

Happy to. I am planning to pair the this top gear with B&W 802D4. I have connected 52 Equipment with two preamps and two integrated amps. And one power amp.

Let’s see when it happens. If itching takes over my cognitive balance of mind. I will buy them. Presently CM10 are amazing too.

A

Happy to. I am planning to pair the this top gear with B&W 802D4. I have connected 52 Equipment with two preamps and two integrated amps. And one power amp.

Let’s see when it happens. If itching takes over my cognitive balance of mind. I will buy them. Presently CM10 are amazing too.

l missed. DALI Mentor 8 too sound lovely.

Welcome aboard mate...

Those are great loking and I am sure sounding machines you have...
Care to share more info about them.. Model nunber, age, usp, price, place of purchase..
I am sure all of us would like to know...

People like the true audiophiles Like yourself (seeing the stuff you have) countless others at HFV and the audiophile community are the ones keeping the hifi alive tbh..
Commercially its as good as dead.. No one is bothered really especially the equipment manufactures and music companies, about the sweetness of home listening the hifi audio..
No budget audiophile stuff anywhere anymore... not even midrange.. Whatever is available out there is just dabbas and Earbuds and headphones that's it...
(I may be wrong just my 2c)

My Friend, Indeed. And not only will I share. I am happy to help in any way possible to my fellow members. I believe that all of us must ensure that we enjoy what we love and help each other to achieve Nirvana in HiFi.

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Hello Guys,

Along with equipment, I will be sharing blank media as well. Especially High End Blank Tapes and MD from ES series.

Not just that good equipment’s are getting extinct, blank media such as tapes, dats, MD are getting expensive and difficult to find each day as well. Especially in India.

Just to share, most engineers from Sony ES series lead Accuphase design and production team for good years.

Today an equipment equivalent to a high end ES series or Pioneer Elite Series or Top End Akai starts from 5000$.

I have compared my Sony SACD SCD-1 and CDP-XA50ES and Marantz SA-1 and they can take on any top end CD player up to 15-25K US$ easily.

It was the digital dog age such as IPod and MP3 which forced the companies to kill R&D. Magnetic Tape if played On A good TAPE DECK like Dragon or Sony KA-7ES or Any Sony TCK-555ES/A/J/L/G series tape deck or Pioneer CT-93 can embarrass any digital media.

When I play my Sony DTC-2000ES DAT machine it throws any contemporary high end CD Player out of the room any given day.

Not only it makes identical copies but if I can tweak the sound levels while recording it sounds sometimes more analogue and sweet when compared to source.

I know sound is too personal to be declared best, but what companies today are charging for the good sound is insane. So not only it makes economic sense to buy Vintage but also in terms of longevity and reliability they are unbeatable.

Also nobody is introducing new media lately. Why will I invest in a 25K US$ cd player when I can get the same sound from SCD-1 or SA-1 players in 2-3k from Evil Bay. Just keep spare Opticals and you AE done for decades.

 

[DAB]

Nice, nice, nice and nicer...
The more I look at the stuff,, more and more evil thoughts filling my mind..how can this den be raided
I have a lot of tapes lying around as I was a compulsive buyer for the tapes and cds during my college days and even afterwards but now i dont have anything to play them on... Both my Sony hifi systems were left useless owing to want if spares..
One went to the kabaadi and the other is eating dust on a daily basis...
I Remember tweaking the head of my father's national tape recorder and afterwards my Sony systems to get that clear audio from the tapes,

All the best bud.. Keep enjoying your stuff...

 

[Analogue_Avenger]

Welcome aboard mate...

Those are great loking and I am sure sounding machines you have...
Care to share more info about them.. Model nunber, age, usp, price, place of purchase..
I am sure all of us would like to know...

People like the true audiophiles Like yourself (seeing the stuff you have) countless others at HFV and the audiophile community are the ones keeping the hifi alive tbh..
Commercially its as good as dead.. No one is bothered really especially the equipment manufactures and music companies, about the sweetness of home listening the hifi audio..
No budget audiophile stuff anywhere anymore... not even midrange.. Whatever is available out there is just dabbas and Earbuds and headphones that's it...
(I may be wrong just my 2c

Thanks to All.

Nice, nice, nice and nicer...
The more I look at the stuff,, more and more evil thoughts filling my mind..how can this den be raided
I have a lot of tapes lying around as I was a compulsive buyer for the tapes and cds during my college days and even afterwards but now i dont have anything to play them on... Both my Sony hifi systems were left useless owing to want if spares..
One went to the kabaadi and the other is eating dust on a daily basis...
I Remember tweaking the head of my father's national tape recorder and afterwards my Sony systems to get that clear audio from the tapes,

All the best bud.. Keep enjoying your stuff...

I will soon start a specific thread for “Tape Decks” mate. May be u will get inspired to use your old tapes and record new ones as well.

I would go as far to say that negative reactions to this ask, IMHO ,is a way of initiating a slight mistrust in the brand itself..which is doing a disfavour to the manufacturer since while not everyone in the forum may looking at buying a speaker , so many of us may influence others not in the forum. In the end doing a home demo only happens after a certain selective filter and that will happen only if the brand is seen as worth investing in

The best way to listen is to listen oneself exactly as you have mentioned ( in bold)



More power to you

I really doubt how many of the arm chair experts in our forum, me included, can make a meaningful assessment of the graphs. Unless we are absolutely sure, that we know everything that there is to be known, maybe we should not attempt at passing judgement with our half baked knowledge.

And when I say everything to be known, it also means the measurement process. Stereophile for instance does their own unbiased testing in their own facility. And they are not judging by the maker's or 3rd party graphs. And they have resident experts who have decades of experience, corelating measurements to their listening impressions. So they know which measurements matter and which dont. And i would trust their analysis.

I know there are a few on here, who can do a good fist of it. And they definitely will have some valuable insights to contribute.

But how does it stop the average Joe like me, even without any malice, from reading between the lines or from making a mountain out of an ant hill on a forum. And even if anyone attempted to correct me, lies would be half way round the world, while truth was still putting on its shoes .

Now I see some of the same trends and faces/avatars in this thread now as in another 'local audio brand' thread from 2021.
The 'subjective' is superior bullying seems to have toned down a tiny bit though.
But it seems like, given a chance, people seems to be ready to spring in and wage an all out war.

Honestly, I feel like those who say that no objective data needs to published for a speaker, (whatever their original intentions are), are just doing a disservice to a brand or its growth beyond the confines of the proverbial "well" in which frogs live. One can only aspire to be "better than what they are" (whatever it is) when one studies, makes use of, and then advance the state of the art with respect to tools and techniques used by the best out there.

Oops.. I will try hard not to comment here further..
View attachment 79777

You just started a war. I'll go get my helmet

 

[reubensm]

What a nice collection - true collector of quality equipment indeed! Actually, to your question about Hi-Fi enthusiasts, my perspective is that times have changed, technology has changed and the likes & dislikes of folks have changed over the generations. Simplicity and Convenience is also a factor. Another outside factor is that it is no longer prestigious to have a stereo system at home. When folks visit, they keep telling my wife - why is he into all this junk, can't he get some latest stuff, its all so compact and convenient these days, hidden speakers are all, digitally controlled . My little nephew once walked up to me and said - I can store your entire record library on my phone

 

[Kannan]

@Analogue_Avenger Absolutely stunning collection. I will though refrain answering your question of superiority over vintage as it is subjective as both can offer satisfying solutions.
However I must point out that the biggest burden of accumulating physical stuff of ones passion, in your case vintage audio equipment, is about their progeny. As you age, you will need to identify someone who is willing to carry on the passion and maintain them or possibly you can setup a museum or maybe identify one that already exists.
A doctor friend of mine who has been collecting cameras and related equipment for many decades has setup a permanent museum and a Trust to run it for continuity.