Two Different Worlds

[Rare Bird]

Something i notice a lot & can't get my head around, maybe someone can enlighten me..

Why is it that the guy into Vintage Audio/Sound seldom change his equipment & seems to be quite an happy chappy?

On the otherhand why do guys with modern equipment change it like it's going out of fashion & in most instances are happy for a very short period but inevitable end up junking it for something else?

I for one have been at it since i was going on 15.. Over the years have been less & less happy with the sound even though it's supposidly getting better!

One thing a lot of people come to realising is that even though they have been improving the system for decades, they actually havent..when the do actually stumble upon listerning to the old equipment, it hit home even tho they won't admit it for different reasons.

On the other hand for some odd reason some either refuse to give the old gear another chance & straight point blank decide to continue on there journey into what is now!

Of course everyone is entitled to what ever option they choose, i for one believe that a lot decide to let any new fangled format cloud their judgement.

No arguing now commrades

[Mick Parry]

Andre

Collectors of old stuff also chop and change, some of them have a bedroom stuffed with tuners and turntables etc.

I have a Modern Naim system and have no intention of changing anything. I like what I have got, so I am sticking with it.

Regards

Mick

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Mick, I think your the shippy or the naim world
I think that the people who have the vintage kit have probably made a more informed decision based on all the hifi from a greater period of time, therfore have setled more easily in the knoledge they have selected the best equipment for them...
Alternativly Mick is right... They just have loads of it and swop and change when they get dissatisfied ... Where's chris? He can prob answer this!

[Joe]

Collectors of old stuff also chop and change, some of them have a bedroom stuffed with tuners and turntables etc.

I have a Modern Naim system and have no intention of changing anything. I like what I have got, so I am sticking with it.

Indeed. Some people are box swappers by nature; trying out different stuff is part of the fun for them.

I've only had three systems in the past 20 years (and still use two of them) but I'm easily pleased.

[aquapiranha]

I think what andre is alluding too is the fact that lots of 'vintage' equipment represents the SOTA even today, against some modern equipment. I have heard stuff older than me that sounds fantastic (Quad / Tannoy etc)

There are some who just can't see that older equipment can sound fantastic, even if sometimes they need a bit of a spruce up, caps replacing etc.

you write off quality vintage gear at your peril.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Most of hi-fi is a slow moving technology. Despite what today's manufacturers will tell you about their latest model, most of it is based on ancient, tried & tested topology: this year they add bows, next year they'll add bells.
But over time, the price ratchets up & the build & part quality goes down.

In so many ways, the old guys knew what they were doing & it makes sense (up to a point) to buy stuff from when the build & part quality was at it's best & pay a lower price for the privelige!

I've spent quite a while finding a combination of gear that works well for me & am happy enough with it knowing that you'll never reach that rarified state of nirvana everyone's looking for - you simply cannot accurately reproduce live music in your home without real musicians & real instruments. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either deluded or trying to sell you something.

All the other gear in other rooms is just for fun!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

i thought you would say something like that ...

[Themis]

There is also what I call the "quality/price" trap: People buying their systems based on quality/price ratios.

Generally, they will buy a good price/quality ratio system. Not perfect, but good at the moment of purchase. As life goes on, they face two odds:

a) they may manage to get a better social position and a better salary
b) technology goes on shuffling the previous quality/price models (by including more options).

Inevitably you find out that you can do better than the previous choice.
But, as you will still buy on a quality/price ratio, you're endlessly trapped.

[Marco]

I think what andre is alluding too is the fact that lots of 'vintage' equipment represents the SOTA even today, against some modern equipment. I have heard stuff older than me that sounds fantastic (Quad / Tannoy etc)

There are some who just can't see that older equipment can sound fantastic, even if sometimes they need a bit of a spruce up, caps replacing etc.

you write off quality vintage gear at your peril.

Hear, hear!

In general, I'm with Andre, and also with what Steve says above, as it represents the methodology I adopt with my own system-building.

The vintage 15" Tannoy Monitor Golds (with modern crossovers) I use are a valid case in point. Quite frankly, and I can say this from experience, most modern speakers at up to £10k (and perhaps more) would struggle to compete with them.

Whenever I hear genuinely excellent vintage equipment (and let's not forget that there's plenty of tat around, too) it always hits home rather abruptly how little real progress has been made in hi-fi, in terms of out-and-out sound quality, in the last 50-odd years!

It's different though if making things smaller and neater is important to you, and slicker in terms of operation, or the obvious advances in technology with the likes of computer audio, but with traditional 2-channel hi-fi (in the main), forget it. Most of the genuine innovation happened years ago.

Why do you think magazines and hi-fi shows are full of valve amps and turntables, representing 'legacy hi-fi' and 'ancient' technology? Because when people hear what they're capable of (when done well) it shows up most modern techology (and some associated equipment) for what it is: a rather poor second-class citizen in the areas that really matter!

Marco.

[Magna Audio]

The 4 T's for me Techie, TVC, Tubes and Tannoys
All either 2nd hand or DIY.