Where does all the old HiFi go to die?

[Smoking Joe]

Over the last year I've been browsing some of the old kit that I once lusted after and are now 20 years old and cheap. Over 20 years ago I bought a pair of Mordaunt Short MS10i Classics which I still have today. They cost me 300 pound at the time which was over a full weeks wage at the time. They were a lot of money for a bookshelf speaker at the time (at least to me). The standard MS10i for example were 120 pound at the time (which I also still have a pair but in storage).
And now I do see the odd MS10i Classic sell on Fleabay for 50/60 quid.
The same for amps, tuners, CD Players, etc.

So for arguments sake, lets just say with real life inflation those MS10i Classics would cost 600 Euro today. (And the same thinking with regards to amps, CD players, etc.)
So would you be better off spending 600 quid on a brand new pair of speakers (or xx) or 50 quid on a pair of 20 year old speakers?


There before Christmas I was going to buy a new Marantz CD player for around 500 quid. But instead I bought a 1998 Arcam Alpha 9 CD player for 200 that is fully working. As a project I am going to fully refurb it myself. So add another 100 quid on top.

So 500 quid on a brand new 5 star winning Marantz CD Player...……….. or 200+100 on a 20 year old one that as far as I remember cost 900 quid back in 1998 (about 1400 USD)?
Well obviously I will never know as I went for the old tat just because I am stuck in the past!

What are your thoughts?


There are plenty of old and great condition old gems out there. And then there are pieces that had to be common place and yet I can't find any for sale- what happened to them? Skip?

[Jazid]

For anything less than stellar components small faults quickly become not economic to repair.
So, assume your desirable old kit is either UK landfill, fishbait, or exported to a 'developing economy' for 'recycling'.


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[Macca]

Buy the older stuff, save a fortune. Never been a better time to pick up the old classics you always wanted. Everything in my current set up is second hand except the interconnects. No way could I afford their modern equivalents.

[Smoking Joe]

Another reason I regret throwing out my old pile of What HiFi?s, as they would have been a great source of contemporary reviews. It's hard to find any details now on the pedigree/ performance of old kit now.

So just because it's old, doesn't mean that it is bad. That was my thinking. Just using speakers as an example again, 600 quid could probably buy you 20 year old speakers that originally cost a few grand. And the same for the other kit.

There a few months ago I bought a Marantz tuner from 1987 for 30 quid. I never owned a tuner and thought this retro '80s box for 30 quid would be worth a play with. And it even came in it's original packaging! :-)
And yes, these prices show the type of bottom feeder that I am! ;-)

[Smoking Joe]

For anything less than stellar components small faults quickly become not economic to repair.
exported to a 'developing economy' for 'recycling'.


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Indeed! :-)

[alphaGT]

It’s true! Before the internet it was near impossible to find old gear, a golden age for manufacturers to sell all their new stuff! Perhaps one reason the price of good new equipment is so high Is that the used market is so strong now? Why compete with better gear selling used? Every single piece of my kit is used, cart, cables and all. The old stuff I could have never even afforded when it was new. My most recent purchase was my Cary 306 CD player, which sold new for $5500 US, I bought only 4 years old for $1600. My monster Krell cost well over $9,000 new! 20+ years ago. And I bought it for $2300. It’s got a few years on it but was recapped about 5 years before I bought it. Which ain’t cheap either I doubt?

Seems like some rather pricey stuff for an old guy who doesn’t work, but I only buy one piece a year. Sometimes two. To step up from my last stereo required me to pull out the stops. I suspect my next stereo will have to cost near $5k a piece to better this kit? If I ever live that long? At 3 years each, it would take me 24 years to put it together? Plus about 15 years to grow tired of this one. Doesn’t look like I’ll make it. ☹️

Russell

[Beobloke]

Where does all the old HiFi go to die?


Audio Al's house... :D

In all seriosness, people just throw stuff away. I'm sure I'm not the only person who knows of stuff like Garrard 301s, Technics SP10s and Quad amplifier being chucked into skips because people thought they weren't worth anything, or simply didnt want them any more. Furthermore, I've bought loads of stuff like this myself from dumps because it had been thrown out. If people arent going to save the exotic stuff, then they're certainly not going to be sentimental about the everyday, somewhat more mundane items.

It's the same across any items, though. After all, the Vauxhall Calibra was one of the best selling coupes for many years in the early 1990s and they were everywhere, but when did you last see one? (this example springs to mind as I saw one on Sunday and it's the first time I've seen one for years!)

[Macca]

Last saw a Calibra about two years ago, bloke who lives near me had one. But this is the land that time forgot when it comes to cars. Someone in the next street still had a Wolseley up until about 5 years ago. The body was more filler than metal.

[Smoking Joe]

Last saw a Calibra about two years ago, bloke who lives near me had one. But this is the land that time forgot when it comes to cars. Someone in the next street still had a Wolseley up until about 5 years ago. The body was more filler than metal.

Yes very good analogy! I always wondered the same about them. Lovely looking car. I know a guy currently restoring one and that is the first one that I have seen in years!

[mikmas]

It’s true! Before the internet it was near impossible to find old gear,

Presuming things are different Stateside :)
Over here, before the internet I used to buy pretty much all my stuff either from second-hand shops or dealers (from their part-exchange stock).
My ancient Quad 33/303 combo that I use daily I bought in the early 90s from one of the advertisers on AoS - Fanthorpes in Hull.
My 1960s Braun PS500 TT was sourced in the '80s from a junk shop in Amsterdam (where I lived at the time) for a bargain price because it wouldn't start (the string was broken...)

I always used to scour junk shops for used audio items and regularly came up with bargains. If anything, the internet has led to over-inflated prices for often over-rated and hyped up fashion articles - vis the insane craze for the old Garrard players that quite frankly remind me of Baby Belling cookers :lol:

An added bonus was finding bits of kit on the street on 'bin-night' - not really an option anymore as the craze for bunging even the most momentously mundane shite on eBay takes firm hold.

[walpurgis]

I was never that struck with the Calibra. But then, I was spoiled with the other GM sports coupe:

http://i64.tinypic.com/2z8qm9k.jpg

[Smoking Joe]

I was never that struck with the Calibra. But then, I was spoiled with the other GM sports coupe:

http://i64.tinypic.com/2z8qm9k.jpg

A friend was a huge Opel Manta fan. He still has 2 in a shed but which are pretty rusty. Long term projects but he hasn't gone near them in over 15 years.. :-( Someday...

[walpurgis]

That was a great car. Quick enough with great handling and roomy too. Loved the looks.

[alphaGT]

Presuming things are different Stateside :)
Over here, before the internet I used to buy pretty much all my stuff either from second-hand shops or dealers (from their part-exchange stock).
My ancient Quad 33/303 combo that I use daily I bought in the early 90s from one of the advertisers on AoS - Fanthorpes in Hull.
My 1960s Braun PS500 TT was sourced in the '80s from a junk shop in Amsterdam (where I lived at the time) for a bargain price because it wouldn't start (the string was broken...)

I always used to scour junk shops for used audio items and regularly came up with bargains. If anything, the internet has led to over-inflated prices for often over-rated and hyped up fashion articles - vis the insane craze for the old Garrard players that quite frankly remind me of Baby Belling cookers :lol:

An added bonus was finding bits of kit on the street on 'bin-night' - not really an option anymore as the craze for bunging even the most momentously mundane shite on eBay takes firm hold.

Perhaps I just didn’t know where second hand stereo was being sold? But, of the 3 or so high end salons in Richmond VA, a used piece of gear was rare! Nearly all new gear on display. When I bought a few items no one mentioned I could trade in any old gear. I guess they really didn’t want it? I know now some of those same shops take in used trade ins and sell them, but back then, their showrooms were all new gear. I do recall seeing a used record player in my usual haunt, but it was VERY expensive even used.

There were two kinds of stores, mid-fi, and high-fi. I recall buying speakers at “Harvey’s Warehouse”, when I was 14. Mostly Japanese gear. While stuff at the, “Salon”, was Krell, Jeff Rowland, Sota, Kline, and the Sony ES equipment, and other brands on that level.

Russell