Your Longest Lasting Component?

[Rare Bird]

A&R Cambridge 'A60' bought new in 1984, only just given to my mate a couple years ago...I used it on & off over the years..I later bought an 'A60AP' to use with 'SA60'.

[Tarzan]

SME V,Harbeth Compact 7ES2

[DSJR]

I suppose I could add my Spendors, as I sold them to my mate's dad in 1974, got to know so many new LP's with them and then later inherited them. The BC2's are in daily use still..

[Reid Malenfant]

In my main system i guess it would be my Classe Audio DR5 pre amp bought in early 00s, in my second system it'd be a Panasonic DVD-RA71 (used as a CD player) which i really have no idea how old it is

[Barry]

My SME 3009/II, bought in 1970, and my Thorens TD124/II, bought in 1971 are both still in use. Most of my audio equipment purchases (with the exception of a few cartridges) are still with me - kept as 'back up'.

One of the oldest items are my speakers, the original Quad ESLs, bought in 1974. I can't imagine I will ever want to change these; so expect them to be with me to the end of my days.

Regards

[MartinT]

Nice one, Barry. Those are seriously long lived components and deserve our respect and admiration. Have you had any of them serviced, I'm thinking especially of the Quads?

[Welder]

Okay, I’ll add to this; reluctant to do so before believing I was the only idiot that hung on to Hi Fi through the years in the belief that “new” doesn’t necessarily mean “better”.

My Volts; purchased 11/07/81
Not quite the same beasts now but…….
The Quantum Electronics 102 & 207DA bought the same month and year.

Decca London Gold; bought second hand in 1982 which I still have despite not having a deck or even an LP. Just can’t bear to let it go.

Sugden A21. Unfortunately not working but nothing too serious just haven’t got around to sorting it out. They were built by hand I believe and component matched

2 X Thorens TD160S sold a few months ago. I’ve had a Linn LP12 Valhalla and a Systemdeck in between but for my kit and ears a properly modded TD160S did everything the Linn did and cost considerably less. I struggled with the Linn for a few months and sold it for more than I paid for it
My mate bought my No1 Thorens which I spent many happy hours tinkering with when I still had access to an engineering workshop. The other went on ebay.
While I was in full modding fever a number of my friends took the Linn route; you couldn’t walk into a Hi Fi shop in those days without someone trying to sell you a Linn in preference to any other deck All bar one that I know of have since got rid of their Linns and gone for alternatives.

Looks like I may be as daft as the rest of you after all

[Reid Malenfant]

Damn, i guess the bit of kit that i purchased in the dim & distant past that i still own is a JVC QL-Y5F turntable that i still own, this will be pulled out of the loft & installed in system 2. Must have been bought by me pre September 1988

Oldest kit fully working i guess would be 3 pairs of NS1000M speakers, now all without enclosures (except the one pair i'm using) but ready to do battle again in the dim & distant future when the bench saw is rediscovered

Good old stuff never dies, it just gets better

[Welder]

Those NS1000M’s were great sounding speakers Mark. My mate had Sugden Master Class kit driving them and they sounded fantastic. He and I were forever “matching” the Volts and Yams
He went electrostatic in the end

[Reid Malenfant]

Yes, the Volt bass units are quite similar to the 12" Yamaha in a few respects. I agree that they are great speakers, they just needed a better enclosure

I certainly wouldn't turn down any Volt drivers that were offered to me though, i just wish someone didn't want a pair or more of the RV4504 I wouldn't sneeze at the 3" soft dome midrange either.... Stuff it, make it just about any Volts