Vintage Stereo Gear Fanatics

[1leggedduck 443]

I didn't find a thread that included this illness. If it gets some response, I'll post photos of my systems and encourage others. I'm fairly modest in my collecting, largely because I also fish a lot, and there's only so much room in my house, and part of it is occupied by my wife, who just doesn't get it. In my searches for various gear I have run into some folks who are really sick with it. I'm talking about several rooms dedicated to equipment, a system in every room in the house, and more in storage. I could not get away with it to that extent, but I kind of understand wanting to hear them all.

My home office system: Sansui 771, Pioneer PL 518 with a Sure 97E, Teac CD player (modern model that allows USB access to the DAC), and ADS L520s.

My den system: Kenwood 7600, Pioneer PL S40 with an AT conical (Model?) a Toshiba DVD player for CD, and some too late to be great Pioneer 3 ways, that need replacing.

I recently came to possess a Definitive Tech monster sub (maybe 15") and an M&K Volkswoofer (almost as big as the DT) that I do not need and would like to trade for a set of decent floor standers or towers. The subs are in great condition but I have not hooked them up to test. I'd also consider trading for a better quality MM cartridge.

Now, a word of encouragement: I understand, there's so much out there you want to hear, and match up. Which receiver would make these speakers sound even better? Is the harshness due to a revealing source and revealing speakers? Maybe if I could find some East Coast speakers it would mellow it out. And then there's the heavy stuff: tubes, mono block amps, $3,000 cables. It's ok. As long as your eating well and still have an interest in sex, you're doing ok.

[dcbc 14487]

I've posted this in the hifi and mid/mod threads, but I figure it's worth repeating. 

 

Previously owned by my parents and purchased by me in January.  Under my breath, I call it the "Beautiful Monster."  It's a 1959 Heath & Brown, Hollywood Regency style credenza, modified to house a hifi system.  It's 9' 4" in length and weighs (if I had to guess) between 350 and 400 pounds empty (the speakers weigh 60 lbs each).  The components and speakers are out temporarily (amp is being repaired, speakers need new surrounds, turntable needs a new belt and cartridge just because).  I'll have my other stereo, turntable and speakers in it until everything is ready to put back in.  But I'm looking forward to having a dedicated stereo system in the living room.  

Components:  McIntosh 2125 Amp, C27 Preamp, Dual 1265 Turntable and McIntosh AM/FM Tuner.  McIntosh XR3 speakers and a McIntosh EQ that will give the speakers a flat response down to 20hz.  Hoping to have all this gear back soon.  Have it at Ft. Worth Audio and was told 4 months.  We are there.
 

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by dcbc

[TwiceHorn 31488]

I think it's the "Vinyl" thread that has a lot of this.

Anton Chigurh is pretty knowledgeable about it.

Is it the ADS speakers that you find harsh?  I wonder if they need some TLC, like new caps in the crossover?  I also understand that the tweets and midrange domes are delicate and easily blown.

[G650 14263]

I've got some pretty fun Dynaco stuff, my old man was wildly into hi fi when thus stuff was actually current. So I got some hand be downs about 30 years ago. Always threatening to do something with it but it's mostly collecting dust.

 

I also have some old Harman gear from my youth. My Aragon Amp died like 10 years ago and I never fixed it. Ran that through some massive NHT 3.3 speakers.

[conVINCEd 21469]

My favorite thing about this site is that  no matter how specialized or obscure the topic is, there is generally someone who possesses high level, if not expert level knowledge.  I have no fucks to give about vintage hifi gear, but I click on shit like this to confirm that surly can point you in the right direction on pretty much any topic.

[1leggedduck 443]

No, the L520s are sweet and warm and still accurate. I think they may be the best smaller two way ever made. Of course there are many speakers and opinions, but I haven't heard anything that beats them out of the same sized box. I need something with more umph for a big den with high ceilings. Has some AR3s lined up but someone beat me to them. 

The Mac preamp and amp are beautiful. I've heard a lot of that equipment, but I've never heard a McIntosh speaker. Are they warm, extremely accurate? How do you perceive them?

And G650, should you ever decide you want to sell the equipment you described, let me know. That's all quality equipment.

[G650 14263]

1 hour ago, 1leggedduck said:

And G650, should you ever decide you want to sell the equipment you described, let me know. That's all quality equipment.

 

I will be buried with those NHT 3.3s lol.

 

I really need to get a new transformer for the Aragon 8008. It is such a solid unit. On the list that never seems to get any smaller unfortunately.

 

Of course I'm currently angling for my old man's vintage Lexicon shit, which I can add to the pile.

[TexPx 2323]

Thanks to the OP I realize I have way too much of this stuff. I do love the sound an aesthetics.
Amps:
Scott 299 A tube integrated
Audionics of Oregon CC-2
Pioneer SA 9500

Pre:
Hafler 100, Hafler SE 100
Adcom GFP 555

Receivers:
Fisher 400 tube
Marantz Model Twenty Seven, Model 2230 and Model 2245

Tuners:
Pioneer TX 9500
Denon TU 767

Turntables:
AR XA dual motor, Stanton 681EEE cart.
Technics SL 1400
Rega Planer 3 (first generation) Audio Technica AT 15SA cart.
Denon DP 62L, Stanton 981 hzs cart.

Speakers:
Frazier(made in Dallas TX)Manhattan, Model XX, Model Seven(x2), Monte Carlo D

I have some “newer” 90s stuff but all has a vintage aesthetic and quality sound.


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[G650 14263]

36 minutes ago, TexPx said:

Adcom GFP 555

Very nice

[TexPx 2323]

Very nice

Yeah.used to have the matching GFA 555 amp but someone talked me out of it.


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[VABuckeye 2472]

On 8/11/2021 at 5:11 PM, TexPx said:

Yeah.used to have the matching GFA 555 amp but someone talked me out of it.


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GFA, my favorite name for any audio equipment.

Stands for Great Fucking Amplifier

[1leggedduck 443]

Frazier(made in Dallas TX)Manhattan, Model XX, Model Seven(x2), Monte Carlo D

These intrigue me. There are a set of Model VIs on the Craig's List for $200.00. They have a big footprint but I read great things about them.

[Post Oak 20225]

On 8/7/2021 at 6:33 PM, dcbc said:

I've posted this in the hifi and mid/mod threads, but I figure it's worth repeating. 

 

Previously owned by my parents and purchased by me in January.  Under my breath, I call it the "Beautiful Monster."  It's a 1959 Heath & Brown, Hollywood Regency style credenza, modified to house a hifi system.  It's 9' 4" in length and weighs (if I had to guess) between 350 and 400 pounds empty (the speakers weigh 60 lbs each).  The components and speakers are out temporarily (amp is being repaired, speakers need new surrounds, turntable needs a new belt and cartridge just because).  I'll have my other stereo, turntable and speakers in it until everything is ready to put back in.  But I'm looking forward to having a dedicated stereo system in the living room.  

Components:  McIntosh 2125 Amp, C27 Preamp, Dual 1265 Turntable and McIntosh AM/FM Tuner.  McIntosh XR3 speakers and a McIntosh EQ that will give the speakers a flat response down to 20hz.  Hoping to have all this gear back soon.  Have it at Ft. Worth Audio and was told 4 months.  We are there.
 

 

This is not for me.  But that set up is fucking awesome.  Well done

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

When my folks moved from Houston, they downsized significantly.  I was fortunate enough to inherit my dad's Klipsch Cornwall speakers.  He's a huge audiophile and an amateur musician, but he didn't have room for them when my folks downsized after my sister graduated from HS.  They were late 70s models.  Sounded amazing.  I had them in my first two homes, and to this day, they're still the most impressive sounding speakers for music that I've ever owned.  When we moved in 2013, I ended up refinishing them and giving them back to my dad.  He still has them in his music room.  I need to get some pics the next time I'm there.  

[dcbc 14487]

3 hours ago, Post Oak said:

This is not for me.  But that set up is fucking awesome.  Well done

Thanks.  Hopefully, someday, I can get the components loaded into it.  They are at Ft. Worth audio on a long wait list.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

Nice thread!

My stuff ain’t that fancy. Just a Marantz 2245 (also have a 2215b), Technics 1200 MKII, and Pioneer HPM-100. Also have some Bose 10.2 Series II that my dad won in a contest in the 80s. They’re actually surprisingly decent.

I’d like some vintage Forte II or Cornwall eventually.

[utee94 15825]

I have a Garrard 301 that I "borrowed" from my father when he stopped listening to albums.  He was the GM at KOKE-FM back in the late 60s/early 70s and he brought a couple of them home when they changed out their equipment.

Also, in a recent search through the closet of my parents' guest bedroom (looking for my old Star Wars toys), I found my old 80s Technics integrated amp that I had in junior high and high school.  I traded it out in college for a crappier Pioneer that I thought looked cooler and probably produced more pure wattage but never sounded as good.

Speakers are nothing special, a pair of standard 80s Pioneer floor speakers, but they still sound pretty good.

Edited August 17, 2021 by utee94

[TexPx 2323]

Frazier(made in Dallas TX)Manhattan, Model XX, Model Seven(x2), Monte Carlo D
These intrigue me. There are a set of Model VIs on the Craig's List for $200.00. They have a big footprint but I read great things about them.

Very good price depending on the condition. These are mid 60s version. Jack Frazier was an interesting dude. Great looking/sounding speakers. Hand made using double-sided veneers and simple crossovers.


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[1leggedduck 443]

I've just  about got my second system set up. I have the Kenwood KR7600 in a nice Ikea stereo cabinet, along with my Pioneer of a lesser god PL 40 TT, but I'm using a Toshiba DVD/CD player (which is pretty good actually) for CDs. Last year I bought a Teac CD player that has USB input to the Dac, so you can send well processed digital to analog to your vintage gear, which is a really nice feature. I spent $212.00 with tax. I thought I'd see what the same unit would cost me today. Shit! Used/open box they're $400.00! I hadn't thought about the chip/parts shortage. That's just crazy.

[TexPx 2323]

I've just  about got my second system set up. I have the Kenwood KR7600 in a nice Ikea stereo cabinet, along with my Pioneer of a lesser god PL 40 TT, but I'm using a Toshiba DVD/CD player (which is pretty good actually) for CDs. Last year I bought a Teac CD player that has USB input to the Dac, so you can send well processed digital to analog to your vintage gear, which is a really nice feature. I spent $212.00 with tax. I thought I'd see what the same unit would cost me today. Shit! Used/open box they're $400.00! I hadn't thought about the chip/parts shortage. That's just crazy.

I bought one of those Teacs(P650)a couple of years ago to use in the system in my Den. Thing is great. Even has a headphone jack with volume control. Paid 250 I think.

[1leggedduck 443]

You can rip CD to a thumb drive, if that's something you want to do. I just like that Spotify sounds at least palatable through the DAC. And I have a lot of CDs.

[TexPx 2323]

You can rip CD to a thumb drive, if that's something you want to do. I just like that Spotify sounds at least palatable through the DAC. And I have a lot of CDs.

I use mine mostly for my IPOD. I bought a 160GB when they discontinued them and have a dock that plugs into the Teac. I have almost all of my CD collection on there and it sounds great.


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[1leggedduck 443]

If anyone is looking for decent two way speakers there are some EPI 100V speakers on Austin CL right now. I have no idea of their condition (not affiliated in any way) but I've always wanted some EPI and these are $150.00. I have been informed that we presently have sufficient speakers at my house.

[dcbc 14487]

Well, it's been a long wait (6.5 months), but I finally got the call that my old McIntosh gear pictured above is repaired and/or serviced, and ready to go.  So I'll be making the trek to Fort Worth Audio tomorrow to add some points to the credit card in exchange for my gear.  I hope to get it reinstalled in the rack space in the "beautiful monster" (also pictured above) and get some finished project pictures on here soon.  Can't wait to hear it.  I've been buying vinyl a little at a time while it's been away.

[mulletpelini 5211]

How many pieces of vinyl do you have?

On 8/16/2021 at 1:48 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

When my folks moved from Houston, they downsized significantly.  I was fortunate enough to inherit my dad's Klipsch Cornwall speakers.  He's a huge audiophile and an amateur musician, but he didn't have room for them when my folks downsized after my sister graduated from HS.  They were late 70s models.  Sounded amazing.  I had them in my first two homes, and to this day, they're still the most impressive sounding speakers for music that I've ever owned.  When we moved in 2013, I ended up refinishing them and giving them back to my dad.  He still has them in his music room.  I need to get some pics the next time I'm there.  

So now you've got nothing and like it?

Edited October 7, 2021 by mulletpelini
cool thread, nice inputs, 2 or 3 quads

[dcbc 14487]

Finally got it all back together. Sounds great! Had to hit the McIntosh MQ102 equalizer I got on ebay with a little deoxit, but it's behaving itself now. Still trying to figure out what sounds good with those settings. It basically gets all of the bass from of the speakers down to 20 hz. I have it set for a 6 db boost and have been happy so far.




 

Edited October 8, 2021 by dcbc

[mulletpelini 5211]

doo doo doo do do I'm loving it.

[dcbc 14487]

5 hours ago, mulletpelini said:

doo doo doo do do I'm loving it.

Had a few hiccups.  Ft. Worth Audio didn't replace the steuerpimpel on the turntable, and it stopped automatically dropping.  Fortunately, I'm not completely inept and figured out how to replace it.  Left channel was cutting out with the EQ hooked up.  So that's removed for now.  Then it cut out intermittently.  Replaced the cables and worked some Deoxit into the rca jacks.  That appears to have fixed it.  Will probably ship the EQ off to be serviced and checked.  It's pretty small and cheap.  System sounds great without it, but I know it will sound tremendous with it.  Even so, I played a little Bella Fleck Cosmic Hippo (my reference song) through it, and the bass through the old McIntosh speakers is tremendous, even without the EQ. 

[dcbc 14487]

I'm officially breaking it in tonight with some Marvin Gaye. I'm so glad I kept and refurbed these speakers. Even with the EQ removed, they're just great in this space.

[VABuckeye 2472]

On 10/7/2021 at 9:16 PM, dcbc said:

Finally got it all back together. Sounds great! Had to hit the McIntosh MQ102 equalizer I got on ebay with a little deoxit, but it's behaving itself now. Still trying to figure out what sounds good with those settings. It basically gets all of the bass from of the speakers down to 20 hz. I have it set for a 6 db boost and have been happy so far.




 

Looks great.  How is the ventilation/air flow in that cabinet.  Heat would be my concern.

[dcbc 14487]

3 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

Looks great.  How is the ventilation/air flow in that cabinet.  Heat would be my concern.

There's airflow between the components and plenty of room behind them (about 8").  The back of the cabinet is pegboard.  So there's "some" ventilation there.  But hot air rises and I've considered cutting a small access hole and plugging a small vent fan into one of the switched plugs on the back of the preamp because if I put the lid down while I'm playing a record, it does get a bit warm in the turntable area.  But I'm not overly concerned about it.  I can just leave the lid up while it's on.  This thing has been living in this cabinet for 45 years and just went in for its first service.  I don't know if I'd get any reaction to the sound. 

Come to think of it, some of that heat probably is coming from the tuner and I could just leave it off.  It's mostly for looks and for filling the hole.

Right now, I dealing with the fact that some things on the turntable were overlooked.  So I'm going to pack it up and ship it back to Ft. Worth Audio along with the EQ to get them looked at.  I don't know how it got overlooked, but they're going to deal with it on an expedited basis and fix up the EQ while they're at it. 

[Elvis 3371]

I have an aging system that is not exactly the same vintage as the older systems posted here, but it's pretty cool.  It doesn't fit into any specific category of vintage, modern, digital, analog, 2ch, theater, or ditribution. 

 

I designed it over a few years from 2001-2004.  Started acquiring and building in 2004.  Major upgrade 2009.  Prograde racked in 2017.  Went vinyl shortly after.  It still kicks major ass in 2.1ch, surround, theater, and whole house audio.  It's also a real pleasure to operate and manipulate because it is so compliated and manual.  

I'll post a few pics and work on writing the evolution story of this system (if anyone is interested).

 

 

[Elvis 3371]

Home-made interconnects 2005

[Elvis 3371]

2005 Build

Pioneer Elite THX 5.1 Receiver (under powered)

Old school EQ for sub

Badass Denon DVD-3910 for DVD, super audio, dvd audio (still in rack working perfectly).  Great DACs.

Sony CD changer (decommisioned, rubber band drive faied).

Anthem MCA 30 pushing 400W x 3 at 4 ohm to my M&K MP-150 LCR.  Pioneer powers the M&K tri-poles.  M&K MX-350 2x12" sub for base.

There are also speaker zones driven by the Pioneer in to the patio, kitchen, bathroom, and office (switched by niles).

[Elvis 3371]

2009 upgrade to Pioneer Elite with HDMI and 5.0 auto-EQ (microphone, I think it's called Audissey). 

Also added one of the first BR players and a Velodyne SMS-1 for better sub EQ.

And finally, a Pioneer Elite PRO-150FD 60" plasma.

All were really expensive and awesome.  All of these are still in use including the MCA-30 for the difficult M&K LCR load.

[Elvis 3371]

2015 I painted the house gray and my LCRs black.  I also ordered new grills and logos from M&K.

 

 

[Elvis 3371]

2017-2018 Full house remodel, including electrical closet and rack.  I made and/or jacketted all of the red braided cables.  Unifi POE networking added to back of rack.

 

 

[Elvis 3371]

Display and speakers currently (2021)

 

[Elvis 3371]

I have a binder full of design plans and receipts.  Top picture is my dream rack design in 2004 or 5.

The last pic is of the framing: I designed it to support a future wall mount for a heavy plasma.  The 2.5" conduit runs up into the attic and then there's another double drop into the electrical closet.  Those conduits were maxed out when I was running the tripple coax video x2 plus various other DVI (super expensive 75' back then), sub cable, other coax, etc.  I cleaned it out when HDMI came around.  I also have sub-drops in the back two corners of the living room in case I wanted to run multiple subs.  I could never get them to tune well in the back though, so I just let the M&K THX MK-350 with double sealed 12" drivers do the job.  

[Fuck Tim Beck 3820]

Man, seeing a Dyer electronics invoice brings back some memories. 

[VABuckeye 2472]

Very nice.  Middle Atlantic racks that slide out?

[Elvis 3371]

It's on wheels and can move around.  However, I slid the rack in before the doors were installed.  I found out that the rack doesn't fit through the hung doors front or back.  Here's the kicker:  I installed exterior grade solid core doors with weather stripping (I ordered them with thresholds also, but that was ugly and didn't work with the floors).  You see, the rack front door opens into the living area.  The black back door is hollow core and opens into the laundry room.  The laundry room door to the hallway and the rack front door are the exterior type (HEAVY) doors with weather stripping.  The purpose is to contain the laundry room noise into the laundry room and rack closet.  I don't really need to remove the rack because it is so accessible with the back door.  Removing a heavy door would be a total PIA.

 

Note that the rack has front and back rails.  That's how I got the Unifi, battery backup, and other wire management looking the way it is.  I spent about a month in the back of the rack making all the wires and management.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Elvis

[Elvis 3371]

23 minutes ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Man, seeing a Dyer electronics invoice brings back some memories. 

I thought someone would like that. 

 

Almost everything else is from A&B TV.  I probably have $25k in receipts from them (not just this build, other rooms and tvs and stuff).

[VABuckeye 2472]

5 hours ago, Elvis said:

It's on wheels and can move around.  However, I slid the rack in before the doors were installed.  I found out that the rack doesn't fit through the hung doors front or back.  Here's the kicker:  I installed exterior grade solid core doors with weather stripping (I ordered them with thresholds also, but that was ugly and didn't work with the floors).  You see, the rack front door opens into the living area.  The black back door is hollow core and opens into the laundry room.  The laundry room door to the hallway and the rack front door are the exterior type (HEAVY) doors with weather stripping.  The purpose is to contain the laundry room noise into the laundry room and rack closet.  I don't really need to remove the rack because it is so accessible with the back door.  Removing a heavy door would be a total PIA.

 

Note that the rack has front and back rails.  That's how I got the Unifi, battery backup, and other wire management looking the way it is.  I spent about a month in the back of the rack making all the wires and management.

My Middle Atlantic racks had stands that attached to the front so the racks could slide out.  There was a room behind that didn’t allow a design to get to the back like yours.  Nicely designed sir. 

[mulletpelini 5211]

I remember that Denon 3910, it was a beast.

[Elvis 3371]

Looking for a SATA cable for my son’s jalopy pc build. Bonus cool vinyl pic  

 

[Armybrat 40850]

One of my sons is still using our 1967 Criterion floor speakers and the late ‘70s receiver & turntable in his music room.

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Armybrat

[texashorne 1178]

On 8/7/2021 at 9:53 PM, conVINCEd said:

My favorite thing about this site is that  no matter how specialized or obscure the topic is, there is generally someone who possesses high level, if not expert level knowledge.  I have no fucks to give about vintage hifi gear, but I click on shit like this to confirm that surly can point you in the right direction on pretty much any topic.

Yep. Everything except football. 

[dcbc 14487]

So the turntable went back because they forgot to service it.  I mailed it and dropped the eq in there for service just because.  Now I'm driving the power amp back tomorrow (80 lbs with a glass front isn't going to be put in shipping) because the left channel has been flaky since I got it back and deoxit on the switches wasn't the answer.  Oh, and the left meter isn't working.  They're going to prioritize it, which is good.  And from everything I read, it should be an easy fix, which also is good.  But it'd be a lot cooler if they'd fixed it all right the first time and I didn't have to spend an additional 8 hours in the car driving to and from Ft. Worth to drop off and pick up.  The amp is easier to forgive because it was DOA when I first took it in.  And I doubt the speaker relay is part of regular servicing  The turntable was just their screw up, for which they are completely miffed and very contrite.  Eventually, it will be worth it.  Right now, is major pain in my assholes.

Edited November 3, 2021 by dcbc

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I was also disappointed that my speaker relay did not get replaced during a repair (at Dallas Vintage Audio), because it does now cut out in the right channel at low volume on quiet records. Alas.