Top Vintage system

SeagoatLeo

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2015
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The truly great vintage is pretty costly these days.

Good vintage, if you know what to hunt for, can be a deal.

One day I would like to assemble a little system based on old broadcast modules ( a Siemens / Telefunken V set ). I wouldn't expect it to topple giants but I have a thing for old industrial / studio gear...
I'm still holding on to unused gear I purchased at the nadir of the tube era in the 80s. I have a pair of McIntosh MC30s (paid $150), Fisher 400B & Fisher 500B (paid $125 each in mint condition). Marantz 7C (paid $75), Dynaco ST70 w/Mullard EL34s (paid $400) and smaller items whose values have escalated substantially. Their current prices really astound me. However, as to CD players, I sold my $3500 Muse Signature 9 last year in almost unused condition for $500-older CD players, even high end one's have plummeted in value.
 

MRJAZZ

Industry Expert
Jan 20, 2014
403
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350
There are a few speakers I’d consider in that list but none of the electronics.

david
Concur...(actually Any of the speakers listed could work, and very well indeed, with the right electronics)
Cheers......
 
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Jan 18, 2012
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Drobak Norway
There are a few speakers I’d consider in that list but none of the electronics.

david
I had 4 xRowland M-7s on Apogee Dax/Diva system in the early 90s and it was nothing wrong with that
before that Acoustat Monitor X, large Paragon tube pre with Cotter B1/Dp6000/FR66FxB60 and Linn Karma
before that in late 70s/early 80s several friends had Beveridge incl Kavi Alexander when we lived in Stockholm
plenty of nice stuff
I´ve also had ML20,6
 

ddk

Well-Known Member
May 18, 2013
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I had 4 xRowland M-7s on Apogee Dax/Diva system in the early 90s and it was nothing wrong with that
before that Acoustat Monitor X, large Paragon tube pre with Cotter B1/Dp6000/FR66FxB60 and Linn Karma
before that in late 70s/early 80s several friends had Beveridge incl Kavi Alexander when we lived in Stockholm
plenty of nice stuff
I´ve also had ML20,6
Before the Bionors the Apogee Divas were my longest running speakers, I loved them for close to 10 years over all other speakers I heard and owned at the time! I didn't like the DAX but bi-wired them with two pairs of VTL Ichibans, then switched to ARC Ref 600 which sucked, then Levinson 33's the first amplifiers that actually drove them and I found out about DIVA's fabulous bass. Next and last iteration was with two pairs of Lamm M2.1 amps, the best sound I had heard but then came Lamm ML2 SET that turned everything I knew around. Along the way I owned Apogee Grands with Krell Audio Standards and whatever their top of the line preamp was at the time, horrible combination! I must admit to never liking any Rowland or Levinson electronics aside from the 33's.

david
 

Rhapsody

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Jan 16, 2013
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In the late 80's I ran Divas/Dax with four VTL 300's and and SP11 with a Linn LP12 and a Well Tempered TT. At the time I LOVED it. It was in a small room and I used to knock pictures off the wall playing "Dark Side of the Moon".
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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In the late 80's I ran Divas/Dax with four VTL 300's and and SP11 with a Linn LP12 and a Well Tempered TT. At the time I LOVED it. It was in a small room and I used to knock pictures off the wall playing "Dark Side of the Moon".
I had the LP12 & Well Tempered Reference too!

david
 
Jan 18, 2012
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The 4 M7 drove the Divas extremely well...also had Rowland pre and phonostage, Basis Ovation with Wheaton and Rowland Complement and my belowed Day Sequerra, which I still have
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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The number of planar speakers in the OP is interesting. Having spent quite a bit time working with 8 Acoustat panels and modified Servo-Charge amps I can say with some authority that there was tremendous potential there. With carefully designed and built hardwood frames and someone like the late Roger Modjeski to fine tune the amps I feel they could equal or best almost any SoundLab or ML model; unfortunately that never happened. Something similar could apply to Beveridge, and although the Beveridge family keeps working on it I’m not sure they are really getting anywhere
 

Rhapsody

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Jan 16, 2013
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I had the LP12 & Well Tempered Reference too!

david
At the time they were pretty good:) Actually if you set all that up now it would still be a fun system and sound VG.
 
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gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
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I had 4 xRowland M-7s on Apogee Dax/Diva system in the early 90s and it was nothing wrong with that
before that Acoustat Monitor X, large Paragon tube pre with Cotter B1/Dp6000/FR66FxB60 and Linn Karma
before that in late 70s/early 80s several friends had Beveridge incl Kavi Alexander when we lived in Stockholm
plenty of nice stuff
I´ve also had ML20,6
Also my friend had M7 with Diva

OT my son graduate in october and now is working in Stockholm in one big company producing special battery,he like a lot live there
 
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Jan 18, 2012
2,323
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several in Stockholm had Beveridge so I had extended experience with them, also technically
the directcouled amps tended to be unstable...a friend in Oslo blew them properly once and I could´nt figure out how to fix...
at that time I was selling Siemens computers and I contacted the x-ray division and finally got hold of some 8KV diodes...after that the amps behaved :D
but only after having gotten 3KV through my wristwatch because the diode fault led positive to chassis!
it smelled bacon afterwords :eek:
 

morricab

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2014
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Switzerland
The number of planar speakers in the OP is interesting. Having spent quite a bit time working with 8 Acoustat panels and modified Servo-Charge amps I can say with some authority that there was tremendous potential there. With carefully designed and built hardwood frames and someone like the late Roger Modjeski to fine tune the amps I feel they could equal or best almost any SoundLab or ML model; unfortunately that never happened. Something similar could apply to Beveridge, and although the Beveridge family keeps working on it I’m not sure they are really getting anywhere
THere was a company in Holland (Twinstatic audio) that made mods to the servocharge amps and even had their own (based on the Servo Charge I think), so it would be possible to direct drive the Acoustats again with better reliability and sound...or even other brands of Estats.
 
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assessor43

Well-Known Member
Nov 1, 2018
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a friend of mine has a nice vintage system we listen to a couple nights a week. Vintage Mcintosh pre and amp, Dual 1019, Big Bozak speakers, and a seventies vintage B & O turntable.
 

Walnut Horns

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2015
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I really enjoyed my Naimed LP12 fronted active Linn Isobariks. A super fun system to listen to, especially given the music I was listening to at the time.
 

davenrk

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Nov 27, 2020
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Could you please suggest me some old or relatively old fantastic speakers, you could buy at an affordable price now, 3.000/6.000 euro, not very very big, to be powered by a Swiss Physics 6A 160w pure class A amp?
 

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