Nothing for as long as 20 years, but Audio-Technica and (B&O) IcePower (I hear the shattering of glass) since 2007.
Which Brand Have You Owned for 20 Years?
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
Aragon 4004mk2. Aragon18k preamp.
Sold them about a year ago, after using since 1995. Replaced with a Hegel h390.
Sold them about a year ago, after using since 1995. Replaced with a Hegel h390.
Not just the size, it's the shape too. I don't mind big, but they have no lines to break up the visual intrusion. Not my cup of tea either, but i like the sound, just missing a little in the bottom.
I’m also a long time & faithful follower of NAIM. Starting over 25 years ago with some of the olive vintage “Shoe Box types” and especially the then widely acclaimed CD 2 ( the one with this rotating CD-drawer …) and ending with a 555 & 552 System, now also since around 15 years.
Speakers are active LINN 350A , but only for the last 15 years…
Record Players (& Tuners) : REVOX , various models , since about 30 years – and now slowly replaced - or supplemented - by 2 THORENS Vintage players, TD127 & TD520 both with SME 3012R
Headphones: STAX various , mostly the TOTL models, since approx. 30 years…
Regards
Urs
Starting over 25 years ago with some of the olive vintage “Shoe Box types” and especially the then widely acclaimed CD 2 ( the one with this rotating CD-drawer …) and ending with a 555 & 552 System, now also since around 15 years.Speakers are active LINN 350A , but only for the last 15 years…
Record Players (& Tuners) : REVOX , various models , since about 30 years – and now slowly replaced - or supplemented - by 2 THORENS Vintage players, TD127 & TD520 both with SME 3012R
Headphones: STAX various , mostly the TOTL models, since approx. 30 years…
Regards
Urs
Brands I have owned for 20+ years:
1. Quad ESL 57: my pair is 50+ years old, works perfectly, listening to it now. Perfect for morning music with my cappuccino. Like the still cool Bauhaus design.
2. Audio Research: owned their products for 35+ years: latest acquisition, the mighty and terrifying 750SE monoblocks. There are amplifiers you buy and stick on a shelf and forget about it. These are like buying one of those dragons in Game of Thrones. They glower at you even when off. You need to rearrange your life around them as I am discovering the hard way. Don’t buy these unless you have the energy and time to feed them and take care of them. It’s exhilarating and highly stressful.
3. SME turntables and arms: I’ve owned SME arms forever. Currently I have the V12, the best arm I’ve owned ever. On a 20/12, the sound is effortless and composed. SME turntables are not flashy. Some dismiss them as boring. I agree. They are designed not to draw attention to themselves. Excess energy is damped and drained off. Those who like excitement should look elsewhere. These are for those who want vinyl to sound like mastertape.
4. Nordost cables: I was dubious about cables till I heard a pair of SPMs decades ago. TAS reviewed these many years ago and declared all other cables as “tone controls”. Fast and highly revealing, perhaps even ruthless. Very low capacitance. Mine have taken a beating for 25+ years connecting to countless products and still work great. Will eventually replace with Valhallas at some point.
1. Quad ESL 57: my pair is 50+ years old, works perfectly, listening to it now. Perfect for morning music with my cappuccino. Like the still cool Bauhaus design.
2. Audio Research: owned their products for 35+ years: latest acquisition, the mighty and terrifying 750SE monoblocks. There are amplifiers you buy and stick on a shelf and forget about it. These are like buying one of those dragons in Game of Thrones. They glower at you even when off. You need to rearrange your life around them as I am discovering the hard way. Don’t buy these unless you have the energy and time to feed them and take care of them. It’s exhilarating and highly stressful.
3. SME turntables and arms: I’ve owned SME arms forever. Currently I have the V12, the best arm I’ve owned ever. On a 20/12, the sound is effortless and composed. SME turntables are not flashy. Some dismiss them as boring. I agree. They are designed not to draw attention to themselves. Excess energy is damped and drained off. Those who like excitement should look elsewhere. These are for those who want vinyl to sound like mastertape.
4. Nordost cables: I was dubious about cables till I heard a pair of SPMs decades ago. TAS reviewed these many years ago and declared all other cables as “tone controls”. Fast and highly revealing, perhaps even ruthless. Very low capacitance. Mine have taken a beating for 25+ years connecting to countless products and still work great. Will eventually replace with Valhallas at some point.
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Oh, that brings back memories. I had the Audio Physic Avanti, a larger model than the Virgo, way back in the 1990s. They threw a great soundstage. But eventually I got tired of their rather zippy top end. Gerhard, their original designer, was the one who created the logo “no loss of fine detail”. I found it too bright on many recordings with a lack of fullness in the bass. Eventually traded them in to a dealer in Massachusetts. I’m not a fan of speakers with a rising top end, which pretty much rules out 99.9% of audiophile speakers for me. The only dynamic moving coil speakers I can stand listening to are my Harbeth Monitor 40.1s, which are designed to meet BBC standards for neutrality of voice. They sound quite lovely for a non-electrostatic loudspeaker, and for once I can’t pick out the tweeter from all the way back in the room. But only from a distance. As I get closer to hear the tweeter. But that’s ok. I owned a pair of B&W 800 diamonds, which had a tweeter that was so bright I could hear it outside my house! Yikes.
My Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood mm cartridge is 20 years old. Yes, I know that it shouldn't still be on its "A-game," but it still sounds really good when I mount it on my three-year old Clearaudio Tracer tonearm on my three-year old Clearaudio Performance DC AiR table a couple of times each year.
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