You should listen to the ipod then - point is that most new gear objective might not not have been better sound, but better looks and convenience. That's where the progress was.
Why do people that own vintage gear think It's better than new gear
- Thread starter taters
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You should listen to the ipod then - point is that most new gear objective might not not have been better sound, but better looks and convenience. That's where the progress was.
Mechanical vintage devices like tape and vinyl players have so great advantage (prior digital) as moved and rotating parts.
It's look very nice instead "cold" LCD display at media server with 5 coursor keys.
For better understanding, I like digital monitor/dry sound
It's look very nice instead "cold" LCD display at media server with 5 coursor keys.
For better understanding, I like digital monitor/dry sound
I prefer to listen to my "old" stuff. I humbly disagree with you on new gear's objective being better looks than better sound. The home entertainment system I got for the family really sounds great. Those Dali speakers put out the clearest sound and when my son wants to listen to his mind numbing noise from hell, he fires up the Hegel 30 and its like listening to Satan in person. Also, I don't think the words Ipod and music should share the same paragraph.
Have you heard Western Electrics? The speakers? And do you think digital sounds better than vinyl?
Stuff which most likely sounds better than anything today.
If I could get it, afford it, house it, and kiss and caress it to make it work, I would
TT - American Sound (any chance, DDK?)
CDP - Marantz CD12 SE 2 box (still Ken Kessler's cdp of choice after nearly 30 years) - I nearly took out a bank loan for £3k back in 1989
R2R - big Studers
SPKRS - Denman Exponential Horn, using 30s WE driver - to hear it is to know EVERYTHING else is broken
AMPS - dk here, but I'm sure old battleship build Krells from the 80s and 90s dance rings around any heavywts from Boulder/Soulution/even new Krells.
There's no doubt industrial design, and blingier and blingier caswk, sending prices sky high, are not advancing the SOTA. See Krell imho.
If I could get it, afford it, house it, and kiss and caress it to make it work, I would
TT - American Sound (any chance, DDK?)
CDP - Marantz CD12 SE 2 box (still Ken Kessler's cdp of choice after nearly 30 years) - I nearly took out a bank loan for £3k back in 1989
R2R - big Studers
SPKRS - Denman Exponential Horn, using 30s WE driver - to hear it is to know EVERYTHING else is broken
AMPS - dk here, but I'm sure old battleship build Krells from the 80s and 90s dance rings around any heavywts from Boulder/Soulution/even new Krells.
There's no doubt industrial design, and blingier and blingier caswk, sending prices sky high, are not advancing the SOTA. See Krell imho.
Are you want say that vinyl have less distortion than digital equipment?
One point to consider about vintage gear is that the vintage gear still coveted today are those that have been vetted over time. They are the cream that literally rose to the top. For every coveted piece there are probably hundreds or thousands of other models now in land fills.
I like the poetic way you put this
. I also have fond memories for my equipment I bought in early 1980s. They have memories attached to them that new gear obviously doesn't not yet have.I like the poetic way you put this
Don't think that's the point at all. Both gears are equally new for people like me, I wouldn't have known what was vintage and what was not if someone hadn't told me. When I was wandering the halls of Munich, there was no way I could have known the Western Electric room was older than an AR room. The WE was a real blind test. I had not heard of it before, or of the company that demoed it.
Likewise, being born in late 70s, Led Zep and Beethoven are both before my time, irrelevant where one is 10 years or 300 years. Though Wham was the first pop cassette I heard and liked, and Led Zep was the last rock/pop group that I embraced. So a logic that says I prefer Led Zep or Beethoven to George Michael because they are more vintage and people are nostalgic, doesn't work. They are better, period.
Jack is right. WE has survived for a century for a reason, as compared to new gear that might go away in 10 - 20 years.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Interesting question the OP.
My foray into vintage audio gear was last month when I traveled to Cedar City Utah to hear ddk's vintage Siemen's Bionor speakers as well as his museum of vintage OOP turntables. Simply put that experience readjusted very quickly my idea of a reference system as I have never heard a better sound system in my life whether it be new or vintage. If anyone wants to hear a true vintage system I suggest taking a pilgrimage to Utah to readjust your sights on sound as it was the most spectacular sound I have ever heard.
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...My-Step-Beyond&p=328669&viewfull=1#post328669
My foray into vintage audio gear was last month when I traveled to Cedar City Utah to hear ddk's vintage Siemen's Bionor speakers as well as his museum of vintage OOP turntables. Simply put that experience readjusted very quickly my idea of a reference system as I have never heard a better sound system in my life whether it be new or vintage. If anyone wants to hear a true vintage system I suggest taking a pilgrimage to Utah to readjust your sights on sound as it was the most spectacular sound I have ever heard.
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...My-Step-Beyond&p=328669&viewfull=1#post328669
Things haven't really got much better over the years comparing sota sound imo, but there have been some areas where technology has made advancements in parts quality such as beryllium drivers, upocc wire, better coupling caps, etc.
When people say vintage is better, most of the time "for the money" is implied and it's hard to argue with that. I was recently given a pair of old Dahlquist speakers and after a couple hundred in xo parts and driver repair the value for the money is excellent. Better than modern speakers? Well, not much different imo but they're cheaper.
When people say vintage is better, most of the time "for the money" is implied and it's hard to argue with that. I was recently given a pair of old Dahlquist speakers and after a couple hundred in xo parts and driver repair the value for the money is excellent. Better than modern speakers? Well, not much different imo but they're cheaper.
Vintage or current gear...IF it works it works. IOW, just because a piece has a certain age, does not disqualify it from having excellent SQ. Generally the SOTA advances as technology advances, however, one cannot discount a vintage piece only due to age and older technology. (IME, particularly in the reproduction of music). I think many a'philes make the simple mistake of believing that the "latest" is always the "greatest". IMHO, far better to use one's ears than one's eyes in this hobby.
Some people are definitely into nostalgia. But we also have very different realism triggers: tonality, detail resolution, dynamics, bass articulation, staging, decay, etc.
Obviously, detail resolution has improved recently, and so has bass performance. Yet people listening to midrange-centered music, whose realism is triggered via tonality, dimensionality, and decay may prefer vintage gear.
I doubt too many of us would disagree with the statement, "a really great system can be put together using vintage gear". We have all heard them. I draw the line at calling these State of the Art. This crazy hobby we enjoy cannot be the only technology based product that hasn't be improved upon in the last 40+ years. Cars, computers, TV, aircraft, phones ...............
I don't listen to Led zep on hifi. I love their bootlegs and live versions which can't be played on hifi. If rock is the thing, I think one should have a good room corrected system with average speakers and subs, good bass and tone but not too much detail where you can hear the crap in the recording. I would do a box speaker plus JL with DSP. Box has to have some bite in it's tone, not be smooth like a planar
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