Quote:
Originally Posted by
]eep 
Like I said, I mean no disrespect. Even the smartest ppl can make dumb remarks. If you are offended by a word maybe if I rephrase my statement in my native tongue (or German or French) you would understand me better? I'm sorry if I don't catch your sensitivity on the word 'stupid' but it was a modifier on the statement, not your person.
Maybe my experience in the field of 'vintage' is dependent on locality. I don't shop on Audiogon etc. The 2ndH sites I check is only frequented by 'enthousiasts', 'audiophiles' or however you want to call it and there is 1 in 10 really vintage stuff that is worth mentioning > €500. An old Micro Seiki, an old Stax, a fully modified TD160, 2 Technics SL12x0 and that's it. Or if you count a broken Beogram... Yhe bulk of what I see on the regular 2ndH is all junk (>25y at the level of <$250 then). Maybe it all depends on how you look at the world on what catches your attention.
The hifi show I was at last fall had plenty of TT's. Almost every exibitor had one or more. One was specialised in old Thorens's and the price was accordingly. The shop where I buy most of my vinyl introduced a new complete recordplayer for €600 that looked and sounded really good (similar to a Pro-ject Xperience in all perspex with a Ortofon Red cart, level, dustcover and a puck).
There's no way you are going to best that with a 'vintage' TT. Not to mention the regular 2y warranty. There is a lot going on in Europe in the field of vinyl playback and prices are quite different over here. Let me sum up some manufacturers:
UK:
Michell Engineering
Funk Firm
Rega
Linn
Origin Live
Audio Note
Audiomods
Avid
EAT
Loricraft
Lumley
Nottingham Analogue
SME
Decca London
Well Tempered
Roksan
townshend
Wilson Benesch
Germany (+Sw):
Audolabor
Clearaudio
DPS
Transrotor
Dr Feickert
Brinkmann
Dual
Thorens
Marantz
Goldmund
Sheu
Lenco
Pluto Audio
Phonoshophie
And a bit further away to the east:
Kuzma
Pro-ject
and some more French and Italian. And I'm not even counting cartridges... Even the Chinese are chiming in with Opera Audio and Hanns (I seriously considered buying one of those, what am I saying, I own a Opera T988 arm)!
My point is: there's plenty development going on here. The USA is not the center of the world you know.
Well, I just bought a Decca Blue... It's as good as new and 40y old. But it's a very... -shall I say quirky?- cart. It really needs a different body than the cheap red plastic/tin can it is now.
No problem. I know how it is with "translations".
Thought that Well Tempered is/was an US firm - no hijacking it to UK needed.
I am from "bit further to the east"
http://www.google.si/imgres?q=on+the+sunny+side+of+the+alps&hl=sl&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1137&bih=527&tbm=isch&tbnid=7B8URJmUfsEeDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/125843601/Slovenia---on-the-Sunny-Side-of-Alps&docid=wlTITmSvkgv9vM&itg=1&imgurl=http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/125843601.png&w=1500&h=1125&ei=JNrhUN2jI8zptQberoHABg
and know Mr. Franc Kuzma personally. "On the Sunny Side of the Alps" was approx 25 year old slogan for Slovenia, mostly meant for tourist purposes. For the world, I could not find it on the web anymore - and posted the nearest approximation.
Most certainly do not think USA is the centre of the world either. There are people with good ideas everywhere. Currently, it does seem there is more development in analog going on in Europe than in USA. The best TT, or more precisely put record playing system that I am familiar with, does however come from the USA - John Bicht's Versa Dynamics 2.3 . It will eat anything else mentioned in this thread before breakfast ...at a price to match its performance. By now, you could include it in "vintage" category, except an odd zero ( or two , depending on circumstances ) at the end of the price you mentioned is in order.
I could not agree regarding old Decca housings with you more - could hardly be worse.
There were things in analog back then that are still unsurpassed today. Rare, expensive, still competitive. Like Nakamichi turntables, Stax phono cartridges, EMT studio TTs that sound great ( at a cost...) - and there were other less expensive, but gem nonetheles items.
