[scottiebabie]

nice score on the 2275 skylab - it looks very minty & u did say its totally refurb so it should last the next generation of little skylabs too.LOL. i try to buy a 2275 last year but was a tad late. the thing went for $295 & i thought that was large! heh esp considering that an equivalent Akai AA-8500 (muy cool looking btw) goes for $50.
 
isnt this vintage gear the bomb though??!! drive speakers & headphones with equal aplomb & retro cool is soooo in! i just love this hobby. glad some headfiers are branching out to "alternative" power sources. its alll goooood!!!

 

[moodyrn]

Lets just hope our enthusiasm don't continue to drive the prices up. It's already too late for the vintage tube gear. Even the ones needing a major overhaul are going for several hundred dollars. I hope the same doesn't continue to happen with the solid state vintage gear.

 

[mythless]

Quote:

Lets just hope our enthusiasm don't continue to drive the prices up. It's already too late for the vintage tube gear. Even the ones needing a major overhaul are going for several hundred dollars. I hope the same doesn't continue to happen with the solid state vintage gear.

Too late on some items, have you seen the prices on some Pioneer turntables?  Even some of the SS like the AU-717, and Pioneer lines have gone through the roof...I guess anything that was TOTL or dual transformer or with a name behind them like Marantz have dramatically jumped in price.

 

[scottiebabie]

Quote:

Lets just hope our enthusiasm don't continue to drive the prices up. It's already too late for the vintage tube gear. Even the ones needing a major overhaul are going for several hundred dollars. I hope the same doesn't continue to happen with the solid state vintage gear.

true dat! scratch wot i've been postin on these here old rusty tin buckets! they sound liek shiaaat, look liek shiaaaat & devalue liek shiaaaaat!
dont buy none no matter what no matter who no matter when. luckily im a shiaaaaat kinda dude so its ok if i buy cheaaaap shiaaaaat! pls remember all that folks! be a "real" headfier & keep buyin em shiny cool dedicated headamps. they da bomb! 

 

[RexAeterna]

i know what you mean. i mean some prices due to popularity or cause  it's ''old'' must mean ''high price!'' lot people that find them sitting in their garage or a hand-me-down. so people you know what to do to prevent prices of sky rocketing. ''these old rusty boxes sound so dull and crappy,tinny and like listening to a tin can.it's like listening to a fancy flashing turd nugget.'' spread the word and claim all the profit for yourself.

Quote:

Lets just hope our enthusiasm don't continue to drive the prices up. It's already too late for the vintage tube gear. Even the ones needing a major overhaul are going for several hundred dollars. I hope the same doesn't continue to happen with the solid state vintage gear.

 

[diodiel]

 
 
did anyone experience pioneer sx-780 here? what do you guys think =)

 

[REB]

me want!
 
Quote:

Well, my Marantz 2275 came today, and it's everything I had hoped for.  The FM section sounds just AMAZING.  I paid a little extra to get one in mint condition, but I think it was worth it:
 

 

[REB]

If it sounds as good as it looks (and it does, reading your posts), it's worth every penny. Absolutely gorgeous receiver! How's the gyroscope tuning compared to 'normal' tuning?
Quote:

$625.  I've seen them go for around $400 in just a little worse shape than this one.  But this one really looks mint, and sounds terrific - not a hint of noise or hum or hiss.  The sound with my Beyer T1's is actually pretty spectacular.  It was a little dark with the D7000 - probably that old impedance mismatch issue.

 

[REB]

I think in general what is meant by vintage sound (and that's the way I use it too for my sansui amps) is a sound that is recognizably warmer and more powerful than the average sound of a comparable set (in terms of money) nowadays. You're right, though, it is an emotive word, making it hard to pin it down. As far as accuracy is concerned, I guess it's as accurate as most reproductions nowadays.
 
Quote:

sansui au-777 is a great amp but i don't get what you  mean by ''vintage sound''. i know it's your personal experience and your opinion and i respect that. just curious what ''vintage sound'' means? i heard lot of vintage amps and receivers and never once experience a ''vintage sound'' it either was accurate reproduction or ''warm'' like tube sound(not saying all tubes sound warm tho). sorry if it seems like i'm being a douche. it's hard to understand emotion through text. i just sometimes don't understand and would love to hear others interpretation of ''sound'' as a learning experience. 

 

 

[REB]

I have an sx770 which is probably the same except for the watts it produces. Rich, warm and detailed sound when I had it hooked up to my speakers (ungodly large monsters built by my father-in-law, which sounded fabulous until old age got them).

 

[REB]

It's slightly different in Europe, I'd say. Vintage Japanese stuff like Sansui is almost unaffordable. An au-d9 in good condition (not mint, but nothing wrong with it) will set you back 300-350 euros on the private market and more when you buy from a dealer. Marantz is still affordable, unless you're talking about stuff like Skylab's: excellent equipment in mint condition. You really have to dig deep in your wallet for stuff like that. I just saw an ad for a Sansui ca-f1 and ba-f1 preamp-amp combo: 1199 euros... that's about 1600 USD right? Also saw an ad for a vintage marantz tuner in mint condition with an oscilloscope. Would love to have it, but it's pricey: 425 euros.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

If it sounds as good as it looks (and it does, reading your posts), it's worth every penny. Absolutely gorgeous receiver! How's the gyroscope tuning compared to 'normal' tuning?

 

One of the most impressive things is actually the sound of the FM tuner, which is GREAT.  The Gyroscope tuning is cool, but not sure it buys anything more than that   But man I had forgotten how good FM can sound!
 
There are still a lot of vintage SS integrated amps and receivers that can be had very, very cheap.  I bet most of them sound pretty good.  I bought that Kenwood for $50, and it sounded good as a headphone amp, and had no problem driving even the HE-6!
 
Things like the Fisher and Scott tube amps have been pretty pricey for a while.  I am no expert in vintage SS gear, but I have been into "vintage" (70's/80's) turntables for almost 10 years.  Prices are all about a combination of overall desirability of a given piece PLUS the condition.  With vintage, you always pay a premium for mint.   I paid the double-premium for the Marantz I just bought - excellent cosmetic condition AND just serviced with new LED lights, etc. etc.  There are still some major bargains to be had in vintage audio of all kinds, but it requires a lot of learning, and some trial and error even if you have done the research.

 

[REB]

I listen to the radio (FM) a lot, so I'm paying attention here! I haven't found my Holy Grail tuner yet. I have a sansui tuner that is very good and a sansui receiver that is also very good, but I wouldn't say excellent. I think it FM sound can still be bettered in my set-up. Vintage Sansui tuners are ridiculously expensive over here. What would you say to between 1,000 and 1,500 euros for a Sansui X1 tuner? So I might keep my eyes open for a Marantz tuner. Or a Kenwood tuner. Word is they made some very good tuners back in the day.
 
Anyway, congratz on the purchase and enjoy it!
 
Quote:

One of the most impressive things is actually the sound of the FM tuner, which is GREAT.  The Gyroscope tuning is cool, but not sure it buys anything more than that   But man I had forgotten how good FM can sound!
 
There are still a lot of vintage SS integrated amps and receivers that can be had very, very cheap.  I bet most of them sound pretty good.  I bought that Kenwood for $50, and it sounded good as a headphone amp, and had no problem driving even the HE-6!
 
Things like the Fisher and Scott tube amps have been pretty pricey for a while.  I am no expert in vintage SS gear, but I have been into "vintage" (70's/80's) turntables for almost 10 years.  Prices are all about a combination of overall desirability of a given piece PLUS the condition.  With vintage, you always pay a premium for mint.   I paid the double-premium for the Marantz I just bought - excellent cosmetic condition AND just serviced with new LED lights, etc. etc.  There are still some major bargains to be had in vintage audio of all kinds, but it requires a lot of learning, and some trial and error even if you have done the research.

 

[tnmike1]

Quote:

holy crap! me personally would never pay over 400 bucks maybe and that's being generous for a marantz receiver. i know it's american made and everything but the prices on these things are going nuts. i probably would spend up to 600 for a nice american made Fisher 500b Tube amp in mint condition with all original parts. i think i stick with the japanese made stuff and Sansui for me but i congradulate you on your purchase and i hope you have fun with it for many years to come. thing i do like about some marantz is they built them very well with heavy steel and real wood. not that simulated vaneer stuff that some receivers used back in the day.
 

 

the "vintage" argument could be made for wooden boats.  People in fiberglass "chlorox bottles" see me on the lake in a 1952 wooden Chris Craft and wonder why I spend 100+ hours per year on maintenance.  Or, go to an antique boat show and a boat selling for $500 in the 1950s now sells for $35,000 and up perfectly restored.  Yet there is an argument for things vintage: (1) the love of things from the past (2) the look/warmth of the object (3) the harkening back to "when I was a kid" or (4) the stuff was just better made and sounded or performed better back then.
 
At least this is the way I see it 

 

[REB]

I hear you. As kids we used to sail with my father a lot and he always had a wooden sailing boat (different makers, types and sizes), usually quite old. the hours we had to put in it to protect it from the elements were substantial. It was worth it to us though, because a vintage thing brings something special. Especially if you're talking about wood.
 
It's probably no coincidence that I like vintage things as well and that it was my father who first gave me a reel-to-reel recorder and a vintage pioneer receiver. This was when the cd-player had already been introduced btw

.
 
Quote:

the "vintage" argument could be made for wooden boats.  People in fiberglass "chlorox bottles" see me on the lake in a 1952 wooden Chris Craft and wonder why I spend 100+ hours per year on maintenance.  Or, go to an antique boat show and a boat selling for $500 in the 1950s now sells for $35,000 and up perfectly restored.  Yet there is an argument for things vintage: (1) the love of things from the past (2) the look/warmth of the object (3) the harkening back to "when I was a kid" or (4) the stuff was just better made and sounded or performed better back then.
 
At least this is the way I see it