[Agnostic]

Micro Seiki MX1 electrostats. Made in the mid seventies in Japan. Had to replace the diaphragms because the original ones had turned to dust. They still sound pretty good.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sennheiserfan1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since we're on the topic of old school phones, anyone know how much Sansui SS-100 cost these days in decent condition or how they sound? I'm sort of interested in getting a pair.

The last SS-100 we saw went for hundreds of dollars to WertherDVX.

They were manufactured for Sansui by Fostex and contain orthodynamic ("Regular Phase" according to Fostex) drivers that are a close relative of the of the Fostex T30 and T50 headphones.

So, they should be pretty good.

 

[spritzer]

I have some dozens of vintage electrostatics but we all know how good they are so I have an excuse for my addiction. What is really interesting is the 1968 headphone amp I received earlier today, Stax SRA-3S. It will be a fun restoration project.

 

[sennheiserfan1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif The last SS-100 we saw went for hundreds of dollars to WertherDVX. They were manufactured for Sansui by Fostex and contain orthodynamic ("Regular Phase" according to Fostex) drivers that are a close relative of the of the Fostex T30 and T50 headphones. So, they should be pretty good.

Thanks for the info ericj. If I see them for a decent price I'll pick them up (which is doubtful), but if they're hundreds of dollars, I'll stick with my HD595

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should dust 'em off and offer 'em for sale here - you'd be amazed how much people will pay to join Team Vintage Stax or even just Team Electret. fully functional, people are paying up to $100 for an SR-44 or SR-34 kit. Which is silly when a rube like me can get an SR-X III + SRD-7 for $84 on ebay with nothing but a lot of patience and a very aggressive search & snipe robot.

Hah! I read your post minus the comma as "fully functional people are paying..." That was an enjoyable mistake.

My K340s used to belong to friends of mine. I'm not sure how old they are, but I remember listening to them frequently around 1991-2. A year or so ago, I asked them if they still had them and they gave them to me. I've since had them headphiled as the modded version is an improvement to my ears.

 

[Thermionic]

I think my oldest phones are a pair of rebuilt Koss ESP6s (1969?), though I have a pair of ex BBC things that look rather older. I often use a modified and rebuilt Stax SR5 / SRD6 / SRD-X system which still sounds good even today, though my ‘Sunday best’ phone is a Stax Lambda Pro Signature system.

I also had a pair of AKG K60s which in their day (mid 60’s?) were well regarded, interestingly as the years passed their SQ seemed to get worse. I am not sure if phones generally got a better (probably and I was comparing them to the SR5‘s) or some aging process was going on here. I threw them away a couple of weeks ago. I have a friend who has some Bayer DT100s which we once thought very good, but not so sure these days. The trouble with all old things is that some of them get better with age and some don’t...

 

[JadeEast]

ericj is right the last pair of ss-100 went for $344 to a reclusive collector. Back on topic I only have old cans. The oldest ones maybe the PMB-100s orthodynamics, mid seventies I think. I think the only headphones that I have personally listened to that are older than I am are a pair AKG k-80s that are still playing to this day.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif fully functional, people are paying up to $100 for an SR-44 or SR-34 kit. Which is silly when a rube like me can get an SR-X III + SRD-7 for $84 on ebay with nothing but a lot of patience and a very aggressive search & snipe robot.

Most sellers seem to think their Stax electrets are worth their weight in gold. I've seen people expecting to get $300+ for them...

 

[Duggeh]

Jecklin Float 'stats and Model 2 dynamics are both pretty old. The Stax SR-3N is long gone though.

 

[003]

Nope... only brand new current production headphones for me! Technology in headphone sound reproduction has greatly progressed over the years, there are no vintage cans that could hold a candle to today's current headphones.

 

[guzziguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nope... only brand new current production headphones for me! Technology in headphone sound reproduction has greatly progressed over the years, there are no vintage cans that could hold a candle to today's current headphones.

Good one!

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hah! I read your post minus the comma as "fully functional people are paying..." That was an enjoyable mistake.

Yeah . . . . since we could argue about the functionality of people who pay that much for old 'trets.

I'm embarrassed that i paid as much for my SR-84 Pro kit as i did for my SR-X III + SRD7. And that it was in such wretched shape when i got it. My excuse is having gone browsing ebay one morning before i was fully awake.

The important point, though, is that if you want to get your money's worth when selling vintage electrostatics (which includes electrets) it really pays to take the time to clean them up, clean connectors and switch contacts if possible w/ a good contact cleaner, test them, make sure you hooked them up properly, and run them in for up to a day playing music before you decide whether they work or not.

When you describe them as "they might work, they seem a little hinky", people with lots of money to spend will go elsewhere. Frequently, all they need is to be hooked up the correct way and left running for a few hours to charge up. The guy i got my SR-X III from failed on these points. He could have got twice as much (from someone who isn't me) otherwise.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most sellers seem to think their Stax electrets are worth their weight in gold. I've seen people expecting to get $300+ for them...

To be fair, they are made of such cheap plastic that they don't weigh hardly anything.

 

[Duggeh]

If headphones became worth their weight in gold theres a lot of people with old Koss that'd be skipping down to their banks in the morning.

 

[no1likesme]

although I do not know when they were made, I am assuming that my sr-lambdas are a wee bit vintage.