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Interesting vintage find

I went to someone's house this week, and this is what I saw in the living room-

Apogee Scintilla speakers
Krell KSA-100 amp
Krell KRS-1A 4 chassis dual mono preamp
Mac MR80 Tuner
Sota Stat Sapphire turntable, with SME IV arm and VdH Cartridge (I think "The One")
Kenwood CD Player

All worked, and I felt like I was in a 1985 state of the art listening room
128x128zavato
13 responses Add your response
zavato's avatar
zavato OP
1,390 posts
 
Unfortunately, the owner is now quite elderly and isn't well. At one point he also had a Marantz 8, but one of his kids sold it. 

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tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,744 posts
 
and I think this speaks to the wisdom of the owner...almost all of that gear can be serviced today by a near global network of passionate experts and or the companies which remain today, notably MC, SOTA, SME, etc...

i just had a SOTA from this era gone thru by the factory, stellar support, parts, etc....

cool thread, thanks for sharing
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,744 posts
 
a fantastic system, with the lack of tail chasing over the years, my guess is the LP collection is far more interesting :-) My great hope is the owner is well and happy...

but in the words of JJ Cale...

” but tommorow will come and take us away “
ketchup
688 posts
 
Sounds like it's for sale to me.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,404 posts
 
Time's a bitch. I dread the day I lose interest or get too old to bother. He really should power it up every few months. Last thing he needs is those Krell caps exploding.
zavato's avatar
zavato OP
1,390 posts
 
Fast forward 5 yrs and 3 months- the system is still intact (I saw it a few weeks ago), but the gentleman that owns the system hasn't turned it on in years. Of all the pieces there, I wouldn't mind having the tuner and the turntable. 

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,830 posts
 
A well matched system from back then in good working order can easily compete still today. The digital source (CD player) is probably the part where technology has advanced the most since 1985. I would be looking to compare something newer though not necessarily much if any more expensive today as a possible upgrade.
ptmconsulting
1,000 posts
 
The Apogee and Krell combo is still a world class combo today, as long as the speakers haven;t developed the dreaded Apogee buzz (from deteriorating felt on the ribbons). Nothing wrong with a SOTA turntable, SME arm or VDH cartridge. If these are set up properly in the room then I am sure it sounded damn fine!
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
I am sure your friend is wealthier for not having to chase the 'cartridge and system of the day'. See, great sound can be found and stayed with.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
tonykay
1,297 posts
 
That's a good combo, just the wrong decade. Time warp! You forgot to mention how it sounded. Probably very good.
jperry
2,430 posts
 
If it is set up correctly and working properly it will still be hard to beat today.
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