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Vintage equipment sounds awesome

Hello, well I have put together some vintage equipment and some new and I have to admit it is the best sound I have heard so far that I have ever owned. I have a Denon DP-62L turntable, a Audio Research SP10 preamp, VTL 225 and VTL 85 mono block power amps, a Velodyne ULD-15 subwoofer, a pair of Vandersteen 2C's, A Yamaha T2 FM only tuner. All of this equipment is 30 plus years old and performs great. The items that are new are a pair of Martin Logan ESL X's, an Aurender ACS 10 and an ifi DAC and power and audio cables throughout, mostly Wireworld. I would put this up against just about any system. As the old saying goes "if it aint broke don't fix it". Happy listening!
128x128hoghead1
billwojo
397 posts
 
I hear you. I have a Victor TT 71 drive in a Victor CL-2P plinth with two tonearms, Audio research SP8MKII, McIntosh MC40 monoblocks and Altec Valencias. I couldn't be happier. It would take a lot of money to beat this system.
BillWojo
deadhead1000's avatar
deadhead1000
707 posts
 
I had a B&K system, AR TT with a Grado, Nak tape deck, with Advents. Had it for years, sold it years ago to get a surround sound 5.1, which was a big mistake. I'd probably would have upgraded the speakers by now, but overall, that was a nice system. Is my age showing?
cd318
2,636 posts
 
I'm pretty certain that the best system from 1960 would sound great today.

Same goes for every decade since then.

The bigger improvements I think are to be found in modest entry level gear.

My first 80s system Rega 3, NAD 3020, and AR bookshelf speakers would be easily bettered by today's Rega 3 and any NAD amp backed by something like the Q Acoustics 3030 (nevermind the KEF LS50s). 

The fact that some 30+ year old stuff can sound so good is also a testament to its build quality. 

Come to think of it, my speakers, the Tannoy Berkeley's, are 40+ years old (give or take a complete recone and a crossover update in 2014). 

I even know someone who's using original JBL l100s which might be nearing 50 years old! Again give or take the a recone or two. Apart from a slightly sharp treble output (to my ears at least) they have an amazing clarity through the mids.
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