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What to expect, modern speakers with vintage gear?

I'm interested in feedback on a possible upgrade for my vintage system.  I have a stack of 1990s Levinson gear (23.5 amp, 380s preamp, 37 transport, 360s DAC) paired with Energy Veritas 2.8 speakers.  I've had the setup for about 6 years and love it all as it was what i lusted after in highschool but could never afford.  

Yesterday I visited two local high end stores and brought a few of my favorite CD's that I know well on my system.  One is the gold CD version of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.  The song "Have a Cigar" is a favorite that I have listened to countless times on my system.

I was blown away by the focus, imaging, soundstage, and overall tonal clarity listening to a set of Focal speakers (about $15k) and a pair of floorstanding Sonus Fabers of similar price.  It got me thinking, what am I missing out on and what parts of my gear could be very behind the times.

I'm thinking seriously about getting a new set of speakers but want to keep the rest of my vintage Levinson gear.  The amp was re-capped about 3 years ago so I think everything is in great shape.  What is reasonable to expect for improvements in my listening room with modern speakers like Focal or Sonus Faber matched to my old solid state electronics?  My room is about 10x15, carpeted, 10 foot ceilings.  

thanks!

flipwils11
kofibaffour
713 posts
 

It got me thinking, what am I missing out on and what parts of my gear could be very behind the times.

 nothing there is missing or falling behind imo. that set of gear Mark Levinson made stands the test of time and should work excellently with your modern speakers

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,920 posts
 

i believe you are primarily hearing the difference in the QUALITY of the speakers, not in their age

the levinson gear of the vintage you own were very high quality pieces with a clear crisp powerful sound... with perhaps just a trace of solid state haze and sizzle that can be heard on excellent speakers with very revealing high frequency transducers

if you change electronics to other solid state electronics, pay attention to their sonic profile (as much or more than their age)

vvvvvv6's avatar
vvvvvv6
95 posts
 

I’ve had three vintage amps (Marantz, Pioneer, Denon) for a few years.  Last year I wanted to try some modern speakers as well, so, I connected my 4 ohm rated recently recapped Denon amp to Martin Logan 20i floor standers - and now I have 2 vintage amps.  (The Denon almost caught fire as soon as I turned it on - without even playing any music. I had to recycle it as it was too expensive to fix)

So for my Pioneer I ended up getting period correct HPM-100. Which turned out to be a much better match than I expected.

Now my Marantz - fully recapped and last serviced two months ago - 3 weeks ago right channel stopped working after connecting to one year old 6 ohm bookshelves.

So in summary:

1. I’m stupid.

2. It’s cheaper in the long run to buy a $10k amp and $15k speakers than keep doing what I’m doing.

3. Don’t mix vintage electronics and modern speakers- results are unpredictable.

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