Vintage HiFi Thread

On the beach is great, i got it for my old boy a few years back on a limited run, He was stoked.

Heheh … I love your disdain for B&O and I understand as many hate the brand.

Sir Kev’s spot on with his info about re-tipping by the old guru, for about the same money (and a lot more if you have a big tax return and wish to splurge) you can also buy new ones that are made to the old standard but even better quality.
Bang & Olufsen® Phono Cartridges for sale

I’ll agree part of the beauty with B&O also becomes it’s frustration as it’s proprietary. And I admit it is designer stereo gear which the audio purists rightly dismiss … not real HiFi. But, some of it (especially the turntables) actually sound quite good (which is why I bought it). It’s also something I’ve always desired just because it looked so cool. When I saw my lowly Beocenter for $150 buy-it-now I jumped on it without reading that it had a broken cartridge. I bought a used cartridge for about $75 and easily spliced the speaker cable.

It has a tape deck with a button that says metal, the tuner has some clunky buttons which act as programmable stations, I run an old mac/ipod into the unit and the turntable (although finicky) sounds pretty good. Better than the Technics SL1200 mk2 it replaces but admittedly the Technics is quite a robust unit that would be a better long term proposition. The whole B&O unit with a pair of bookshelf speakers replaces a big Marantz amp, numark mixer, decks & motherfarkin’ loud bass bins.

I get kicks for using a new toy (from 1982), Mrs. spirito is happy because she can play her old tapes and all the bulky stereo gear is replaced with a funky looking unit. Now I have to finish painting and fixing up the sunroom, and transform it into my play space. Whereas before I was geared up to play very, very loud (much to the chagrin of my neighbours), now I’m happy to play tunes at an easier level … perhaps shallow, and wanky but I also like the way it looks.



Problem is I’ve already got upgrade-itis !! I’ve been bitten by the B&O bug and am looking for a more ambitious set up.

I missed out on this turntable only because I wasn’t sure the seller knew how to properly pack and ship it.
Bang & Olufsen Beogram 1700 Turntable | eBay

And seriously thinking about these speakers with shot speaker surrounds (plenty of refurb kits around) as a diy project.
Bang & Olufsen Beovox CX100 Bookshelf speakers | eBay

I got a brand new copy of that album, bought from Sir Kev more than a year ago and I’m still yet to crack the sleeve and play it - one day, special occasion. I have the album on digi but really look forward to listening to it on vinyl.

B&O stuff does look good. I was a fanboy at one time…

These days, i like the look of engineering x mad scientist types of t/tables like the Michell Gyrodec et al but there is a limit. I draw the line at some of the real wacky over the top nimbers like The Angelis Labor Gabriel, Clearaudio Master Reference etc.

Past christmas one of my dads mates offered me his old turntable and his records. $120 bucks later for a new stylus, and I have a Rega Planar 3, and 200 records. Highlights are Pink Floyd, Joy Division and my favourite, Tom Waits (which I actually stole from my mum).

score. I always like the regas, simple and they sound real good.

You said it. Stereo gear can make bike obsession seem cheap/simple. I had a flatmate in London who could afford the very best but even then he was always changing and swapping for the latest/greatest.

I do dig a mate of mine who makes his own speakers, and uses pvc plumbing to house them in. That stuff is fun, as is modding hi-fi gear and all the helpful people and forums out there with tonnes of info.


To the poster below who scored the rega planar 3 = score !!!

I had a house mate who had 3 Technics Sp10’s! he go them from a closing radio station.

He didn’t even listen to them but instead used some massive raer thorens TT, paired to 2 mono tube amps with electrostatic speakers.

The setup was massive, impractical and unwieldy to use, but man any unamplified instrument sounded incredible on it.

and I know what you mean about constantly changing stuff, he would order NOS soviet tubes to see if they sounded diff than the ‘new’ chinese ones!

He was a like a HiFi junkie, good lesson for me not to get in too deep.

  • look equally good.

Call me simple but I’d pair that with an early Marantz amp and Rogers LS7 speakers and call it done.

I agree, though I would probably go for some nice Tannoy speakers, include an ipod cable/dock and your covered.

As an aside, my favourite music release format is when you buy the vinyl album but they also give you a high quality digital download.

I have a Dual turntable project (needs new cartridge, haven’t got round to finding one…), but I would mos def like a rega (or a pro-ject, for the looks).

Otherwise, NAD to B&W all the way. (Also: steel isn’t real, and v-brakes are better than most discs. Vote [1] for the 90s.)

Anyone got a Dual turntable and any good recommendations re cartridges?

Hello, uncle Spirito’s got good taste.
I’ve got that album on an early 90’s CD!

To own a rega is a long-standing dream of mine which I know won’t ever be realised.

I’ve got a nearing 20 year old turntable which I bought new, it’s some cheap jobby but sounds okay with a decent cartridge. I have an old 70s Luxman amp that I’ve had reconditioned a couple of time over my 20 years of ownership, and run those through some big old 3 way speakers that my dad bought in the early seventies. All in all it sounds pretty great and I don’t really plan on upgrading anything.
Also of note: I’ve dug out a bunch of my cd’s, and played through a decent system, it makes me curse the day that mp3s became the standard method of music dissemination…

[coolstorybro]

The P!N20 in-house sound system took a beating when I went overseas in 2005. Before that it was mostly Rotel components with some fuck off Silcron speakers. Some of it got sold and some of it went into long term storage at my parent’s house.

I bought back some Celestion bookshelf speakers (small house=small speakers) and cobbled together a Yamaha CD player (which is on its way out) and Rotel turntable. Bought a Redgum amp and phono stage and life was good. Then the turntable motor died and I replaced it with another Rotel, but I’m not all that enamoured with it and I think I’ll nick my Dad’s Technics when I’m back in Tas next time.

Pulled out my MK subwoofer a few weeks back and now I’m addicted to deep bass! I promised Mrs P!N2 it was only for a couple of days, but now I don’t want to put it back - provides the low end that the bookshelfs can’t manage. The worst thing about my setup is it’s in the totally wrong position in my house, but that’s all that’s really available. I should mount my speakers up on the wall, but it’s one of those ‘one day’ kind of jobs.

If money was no object I’d be buying some Krix speakers and expanding the Redgum gear.

[/coolstorybro]

When’s your birthday? We’ll start a secret thread titled “chip in some $'s for heavymetal’s rega planar turntable you cnuts” and see how much we can raise.

Good used Rega’s sell for around the $400 mark. Were it me that was buying I’d think about a new Pro-Ject for the same money.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems
Project Debut Carbon Turntable with Ortofon OM10 Super cartridge Red Pro-ject | eBay

Kanye has one but with ENVE stickers on the tonearm :wink:

I’d love a Rega as well, never owned one. I was always too drunk/high/wasted and a Technics was better suited to my abuse. From reports the Pro-Ject is killler for the price.

Omnitronic turntable, old Kenwood amp, crappy speakers. It does what I need it to do.

My favourite to records to play are Slint ones, particularly Spiderland and the 10".

I don’t really know anything about this stuff, but I do love listening to records.

I would very much like to buy a decent system of my own when i have some money.

i’m thinking of getting rid of my CDs, just keeping a handful that have some sort of sentimental value. i have maybe 400, if i get anything more than $1 each for them, i’ll prob get a new turntable 'cause mine is ass.

It needn’t cost a lot of money. Plenty of good amp’s (especially Japanese made around the mid to late 80’s) for cheap. $100-$200 … sometimes even less. Lots of cheap speakers too for around $100. Spring for a turntable that looks in decent condition and you know has plenty of cheap cartridge options. Sometimes a broken turntable will cost next to nothing and may only need a belt or new cartridge but I’d leave that for the tinkerer’s. Later on you can spring for nicer speakers or a better turntable but it all revolves around the amp. If you’re planning a budget set up opt for an amp with a tuner built in.

Here’s a slice of amp’s recently sold on eBay in the $50-$200 range. There’s a few on there that I’d be more than happy to own - some serious bargains.
Amplifiers | eBay

If you’re not sure post here, I’m sure plenty of people would be happy to advise. Buy local, insist on hearing it before you buy it.