HIFI How old is yours?

[selym]

soad said:

My CD player started to skip tracks, especially the first 1-3.
I assume, it's the dust build up?

Do those CD cleaning kits actually work?
CD are fine, no scratches or dirt on them.

It could be time to change the fricking laser beam, if you want to keep it that is.

[1ians]

The best bits of my AV based system are my Linn Ninka speakers, Trikan centre and my Meridian 556 power amp to drive the front channels.

I'll upgrade the AV amp every few years but those will remain.

[andy ted]

I have a Marantz PM66-KI signature amp powering B&W 601 S2's Must have bought them about 1996?

Currently I have a Denon TU260 tuner and a Cheap Denon CD player as sources as the CD63 KI Sig CD player I have is misbehaving. It has the Phillips 12.1 laser which is known to fail. I changed it over for a new one today but its still not working properly which is a pain as it sounds amazing through the amp and speakers.

I am in two minds what to do now. I may buy something like an Arcam miniBlink and just use Spotify etc which is what I am doing a lot more of at the moment anyway but I love that CD player! They still seem to be well regarded and people spend thousands modifying them

I also have access to an old Cyrus 1 amp which I may set up in the kitchen at some point.

[gizlaroc]

Meridian DSP5000 speakers, these are are a dac, pre amp and 3 power amps inside each speaker, so a complete system.

13 years old and still nothing I would replace them with other than the newer 5200se model, but they are now £10,000 a pair so not going to.

[Crackie]

gizlaroc said:

Meridian DSP5000 speakers, these are are a dac, pre amp and 3 power amps inside each speaker, so a complete system.

13 years old and still nothing I would replace them with other than the newer 5200se model, but they are now £10,000 a pair so not going to.

Hi Gizlaroc, what do you think of the F80 ?

[gizlaroc]

Crackie said:

Hi Gizlaroc, what do you think of the F80 ?

Yeah very, very impressive.

I had a small Rel Strata plugged into it for sub duties, in fact that is what I used as a stand for it, and when it was between the DSP5000s no one would ever believe it was not them playing.

But even on its own the sound is sublime, it goes low, plays loud (very loud) and is just amazingly smooth at all times.

I sold my last one recently, had 3 at one point, as I moved to Sonos, but it was a massive step backwards compared with the F80, but for an easy life and all that, the Play 5s won.

[Crackie]

gizlaroc said:

Crackie said:

Hi Gizlaroc, what do you think of the F80 ?

Yeah very, very impressive.

I had a small Rel Strata plugged into it for sub duties, in fact that is what I used as a stand for it, and when it was between the DSP5000s no one would ever believe it was not them playing.

But even on its own the sound is sublime, it goes low, plays loud (very loud) and is just amazingly smooth at all times.

I sold my last one recently, had 3 at one point, as I moved to Sonos, but it was a massive step backwards compared with the F80, but for an easy life and all that, the Play 5s won.

Shows what can be achieved with good enclosure materials and Meridian's DSP.

Back in the day, I was project manager at the company that supplied the F80's enclosure, grilles, mouldings and trims. The mineral loaded polymers used in the main enclosure are the best, acoustically, I've ever worked with. Ferrari developed that material apparently

Edited by Crackie on Sunday 25th January 08:50

[gizlaroc]

Crackie said:

Shows what can be achieved with some advanced materials and Meridian's DSP.

Back in the day, I was project manager at the company that supplied the F80's enclosure, grilles, mouldings and trims. The mineral loaded polymers used in the main enclosure are the best, acoustically, I've ever worked with. Ferrari developed that material apparently

It is one of those products where you cringe as you keep upping the volume, but it just gets louder, no distortion, no resonance, just louder.

All very impressive.

Also because it is dsp, you have a width control, so you could set the width of the soundstage to make it sound like a stereo pair of speakers.

I was hoping a new one would have been out by now, I think they might be waiting for the release of their MQA sound format and then release a new system that can stream. I hope so anyway.

[red997]

Linn Isobark PMS from late '80s
6xRotel power amps and pre amp
linn Aktiv (modified to 4 way) inc Bingo and Dirak
2 x homemade 12" subs and 500w rms amps
Meridian CD player ( can't remember what model)
Naim DAC-v1

Love the sound - it's in a big room so has plenty of space to breathe

[sparkyhx]

Until I got rid a few months ago - my stuff was 25 years old and still going strong. Made about £1200 on ebay/hifiwigwam for turntable, amp, speakers. Also sold all my Vinyl. Replaced it all with newer and better second hand stuff, better speakers, better amp, Sonos as source for a few hundred less than what I got for the old stuff + vinyl

[spats]

Wow, some really nice older equipment on here.

Mine little lot isn't much compared to most, but reading through this thread made me realise its mostly a decade plus for all of it now!

Mine was bought when I worked for Sony shop so got decent discount back then. Sony 6.1, SACD, MD, DAB, DVD through Mission Speakers all round. All over 10 years old QS range. Although the DAB is newer, and the BluRay and HDD recorder are slightly newer.

[Esseesse]

The oldest thing in my setup is a pair of Tannoy Devon's from 1978 (HPD 315's). The last of the classic range of duel concentrics (until, I think, they went back to that design recently for their high end stuff). Older than me.

[bigdom]

Various bits and pieces across the house, M&K set up for surround sound, bit of denon, primare amps.

Looking forward to the extension being finished, to roll out the late 70's hifi, given to me by the old man when he moved over to Krell, Audio Research & Sonus Faber

Gale 401 speakers
Meridian power/pre amp
Linn Sondek

Think I may treat all to a service/rebuild where required. A nice sound, and I love the look of the speakers.

[XJ Flyer]

JVC RX777 Receiver which was one of the first generations of home cinema/A/V Amps,TDW201 Cassette deck,Celestion DL6 and Tannoy R1 speakers at either end of the room.It all still sounds as good/awesome as new.But the cassette deck is getting knackered now but luckily what I've got on cassettes is now available on the youtube channel on the cable TV.

The amp was originally put with a VHS JVC 530 video recorder which was an expensive advanced piece of kit in the day.Being one of the first hi/fi stereo receivers/recorders for the newly introduced stereo TV broadcasting format ( NICAM ) at that time.

[Parabola]

NAD C370 Amp
NAD C541i CD Player
NAD C420 Tuner

NAD PP1 Phono Pre Amp
Project Debut Record Player
Dynaudio DM42 Speakers
Partington Dreadnaught Speaker Stands


I think the amp & tuner are from 1998, the rest a little younger.


I feel it's time to move the system on a bit. I'd add a second hand NAD C270 Power Amp, but the speaker aren't biwireable.

I tried wireless with Apple Airport Express units, but they were hopelessly unreliable (Dropping out constantly)
Maybe it'e time to get a NAD DAC?


Any other suggestions?

[REM2112]

Speakers are newish Focal Electra 1028be
Electrics are Mark Levinson 38S/39S/432 (CD/pre/power)from the late 90s

but pride and joy is my Roksan turntable from 1985. It has been upgraded so many times that pretty much the only original parts are the motor,platter and Rega RB300 arm. The audio Trigger's Broom.

[Marvindodgers]

My HiFi set up is a collection of various aging components.
Pioneer A400 amp that is 24 years old. The headphone out is shot, but the rest of it keeps on powering on.
Denon CD Player (can't remember the number) again, 24 years old. Occasionally stutters on start up, but so rarely used these days that I'm happy to wait for it to catch up as it's like an old friend.
Kef Q15 speakers that are 16 years old but still sound great.
Rega P3 record deck. 12 years old. New Elys II cartridge breathed life back into it last year.
Sonos Connect. That's a baby at just 2 years old and a fantastic addition to the set up.

I've been lucky not to suffer too badly from "upgraditus" over the years.

[Riff Raff]

Marvindodgers said:

I've been lucky not to suffer too badly from "upgraditus" over the years.

It's upgraditis though that allows many of us to own kit that we couldn't possibly afford to buy new.

The only new bit of kit I own is a Naim Supercap power supply that I couldn't find second hand.

[T1berious]

Audiolab 8000S Amp - 18 years - still going strong
Rotel 971 CD Player - 18 years - still running
Castle Severn 2 - 18 years - still awesome

Kef 1Q5 (3 pairs) - 8 years(?) - ripe for upgrades

B&W 601 - 18 years

Load of AV stuff but that's less than 2 / 3 years old and surprisingly the AV Amp is temperamental (Grrr!)

Will be going back to Denon if it goes bang.

[croyde]

Found the receipt for my little set up bought in 1985. A NAD amp, AR18 Acoustic Research speakers and a Dual deck for around £400, about a month's money back then. A year or so later a Yamaha CD player later changed for a Sony 5 disc player 'cos my brother pi55ed all over the Yamaha when drunk and a NAD tuner were added.

The speakers, amp, tuner and CD player are still going strong in 2015 and it feels strange that they are my sound for my Plasma screen, bluetooth to amp adapter, PVR and xBox 360. Don't look out of place at all.

Also I stream stuff via a Chromecast via the plasma to the amp and speakers.