Retro Hifi..

[Digby]

FlossyThePig said:

Could someone explain what they mean by "retro" as I thought it was something new, styled to look like something from the past. As an example Roberts make DAB radios that look like a '60s "tranny".

Perhaps I am no longer old, I am now retro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro_style

[TIGA84]

Hoover. said:

My only piece of "retro hifi"




I remember parents having a JVC system nice ally front in the early 80's ...... loved watching the needles bouncing about, adjusting recording levels when making mix tapes using the needles to balance everything up getting involved..... made everything they had afterwards seem a cheap in its 90's back plastic box styling, one touch, no adjustment quick and easy.

My father has one of those!

I've got one of these

[0a]

Now running a Marantz PM 84 II similar to the above (though mine is a little tattier), sounds pretty great and it puts out the first 30 wpc as class A. http://www.thevintageknob.org/marantz-PM-84.html

[Globs]

Nice, class A is always better (no crossover distortion to be quelled by the dead hand of GNFB), and a fet phono stage should sound good.

[pirateTVR]

Pair of B&W DM7`s that once were powered by Technics SU-8077K. Don`t really know if they`re "retro" but they`ve been with me for 25 ish years,although the last 20 have seen them be shifted from one box/junk room to another .. one day.

[0a]

I find that post Christmas is the time to pick up some retro hifi bargains and I must admit this year my wallet is twitching.

This chap on hifi wigwam has some amazing old jap kit for sale, including a Technics SU-MA10 Integrated amp (with built in dac)... http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?80312-Rig...

Just look at it (library picture) - an absolute beast and cheap as well, I once had a listen to one and it sounded lovely and weighs a ton. Very tempting...



I have no connection to the seller, I just needed to post it somewhere to stop me attempting to buy another jap amp

[miniman]

I have no rack to put it in, nor anything to connect it to. However I really want this:

[FlossyThePig]

Digby said:

FlossyThePig said:

Could someone explain what they mean by "retro" as I thought it was something new, styled to look like something from the past. As an example Roberts make DAB radios that look like a '60s "tranny".

Perhaps I am no longer old, I am now retro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro_style

I feel the link tends to agree with me that old is not retro. New, aping the style of old, is retro.

[miniman]

Retrospective (from Latin retrospectare, "look back") generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place.

[0a]

Well this thread is about having a retro style Hifi - this could be seeking out and buying kit from the 70s/80s/90s or running modern valves or vinyl. All are a retro style Hifi in my opinion.

[Digby]

Request mod changes title to 'old st'

Loving those last three amps.The Technics 'my knob is bigger than yours' one is lovely.

[brickwall]

Just acquired one of these:


I'm off to eBay to buy some vinyl.

[TonyRPH]

Snap, crackle and pop.

I tried going back to vinyl, but I just couldn't abide the upkeep of it.

Sure, there is some tangible difference between analogue and digital, but I'm not even sure if it's worth the bother.

Just like CD, I found some vinyl albums to have that same brittle treble quality anyway.

[crmcatee]

TonyRPH said:

Just like CD, I found some vinyl albums to have that same brittle treble quality anyway.

I found it was the digitally produced, digitally mastered versions of the vinyl that were terrible. And let's not mention Eric Claptons LP that was produced by Phil Collins. Shocking sound.

[Zad]

Given Phil Collins is fairly deaf now, I'm not surprised the audio quality is iffy. Sad though, to see digitally processed and compressed stuff going onto vinyl.

I don't have a vinyl collection (although that's probably more down to a lack of space) but to me it has a lot in common with a classic sports car. You don't buy it believing it will be easy to own, reliable and efficient. You buy it knowing that you will have to put in some effort, but in return it makes you smile and feel just that bit better about life. It isn't about objective performance numbers, it is about the more intangible qualities. The Sunday morning hoon across the moors, only in electronic form.

ETA: My Technics knob is over 2 inches across. Thankyou ladies, form an orderly queue

Edited by Zad on Saturday 29th December 19:08

[TonyRPH]

And yet, Ry Cooder's Bop Till You Drop (one of the first digitally mastered albums IIRC) sounded really good on both vinyl and CD.

Likewise, Fleetwood Mac's Tusk also sounded good.

I fear that it's not the digital hardware to blame, but the mastering process.

[brickwall]

crmcatee said:

I found it was the digitally produced, digitally mastered versions of the vinyl that were terrible.

There's a John Rutter piece where only one recording was ever made. Later digitally remastered and released onto CD, and it just doesn't compare.

[Globs]

brickwall said:

Just acquired one of these:


I'm off to eBay to buy some vinyl.

Very nice. Remember on a Sondek, setup is an art-form!

I played a vinyl Sky3 album the other day, just in my workshop on an old SR222 with a Shure MVX cart (worth rather more than the deck), a groovy Leak amp and some semi-isobarik speakers - the dynamics made me actually jump. the only CD's I have that come close are Katie Melua ones (Lilac wine etc), sadly on the CD dynamics are a thing of the past.

[crmcatee]

Does this class as retro - a recent purchase and reminds me of a jukebox that they used they used to have in one of my favourite watering holes when I was a student.

Holds 50 singles (with or without centres) and sounds very good.

Not running quite right at the moment but I'm working on it.

[theboyrob]

I've bitten the Sony ES bug .... Luckily so far it hasn't cost a fortune but I am keen to collect more!

So far I've managed to get:

Sony MDS-JA20ES
Sony STS-E570ES
Sony TAF-A3ES

Must say I am in love with the stuff, so heavy and meaty looking.

The amp and tuner haven't arrived yet, I have the mini disc deck hooked up. Displays pretty good for its age, the disc mechanism is a draw which comes out that you place the disc into. It struggles sometimes but with a little bit of help its fine. I have an original mini disc preview disc from I think 1993 which came from a big Sony event. Cranked it up and it sounded lovely even through my modest PM4004 and 702e's.

Looking for some nice speakers to go with the setup, I have some Tannoy F4 customs downstairs with an STR-DA1200ES and they are an good match.

Would love some Tannoy R2/3s at some point.