The interview was fantastic. I’m 73, and to me the answer to your question on what is vintage, it just depends on when you first started to listen to audio. So for me, is product that is from the 70s.

This episode has a great “sound stage”. 3D. Steve is behind the camera and rightward. Herbs voice is perfectly placed where he sits. 😆

Thanks for sharing this chat, Steve - and I'm glad Herb gave some respect to JVC and Denon. Japanese manufacturers don't get enough love in audiophile circles, yet back in the day they put a ton of yen into R&D.

The reason Telefunkens 12AX7s were used in Fishers wasn’t because they were higher quality, but because they were cheaper than US made equivalents like RCA. In the original tube compliment in the 500, RCAs were speced in the tuner section, because they were considered to be higher tolerance. Think about the time frame. It was post war. There was still a lot skepticism around German made goods. It wasn’t until recently that the telefunkens have been considered superior

Great videos, i'm 32 and for some reason i love watching and listening all stuff vintage :) Thank You Steve for this

The big B&W loudspeaker you couldn't remember was likely the 6 foot tall B&W Matrix 800.

I have a Pioneer PL-71 besides a very early LP12 running through a Pioneer Spec 1 pre and a Spec 4 power amp, it sounds absolutely brilliant! I think there's a lot to be said for vintage, but each to their own, you only have to enjoy whatever you buy. Great video as usual, thanks!

I DIY new old vintage stuff. All point to point wired the way it was 100 years ago. The tubes all out of production since the 80s. A couple from the 30s. Alnico drivers from the 60s. TDA1541a Dac chip from 92 but driven with SOTA master clock/FIFO buffer/Rpi. I like the nostalgic look and feel of tubes glowing while I drift off into the music. I like the look of choke fed power supplies that are easy to understand. Does it sound as good as the best from 2021? I don't care.

What a conversation, I thoroughly enjoyed watching you three discussing the vintage gear...

I like the saying goodbye: Peace and love and Herb repeating it. Such an important message.

Love this stuff from people who know and can philosophize about it.

43 year old modern and vintage guy here. Audiophiles in our forties are rare but we exist!

Such a beautiful conversation!! Thanks Steve 👌🎉🎊

Fantastic talk, I’ve learnt so much by just listening to your interviews. Thank you.

Wonderful video a fireside chat on audio among friends.please continue.

I got real lucky buying a turntable. In fact buying this unit, Technics SL-1200-MK2 in matte black, got me started on this ever expanding journey into audio equipment. It was on eBay and I put in a bid that I didn’t think I’d win and went to sleep. When I awoke I was pleasantly surprised that I’d won. The turntable came with a travel case and a headshell. After reading more about vintage gear and watching KZfaqs like this I realize how lucky I was to get a good working player like this.

Old Audio equipment is cool to talk about on how wonderful they were , But beware when buy old amps and receivers ,because usually they have many problems with in , Cap's leaking ,transistors bad and so on . And only a Audio technician can diagnosis or find these hidden problems .So I would recommend a agreement with the seller on having the Amp or receiver checked out on it's performance before dropping a load of money on something you remembered was great back in 1975 . The fun in Audio is yes acquiring some of this stuff ,but the fun is usually gone when you end up with a brick instead of a vintage working Amp . Philiac fan .

MOre of this please, I'm a vintage audio enthusiast and there needs to be more more talk about it on the good audio channels like this one.

Thank you so much. I really appreciated that series. I got a lot from it.

Steve, what a great couple videos thanks for leaving it all in. Good call.

"Teetering on obsession???...." How bout "Taken a header off the precipice!...." Got into this by mistake with one piece from a used stereo shop when I was looking for a cheap preamp just to add tone controls to an old barn stereo. Two Citation 1's and a Citation 2 and two sets of Aletc's, (19's and Valencia's) later and I am still scouring the web looking for more tasty vintage pieces that I absolutely do not need. But the conversation was correct about vintage collectors. It's all 3, the looks, the sound, and the stuff you couldn't afford as a kid! Great discussions!

The power and wealth of knowledge here could light a small village...

Some of the 70s Dual Turntables are real gems. Very heavy and well suspended.

I perfectly remember the simpliest AR turntable. I owned it at the beginning of my HiFi passion. Thanks for sharing such memories.

I could watch this all night... thanks guys.

Herb is the ultimate source of knowledge for audio and such a cool guy

Funny how having had so much equipment in so many different live phases that I went through makes it hard to even remember some items. Your video had me reflect on my memory lane of what is now "vintage" equipment I had the pleasure of using in my listening spaces throughout the years. • Garrard with shure cartridge (my very first turntable which I modified to reduce mechanical noises from tonearm mechanism, turning it into a manual unit) • Dual 1249 with Shure V15-III • Micro Seiki with Shure cartridge (what a nice unit this was) • TD 160 with Grado cartridge • Dual 505 & Dual 515 with Grado • TD-126 Mk III with SME tonear & Nagaoka MP11 Boron cartridge (Dang I loved this turntable! I even modified the electronics and explored 3 spiked platerless LP playback with this device. It was a workhorse and could sing also if well setup) • Rebel Revolver turntable with Linn Basik tonearm & cartridge • Ariston RD11 with SME & Goldring cartridge • Ariston RD-11S with Formula-4 Unipivot tonearm and Goldring 10-20 cartridge (Still using that one when I listen to vinyl!) • SoundStandard tube integrated receiver amp (my first amp!) • Dynaco (used) SCA-80 integrated amp (always on to stay warm & ready for music!) • B&O Beomaster 3000-2 Receiver amp (used to take it to school with 2 pairs of custom Philips full range loudspeakers to do classroom parties in 5th and 6th grade!) • Rotel RV-555 receiver (compact and sturdy... I still have that) • Pioneer receiver amp (cant remember model it's been so long ago, sx580 if I recall) • Marantz receiver (with modified caps & power supply for more musical speed & torque!) • Sears LXI Series 100W MOS FET DC Power Amp (Designed by Sherwood) Amp & Preamp. That amp was also modified with better internal caps, cabling, proper banana binding posts... it was a killer machine! :) • Luxman M-120A Amp & C-120A Preamp (I still use the preamp for my phono when transfering LP to my computer!) • SAE Mark IXB Preamp with EQ (Still have & use it sometimes!) • Realistic SCT-7 auto reverse cassette deck (solenoid reversing mechanism was the bomb!) • Pioneer CT-F1000 Cassette deck (with awesome view meters!) • TEAC V900X Tape deck with dbx (Loved that stuff!) • Rotel RCD-855 CD Player (My first foray in digital at home sound... I still have that) • dbx II DBX 128 (Compressor, Expander for music with some punch!) • Burwen TNE 7000 Transient Noise Eliminator (kill those clicks n Pops! use with caution if you like to keep music alive!) • ADC SS-110 10-Band Graphic Equalizer (Those chrome handles meant business!) • Multiple Loudspeakers pairs including PHILIPS 2422-256 12” full range Alnico custom infinite baffle boxes... • Some custom made Celestion driver based enclosures • PSB Bookshelf speakers (not great) • Spica TC-50 (Loved these units! Could really make you believe in being there under proper setup in my 12 x 20 listening room! Had to put them on stack of 2 LP crates with 3 Spikes between all parts of that stack. • HEadphones? many including Sony, Koss Pro, AKG and Sennheiser Open Air units. Well that covers memory lane for now as i am tired from revisiting my audio gears of the past. It was fun, some of it is quite "vintage". I know I have forgotten some gear... Who cares? it was a fun thing to do as a list that brought me smiles. Cheers! :)

Steve I believe the B&W model you were asking about is the Matrix 800.

I love my vintage gear. I purchased a Nakamichi 610 pre amplifier and a 600 tape deck in the 70’s for the aesthetics, nobs, buttons, meters or just the look and then replaced it with a minimalist Vacuum State FVP some years later for the sound quality, I’m still using both of these pre-amps although the FVP has been upgraded to the latest spec some 39 years later and I’m still loving the sound of it. I also have a Denon DP-55K with Grace 707 arm and a Goldring Lenco GL75 with PU-3 Syrinx arm both wonderful sound sources. I like my mix of analogue vintage and modern digital as it works for me.

NYC/BK gems for so many things. Where else is there this much modern history just in a few acres of land?

And here I thought I was going to have to wait a day for part two. Thanks!!!

Steve ,this and part one are among your coolest videos /!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the vibes alive.

I have a 1970s dealer display model for a 1970s turntable. Pioneer. It's got a mirror showing the circuit board and circuit boards have these reverse lettering signs with a mirror showing the underside. It's encased in this huge Lucite box. It also plays records. I paid way over the eBay value for it but anybody remember these? It's skeletonized by Lucite to show off its features.

Forget the seventies audio gear, I want my body back...Also my Dynaco III tube amps.

Interesting discussion. I think in Part I, the gentleman on the left (I wish you could have put their names up - I might at some point want to call the fellow on the right if I were looking for a particular piece of gear) mentioned "Hollywood Good Looks" with regards to what sells some of this older gear and what immediately comes to mind are the Marantz receivers from the mid to late '70's. There is no way that they sound so much better than say a Sansui or Pioneer from the same time period to justify the $2,000 price tag some of them are commanding. Yes, they were well built but anything that old ages, the switches, transistors, capacitors, diodes, etc. I firmly believe, if you are going to "dabble" in Vintage Audio Gear, you need to have a good local repair shop that shares your love and is willing to advise you what to buy and what to avoid and also is willing to work on this stuff for a reasonable price. The fellow on the right let slip about turntables: sometimes people inquire about a "vintage turntable" and he says "sure, I can sell you one but you might want to consider a new one." I don't think there has ever been so many quality turntables at so many price points as there are right now with this unbelievable renaissance in vinyl. And Steve makes a point about buying this stuff off EBay. When it comes to this older stuff, few are totally honest. Years ago I bought two Advent Model 300 Receivers from two different sellers advertised as working. I figured at least one would. Nope. Neither. Luckily, that unit has a cult following and there are two, yes two, very good repair facilities, one slightly more expensive than the other. And they guarantee their work. They both work wonderfully and what a great phono stage - designed by Tomlinson Holman of THX fame.

I could not afford great hifi when I was younger. I did buy a low budget system in my teens from saved paper route money. It unfortunately was a huge disappointment. My brother had an older zenith system “all in one” it sounded fabulous. I have bought new amps receivers speakers “focal”. It always leaves me wanting more. They still make 8 10 12” woofers which command a premium amount of money. The vintage gear is overbuilt and beautiful. I try to buy gear that was too of the line for the particular series I want. I do a considerable amount of research before purchasing and often find I should be looking at this other model instead of the one I was interested in. So for exceptional sound, value and the sheen of a silver face is definitely attractive.

This is magical, please keep them coming

Great video! I've purchased a few items from High End Audio Auctions, including picking up a pair of Revel speakers from them in person in NYC, and have been very happy with their service.

To me, I classify audio equipment as follows: New Demo: (Newish) Used (Late Model): Up to 5 years old Used: 6 - 19 years old Vintage: 20+ years old with coolness factor Old: 20+ years old without coolness factor Junk: Any age (e.g., Crosley all in one stereo / turntable)

That was a great show. Do more of these!

Before starting Modern Audio Consultants and Importing ProAc Speakers and Musical Fidelity amps, I had a system a bit more hi end than the Yamaha / JBL combo discussed here., The turntable being the Linn Lp 12 with the new Rega Arm ( 1979) ...Speakers were Teak Spendor BC - 1's and also Rogers Ls 35a 's... two British designs with Lots more research into them than any USA speaker at that time. So no mention of ProAc Tablettes or Celestion SL 6 's or SL 7's. and the movement to high quality in a smaller package.....which seems relevant.

That was fun ! I use exclusively vintage amplifiers , 70's Luxman , . speakers new . The new speakers seem to image better dollar for dollar to my experience. Love my old Lux gear . I've owned perhaps a dozen Lux pieces since I came across them in the 80s

The old B&W and Kef are sublime Made in the UK

Love you guys!... I'll be telling my JBL L96s all about you.

Hay, I’m a JVC turntable guy! My JL-A40 is absolutely fantastic! I wouldn’t part with it for ANYTHING!

I bought my vintage, c1980, Sansui AU217 MkII amplifier out of nostalgia. It was around at the same time I was just starting out on my hi-fi journey and I loved the look of it. Beautiful black with chunky toggle switches and it was well reviewed to boot. Cosmetically it was filthy, the case was stained and it wasn’t running, but I enjoy a challenge. Whilst I could fix it, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with the horror story that was the internal wiring or the RCA connectors or, especially the micro speaker binding posts. This wasn’t exclusively a Sansui problem back in the day. I saw a vintage Luxman amp up for sale recently and it had the same issues on the back plate. For those who like a happy ending, I am pleased to report that, having thrown the kitchen sink at this amp, it now looks pristine and, more importantly, sounds fantastic. The original transistors proved to be working, a big plus as they are unobtainium, whilst most other parts were replaced with far superior modern equivalents. The connectors on the back are all new, non-ferrous, gold plated and the crusty old 22 gauge wire was replaced with Neotech OCC copper. The old board which carried the RCA sockets was binned too. The speaker output wires were routed directly to the speaker posts, cutting out the double run past the transformer to the headphone socket on the front panel. For those who are interested, the components comprised, DNM smoothing caps, Elna Silmic II for the remaining electrolytics, MKP polyprops. Mills wire wound and Takman metal film resistors completed the job. Not quite a “no expense spared” rebuild, but not far off, and it has pride of place in my study system. To keep it company I found an unused matching TU217 FM tuner, and I had previously scratch rebuilt a period SR222 MkII turntable, with a Goldring G1042 doing pick up duty. CD is more modern, being an Arcam CD82. As you can probably tell, I love vintage systems, but I’m definitely in the restoration rather than preservation camp. I’m not going to put up with a bunch of tired old parts that were seriously compromised in their day, let alone by today’s standards, when I can have so much fun rebuilding and upgrading.

Excellent discussion, watched both parts. Thank you Steve.

It's a really interesting discussion and a lot of the discussion is highlighting what is revered, collectable or sought after for whatever reason. A lot of the time the reason is not necessarily because the stuff sounds good. I had vintage for years and recently sold everything to downsize. I then bought a cheaper system just so that I could still listen to my records. I didn't think the modern stuff would keep me interested but it actually does and sounds completely different but still really good. I also don't have a mortgage anymore because I used the money from the sale to pay it off. Next step retirement and travel the world without worrying about expensive hi fi sitting back at home in the house. Just my thoughts. Peace to all, enjoy the music, that's what matters, not the expensive boxes.

I think the thing with vintage is that you are getting something that was made to a higher design standard than what you can afford new. I think if you are passionate about audio but you don't get excited by new stuff, then you are probably into vintage. A big part of it is looks and feel. A lot of people just don't connect with new things and are looking for something that has ages well and perhaps feels timeless. I think vintage audio is kind of like vintage auto.90s Miatas and Tacomas are not that old and they weren't high end when they were new but their designs have stood the test of time and are now definitely vintage. Some people want a simple car with not classic styling and a more involved driving experience. They are not looking for a faster car, they're looking to get a lot of car for the money and a car they can love. Vintage audio is similar.

You are the chosen one Adam!

That young fellow is the future. He needs to take a younger person under his wing to keep the passion going. Glad to see herb back great vidios today thanks

Fun fun fun video!!! Never gave the question of “what is vintage” much of a thought… I guess my amp is “New Old Vintage” as it was made in 2012 but it is an old design, but then I use tubes made in 1944 and 1958…

Seventies turntables. Micro Sekeis were beautiful. Rega was in the game back then. There was a local bar that had a JBL Paragon on a stage for entertainment.

Crazy talk! Peace and love :)

Enjoyed this segment. Steve.Thank you, i used to have and old Pioneers 727 very first official receiver back in the day.3o watts, California sound but i do wish i had that it was nice.I sold it....Live and Learn.!!

i have for years a tube system that i kept as it was because it belonged to my grandfather but i don´t know if the brands ware out or if he took them from the devices but this was a late 50´s to early 70´s assembled system and i recentelly discover the brand Dynaco as some similar tube amplifiers but some brands all look the same but it sounds perfect the tuner is a tube tuner from HHscott, and the speakers that are two in mono look like pieces of furniture with wood work ,it makes an efect that even looking to the speakers the sound seems to come from nowhere it´s just a presence in the room, i only install a more modern turntable from pioneer with already diamond tip stylus ,still having the older with new needles to hear his records mainly big bands and jazz

I have bought a few pieces, Marantz 10B and Avalon Acoustics. First class act!

18:07 Herb's OCD in action! "Herb's lint removal service"

That Fisher logo with the bird and the note in it's beak seems REALLY familiar to me. I'm wondering if my step dad didn't have a Fisher back in the 80's. He did custom upholstery back then, he hand built his own speaker cabinets, had a nice turntable, and later got a reel to reel player. I'm sure there was a cassette deck in there somewhere, but I don't remember it. I remember lots of cassettes, but I don't remember a player. Also, he was very particular about his records and how they were handled. I was just a kid and was never to touch his sound system. Then there was my uncle who went to Radio Shack and bought a full Realistic rack stereo, with 4 matching speakers. I thought it sounded awesome. But what did I know about it?

I remember a couple of choice record stores in the 70's that had these 𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙨, with speaker placement breaking all the rules, (ie., shelf mounted up high) ...however my memory of these systems having this easy smoothness, a sumptuous liquidity that made 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 sound wonderful. Marantz or Pioneer receivers, powering JBL or AR speakers. Choice establishments like; Nickle Bag, Wonderwall, Karma ... burning sandlewood incense and offering 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙨 of course for 𝙩𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮... under the glass at checkout. Many of these establishments held on for years... only to succumb to low sales a few years before vinyl's resurgence. If only ...

"With great power comes great responsibility"

Thanks for a very mellow 40 minutes

The JVC turntables he's referring to are actually Kenwoods. The KP-9010, KP-990, etc that have cast metal X frame and the plinth is really a cover that's not really functional. People strip that off and run them naked. Also, the Denons have a magnetic strip on the inside of the platter and that's read by a tape head. The magnetic strip doesn't dry out but bad caps can cause problems wih the motor control circuitry. The Kenwoods are great and so are the Denons.

Pioneer direct drive turntables from mid-70s. I have a PL71 and prefer it to my Garrard 401. Many of the top of the range direct drive Japanese turntables from this period are still working superbly. Couple with a vintage Shure V15iii and you are done. The Shure V15s are great because the tracking is and was superb. I don't know what moving coils are like now but in those days the Shure retained good, stable sound when almost everything else started to distort.

Love these episodes!! 👍🍾🎈

The B&W speaker you were asking about is a DM6.

Great piece. For me, 'vintage' does not mean simply 'old'. Rather, vintage is both older and 'distinguished' in some way that makes it interesting - design, performance, technically, historically, or simply but very importantly nostalgia for the individual. Also, it does not have to be 'used'. Being 'used' is not remarkable. Conceivably, you might discover something really old still new in the box, but it would still be vintage for the other reasons'. Anyway, to place myself time-wise, I'm 60's/70's/80's vintage, and until the mid 80's mostly had middle to upper middle 'consumer' - Dynaco, Sansui, Marantz. My turntable path included the ARxa, Rek-O-Kut with Gray arm, Pioneer PL-41, Technics SL1200 (initial version), Stanton 681E carts, no turntable at all from 1985 to around 2017, then Harman Kardon T40 and T60, both modified to outboard power, and plinths and platters modified internally with sound/vibration deadener - heap dark. Other than 80's vintage KEF Q50 standing speakers, the rest of my gear is much more recent and consumer line Klipsche, Onkyo, Schiit Mani's and Nagaoka MP110 carts.

Great video I know it would have been difficult but would have been awesome if pics of some the components popped up.

I like to buy vintage audio from CL, and thrift stores. I have found Snell model K Speakers, DCM timepiece, My setup receiver, a Fisher 400. Anyway, I own other stuff, but it has taken me a few years to do this!

I have a Denon DP-60L in mint condition (bought it new in '79 or '80).

The price of old Klipsch is held down by Klipsch continuing to sell nearly identical speakers. And plenty of owners saying the newer ones sound better.

part 3, part 3, part 3!!!!! :-)

It would be interesting to see a discussion on vintage gear from 80-95. This is the stuff many of us grew up with, it’s truly vintage now (20-30 years) but has ‘fresh’ electronics compared with what is now 40-60 years old, it benefitted from whatever tech advancement took place between 75 and 95, and a lot of it is relatively affordable now. And if the answer is “it’s a dark era, full of junk”, well I’d like to know that too, and why. I do think chasjng the like of 60s tube gear will have to give way to a focus on solid state gear from the later decades, for many reasons.

I like my JBL L65s. Pioneer 9500IIs amplifier/tuner, Technics turntable. All 1978.

I had old Luxman and Altec Integrated amps, superb I grew up in the 70’s, I’m 62

Nelson Pass finally got his JBL L-300 Summit speakers several years ago.

This was fun.

Absolutely brilliant

I heard a pair of Wilson Wamm speakers once and they sounded like a bunch of good drivers that didn't blend together well. After hearing KLH 9 electrostatic speakers I was done with conventional speakers. Have been listening to Acoustat X's for 40 years and have yet to hear better.

The great mainstream gear from Japan in the early 70s, from Kenwood, Pioneer, Sansui, Technics, Marantz, Yamaha, JVC, and others, was the first foray into great sound for us Hippie music lovers who were just becoming adults, and striking out on our own at that time. We couldn't afford high end stuff like McIntosh, Luxman, and Threshold, but we loved looking at it and dreaming. And, we were too young to know about vintage tube gear, like Dynaco, Fisher, Scott, and the classic tube Marantz and McIntosh stuff. We loved loud, efficient, and dynamic speakers, like JBL. Cerwin Vega, Klipsch, and ESS, over the polite East Coast speakers from, AR, KLH, Allison, and similar types, but we did like KEF, ADS, Epi, and Polk, but we hated Bose 901s! Of course, LS35As didn't work for the rock music we listened to. And we preferred punchy direct drive turntables with S shaped tonearms, like Technics, Pioneer, and other Japanese brands, to belt drive ones from AR, Dual, and the like. We also liked the dynamic and punchy MM cartridges from ADC, Pickering, Empire, Stanton, Shure, and AT, to the MC Ortofons. And, it seems that in some ways we were right, judging by today's marketplace. Most hi-fi speakers made today are closer to the dynamic and punchy sound we liked then, and there are very few that sound like the dull and soft speakers from that era. And, direct drive seems to be making a comeback in high end tables. But, a lot of the desirability for vintage gear is nostalgia based, from those trying to relive their youth. It's the same with guitars. I have never played a vintage Strat or Tele that's any better than a good new MIA one. But, acoustics are different. A great vintage Martin is better than any made today, though not all old ones are good. There are some dogs too, 'cause each piece of wood is different.

We want more!!!!!

I guess hifi will always be the strange mix and alchemy of sound, technology, visual design and aesthetics, history and nostalgia and emotion. And we can all look back to both our own and other systems that we have listened to and experienced over the years...where there have been so many moments of pure bliss, pleasure, amazement and wonder And even though equipment comes and goes there was always certain products that stood out as being special or were fab but just out of reach. So some will naturally want to go back and revisit these products see if they still do that magic...or not! Much like all vintage things and collectables I guess.

Nelson and Paul McGowan both had Wadia CD Players. Nelson had to shelve his because the Pioneer transport mechanism was no longer available when his went on the fritz and he could not find a replacement. This is not too long ago in my recollection.

Rel-O-Kit turn table I found used and I mounted Zeta arm on it with a Dynavector Ruby

My speakers are definitely Vintage. 1974 Gale 401A's being driven by 300/500 watts with a 30 amp mains circuit.

I have always loved the idea of vintage , the build quality, the style but in the end I don’t have the patience fore it and can never find a suitable repair shop to keep it going.

If there is a "gun Jesus" (and there is), there has got to be space for Hi-Fi Jesus.

vintage can often sound better than hi end current offerings. need to know how to restore them though

Steve: Delightful video, though I must say I was shocked(!) that neither you nor Herb recognized Gordon Rankin’s Wavelength “Junior” SE EL84 integrated amplifier. In addition to Art Dudley’s rave review in Listener, there was a second rave review in Fi Magazine by Joe Roberts (editor of Sound Practices Magazine). I had just graduated from law school and couldn’t afford a new one, but eventually found a nice secondhand “Junior” that lacks the MQ logo on the output transformers. The transformers are total overkill for a modest EL84 amp - it may be the heaviest amp per square inch I’ve ever lifted - which undoubtedly has something to do with why it sounds so special. Eventually I also acquired a matching Wavelength Cotangent phono stage, then completed the vintage Wavelength system with a pair of Wavelength JPO Memorial speakers (based on the Diatone 610B full range driver). I don’t know how many JPOs Gordon made - I can’t remember the last time I saw a pair for sale - but wouldn’t be surprised if they all (other than mine) ended up in Japan. If you ever issue a call for followers to send in pictures of their vintage systems I’ll try to get my act together and send in a few.

I would love a Sppectral preamp. I could not afford one, so I ended up with a threshold FET 10HL, that I also lusted after

Hello Steve! I hope you read and respond to this, but at 13:19 in this video you’re asking about a particular B&W speaker that no one seemed to know the answer to. You were obviously using your hands to describe the shape of the speaker but we, the viewers can’t see you. Are you talking about the B&W Nautilus that retails for $60k a pair? If not, I’d sure like to know what model you’re speaking about. Thank you Steve! Love your show, I’ve never missed an episode.

What are they cooking in their kitchen stew pot? They're cooking the guy who beat them to the previous thing they wanted to buy. How many ways are there to bias a 12AX7A or a KT88? Too bad you didn't know to adjust the wing nuts on the underside of your Empire 598 Steve. You'd still have it and the prices went way up. The engineering and precision manufacturing that went into that brand was crazy obsessive. Minus 90 db unweighted rumble.

Steve, you really should pay a video visit to Keith O. Johnson of Reference Recordings In Pacifica CA, while he is still with us. He's up there but still is at the top his game tho for how much longer? That would be one for some saving, alright. One of his great recountings is about the time when Lew Wasserman -- then chief honcho of MCA himself -- showed up to a one-on-one lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, this to secure patents (if I might recall correctly) during the early Disc-O-Vision days, leading then to LaserDisk. I suppose that this in-person appearance of his, was to make damn sure that nothing would go wrong. He has dozens of tales relating to the early equipment days and especially tape, and recording of course. I'd get on it if I were you. Tell him I sent you.

Loving the livingroom comment - how does it small - what are they cooking?

Great episode..I often wonder where the Mac equipment Adam bought from me went to.

Would Love to find vintage Marantz in the $200 to $300 range mentioned. It would take much more for me to give up my 2230 or 2325. Enjoyed the discussion.

Shipping turntables is a NIGHTMARE!

I think what I love most about HR is how completely and passionately full of it he is. But when you work for a publication called Subjectophile, I guess that comes with the territory.

I just read about a certain highly touted diy amp on KZfaq that has been compared to Picasso sneezing in a napkin and giving it out as art. This highly touted project on youtube could be yours just a lot of work required. My analogy. Some vintage audio is like driving rusty beater auto and holding one's nose up in the air since they're driving antique.

I guess One of the reasons my Revox B7**-system is vintage, is that there is no cd-player. Cd-players came along for later series. And now cd-players are on their way to be vintage on their own.