Revisiting LP's & vintage audio

guildzilla

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About a month ago, I tried for the final time to repair the headshell and get my old Dual 501 turntable fully functional again. The project was a miserable flop, as I totalled the very proprietary Dual headshell. And arrived at a dead end.

Smitten as I am by e-Bay, I tried to replace it with a Bang & Olufsen TT, which promptly arrived DOA with a broken tonearm during shipment.

I got my insurance refund from UPS and tried again, scoring a 1984-ish Bang & Olufsen RX for $55 with shipping. It arrived fine and worked great. My LP's never sounded better.

I've been working my way through my collection, determined to play each LP only once until I'd gotten at least 200-deep into the lot.

At the same time, success with the TT has led to a resurgence of lust for the late-70's golden age of hi-fi audio.

In the last week, I've picked up a Phase Linear 2000 preamp and Phase Linear 300 power amp. This was fantasy stuff for me when I was in college. I wanted it more than any tasty, unattainable coed. At the time, this stuff cost about as much as a nice car.

I got both PL components and the B & O for less than $300 altogether, including shipping costs. Amazing e-Bay! I celebrate thee.

Of course, the jury is out until the PL's arrive safely and work properly.

But how cool, really. The LP's I've collected since I was a kid and the stereo equipment that was just a beautiful dream.
 

capnjuan

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Good going 'Zilla. Congratulations on nailing down the high-grade gear. I 'rubbed' my version of that ache with some Marantz and Audio Research gear.

I respect your confidence in eBay....but would have to say that eBay is good only when it's good...based on your experience - one DOA among 4 -puts it at 75%. I know that crappy shipping can't be put on eBay but it unavoidably 'taints' the experience.

BTW: could you turn it up a little!

John
 

jp

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Oh no, guildzilla!

In addition to GAS, beware of its evil cousin! I almost started down that path, but discovered the road to recovery before I had a basement full of old shiny silver solid state gear. I favor the beautiful 70s gear -- Marantz, Pioneer, Kenwood, and other Golden Age of audio finds. What used to be just piles of electronic foo in the thrift stores suddenly can become undiscovered treasures. I hang out at a forum called Audiokarma sometimes--a worldwide forum of enthusiasts. We're described as lo-to-mid-fi by the other forums, where people spend upwards of $3000 on a turntable. Yikes! Fun learning, though. :wink:

BTW: Do you ever attend Community Festival in the Short North?
 

West R Lee

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Seems like Macintish was some awesome stuff when I was in high school. All the audiophiles I hung with back then had Sony stuff though. Oh and .........Norman Lab speakers! Still have my Normans, still sound good too, along with Yamaha equipment and Infinity speakers.

West
 

guildzilla

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JP, I only go to the Short North - aka Gen X Central - when I want to feel like an old man. This is an infrequent urge. But we used to do the gallery hops.

I am wary of the audio bug and promising myself that I will stay happy and satisfied with my '84 Bose 501 speakers even after the new components arrive. I am not that hard to please, really. I probably could have stopped with the TT but my '84 Yamaha integrated amp has developed an issue in the right channel. Sounds fine loud but poor soft.

West, the MacIntosh stuff on e-Bay appears to be a much larger category than Phase Linear. Great stuff, and I looked it over, but going for bigger bucks. PL does not seem to have a website and the large following, like B & O does, and I thought the stuff I bought came in under the radar.
 

zom-zom

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I still have my Sansui Integrated Amplifier that I saved up for my Freshman year of college. 30 years later, it still works great.
Last year I found a really nice Sansui receiver from 1971 in the trash.

I probably listen to vinyl as much as anything still. I recently got my Thorens turntable back in action. I paid $35 for it at a garage sale about twenty years ago, it cost me $300 to get it set up with a good cartridge.
 

jp

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Hi guildzilla,

Community Festival is way beyond Gen X central (which was my generation) nowadays. It's solidly in the throes of Gen Z. My generation of Columbus bands is now busy raising kids, and the festival has become more a reunion meeting place, although I still have a lot of friends who play it. Last time I was there in 2004, it had grown to monstrous proportions since the days when I lived and played in Columbus more than 10 years ago.
 
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