Post up your favourite hi-fi components from the past

[editor]

I used to *love* this amp: the Rotel RA611. I reckon it still looks lovely too - look at that lovely wood and chrome finish!

 

[editor]

This is the best amp I've ever owned. The Audiolab 8000A.

 

[Winot]

Musical Fidelty X-PRE pre-amp and X-A50 monobloc power amps. Lovely, simple, solid bits of kit.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Had one of these for over 20 years of 300+ days a year use.

 

[hammerntongues]

Garrard sp25 mark 3 , had it for years before replacing it with a rega planner 3 which i still have.

 

[Crispy]

I'm trying to find a picture of it. It belonged to my dad. It was a 70s vintage Aiwa (or maybe akai?), a one-box machine that was amp, tuner and cassette player. Brushed steel finish, big long radio frequency indicator with 4 bands. Needle VU meters with green amber and red LED lights to the side. Heavy knobs, levers and buttons that went clunk in a satisfying manner.

Saw me and my brother through our teenage years in the attic room. Never broke a sweat and just looked cool. Far too heavy and large (it was a quite a bit wider than the standard rack unit size of modern components) to move out with, so it remains mouldering in my parents' attic as far as I know.

Kinda like that, but with a tape deck added on the left and a far more busy radio frequency indicator.

 

[hammerntongues]

 

[hammerntongues]

I took my Cyrus one in for repairs last year and all the young lads huddled around and laughed at it .

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

I'm trying to find a picture of it. It belonged to my dad. It was a 70s vintage Aiwa (or maybe akai?), a one-box machine that was amp, tuner and cassette player. Brushed steel finish, big long radio frequency indicator with 4 bands. Needle VU meters with green amber and red LED lights to the side. Heavy knobs, levers and buttons that went clunk in a satisfying manner.

Saw me and my brother through our teenage years in the attic room. Never broke a sweat and just looked cool. Far too heavy and large (it was a quite a bit wider than the standard rack unit size of modern components) to move out with, so it remains mouldering in my parents' attic as far as I know.

Kinda like that, but with a tape deck added on the left and a far more busy radio frequency indicator.

i think my aunt has a model like that

 

[Detroit City]

 

[Detroit City]

I took my Cyrus one in for repairs last year and all the young lads huddled around and laughed at it .

you should have told them and their iPods to fuck off

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm still using my two :-



Leak Stereo 20 has "1965" label on it so younger than me.



Quad ESLs - probably 1970s ... I have two more much older ones waiting to get fixed ...

The 10 year old Panasonic telly isn't bad either.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

 

[hammerntongues]

is that the beosystem wotsit ?

 

[editor]

I took my Cyrus one in for repairs last year and all the young lads huddled around and laughed at it .

It probably sounds better than a lot of modern 'hi-fi' amps.

 

[editor]

There's posh!

 

[editor]

Kinda like that, but with a tape deck added on the left and a far more busy radio frequency indicator.

Some old amps/receivers still look well cool.

VU meters for the win!

 

[Badgers]

hi-fi components from the past

Are we talking about 'your' past here Ed or the more recent 'past'?

 

[Badgers]

Marantz PM45 was my fave I think...

 

[Stanley Edwards]

with these...

and...

Plus Quad power amp, pre amp etc. Technics turntable.

Flogged it all on ebay before I left the UK at a very nice profit.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I've got one of these, currently being stored in my Dads loft.

It needs a couple of repairs, it's yet another project I've never quite got round to finishing

 

[killer b]

my dad has one of these. Lovely thing.

 

[ChrisD]

Bought this Sanyo Tuner/amp in October 1976 from "Land of Hi Fi" in Nottingham. It's still in use every day.. same speakers too (? Marantz 4G) now built into back of kitchen cupboards.
"If it ain't broken don't fix it"
(( sorry about size of pic. ))

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I figured I'd arrived when I got a Nakamichi.

 

[Meltingpot]

One of these (though mine's in silver);

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38703857@N03/4036818169/

I once tested a prerecorded tape of Led Zep 4, played on the Tandberg, up against the CD of the same and preferred the tape. Tandberg are very underrated IMO; I remember once hearing Roxy Music's "Ladytron" played on a Tandberg system in a record shop in Leicester and it blew me away.

Sadly my hi-fi system's been dismantled for the time being in order to get my gas ch installed (more important to keep warm).

 

[tarannau]

Not exactly hi-fi, but it's been my friend for the best part of thirty years - a Technics SL1200 Mk 1, complete with natty pitch dials rather than slider. Could do with a clean up - it occasionally loses tempo - but it's been remarkably hard working and reliable.

And I still haven't the urge to trade my speakers for anything else either tbf - the perfect combination of delicateness and room shaking thump. Many speakers have come and gone, but I'll try to hang onto these things for as long as possible

 

[Crispy]

Oh, and a pair of these speakers, which are of similar vintage to that old amp and sound really good IMO

They're Wharfdales and I really must make new enclosures for them some day.

 

[electroplated]

saw one of these for the first time the other day, very slick:

 

[editor]

There's some cracking gear on offer here:

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Practical/Wireless/70s/PW-1972-01.pdf

 

[editor]

Ship to shore radio!