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Vintage gear welcome?

svart-hvitt

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As the title suggests m, is repairing or modifying vintage audio gear allowed here? Because I would love to post some of my stuff

Do you repair and modify by ear’n hear or by measurements (too)?
 

sergeauckland

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I'm rather a fan of vintage equipment. Much of the stuff made in the 70s and '80s that still survives was close to the best of the bunch in terms of build quality, and that a good amplifier in 1976 is still a good amplifier today. In many respects, loudspeakers of the 1970s and early 1980s were designed to be more accurate and with lower coloration than those of today, where making a Good Impression at a demo is deemed more important than accuracy.

My own equipment has two turntables from the 1980s (EMT and AEG-Telefunken) B&W 801 loudspeakers from the 1980s, (now active however) and all sorts of other bits and pieces from the 1960s and 1970s. The only 21st century stuff is my SBT streamer and the DSP-based crossover and equaliser for the 801s and three SS power amps.

Oh, and my Sony SQ Quadraphonic decoder is from 1974 or thereabouts.

S.
 

DonH56

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As the title suggests m, is repairing or modifying vintage audio gear allowed here? Because I would love to post some of my stuff

It would be a breath of fresh air. Do it.
 

DonH56

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I remember measuring my old SP3a1 back in the early 1980's when super-low THD specs were the rage. It was excellent, down around 0.001% (-100 dB) or so IIRC, at typical 2 Vrms output. That was when a number of SS advocates said tubes would die due to their high distortion and such.

My tube power amps did not fair nearly as well though weren't bad...
 

restorer-john

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...I’d love to see measurements on some good vintage gear.

Do we have a thread or forum where posting measurements on vintage gear, scope shots, FFTs etc is appropriate? I'm happy to start a thread if there isn't one already.
 

cjfrbw

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I use 40 year old VFET amps in my system. Yamaha B2 on bass panel and Sony TAN 8550 on midrange ribbon. To my ear, they are magnificent. I haven't heard much at shows that I could point to at any price that sound better in a reasonably applied situation.

I don't have measuring equipment, but the 8550 was measured by the re-builder at 125 watts per channel @ 8 ohms, which is above original manufacture's spec. of 100 rated watts.

I was over at WBF on a thread in which one of the major members was going into a King Ludwig mania melt down over his expensive components, claiming his amplifiers empty watts could audibly plumb a digital signal. His co-dependants on the forum were running right along with him.

I realized I need to join over here and get some cold water splashed on my face once in a while.
 

tomelex

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"""WBF""" watch your language on this forum buddy! Good to see you here.
Too bad no one makes vertical fets of any power nowadays, they were the sweetest thing to come along for audio but alas, audio is not enough to keep a special device being made then or now....:(
 

Scott Munks

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I NEED HELP PLEASE !
I recently bought a Rotel RB-990BX amplifier. It will power up, but has no output. It stays in "Protection" mode even without having a load (speakers connected) to it. No fuses have blown. ANY SUGGESTIONS ???
 

NorthSky

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NorthSky

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I feel your frustration; your first same four posts in four different threads.
In another thread I offered a suggestion, after you eclipsed all repair possibilities...time consuming, search and rescue, cost...a not so easy challenge.
...A second-hand Bryston amp...made in Canada. :)

Cheers,
Bob
 
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watchnerd

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As the title suggests m, is repairing or modifying vintage audio gear allowed here? Because I would love to post some of my stuff

As long as I'm also allowed to post about my vintage 1980s/90s Michell Gyro restortation.

Just got new modern bearings for the thrust plate!
 

Wombat

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As long as I'm also allowed to post about my vintage 1980s/90s Michell Gyro restortation.

Just got new modern bearings for the thrust plate!

Seems like it fits the forum group, DIY Audio Forum, exactly. :)
 
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Sal1950

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As the title suggests m, is repairing or modifying vintage audio gear allowed here? Because I would love to post some of my stuff

Personally I would love to see pictures of restored and upgraded vintage gear. And being able to read the restorers path thru the project, reasoning, road bumps navigated, etc, etc; would be all that much sweeter.
I anxiously await reading the project build story threads.;)
 
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