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Vintage amplifiers that could challenge or approach current state of the art amplifiers

cjfrbw

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I bought a bunch of those too. Problem is, I haven't been able to install them in my system because I can never seem to figure out for sure exactly where they are.
That's strange. I can never figure out for sure exactly when they are.
 

DonH56

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murraycamp

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DonH56

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watchnerd

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My old Adcom GFA-555, my first power amp:

774ae12df998f6c7522b8e5947311372.jpg
 
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restorer-john

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My old Adcom GFA-555, my first power amp:

774ae12df998f6c7522b8e5947311372.jpg

The mkII?

I would actually rate the GFA-555 mk1 or 2 as arguably one of the most significant audiophile products of all time.

Just a wonderful, well built, honest US made product by a respected designer. If there was a HiFi equivalent to the rock'n'roll hall of fame, it'd be in there for sure.
 

watchnerd

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The mkII?

I would actually rate the GFA-555 mk1 or 2 as arguably one of the most significant audiophile products of all time.

Just a wonderful, well built, honest US made product by a respected designer. If there was a HiFi equivalent to the rock'n'roll hall of fame, it'd be in there for sure.

I had the MK I, actually.

I replaced it with a Sony ES AVR when I became convinced that multi channel SACD was the wave of the future....
 

Robin L

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First thought: how old does an amp have to be to be vintage? What came to mind is the Parasound JC-1 mono amp, now 17 years old. Too recent? Note they have just been updated, but not radically.

Second thought, I wonder how the Scott 299B, completely refurbished, would measure. I don't think it would set the bar, I suppose it's outside the sorts of amps the OP is pointing to. However, it was the best electronics for LP playback I have owned. Whatever distortions this unit had, it seemed to get more out of classic LPs than anything else I've owned. It rolled off the top and bottom, but it seemed to iron out surface noise and distortion in the process.

2716308815.jpg
 

ta240

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For cars, I think the rule is 20 years for 'classic' status.

'Antique' are 45 years old, and 'vintage' are pre-WWII.

That's what I used to hear but the car thing seems to be sliding the years. I guess people don't want their 60s and 70s muscle cars referred to as antique because I still hear classic used instead.

The mkII?

I would actually rate the GFA-555 mk1 or 2 as arguably one of the most significant audiophile products of all time.

Just a wonderful, well built, honest US made product by a respected designer. If there was a HiFi equivalent to the rock'n'roll hall of fame, it'd be in there for sure.

Probably once a week I end up with either one of those or the 545 or a 535 in my ebay cart. I still haven't pulled the trigger yet though.
 

paddycrow

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There is no universal definition for cars.

To qualify for Historical Vehicle plates in most states, it's 20-25 years old. The Classic Car Club of America only considers cars manufactured between the years 1915 and 1948 to be classic. That's close to what I recall hearing that cars had to be "pre-war." I think Hagerty Insurance considers a car to be antique or classic if it's at least 40 years old.
 

Robin L

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Of course, with digital gear, "obsolete" happens much faster. There's a Stereophile posting today, a review from November, 1995, of the Mark Levinson #36 DAC, one of the pricer DACS of the time. Not exactly obsolete, but really close considering how most people listen to music these days. The technological changes of Digital sound come fast and furious. Has there been that much change with amplifiers?
 

watchnerd

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Of course, with digital gear, "obsolete" happens much faster. There's a Stereophile posting today, a review from November, 1995, of the Mark Levinson #36 DAC, one of the pricer DACS of the time. Not exactly obsolete, but really close considering how most people listen to music these days. The technological changes of Digital sound come fast and furious. Has there been that much change with amplifiers?

In terms of energy efficiency for amps, yes.
 
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restorer-john

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For cars, I think the rule is 20 years for 'classic' status.

'Antique' are 45 years old, and 'vintage' are pre-WWII.

Antique has always been a minimum of 100 years old.

a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago
 

bigx5murf

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For cars, I think the rule is 20 years for 'classic' status.

'Antique' are 45 years old, and 'vintage' are pre-WWII.

Well my local govt says cars need to be 25+ years to qualify for "classic car" status. With it comes no more needing to pass smog if mileage kept under 5k/yr.
 

mhardy6647

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Depends upon your point of view, of course. All depends upon the observer. :)
Heisenberg's cat -- "now vhere in ze heck did I put zat danged zing, Erwin?!"

;)

There is no universal definition for cars.

To qualify for Historical Vehicle plates in most states, it's 20-25 years old. The Classic Car Club of America only considers cars manufactured between the years 1915 and 1948 to be classic. That's close to what I recall hearing that cars had to be "pre-war." I think Hagerty Insurance considers a car to be antique or classic if it's at least 40 years old.

25 years old for NH "Antique" plates (FWIW) :)

1596758862211.png

(borrowed image from teh webz)

My Tacoma was danged close when we got rid of it last year :(
 
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watchnerd

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Antique has always been a minimum of 100 years old.

a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago

Not necessarily with cars.

Here is what an insurance company says:

"One of the basic guidelines that many states use is the car's age: any car over 45 years old is considered an antique"

https://www.lelandwest.com/blog/lis...nces-Between-Antique-Classic-and-Vintage-Cars
 
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restorer-john

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Not with cars.

Here is what an insurance company says:

"One of the basic guidelines that many states use is the car's age: any car over 45 years old is considered an antique"

It is funny how long existing words with specific accepted definitions get "adjusted" as time goes on. Cars were never antiquities and until recently, hadn't been around for 100 years anyway. I would never refer to a car as an antique. Cars over here and in the UK were/are referred to as vintage (<100 Years) and veteran.

English may be an evolving/deteriorating language (particularly in the US) but 45 years of age is not antique and never will be. An antique firearm must be a 100 years old or more or it is not an antique. It's pretty simple really.
 
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