Anyone into vintage home audio??

My folks still have their Zenith console TV. They have a big screen on the wall above it now thou.

 

Does it count as "into" if we're just cheap-assed and never replace what we have?

 

Funny how that works. When you buy something new is great, then after a few years it's just mehh, a few years later you're just a cheapass hoarding junk, but not to long after that it becomes vintage and hipsters are writing about how cool it is in a park on their typewriter.

 

High end stuff always stays high end. Quality speaks for itself.

 

True. My Denon reciever is on it's second remote. 30+ years old. But then I have 40 year old shirts in my cupboard.

 

True story. Buy once, cry once seems to hold true to pretty much and purchase.

 

I have this console "audio system" that I got from my grandmother about 35 years ago. My dad bought it for her just before he shipped off to Korea with the Army around 1950. Best I can determine is that it was made in 1947. The radio, with AM, Police and SW bands, says "Sparton," but I don't know who manufactured the cabinet. It also has a 78rpm record player. It sat in my garage for a few years until I got around to working on it. I posted on an antique radio discussion forum to see if anyone could give me any info on it. No one had any helpful info, but did make recommendations on how to recondition the radio/amplifier. Someone said that if I posted the vacuum tube arrangement and tube IDs they might be able to find more info. Sure enough, just a couple hours after I posted that info, I got a complete wiring diagram. I replaced the five tubes and all the paper capacitors, and some wiring, and got it working. Cleaned and lubed the turntable, and I was able to get the speaker re-coned at a local shop. My wife refinished the cabinet. It's nothing fancy, for sure, but it has a lot of sentimental value.

Also have this Gramophone. Got it at an antique shop about 2 years ago. Shop owner had no history on it, and it could well be a reproduction for all I know. Labeling on the spring motor seems to support it being original from the 20's or 30's, though.

 

I have a Mac 1700 sitting in my closet, My grandmother gave it to me when she sold her house. I've been meaning to list it on Ebay but it has sat dormant in my closet for several years now lol

 

Those are both cool pieces!

 

The restoration on the console looks great, and the fact that you know who bought it and when is awesome.

 

Thanks for the compliments, guys!

 

Setting up my garage system so I can spin some vinyl while working on the new Tacoma. Well not "new", but new to me. Still got some kinks to work out, but just making sure the acoustics/speaker placement are decent before I build a stereo stand/rack.

 

Nice tube amp... I wish I still had my old roommates bogen tube amp

 

Tubes 'n Vinyl! Nice! Except for the distraction from working on the Taco....

 

Not exactly hifi but tube short wave c/w record player input. Dial kinda says it all.

 

My one owner system.

It wasn't high dollar in those days, but it was the best I could afford. The turntable needs a belt, and the receiver has an occasional popping sound like static discharge, but it still plays.

 

it's not an addiction. it's a hobby!

my main system runs a set of jensen g610's as a secondary stereo pair to the 5.1 setup. mostly for internet radio stations (and all the purists scream).



my basement setup, well, took on a mind of it's own. i sorta collected a number of speakers and wanted to a/b different one's at different times. a bunch of them are realistic minimus series, the rest are modified in one way or another to suit my own machinations at the time.


my workshop setup is a calibre 215 with some realistic nova 6's with some HiVi tweeters to replace the blown 'twiddlers'.

and the garage setup ended up with a jvc r-s77 powering a set of jensen 3/P2's.

 

I’ve seen “vintage audio” stores with less then you. Nice!!

 

So, I see your Monitorin’ the Situation right there.

 

Have a restored Pioneer SX1050 with Technics 1600 series turntable playing through Dahlquist m905s.