Best Vintage HiFi Designs

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys, I need some help finding the best vintage high end audio designs. It's for a project to be revealed at a later date, if it comes to fruition. Please post pictures, links, or brands and models if neither can be found.

 

Vintage is a loose term as is "best." I love some of the old McIntosh and Marantz designs and of course Luxman and Accuphase has some true gems. I'd love to see what your favorites are. Please post here!

[daverich4]

My first piece of audiophile gear. My older brother built one for me in 1973. 
 

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/dynaco/stereo-70.shtml

[The Computer Audiophile]

A couple nice ones.

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

[RickyV]

 

[RickyV]

 

The audio gear guys, audio gear! 😀

[WAM]

The tape deck I always wanted (and never bought).

 

 

[WAM]

And another beauty, made of unobtanium (alas, for me).

 

 

[sphinxsix]

This piece of audio furniture has also vintage feel to it.. (Quad ESL 63 of course)

 

 

The Dragon.

 

 

NAD 302

Another beauty  - Wilson Audio WAMM 7 (not on a budget though..)

 

 

Vintage.? Dunno, I just post these cool(?)lookers them whenever I can.. 

 

[R1200CL]

Maybe not what OP had in mind...

(They’re for sale)

 

[Allan F]

 

Revox A77, Heathkit AR-1500

[RickyV]

 

 

I owned the ESL57 for a short time and they where my first real experience with higher audio, they blew my mind back then.

[audiobomber]

Yamaha got a lot of attention in the mid-seventies with their new CA line of integrated amps. I had a CA-1000, the top model in the series, 70wpc in Class AB, switchable to 15wpc Class A.

 

The amp was driving a pair of classic speakers, the NS-1000M ion AR stands:

 

 

Sources were a Yamaha CT-700 tuner, playing CHUM FM back in the days when it was pure album rock with no commercial breaks, (I remember you, David Marsden) and a Technics SL-1400 turntable.

 

The turntable's semi-auto feature hurt my audiophile cred, but the cartridges made up some ground:

 

Supex 900 moving coil:

 

and an Ortofon M15E Super moving magnet:

 

 

I had a magnesium headshell for the Supex. To change cartridges all I had to do was mount the other headshell, no rebalancing required.

[audiobomber]

The classic Sondek LP12 revolutionized the audiophile world in the seventies with Linn's "source first" philosophy:

 

 

[charlesphoto]

Early to mid-Seventies Naim NAP CB (chrome bumper) 160 BD (bolt down top case vs later sleeve design). Considered by some to be Naim's most musical amp, picked this beauty up for $460 last month and still sounding incredibly sublime after all of these years.

[Summit]

 

[Summit]

[Summit]

[botrytis]

 

Still one of the best Class A amps out there - the Pioneer M-22.

 

Makes a great room heater in the winter

 

Maybe I am biased because I have one, that has been rebuilt. Well worth checking out.

[botrytis]

 

I heard a set of these once. WOW - not the most dynamic but certainly stellar presentation - Ohm F loudspeakers.

[botrytis]

 

Another speaker people should hear once, setup and powered properly - Polk SDA-SRS .

 

The imaging is just out of this world and the dynamics are scary.

[Summit]

13 minutes ago, botrytis said:

 

Another speaker people should hear once, setup and powered properly - Polk SDA-SRS .

 

The imaging is just out of this world and the dynamics are scary.

 

I have these Polk SDA-SRS 1.2 and have own them for 25 years or something.

[Summit]

Nakamichi 1000 ZXL the Dragon slayer…sound splendid and look great.

 

[botrytis]

1 minute ago, Summit said:

 

I have these Polk SDA-SRS 1.2 and have own them for 25 years or something.

 

I would do a total rebuild of the crossovers (they are a bear to do but it really makes the sound so much better). I would also make sure all the drivers are totally sealed on the cabinet as driver seals will dry out and leak.

[Superdad]

I present the American-made Marantz 19 receiver. $1,200 in 1970--and they lost money on each one. If they had to build it this way today it might be $8,000. 

One of the finest sounding receivers ever built. FM section courtesy of Dick Sequerra. And I believe that both Sid Smith (Marantz 7C) and Saul Marantz were closely involved with the project. https://classicreceivers.com/marantz-model-19

I have run this unit in our workshop for many years.

 

 

At present there are probably only three audio components in my collection that I would never sell for any price: My Hovland RADIA-i power amp, my Dave Slagle Elmaformer, and my Marantz 19.  Not that these are the only special components I own (Marantz 20B tuner serial #2 ! ; Restored and customized Fisher 500C, and some other select vintage pieces), its just that these are 3 which truly make magic for me.