The Silver Age
So I'm in the process of putting together a new stereo setup. But it's not just any stereo setup. See, I'm trying to assemble a really good set of classic 70s hi fi components.
Do you remember the stereo gear of the 70s? I do. I recall spending hours playing records on hi-fi gear owned by a friend of my parents, or on the record players that the local library had set up for public use. I formed my ideas of what good stereo gear was like back then, and I'm afraid that the modern plastic creations just can't stand up, in my opinion, to that glorious 70s silver gear with the illuminated analogue displays and metal cases. How can a boring digital tuner with its dinky little push-buttons and digital display compare to one of those old-fashioned ones with the huge tuner knob and the needle moving along the glowing faceplate, showing you exactly where on the spectrum you were listening to? Or the modern rows-of-LEDs and flashy tasteless lightshows to the simple, classic illuminated-needle sound-level displays of that old gear? I remember spending hours sitting in a darkened room, illuminated only by the glow of the display, exploring the wonders of the world via a radio dial as I listened with headphones on in my own little world.
The build quality was great, too. Those components had a bit of heft to them. You could tell that they had substance to them when you tried to lift them! And you didn't have to worry about accidentally breaking the knobs and buttons if you bumped them awkwardly - they were made of solid metal. Couldn't kill 'em with a stick.
I don't think that I realised how much I loved the old 70s silver stereo gear until olddguyy gave me an old amp/tuner and set of speakers that he didn't need any more. It was a Technics SA-202. Not particlularly high-end, but of the general style and design that I recall from the 70s, and that was enough to bring it all back to me. I set it up in my bedroom at Artyem's house, and spent evenings in bed with Artyem listening to the radio by the light of the display. We used it to listen to all sorts of odd stuff late at night. One evening the atmospheric conditions must have been just right, because we were picking up Russian radio - a man with a beautifully clear voice, reading what sounded like a story or folktale perhaps? We couldn't understand a word he was saying, but we just lay there, listening to the cadences of his voice roll over us in the dark.
The SA-202 was a start, but it wasn't really ideal. For one thing, one channel was blown. Also, as I mentioned before, it wasn't the high-end gear I was hoping to get my hands on. And the speakers that came with it (a pair of Criterions that had spent the last decade or two in sheds) were not particularly stellar. They worked, but the treble was kinda minimal and you needed to crank the treble up to maximum to really hear it at all.
So for the last little while, I've been in the market for good quality 70s hi fi gear. The nice thing about it is that it's deeply unfashionable. A lot of folk seem to have the idea that newer = better, which isn't exactly accurate with this sort of thing. And so one winds up seeing superb pieces of gear being chucked out at garage sales for a song. Which suits me just fine. A week or two ago I scored myself a replacement amplifier: a Kenwood KA-5700, for $20. It is gorgeous. I gave it a bit of a clean up, took its cover off and dusted its insides, and then experimentally connected it up to Artyem's rather excellent Mordaunt-Short speakers, whereupon it played mp3s from my Palm (the simplest source of easily-plugged in music that I could locate right then) with absolute crystal clarity. Lovely!
At the same garage sale that got me the Kenwood, I also scored a Pioneer SG-300 graphic equaliser for $10. Which would be great if I could work out how to connect it up - I've tried many different permutations and I honestly can't hear any difference when I fiddle with the controls, so I think I haven't quite gotten it worked out. Either that, or perhaps the Criterion speakers are too crummy to let me hear it working, but I don't really think that's likely. At the moment all it's doing is providing a light show (each of the sliders has a little red light on). I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.
So next on the shopping list are a good pair of speakers, and a decent tuner to replace the not-entirely-working Technics. I think the chances of me coming across a pair of Wharfedales for $30 at a garage sale aren't high, but one never knows one's luck. But then, speakers aren't my strong point. Do any of you have any opinons or recommendations regarding brands and models of speakers (ideally of 70s vintage) to keep an eye out for?
Do any of you have any favourite brands or models of classic audio equipment? Or memories associated with it? Tell me your stories. I'd love to hear them.
Do you remember the stereo gear of the 70s? I do. I recall spending hours playing records on hi-fi gear owned by a friend of my parents, or on the record players that the local library had set up for public use. I formed my ideas of what good stereo gear was like back then, and I'm afraid that the modern plastic creations just can't stand up, in my opinion, to that glorious 70s silver gear with the illuminated analogue displays and metal cases. How can a boring digital tuner with its dinky little push-buttons and digital display compare to one of those old-fashioned ones with the huge tuner knob and the needle moving along the glowing faceplate, showing you exactly where on the spectrum you were listening to? Or the modern rows-of-LEDs and flashy tasteless lightshows to the simple, classic illuminated-needle sound-level displays of that old gear? I remember spending hours sitting in a darkened room, illuminated only by the glow of the display, exploring the wonders of the world via a radio dial as I listened with headphones on in my own little world.
The build quality was great, too. Those components had a bit of heft to them. You could tell that they had substance to them when you tried to lift them! And you didn't have to worry about accidentally breaking the knobs and buttons if you bumped them awkwardly - they were made of solid metal. Couldn't kill 'em with a stick.
I don't think that I realised how much I loved the old 70s silver stereo gear until olddguyy gave me an old amp/tuner and set of speakers that he didn't need any more. It was a Technics SA-202. Not particlularly high-end, but of the general style and design that I recall from the 70s, and that was enough to bring it all back to me. I set it up in my bedroom at Artyem's house, and spent evenings in bed with Artyem listening to the radio by the light of the display. We used it to listen to all sorts of odd stuff late at night. One evening the atmospheric conditions must have been just right, because we were picking up Russian radio - a man with a beautifully clear voice, reading what sounded like a story or folktale perhaps? We couldn't understand a word he was saying, but we just lay there, listening to the cadences of his voice roll over us in the dark.
The SA-202 was a start, but it wasn't really ideal. For one thing, one channel was blown. Also, as I mentioned before, it wasn't the high-end gear I was hoping to get my hands on. And the speakers that came with it (a pair of Criterions that had spent the last decade or two in sheds) were not particularly stellar. They worked, but the treble was kinda minimal and you needed to crank the treble up to maximum to really hear it at all.
So for the last little while, I've been in the market for good quality 70s hi fi gear. The nice thing about it is that it's deeply unfashionable. A lot of folk seem to have the idea that newer = better, which isn't exactly accurate with this sort of thing. And so one winds up seeing superb pieces of gear being chucked out at garage sales for a song. Which suits me just fine. A week or two ago I scored myself a replacement amplifier: a Kenwood KA-5700, for $20. It is gorgeous. I gave it a bit of a clean up, took its cover off and dusted its insides, and then experimentally connected it up to Artyem's rather excellent Mordaunt-Short speakers, whereupon it played mp3s from my Palm (the simplest source of easily-plugged in music that I could locate right then) with absolute crystal clarity. Lovely!
At the same garage sale that got me the Kenwood, I also scored a Pioneer SG-300 graphic equaliser for $10. Which would be great if I could work out how to connect it up - I've tried many different permutations and I honestly can't hear any difference when I fiddle with the controls, so I think I haven't quite gotten it worked out. Either that, or perhaps the Criterion speakers are too crummy to let me hear it working, but I don't really think that's likely. At the moment all it's doing is providing a light show (each of the sliders has a little red light on). I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.
So next on the shopping list are a good pair of speakers, and a decent tuner to replace the not-entirely-working Technics. I think the chances of me coming across a pair of Wharfedales for $30 at a garage sale aren't high, but one never knows one's luck. But then, speakers aren't my strong point. Do any of you have any opinons or recommendations regarding brands and models of speakers (ideally of 70s vintage) to keep an eye out for?
Do any of you have any favourite brands or models of classic audio equipment? Or memories associated with it? Tell me your stories. I'd love to hear them.