thinktubes 

Nice Thorens! I've heard really good things about Grace cartridges. Worth going the Soundsmith route.

Is that an early version II SME (Shure branded) 3009?

I have one of those on my Fairchild 412.

spacemanz

Hey, I never saw this thread. Here's my old turntable (that's an Audio-Technica AT14S cartridge & needle, the S signifying Shibata, for quadrophonic playback) & a couple old records. We won't mention vacuum tubes anymore, OK? That's an addiction best left alone, too spendy. And FYI, that's ringwear on that white album, not dirt, LOL.

Grand Bois

I will have a Thorens some day.

obrentharris 

Good eye! That's exactly it.
Brent

obrentharris 

Funny how that's happened.

I bought my first stereo in 1970 when I was 18. I bought a used Dynaco PAS-2 pre-amp and a used Dynaco 70 Power amp because the sound quality was good and they were cheap, $50 for the pair! Both had tubes during a time when transistors had taken over the audio world. Only those massive chrome and black MacIntosh tube amps held any value.

By 1981, when I bought this tube pre-amp used for $250, tubes were on their way back.



This is the first generation Conrad-Johnson pre-amp. The block of lead that you see on top of it was my way of damping the chassis. Otherwise a noticeable vibration-induced hum could occur at higher volumes. I recently sent it back to Conrad-Johnson for refurbishment at a cost about 1 1/2 times what I originally paid for it. I'm afraid it is probably the last piece of tube gear I will be able to afford.

Brent

thinktubes 

^^^^^^^

Heh - got one of those too. Totally rebuilt the power supply top to bottom. Got a PV-2A in a second system.

spacemanz

Wow, I've heard of those, but never seen a pic before, let alone an actual one. Very nice looking, & very nice to use, from what I hear. I have an old Harman/Kardon Citation I tubed preamp, that I've serviced heavily with McShane mods, only to find that my volume & balance pots were both toast. I have it on my "back burner", along with several other gems, waiting to be shined up. For actual constant use, I have a Marantz Model 1060, fully re-capped a couple years ago by a bright young man I know from online forums. That's pretty important though, refurbing old gear properly, to be sure it's SAFE, at least, & hopefully sounds good too.

obrentharris 

My turn to play "What's That Tonearm?"
Is that the Grado turntable with the Grado wooden tonearm? I think that's even older than my SME! Nice.
Brent

thinktubes 

Yep and yep. Playing some "Yazz Flute"

obrentharris 

Very nice! I think Patato Valdes might have been on that one: But given your avatar I was kind of expecting:



Brent

toytech

Some way cool stuff here! I have only owned tube bass heads and preamps myself, but do love me some tube sound. I always thought it would be fun to take a stereo vocal tube pre and run it through a big ss Crest pa amp...

ragnar.jensen 

Kenwood L-07D. I bought it new in 1980. Still sounds great.


I was once offered $700 - for the headshell

spacemanz

I believe it. That must be part of the series, that contains one of Tuner Info Center's "favorite" tuners, a Kenwood with a similar model number. My PL-570 was Pioneer's TOTL around 1976, & cost $400. This line used VERY good parts, but crappy vinyl instead of real wood veneer, like previous models. The beginning of the end. Most are scratched up & otherwise damaged, so mine is in VG condition, for being cheap vinyl.

lotek 

My Acurus DIA100 starting making a most disconcerting buzzing/humming sound out of the left channel (not speaker, switch leads and it moves)
so I suppose I'm either going to repair, or maybe replace it. Looking to go more towards tubes but need about 45wpc to drive my Sonus Faber speakers.
Currently using an old Yamaha CR620.
Anyone got any recommendations?

Marty

leicanthrope

Pshaw! Transistors will never catch on. I still get my propaganda the old-fashioned way.

rekmeyata

Those amps can be fixed, but if you're looking to go tubes there are a couple of really nice Chinese integrated amps that will push an easy 45 watts. Couple of good ones are the Meixing Ming Da MC34-AB (make sure it's the A/B model, this one is rated at 65 watts and sells for about $1,600 on Ebay. The other one is the Yagin Gold MC100b KT88 also good for 65 watts, this one sells on Ebay for around $730. Obvious difference between the two is quality, both of these have been very favorably reviewed as was the places where they were purchased, both of these companies have been around a long time so their not one of those go into business for a year shut down and reopen in a different name type of crap that occurs in China.

Of course if you want the best then get the MacIntosh MC275 Tube Amp, this is only an amp, you will need a preamp, and you will need lots of money if you get it new, I got mine used.

redcaymatt

Here's my grease bearing 301. The arm is made by Thomas Schick in Germany. The plinth is 100 lbs of Pennsylvania slate made by my pal Jonathan who owns Oswalds Mill Audio. I have many vintage turntables but this is the only real keeper. Vintage bikes & vintage gear, I'm glad I'm not alone!

spacemanz

Since you had a good pic, & talked about McIntosh, I'll show mine, an early MX-110 tubed preamp/tuner. And some old Sansui, who you might know, made their name originally by making excellent transformers, for tubed gear. That SM-80 receiver on the bottom? I'm pretty sure I saw that in a late 60s or early-70s version of Godzilla, or one of the other Godzilla-type movies. Maybe Mothra? In the center is a Sansui 1000 (not the more common 1000A), which is the "slimmed down & streamlined" version of the SM-80. No more potted transformers. BTW, in 1970, I was 8, & listening to my grandparents' tubed Fisher console, every Sunday, LOL. Any of those fancy "components" cost more than the average family could easily afford.

rekmeyata

Dang, that's a very sweet turntable, I wish I could hear that playing some vinyl.

I went to your friends website, he has some truly cool looking, interesting, and excellent speaker designs. I like the old wood horn look, really antique looking mixed with some modern frame work. Again, I wish I could hear those speakers too. Too bad he's way over my pay grade!

lotek 

I just read a write up on the Plinths and Schick arm in Listening column in Stereophile. Love Art Dudley's columns and miss Listener magazine.
I have a bottlehead Foreplay preamp I built a while ago so I just need amp. Thinking tube is way to go and keep scouring pawn shops etc. for that $50 MC275 once in
a lifetime finds....yah like that's gonna happen.

Marty

rekmeyata

I would have thought I had died and gone to heaven if I found mine for $50!! I paid a bit more but nowhere near the new price otherwise I would have never bought it.

redcaymatt

Hey Marty, The bottle head stuff is nice. why not get the mono block kit. I have a pair of 45 amps by John Tucker who was a big part of the bottle head thing early on. If you can build the pre you can definitely build the amps. Macs are ok but you can do better for the money you''l spend for one.

redcaymatt

Where do you live? I have the AC 1 prototypes & the pl-519 amp. Your welcome to hear them if you like. & no, I'm not a rich guy, just good friends with a guy who started a hi end audio company

lotek 

I like the bottlehead stuff, the issue I have are my speakers, Sonus Faber not the most efficient set of speakers in the world
but I absolutely love the sound, they make music.
so not sure what I'm gonna buy/build restore etc. another fun journey

Marty

The Golden Boy 

That is a tremendously cool piece. That fourth pic is really cool- I can imagine some German family, managed to keep their house and possessions safe during the war- and then in an effort to not be branded Nazis, scratching off anything with a swastika. Imagine the speeches that came through that speaker.