Built to Last: 28 years and still going strong!

- My Grundig reel tape bought in 1966 still works strong. I saved every mark from my apprentice stipend at DB, Stuttgart to buy this.

- I have a Philips Maestro radio of early 50’s vintage. Stereo and FM too. Working fine

- A pair of early 60’s QUADII. Being used everyday.

- My Philips TT of ‘70’s vintage. My primary source even now. Works like a charm.

I could go on…..

You are right. They don’t make them anymore like they used too.

Hey Neutral, it must be so good 2 c such an old "Made In Japan" stuff working great. I am a big fan of retro. Check this site out if u want 2 c some old "Made in Japan" Walkmans, Portables, etc: http://www.pocketcalculatorshow.com/
I did have an old Sony walkman somewhere in my home in India. Man I miss it.

Yeah, now-a-days everything is so "cheap" and fragile. You get better stuff in India than in US. The only stuff u can look forward to is the "Made in Germany"...but at a premium. If u guys find any retro sneaker page, please post the link.

screamgigi schrieb:

- My Grundig reel tape bought in 1966 still works strong. I saved every mark from my apprentice stipend at DB, Stuttgart to buy this. - I have a Philips Maestro radio of early 50’s vintage. Stereo and FM too. Working fine - A pair of early 60’s QUADII. Being used everyday. - My Philips TT of ‘70’s vintage. My primary source even now. Works like a charm. I could go on….. You are right. They don’t make them anymore like they used too.

screamgigi, you stuff could b worth thousands of $$. Retro is in vouge now and people are revamping their gear. They are more musical than the new stuff.

I have a 1980 Akai amp and a Sharp[Optonica]deck and kenwood speakers still working fine.The amp is [or the deck?] is actually Assembled in Nigeria by one ..'Three aces electronics'.my dad got it when he was working in Nigeria.The other one is Made in Japan
The deck actually survived my[and my friends] severe torture[it has got a Tape programme sensor and semi automatic-powered mechanism..the switches are almost like softtouch.The head is Teac]it still works fine.except one blown indicator bulb.the mechanism is so complex that..im sure no one would be able to put it bak together if they disassemble the mechanism.
4 years back i brought a Sony mini hifi[Made in Malaysia]
And now the tape head has begun to..rust.the digital volume control is not working.the cd tray is not closing fully.
I was considering to sell my old setup when i brought the sony.But now i changed my plans.Now i understand,how good was my old system.
This is a common problem with any new [entry level or Mid end]electronics[Doest matter whether Made in Japan or Malaysia]
They are all made very cheap.

yes sony products that have "made in japan" are built like tank both inside as well as outside
i have three sony portable players all made in japan products D-V7000, D-33(nearly dying), D-F525(all have dedicated line output)
fastforward i have the current sony portable player D-NE006 and i also listened to the D-NE520 model they r simply pathetic compared to the vintage player
i opened the D-NE006 model and i was shocked to see the built quality (this model is made in malaysia)
the vintage players r really a treat to look inside, sound wise they simply blow away the present generation pcdp players
if u guys r looking for a decent cdp i wud suggest to look for sony portable players which have a dedicated lineoutput(for amp connection) and featuring a 1 bit dac these players simply sound fantastic they r really warm and polite even slayer sounds like mltr :D..... but jokes apart if any one looking for a second hand cdp and with limited budget i wud suggest to look out for these little gems......they are simply awesome.......and with good headphones(i use philips)...trust me u will never want to listen to ur stereo set up again

http://www.classic-audio.com/pioneer/sx0550.html

http://www.classic-audio.com/pioneer/ctf7272.html


This was my very first interaction with hifi. It's my uncle's system bought in the mid 70s. It was running fine till sometime back. Unfortunately, the wrong people serviced it and he's stopped using it since. A beautiful solid state system!

YEP....They dont build them like they used to anymore !
Why talk about Japan....I still have my old sonodyne Spectrum 5000 3-way speakers bought over 20 yrs ago and they worked until 6 months ago. Havent checked lately. The wood is still good, rock solid !

Manek.

I think only a few manufacturers (especially Bryston) actually care whether your products works for long enough or not. Others are 'sickos' out to make a fast buck on ever changing fancy features that mostly do nothing for the sound (Kevlar etc.)

Were Sony tower speakers made in the 70s actually audiophile grade? The ones I heard outclassed a minicompo certainly (in spite of their age). Were they using SS in the 70s. I thought that valves conked out in a few years.

Sonodyne amps are one of the most well kept secrets

My idea of gaining a real HiFi for LoFi cost would be:

1. Search for a Sonodyne Amp of 70’s vintage. Get any. All the models are good.
2. Give a deep clean-over. Use Isopropyl Alcohol. Clean all contacts/switch/pots with Dexit.
3. You have a fine amp for little $$.

A serious minded chap can go a little further and gain real spectacular results. In addition to the above, you can:

4. Replace the source sockets with Gold plated Neutriks RCA’s
5. Replace the old Spring loaded Speaker output connection with high quality Gold Plated Binding Posts.
6. Bypass the tone control and the Input Selector. We don’t need all these anymore
7. Replace the Volume pot with an Alps.
8. Change the rectifier bridge with Skotchy diodes.
9. Do a cap job. Replace all electrolytic capacitors with modern low ESR variety. Change all small value Ceramic caps with nice, moderns MKP’s.
10. Check for any runaway Output Transistors. Check and replace with modern substitutes if available. If you can figure out the biasing, then try to run a bit a hotter. This a little tricky and you will really need to know what you are doing.

At this point you will have a really amazing amp for a fraction of what you may need to pay for a ‘modern’ hifi.

You may also try a COSMIC amps from the ‘70’s. But I have felt that they were not as well made as a Sonodyne.

screamgigi...I still do have my sonodyne amp SC4030 somewhere.....maybe I should get it out and try some stuff ????

Hi Manek, and other Honchos,
With all this love for old gold, can anyone tell me where and how I might get my 1993 model Sony ES 333x Cd player repaired. Its built like a tank and weighs a ton. The drawer doesnt open and shut properly, and for quite a while its reading capability has become eccentric. I used to blame the Cds but I think its the lens growing old. I dont mind spending some money and getting this repaired or even upgraded, and put the 'big' money on better speakers. It cost 450$ when new. I will have to buy a fairly expensive kit to better this piece.
Purnendu

My cousin has a 80’s Sansui (made in japan) full rack system. Everything works fine and still sounds stunning unless you go into the micro/macro details and tonal accuracy and all that. They are built like tanks and the amp weighs a ton. Last time I visited him, I made him change all the wires/cables and the improvement had to be heard to be believed………… Now he is planning to re-do the internal wring of the speakers………..
I guess the market equations have changed. The market is very micro-specific these days. On one end of the spectrum are people who want everything (tuner, amp, cd player, speakers) for 15k and the other end are people who buy equipment whose volume control only (part) will cost 15k….and brands need to satisfy all of them. There is money in the entire spectrum of the market. Naturally it will be exploited.