[Vintage-Audio] Vintage Gear, Curbside Value?

Sat Feb 19 00:14:23 EST 2005

Hello Jerry, 	

Thanks for sharing some perceptions and insights.	

My oldest grandson, Brandon, knows what speakers I am using without ever
entering the room. H ecan distinguish the James B. Lansing Century L-100 from
the B&W 630 on the same system. He has told me on numerous occasions that the
James B. Lansing speakers simply sound better.		

This main system is a mixture of equipment from the seventies, eighties,
nineties and last year. 

Now at the other end of the room is the vintage H.H. Scott LK-72B (36 watts
continuous RMS per channel) and the "B" (center channel) is fed into a solid
state modern Marantz integrated amplifier delivering 95 watts continuous RMS per
channel, and driving the pair of JVC cabinets that each contain two twelve inch,
a single five inch and three tweeters. I have the Marantz feeding one sspeaker
system as the 'A' and the other as the 'B', hence I can get them both in action
to serve as the center channel. The center channel off the H.H. Scott is
left+right, not stereo. They had the surround sound going over forty years ago! 

There is a H.H. Scott LT-110 FM stereo multiplex tuner, Dual 710 turntable,
Yamaha CD player and RevoxB77 reel to reel tape deck here also. The main
speakers are the Paradigm 9S three-way. Whew! In a word, AWSOME!	

Then the surround sound system that I put together is on the east and west
walls!  The Pioneer fifty inch TV with Yamaha LD player, MGA super VHS unit,
Sony UHF dual LNB satellite receiver and Pioneer LD/DVD player. Which feed a
Yamaha three channel Dolby surround amp. The Klipsch center cabinet with two six
inch midrange and a tweeter, the front left and right, which I have crossfiring
rather than in front, Paradigm Monitor 9 three-way with two active eight inch
and titanium tweeters on elevated stands and the two JBL small two-way with four
inch midrange and a tweeter for the rear channel special effects.	

Brandon asked me if I thought I could possible get some more speaker sin the
room, there are forty-five! However, this doe snot look like some junk shop, it
is all very neatly arranged using my hand built White Birch console or in
cabinets or placed against the walls and the entire center area of the living
room is wide open. Can you tell I am single?  	

If you want audio, I've got it! If you want video. I've got it! If you want
popcorn. Bring your own!	

Now when a teenager prefers the thirty-one year old speakers over the modern
ones, what does that tell us about our own listening habits?	

----------
From: Gerry Steffens <gsteffens at pitel.net>
To: 'Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back'
<vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: RE: [Vintage-Audio] Vintage Gear, Curbside Value?
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2005 10:24 PM

Duane, consider an alternative.

I recently had a hearing test.  My high frequency threshold in one ear is a
little below 7500 hz.  The other ear is about 9500 hz and is only about 75 %
of normal level.  Sadly, both were over 19000 hz at one point.  Of course
walking by TV sets or computer terminals drove me crazy with the horizontal
oscillator resonances.  At least now things are peaceful and quiet around
this equipment.

Couple that with the coming availability of 10 inch reels of quality tape,
continuing improvement in digital using computers I decided to change over
while there was still some value left in the equipment provided by those
that could not afford these items when they were new or near new.  While I
felt thoughts as you express, I went through a couple of double blind tests
reminiscent of the old stuff in Stereo Review.  My perception success was
really only about 50/50, even though I knew it must be more.  So, time to
divest of two Tandberg decks, a Revox deck and three systems.  I did keep an
almost new Tandberg TD-20A and one system to go with the 270 plus radios and
more.

That was about 18 months ago.  I did use the bay place and still gathered a
couple thousand dollars for it.  Now I observe things are at about one half
to two thirds that level.

You might consider your equipment like Model A fords.  Initially cheap after
they became old, then as the pre-boomers bought up their nostalgia cars you
had to pay up to and over $25,000 for a good restored one.  Then as those
folks aged and those that wanted model A cars had them, the price began a
fall that leaves things now where a good one can be had for between five and
ten thousand dollars.

My theory is that this is where quality vintage audio equipment is heading.
I have or had mine too.  But now I have disposed of all but minimal amount
of items, keeping a sample of the favorite to go with my radio collection.
This is why I also changed from general radio collection (in home radios) to
specializing in the high end E.H. Scotts and McMurdo Silvers.  I believe
these will remain collectable.  They were once cheap.  I paid seventeen
dollars for a near perfect specimen in 1968.  Similar radios now can cost up
to six thousand dollars or more.  In between times, the value has varied up
and down but the normal trend is up.  While I am not in collecting to make
money, it is nice if value is retained.  I suspect that old home radios will
follow the basic trends of boat-anchor communications equipment which
appears to have generally peaked about two years ago, following the Model A
example.  Of course there are the SX-88 radios and a few others that are
exceptions but three years ago, S-38E radios were going for approaching two
hundred dollars.  No more.

Good luck in your efforts.  However, I too suggest the bay place will get
the best value for you.

Gerry

Collecting & Restoring since 1959
Gerald Steffens P.E.
Oronoco, MN

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