Frequently asked questions about vintage vs modern hi-fi gear and why older gear is often more desirable, more reliable and sounds as good or better!
In most cases, yes they can, sometimes with even better than original parts. This includes output devices, usually in TO-3 or TO-3P packages, through to tiny little TO-92 devices, and everything in between. The art lies in understanding how to substitute transistors and which parts are appropriate to use in place of the original older …
If transistors die in my vintage amplifier can they be replaced? Read More »
Wearable parts come in the form of mechanical and electronic components. Capacitors are common wearable electronic parts, specifically wet aluminium electrolytic types. Wear rates vary enormously according to type, heat soak and hours of use. I see capacitors fail in gear after 5 years and yet older parts that are still perfect at 50 years …
This is a great question. There’s risk in buying any gear, old or new, but given the lifespan of much modern gear, I would argue that, if you choose secondhand gear wisely, it’s actually riskier in many cases buying new gear. As long as you mitigate your risk, buying older hi-fi gear should not be …
They most definitely are, but we need to qualify this by considering which types of second-hand cartridges are worth chasing down. A recap, there are two main types of cartridges: moving magnet and moving coil. The better cartridges tend to be moving coil designs and these were usually more expensive and better sounding. There are …
You bet, there are some awesome second-hand bargains to be had, though the golden days of $1, $2 and 5 records from the smoky second-hand record store in North Perth are long gone. Yes, you’ll still find $1 Engelbert Humperdinck records, but you’ll come across all sorts of other bargains second hand. Some will be …
We put men on the moon more than 50 years ago, in 1969. Three key elements there: Men The moon 1969..! Do you reckon we could do that now? I seriously have my doubts. I should add that Voyager space probes with their gold-plated records have left the solar system. One of these probes still …
How can vintage audio gear and formats sound so good? Read More »
