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Vintage HiFi Classics for Eyes and Ears

Picture of Carlo F. L.
Carlo F. L.
Founder & CEO of mySoundbook.eu
The music market has been revolutionized in recent years - mp3 instead of turntables. But old technology also has its charm. It doesn't always have to be the top streamer, it's modern, but many still enjoy listening to music from vinyl.
The best brands of the 1970s and 80s were Marantz, Denon, Luxman, Sansui, Akai, Braun, Revox, Audio Research, Accuphase, Technics, Kenwood, Burmester, Krell, Mark Levinson, McIntosh, Treshold, Jeff Rowlnad, Quad, and Mission. They do require a lot of power but are still practical for everyday use. Back in the day, a good stereo system was a status symbol, but that's over. It was important how many watts the amplifier had, whether you had two-way or three-way speakers, or if the cassette deck was Dolby B or Dolby C?Nowadays, people mostly listen to music nicely from an iPod docking station.
Basically, there's no real differentiation anymore between preamps and power amps, stereo and mono. Stereo systems are kind of a nostalgic niche technology, but they can be quite aesthetic.

Accuphase Tuner Vintage

(Image above legendary Accuphase T-106 reference tuner)

The forgotten sound

Since most music lovers now only listen to songs as mp3 files, stereo systems exist in droves on the second-hand market. There's already an oversupply. Some stereo systems are junk, others are classy and also affordable. The Arcam from Britain impresses with timeless elegance and British understatement.

ARCM DELTA 90.2 Integrierter Verstärker
(Image above Arcam Delta 90.2 integrated amplifier)
As new products, Burmester, Accuphase, Luxman & Co. are practically unaffordable, while used ones can sometimes be a steal. But we're talking about at least 20 years old. If you're really into music and audio gear, you might change your stereo systems more often. Suddenly you need a new part, maybe a cable. An audio cable can cost anywhere from one euro to 8000 euros.
The old Denon brand suddenly isn't good enough anymore. You want a new CD player, for example from Accuphase, Luxman, Marantz, McIntosh, Yamaha, Burmester, Sony, Teac, or the new speakers from legendary brands like Bowers & Wilkins, Mission, Quad & Co., so you have to invest a few thousand euros. By the way, you can also play CDs on a few DVD players – but rarely in high-end quality. New, this costs around 1,000 to 3,000 euros, while used ones on special websites are an eighth of that.
Some say older players are more prone to issues and are nothing compared to high resolution with HDMI connections and THX or Dolby Surround home theater systems. Others say it's better to have a used player or vintage HiFi classic with sophisticated technology than new cheap stuff from the electronics market. Of course, new products are cool, especially because older devices sometimes don't have such nice designs.
But who wants made in China? Nowadays, there are also very good HiFi and high-end products from China, like Vincent Audio, Opera Audio, Cayin Audio, Dared, Meixing Audio, and others...
Still, the most reliable HiFi and high-end products come from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, the USA, Japan, Denmark, England, and now also from various Eastern European countries like Poland.

But I always recommend visiting a specialist dealer before buying online.

There are still many HiFi classics on the internet from Sansui, Accuphase, Luxman, Yamaha, Burmester, Sony, Nakamichi, Kenwood, Marantz, Denon, and Akai available for a small price. With older vintage HiFi classics, tactile knobs and noticeable weight (15 kg) are convincing, and it should not just be about ratio, but about quality. If you prefer to grab the classics from Luxman, Nakamichi, Kenwood, Yamaha, Sony, and Quad instead of internet radio, you will find them on eBay at bargain prices. However, there are many HiFi specialists who are happy to take your device in.accept payment.

On websites like audioscope.de or springair.de, there are ads for good used sound artists. Also in the Frankfurt area at Raum Ton Kunst (now HiFi Profis) at Große Friedberger Straße No. 23-27, (60313 Frankfurt am Main), you can find many treasures, but here even used devices cost well over 1000 euros. The vintage HiFi store 'Die Röhre' (Walter-Kolb-Straße 5-7) is highly recommended.

The Tube https://www.die-roehre-frankfurt.de/
Room Sound Art or HiFi Professionals http://www.raum-ton-kunst.de/

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