What vintage hi-fi co's would you like to see return?

2

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  • ViperZ
    ViperZ Posts: 2,046
    edited December 2009
    I wouldn't mind Dynaco and Carver (technically Sunfire makes Carver-designed stuff, but it's not the same).
    Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector for movies
    Carada 106" Precision Series (Classic Cinema White)
    Denon AVR-X3600H pre/pro
    Outlaw 770 7-channel amplifier
    B&W CDM1-SE fronts
    B&W CDM-CNT center
    B&W CDM1 rears on MoPADs
    JBL SP8CII in-ceiling height speakers
    Samsung DTB-H260F OTA HDTV tuner
    DUAL NHT SubTwo subwoofers
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player
    Belkin PF60 Power Center
    Harmony 1100 RF remote with RF extender
    Sony XBR-X950G 55" 4K HDR Smart TV + PS3 in the living room
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited December 2009
    Phase Linear amps that don't require the presence of a fire extinguisher

    Onkyo Integra

    B&O before they went all hollywood on us
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • turbopantera
    turbopantera Posts: 35
    edited December 2009
    A couple brands I liked. The old Marantz. The equipment by Stu Hegeman. Also the quality Sansui. The stuff that was NOT imported to the USA. Sansui made some pretty good tube amps and actually started business as a Transformer maker for other people.
    Dave
    In love with SDA since 1984

    2CH: SDA SRS (new caps) with NAD 541I, NAD 917 and modded Phase 400 (soon to be NAD 208)

    HT: SDA 1C (new caps, SL2500s, bass mod) with NAD T763 and Monitor 4 as surround

    Other vintage stuff, Sansui G9000, Pioneer 1980
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 26,000
    edited December 2009
    Heathkit and Hafler
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon MiND2 Shunyata Triton/Typhon Rotel RP9400 Turntable

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson

    How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it?
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,546
    edited December 2009
    No mentions of SAE? Where's Joe?

    My ex's system featured an SAE integrated and cassette deck---the one that slid out like a cd drawer.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Source: Rotel CD14MkII CD Player - Speakers: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • Cogito
    Cogito Posts: 122
    edited December 2009
    I'd love to see Boston Acoustics re-introduce the A400 but with updated drivers and crossovers.
    Hearing is believing.
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  • mewisemagic
    mewisemagic Posts: 194
    edited December 2009
    proton
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  • DeusExa
    DeusExa Posts: 491
    edited December 2009
    Carver?
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  • xsmi
    xsmi Posts: 1,804
    edited December 2009
    eloo wrote: »
    Auditioned the Dahlquist DQ-10 in 1978 at Jamieson Stereo in Toledo,Ohio.Love at first listen. Miss the family owned shops. Probably a bygone era. A heartfelt thanks to all the Jamiesons who started me on the journey to audiophile bliss.

    Jamieson's is still around "I am a regular", They have more of a HT bent these days but you can still get FANTASTIC 2CH from the likes of B&W and McIntosh.
    2-channel Yaqin B2-T Pre, Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2, Marantz SA8005, Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable, Denon DP-19L Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3B, Polk Audio Legend L800's, AudioQuest Cable throughout.
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited December 2009
    AR
    DQ
    KLH
    Dynaco
    Onkyo

    and I have a secret affinity for

    Kenwood, they once made some decent stuff. well a few things anyway.

    Electrocompianent came back, but expensive, likely to expensive.

    but you know Everything always Looks better in Black and White....well, as far as memories go.

    RT1
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,691
    edited December 2009
    None of them. There's plenty of great gear sources out there.
    We hardly need any more. I can go to Audiogon and find
    20 brands of anything that would get the job done.
    I don't need any more Hi Fi companies, I need more $$$$.
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited December 2009
    Acoustic Research
    Advent
    Boston Acoustics
    DCM
    Onkyo Integra (I know they still exist, but I want them to market hi-end Onkyo gear instead)
    Sony ES (amps/pre-amps/dedicated CD players/speakers)
    Pioneer Elite (see above - same as Sony ES)
    Kyocera
    Proton (we need power amps stable into 1 ohm with soft-glow power meters)
    Yamaha
    Celestion (I miss my Model 3 mini-monitors)
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,497
    edited December 2009
    Ohm speakers

    Allison speakers

    EPI speakers

    Polk Cobra cable
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul!
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    dkg999 wrote: »
    Phase Linear amps that don't require the presence of a fire extinguisher

    That made me laugh. Out loud. :)

    I like Luxman. I remember the Kyocera stuff but don't remember it sounding great. I miss high-end Nakamichi too. I probably lusted after the high-end Nak stuff even more than the McIntosh stuff back in the day. It just looked... cool. And heavy. Metal. Like heavy metal. :rolleyes:
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited December 2009
    reeltrouble1 wrote:
    and I have a secret affinity for

    Kenwood, they once made some decent stuff.

    I'm that way about the Silver Pioneer Gear from the 70s and early 80's. I know it wasn't the TOL of it's time...but I liked it then...and now.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited December 2009
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Tubes that actually sound like they did in the 40's-60's.

    I see a lot of tube enthusiasts complaining about the sound of modern tubes and willing to pay huge premiums for NOS tubes. What did tube manufacturers change that caused the sound quality to diminish?

    I speculate that a lot of tube manufacturers simply went out of business and manufacturing knowledge was lost or a tube manufacturer was bought out by another company that "optimized" and "economized" the manufacturing process but compromised the sound quality of the tubes.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited December 2009
    If I'm not mistaken a lot of tube manufacturing took place in the former Soviet Union and the factories went under.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,119
    edited December 2009
    Heathkits.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited December 2009
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    If I'm not mistaken a lot of tube manufacturing took place in the former Soviet Union and the factories went under.

    Ok. In that case, it can't be that difficult to simply copy, and even improve on, the old tube designs. Are tubes just too expensive to manufacture to the old sound quality standards?
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,497
    edited December 2009
    DarqueKnight wrote: »
    Are tubes just too expensive to manufacture to the old sound quality standards?

    Yes the materials they used back then as well as the machinery and know how has been lost, plus tubes today are designed for a different purpose; mostly for guitar amps.

    Case in point;

    Recently received a tube integrated for my office rig. It uses 6SL7GT's for the driver tubes and 6V6GT's for the power tubes. It came with a quad of new production JJ/Tesla 6V6S's and Tung Sol 6SL7GT's. I rolled in some 50's RCA "red bank" 5691 (military versions of the 6SL7GT) and 50's RCA smoked glass 6V6GT's and there is absolutely no comparison.

    But the current production tubes are designed to be used in guitar amps and I could see where they would work better for that application.

    I will be selling the JJ/Tesla and Tung Sol's............both are made in Russia.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul!
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited December 2009
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Heathkits.

    Damn you beat me to it!
    A/D/S
    Real Nac gear pre 90's.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited December 2009
    Altec Lansing
    Audio Alchemy
    Fisher
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,691
    edited December 2009
    DarqueKnight wrote: »
    I see a lot of tube enthusiasts complaining about the sound of modern tubes and willing to pay huge premiums for NOS tubes. What did tube manufacturers change that caused the sound quality to diminish?

    I speculate that a lot of tube manufacturers simply went out of business and manufacturing knowledge was lost or a tube manufacturer was bought out by another company that "optimized" and "economized" the manufacturing process but compromised the sound quality of the tubes.

    Very true. It took years of research and tweaking to get them to where
    they were in the 60's at the end of their run. Soviet tubes were a whole
    different animal. There simply isn't enough money being made off modern
    tube manufacturing to support the research to re-create the old sound.
    And the Russian mob really put the hurt on the old Soviet tube makers.
    The ARC I own was build to use modern 6550s. No looking for $$$ NOS
    for that amp!
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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  • Mike Kozak
    Mike Kozak Posts: 931
    edited December 2009
    Ditto for Nikko.
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,674
    edited December 2009
    Norman Labs
    Nak
    Nikko
    Infinity
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  • joeparaski
    joeparaski Posts: 1,865
    edited December 2009
    steveinaz wrote: »
    No mentions of SAE? Where's Joe?

    My ex's system featured an SAE integrated and cassette deck---the one that slid out like a cd drawer.



    Here i am...I totally missed this post. Yes....bring SAE back!


    Joe
    Amplifiers: 1-SAE Mark IV, 4-SAE 2400, 1-SAE 2500, 2-SAE 2600, 1-Buttkicker BKA 1000N w/2-tactile transducers. Sources: Sony BDP CX7000es, Sony CX300/CX400/CX450/CX455, SAE 8000 tuner, Akai 4000D R2R, Technics 1100A TT, Epson 8500UB with Carada 100". Speakers:Polk SDA SRS, 3.1TL, FXi5, FXi3, 2-SVS 20-29, Yamaha, SVS center sub. Power:2-Monster HTS3500, Furman M-8D & RR16 Plus. 2-SAE 4000 X-overs, SAE 5000a noise reduction, MSB Link DAC III, MSB Powerbase, Behringer 2496, Monarchy DIP 24/96.
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,638
    edited December 2009
    Marantz HD series speakers.
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
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  • Bubinga99
    Bubinga99 Posts: 283
    edited December 2009
    Don't know if this has been posted yet, but this is a pretty interesting web page of defunct audio companies
    http://audiotools.com/dead.html
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  • Malaka
    Malaka Posts: 39
    edited December 2009
    Pioneer from the 70's. Their 'SX series' stereo receivers were 'the cats meow'! Quality build, aesthetically gorgeous, and they performed very well. I still prefer those analog tuners with the tuning meters.

    Heathkit and Dynaco as well. Heathkit made some excellent Ham Radio equipment as well.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited December 2009
    Malaka wrote: »
    Pioneer from the 70's. Their 'SX series' stereo receivers were 'the cats meow'! Quality build, aesthetically gorgeous, and they performed very well. I still prefer those analog tuners with the tuning meters.

    I favored the SX series too.
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