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Does anyone else like vintage HiFi gear?

In accordance to my tastes and budgetary concerns I do not have any "hi-fi", but I do have a lot of ancient audio playback machinery...

Mid 1970s Rigonda Party Time. Made in the USSR, so you know it's good. Direct drive and functions fine with it's original set of 45+ year old stereo speakers. My only fully functional record player, feel much more like an early 60s design. Total cost = £0

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Circa 1977 Sharp SG-315E Music Centre. Belt drive (slips like a bastard), cassette player doesn't drive (probably also a dead belt), no speakers, sounds like ass, stylus is probably shagged. Radio works. Total cost = £0.

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Early 1980s Amstrad SM 104. Cassette decks both work, radio works, turntable spins and tone arm moves but the cartridge is missing. No speakers, complete trash as far as quality is concerned but looks 80s as fuck. Total cost = £0.

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Phillips reel to reel, can't recall the exact model, early 1970s. Motor runs, speaker works, main drive belt has dissolved. Total cost = £0

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Mid 1960s, Ferguson 3210. Plays but needs the odd whack on the side to gain volume/sound quality. Contains valves, doesn't rewind but does fast forward. Total cost = £0

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Elizibethan LZ 616, 8-track player/radio from around 1973. A rebranded Hitatchi from what I can tell. Functions as well as any budget 8-track player can, has FM which is unusual for a radio of this age. Total cost = £0

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Waltham W188 clock radio/cassette player, mid 1970s. Another Japanese rebrand I believe. Works alright, I use it as my bedside alarm clock. Total cost = £0

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1946 Pye 45A. Pye's first post WW2 radio set. Worked when bought many, many years ago but blew it's main fuse. Probably need some old wax capacitors replacing... Has a lovely warm glow when working. Total cost = £25.

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I've been promised a working 1920s wind-up "Fullotone" gramophone the next time I head up North, so that should be fun...

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I'm not looking for top quality stuff, can't afford it. Those components are considered good quality for their time as far as I can tell and I'm taken with Sony's design. Also they fit in the small space I have. Not bid on anything yet anyway, just watching the auctions at the moment.
 
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eBay just sent me an email reminding me that Sony amp was still available.

Matt, I think you have to buy it now.
 
Crazyjeeper said:
eBay just sent me an email reminding me that Sony amp was still available.

Matt, I think you have to buy it now.
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I'm sorry for infecting your inbox. :p

The cassette deck and turntable went for higher prices than I was expecting, as I haven't got those I'll stick with the current amp I have and keep looking. Without quartz lock the turntable wasn't worth the final price.
 
Hey is the Waltham W188 still for sale?

My dads has had one for about 40years but as of Wednesday 11th 2020 his work completely burnt down as you can see by the photo.... its somewhere in that pile of burnt rubble.

my brother and I are looking to replace it, hard as hell to find, this is our last hope.

Regards
James H
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thomas said:
Well, the good captain seems to be using it, this isn't a sales post.., but who knows.. let's tag him so maybe he notices it quicker. @captain_70s :)

Bummer about that crispy pile of rubble..
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Where's pictures of that record player radio combo thing?!
 
Ah crap. I'm really hoping he would consider selling it, I'll love to replace it and make my dad smile

Yeah it looks worse in the daylight, that's my dad standing at the door looking lost. He was the last one to leave that warehouse the day before.

Thanks
 

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Hi it was this one
 

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Put it this way, Captian is a big hearted person and I cannot thank him enough for agreeing to part with the radio!

After what happened go my dads work, he has agreed to sell it to me!

I cannot explain how thankful I am to him!

I actually have lost to many hours on Assassins Creed Valhalla trying to find the 1 radio that's rare to find! ?
 
Well, there's a reason I referred to him as "the good captain" .. :D I have yet to meet him in person, but he commonly seems to be an alright kind of guy ;). Reminds me, cap, when are you making your way to a ringmeet!?
 
thomas said:
Well, there's a reason I referred to him as "the good captain" .. :D I have yet to meet him in person, but he commonly seems to be an alright kind of guy ;). Reminds me, cap, when are you making your way to a ringmeet!?
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One day, once the world is less utterly fucked! As of next year I'll have a choice of freshly restored cars to being along too...

As a final note the Waltham arrived at it's destination intact and working and I bought this early 80s Alba to fill the gap on the bedside cabinet. Circle complete!

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Well, I did a thing and imported a vintage Braun Atelier system. I've mentioned this before but for various reasons it didn't come together until last weekend. I knew as soon as I saw this design that I wanted it and some research showed that the Atelier series was high end and should be reliable so got this early 80s set.

The system consists of the A1 amplifier, T2 tuner (the T1 I had first was faulty so went back), C1 cassette, CD3 CD player and P1 turntable. The C1 is a two head deck and the P1 is direct drive with quartz lock. It was all checked out and refurbished with belts, relays, fuses and capacitors replaced where necessary so it should keep going for a long while yet. I'm very pleased with the quality of the cassette and turntable, much better than anything I have used before.

I made a demo video that seemed a lot better in my head but shows it off decently. I think green 7-segment LED displays are my new favourite thing! Couldn't stop the CRT getting in on the act too with some retro visuals.


I plan to get some more green power buttons to replace the black ones on the 'newer' components, a few sellers on eBay have them for sale. I might continue my Atelier collection too, the shop I bought from is only an hour from the 'Ring so it would be rude to not make a detour next time I'm over for Ringmeet...
 
I think this thread needs to know about the Fisher DAC-145.
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Dad splurged on some Nakamichi stuff in the late 1990s, good stuff as I remember. I even put one of their headunits in the truck I had at the time. Seems they don't really sell any of that in the US market these days. Just the typical soundbar stuff.
 
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