Here i talk about sound improvements you can do plus misteps you could make regarding vintage hi -fi stereo equipment old and new . from my 40 years experience stere
You change the cable and it always sounds better, especially if it cost more. And don't forget the five stars from what hifi, that helps with the sound !!!.
Chilly Willy , I agree with you completely . I wish I could use this post to inform our Republitard voters ! (here in the States).Blowing smoke up our arses to get a vote . Votes mean MONEY ! I want vintage values . LOL
Agree. Bought an active linn system in the 80s. I had to go to get an amp re capped and whilst in the showroom I listened to a modern system. I couldn’t tell a difference. I’m 67 now so my ears are more vintage than my hi fi.
@8:20 the listening room has as much of an impact as the speakers. the room is a resonance box, it's what creates constructive and destructive wave interference. two wires of same resistance are ALWAYS going to SOUND the same. for a wire to influence frequency we need to go way above the 16kHz most of us can hear... when dealing w/ MHz and GHz wires do play a role..
I was using a modern $700 tube amp. It's super popular. Then I get a Sansui 221 vintage amp for $100 and it just crushes it! My whole world has been turned upside down!
Kelvin these hi fi chats are so thoroughly interesting. I still have a pile of Hi Fi Answers and other mags in my roofspace that used to be my only hi fi digest back in the 70s and early 80s (before the female of the species stole my attention!!!) that I would read and re-read, enthralled by it all. This sort of chat is the modern equivalent - interesting, entertaining and informative. What lucky people we are to have lived through hi-fi's real era of change and progress.
Very true new stuff not necessarily better than old stuff. 70's and 80's stuff was so well made with top components and cost a small fortune. Buying that stuff today in great condition is a cute thing to do. I have a pair of Celestion 3 Mk2's that cost £45 on my second system that sound better than most new speakers under £500 today. I bought an immaculate pair of Mordaunt Short Avant 908 2.5 way floor standing speakers for £100 for my main system that compare to many up to £2,000! Very good advice!!!!! Why pay for advertising - the sound is what's important!
I first got into hifi from reading magazines in the early to mid 90s. As you found, it's the clever use of words that draws you in and makes you spend money. I soon learned my lesson when the kit I bought or listened to in the shops didn't match what the magazines were saying... That's probably why I'm suspicious of anything I read, especially when it comes to politics.
@@stereoreviewx my first receiver was a JVC JR-S81. A modest receiver for sure sure, but I really liked how it sounded on the showroom floor. I still have it and enjoy it. Bought it in 1977.
Great video, like many here i'm waking up to vintage gear and its value in terms of great sound my "modern gear" is mainly 15 years old my older Amp, tuner & speakers are 46 through 43 years old ... and all sound great to my ears .. keep going with your "ramblings" i think they are great ...it's like chatting in the pub or at a bake off ..particularly when we can't currently
I was seeking a magical improvement for my existing hi-fi system. What I found surprised me. I had split the budget three ways between source (turntable), amplifier and speakers. Magazines had begun to change their advise to source being more important and that seemed illogical to me. I was invited by a dealer to bring my current equipment with me to do A/B comparisons with what they considered upgrades and a few alternatives. It took barely a bar for me to appreciate the difference the source made and the differences in swapping equipment around were sometimes night and day and other time meh! My amplifier was a poor match for my speakers. The magazine and dealer choice favourite was no better. But both sounded hugely different with more efficient speakers. Using a pre and separate mono power amplifiers with 100 watts really got my speakers going. Years later I got those speakers back and used a modern 5 channel 100 Watt amplifier for my first surround sound system. Hearing the differences with your own music and being able to swap equipment to compare allowed me to narrow my selection and eliminate alternatives - regardless of price. I did end up spending a major part of my annual salary on a new system but then kept it for 40 years with one incremental change to the turntable a decade later (now 30 years ago). Ten years ago I experimented with 5+1 systems ending up with adding active rear, centre and sub-woofer to my vintage active speakers picking now very cheaper models from the 1990s. Repairing and getting parts for equipment over 10 years old is an on going problem. Back in the 70s and 80s there were equipment that most people would agree where good value for money and few at different price points. Although you might get something different it was for features that were considered worth paying extra for. The choice has mushroomed since and each manufacturer has played to increment model change and our choice includes all of those second hand and can be imported from anywhere in the world. Source for me is now a computer and Hi-fi is not about stereo music but media:- radio, podcasts, video, television multi-channel and multi-room from digital storage. A digital source files and active speakers have a different set of issues to get working as I would like. Your equipment only has to satisfy you and only you can decide how much a difference is worth while particularly as costs rise rapidly for smaller and smaller changes and improvements that you hear.
HELLO FRIEND , KIRK HERE . ENJOY YOUR SHOW ! ONE REASON I LIKE THE " SOUND " OF VINTAGE AUDIO , IS THE AMPS AND OR RECEIVER HAS ALMOST NO ENTERNAL ENTERFEARENCE FROM impedance From multiple circuits . It is very simple chanel to output , which keeps the sound so clean !
Really enjoying this channel and straight talk. Thanks for sharing this content. It's very helpful. The world needs more content at this level. Thank you.
As a more than casual, but not entirely knowledgeable hobbyist, I found some very useful nuggets of basic info in this video. Nicely done and highly watchable.
Excellent tips... even us olde-timers will benefit. Minor point... but can you please put a towel under the Ditton 11 when sliding around a hard surface... or 4 stick-on pads ? I am looking for Ditton 11's to lay down on kitchen shelf.. any scratches on ends will be visable. Tnx again for posting video.
@@dynacoman7363 perhaps use something like a lazy Susan to sit the speaker on and make it easy to rotate and display different features. Tip: ask wife first saves sleeping on couch for a week
Everything old is new again. I still use mu Sansui 881 receiver every day and am loving it. Who knew it would last 57 years after I bought it? They built them well back then.
Cables are a myth. I have never heard any difference with cables. I would say speakers make the biggest difference and everything else is minimal after a certain price range. The difference between a good £500 amp to a good £3000 amp is so minimal that most people cannot tell what the difference is
Just discovered your channel, Brilliant at last an honest down to earth take on hifi without all the "la di da you get from the snobby audiophiles ( more money than sense )most of them !!! Recognised the Sanusi 661 receiver in your video & brought back memories as I used to own one & had it for years great piece of kit !!! Many thanks 😊
Soldered connections sound better because a good soldered connection actually decreases the resistance encountered by the audio signal. It's not a huge deal, but I am now intrigued by the idea of the soldered phono connection. Still, you can obviously achieve a great sound with RCA connections there. Great tips here!
Just got my hands on a beautiful Rogers Ravensbourne paired with some Dynaco A-25's for next to nothing. Cant wait to listen to it, and see how it compares to my "modern" set up. Good channel!
If you want more (boomy and muddy) bass, put your speakers in the corner. Using boundary gain to achieve more bass is not a method for sound quality. If you want to party, sure, but otherwise forgetaboutit. The best way to get stronger and tighter bass is to make sure your speakers are solid and don't wobble sitting on top of carpet. It's physics. For every action there is an equal reaction. If you are standing on a skateboard and attempt to throw something, an equal force will push you backwards and greatly reduce to force on the object you are pushing forwards. Speakers push bass drivers forwards and an equal force will rock your (wobbly) speakers backwards, dissipating the lost energy into the carpet as heat, rather than SPL. Wobbly speakers can also cause distortion when a double (or multiple) bass slam fights against the opposite movement of the speaker box. The movement might be small, but so to is the movement of the woofer at normal listening levels. It makes a huge difference especially in a basement with concrete floors. By spiking the speakers through the carpet to the concrete will also mass load the speakers, which also helps to isolate resonance from the box. I had to edit this comment when he brought out a speaker stand that had wheels (the skateboard affect I was taking about) on it.
I sold audio gear in the 80's and the old "how many watts" thing got soooo old. Especially guys - it's like they drew a comparison between amp wattage and engine power. If memory serves me right, a doubling of watts adds just 3db of gain, and who's ever run an amp on full and felt they really needed 3 db more. I'm sure most of us never surpass 5-10 watts of power in most situations, and as you say, so many other factors add up to the quality of the sound. In my music room I've measured the volume and it's been between 85 and 95 db which is a nice level for a long listening session. If you look at speaker sensitivity, many produce 90+ db (though it's probably a sine wave) with 1 watt. I think there is a line of high end british amps that have an output of just 2-3 watts, but I forget the name. Anyway... good point... don't be seduced by metrics and wattage. They are not the secrets to sonic excellence.
I personally believe more watts are better having owned both high power and low powered amps from various manufacturers. More authority, more control, better bass, greater dynamics. That is not to say there isn't phenomenal amps with lower wattage, but more watts are generally better for sound quality.
Watts my ass. As if anything in life would be as simple as x > y therefore x is better, and conveniently ranked with nice round 2-3 digit wattage numbers.
Ok, process is slow, but if reviewed from the 70's it's jaw dropping for the technology in producing components and putting them together and for the materials. Then it would be head spinning for source, digital and in music production. The increments for what gets to your ears are smaller. In 1979 I only had access to rubbish hi fi, now i can access some top quality hi fi....from the seventies, golden age !
My whole system costs about $7000. Not much by audiophile standards but a LOT by normal people standards! So I go to my local record stores and they all have vintage gear usually spinning records on a technics turntable and one day I realize, this set up that probably cost a tenth of mine sounds just as good if not better!
I am 59 years old and in the late 70's you could buy a brand new Marantz receiver with 65 wpc for $580.00 retail, today there are cables that cost that much! TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE IN MY BOOK. I do own brand new gear but it is basically a tier or two above budget. Between that gear and my vintage gear I have plenty to mix and match and definitely enjoy the different sound I can achieve!
I totally get where you're coming from. From decades of upgrading t/tables, i kept only my very most favourites, all DD bar 1 belt drive. I just thought them far too good & far too well engineered to sell for what £'s eBay would fetch me at the time, & compared to new t/tables... (i.e. slabs of glossy painted chipboard with medite or glass platers & a £25 new Impex or Phillip's AC sycronous motor & cheapest of rega sourced arms £139 new [
I fully support your ideology i buying vintage , I have done it most of my life. My last purchase on evil bay was a speaker system that was part of TEAC radio/cd system. The bass sub was nothing special, so I rejected that but the satellite speakers were smallish flat panel , balanced mode radiators badged NXT. I set up the system with an active bass speaker I made myself using a 130mm Visaton bass unit. The results sound incredible because the BMR s have a ruler flat response from 200 to 18000 Hz and roll off naturally at the low end. So that is hyper real sound for less than 500. The input is coming from a portable dab/FM radio.
"The ultimate plug is no plug" What a brilliant zen-like and all-encompassing philosophy. This actually applies to all circuitry and components; any component in the signal path can only degrade it. Have a great Christmas my friend ;0)
Hi you have good advice about Hi Fi Gear , I am the Speaker Doctor , I love old speakers and modern as well for English speakers i use to run Wharfedale ,Tannoy Gold,Celestion, all my Marshall amps use Celestion, plus I like Vintage Electrovoice , I also build my own enclosures.
I'm also very skeptic of all the wattage needed. People buying 150 to 250 watts amps nowadays or even more. Is their living room the size of a concerthall? I've heard an honest youtuber expert say must people use only 4 to 5 watts in normal listening mode and you'll need maybe 20 watt more to cover the peaks.
I bought b and w 601 s2 what hifi gave them 5 stars when the new b and w came out mine went down to 4 stars and the new ones got 5 lesson learned by me
Regarding the comment at the 26:00 mark... I remember learning that a doubling of watts results only in a 3db gain. Most consumers don't know this and never (can't) wind their volume controls to 10 to compare. I see the same thinking for people buying guitar amps; they assume 2x the wattage is 2X the power and worth 2x the price. And sometimes different volume controls can manipulate the appearance of more power - putting most of the gain in the first third of the knob rotation.
Kelvin, these videos are real gems, I've learned so much from you. I'm trying to scrape the money together for a pair of used Harbeth P3ESR's, they are a revelation to me.
The main problem is that there is no tachincal way on how to rate speaker sound that is widly accepted. Even what said in the video adds to that. "dead sound" - what the fuck does that mean? Too weak lows? Too much distortion? There just needs to be some simple score to rate speakers and to be able to compare them.
@@barlow2976 How am I supposed to listen to all the available speakers? You might be able to test a few, but to listen to a bigger sample is really hard, sometimes impossible.
Excellent tips! Ive auditioned £800 speakers.... thinking these have gotta sound good, but as soon as I broke them in, I couldn't wait to put my budget speakers back on!
Liked his point about the importance of the speakers!!! I just replaced a speaker in a bass amp I'd grown tired of. Suddenly its working like a hot damn! Its always the speaker(s)! Everything that happens until the coil unloads onto the paper, is signal at whatever strength. The paper, which formula is patented, by the way, is where the magic unfolds! JBLs use of cones made them an international favourite all those years ago. The thick white coated 12" has yet to be equalled for low/mid bass response. With the right port, a sub is really unnecessary and the tone is exquisite!
@@stereoreviewx So agree! Tried Monitor audio gold at home recently and couldn't wait to return. Most music sounded like I had a steel roulette wheel spinning with a steel marble. Yuck!🤯
You know your stuff! I have enjoyed the videos of yours that I have seen and you explain things very well. I went modern average joe to vintage to audiophile modern to highend. Now I am mixing highend and vintage. I am falling in love with vintage again and am enjoying my system more after removing $6000 in gear and replacing with garage sale vintage gear lol
I did the same thing stopped buying expensive gear and went vintage gear never had better sound . And the hobby is fun again and l have more of my pay cheque leftover it's a win win
I drink coffee and watch, cvd19 on pause. I agree 100%, me just buying many stuff speakers, headphones, micro systems, subwoofers, thurntables, LPs, CDs, cassetes... Cables short better, do not use to fat cables... The biggest progress in HiFi from 70th to 1990 is remote control, digital is simple not good like analog, but it can be very nice to. I have once Onkyo amplifier with 30 watts from 1975 I thnk, model A3000??, 30 watts was good as my Onkyo receiver with 350 watts, marketing...
@@WyreForestBiker perhaps some older ones, most are plastic, besides if they are painted black...whats the point? Black looks cheezy and usually hard to read the controls in dim living room light, compared to real brushed silver (aluminum alloy)
Calvin, I have really enjoyed watching the channel. My equipment ranges from 1940 through 1990. Tube uprights & consoles, S.S. Components receivers Samsun 661/771 and Sony to digital Kenwood etc... Its like you say if you feel it in the gut and it puts a smile on your face then it works. Cheers.
Super video. Admire your honesty and no bullshit approach. So much wisdom and experience about hi-fi. I have a modest system and feel your comments ring true. I BBC engineer who repairs stuff like classic Mission and Nad amps says like you that to get similar quality now is a huge amount of money. I have been watching Steve Guttenberg's hi-end hi fi channel. He's a nice guy, of course, and says similar to you but I think unconscious bias kicks in. As you say you have to maintain the idea of the latest thing if you review h-fi. Also the paradox of some hi-fi people enjoying gear but not music. Summed up by a high end Chinese audiophile with a very expensive system playing the Lion King.
One issue to be sure about is just how good are your ears so do a hearing test before you spend crazy sums on HiFi. If you cant hear the difference it might not be worth spending the money. Not sure if its a curse or a blessing to have great hearing but you have to cater to it.
Hi Calvin this is Paul from Seattle I love your insightful videos and it seems like I've been doing things the right way as far as my speaker placement and such but it's great to hear a person with your knowledge Andrea listening experience to put things into perspective you sure have a lot of beautiful equipment I recently picked up a Marantz 2220 and it has tons of high-end beautiful crisp Clarity nice medium mid-range and tons of bass I'm surprised at 20 W how amazing these vintage equipment sound compared to nowadays components I also have a black faced digital display Marantz it's 125 watts from the early cement 1990s and it already does not sound like my old 20 W Miranda that's in beautiful condition with new blue LEDs and the works not only is it prettier but it sounds way better than the newer Marantz even though they were both constructed in Japan and designed in America great video as usual love that Sansui
Fully sgreebwith all i heard on all the important aspects of hi-fi. I'm s 67'yr old music lover, trapped in a 30'yr old hi-fi buyer's mind body, but for best music repro' alone. Ive had the biggest bang for £'small since i progressed from a singles tho rare-buying & relatives' handown L.P. genres tho Mantovani's "Disco A Go-Go" never sounded "right" as a 13'ish yr'old given a huge (it seemed) valved table radio with a "phono" 5-pin input, & BSR(?) stand akone boxed deck (full of air, no Dansette, maybe as good ..better?), Then from 17'yrs old circa' 1974 ..via vintage valve pre with deducated power amps, (or vica versa) fully valved gear who's power-amps esp' beat the crap out of s/h mid to late 60's & later, all the s/h much dearer transistor anps in my £'range. The first s/state Quad 303 souned flat against an older fully valved "Radford STA 25"power, it's matched Quad II valved powers were less so but still just noticeably better, imo or i.m. set-up & the Radford valve power ran supreme for for many years later (but vintage valved pre's varried on their "Phono" or "Gram" input. My various valved powers were v.cheap s/h in '73 tho went wildly upwards then eBay came & zoom() vintage valve power-smps were unbeatable then. Now i run a pure class A transistor power amp (half priced marked ex-dem Jungson 99C) with all valves before it, from pre with vakved ohono stage, all adequately silent a few inches from mid/tweet, except i often need a (only thing ive ever bought new..a) Dynavector P75 phono-stsge into an Aux inpot on pre. But Just for my fave but quiet true-mono low output & 0.15 low output M.C. Luckily, electronics was my sckoolbuy hobby & later career, tho not exclusively. I tried lster gear compared to much earlier s/h, well chosen & v.often far better sounding. Speakers too, where i learnt the art of re-coning & where possible, the re-pisitioning of speaker's magnet, if bolted only, to avoid voice-cojl rubbing many older speakers ger. I developed the theory that gravity can imperceptibly drag down the magnt's mass if not adhered to the chasiis as max' possible (full range e/stas aside, i flip my cone woofers or bass/mids180' deg' once a year or so, just in case! I'm currently running s choice of Cellestion 3000 ribbon hybrids but for now, a relatively huge pair (my misses hates & keeps hinting, so far but even admitted they sound so lifelike, i.e. the B&W DM70 Continebtal, a 1970's e/stat hybrids now working fine since i re-foamed them & pair 16969'built Tannoy D.C. 15"inch'ers now sadly stashed with 1 unit's voice coil rubbing, i temporarily ''repsired" it by filing down the outer curves of the insulated voice coil oueter turns itself, got another 6 or maybe 9 more months but alas, it went even further out of alignment, no poss' of repositioning magnet & a totally non-replaceable cone without another circular unobtanium item, tho i'd have a go but nobody on earth has 15" Tannoy cones! on 'net st leest. I recently heard big 3-way 80's+ KEF's some guy filled with sand to some unknown to seller (3rd/hand but fine (model?, but rotatable mid/top boxes) sounding excellent & now wished i'd tried harder to close the deal. C'est la vie, hope he calls back, i'm holding out. Always watch your vids, sometimes comment. But a great vid again. The biggest bang for the G.B.£'X makes a massive difference in music quality when you inform folk, you've been doing that v.well, as time rolls on, money plumets in value unlike decades ago (& profit margins now increase as fast as rats running off a sinking skip, perhaps)
I know who Calvin reminds me of guys.... Quincy the medical examiner from the coroner's office on TV not only does he look like him but he's a genius as is Quincy ! ❤ this Channel 🎉its like hanging out with a friend 🎉❤
My boss told me when I was 14 everything done in business is to make more money haha So true, I’ll never forget. As the consumer you gotta smart and reasonably what is the Best Buy for you. Great video, I like your honesty
I agree with what you say about reviews and the importance of reading between the lines. In particular I have noticed that reviews describing positive aspects of bass performance of small loudspeakers (low bass, articulation, etc ) rarely tell you that the speakers will only achieve this when played loud, often louder than average listening levels. I learned this from auditioning small loudspeakers in shops where I could only achieve what the reviews described by turning the volume up far louder than I would usually listen to at home.
The most difference i ever heard with loudspeaker cables was, when i sprayed contact cleaner on the ends, wiped the oxidisation off, sprayed some more on and clamped them down again. Louder, more details. An improvement almost for free.
@@stereoreviewx I agree with you on cables Kelvin, though I found cheap 79 strand noticeably better than the Amazon basics ali- cables.Not so sure about screwing down bare cable ends though, a professionally fitted plug just has to give better connectivity. I wouldn't lose sleep over it though.
Well said Kelvin. For me vintage was the way to up my game from a p.c and awful speakers. The nineties amp and cd blew me away, but were soon replaced by better models from the same decade. Another big change in quality.I'm using Br03 speakers though because living in rural Wales it's a three hour drive to go and audition anything, and they were a dealer's return bargain at £230. Luckily I love them and my 'system' fills me with joy every time I switch on. Visitors, unsolicited, comment on how good it sounds. Like you say, it's all about enjoying the music- I pity those who get sucked into the audiophile trap. I believe they get their pleasure from arguing and boasting, rather than the music. I don't even want to hear superior stuff until I've got cash burning a hole in my pocket, as I fear that would make me discontent. You only have to visit the forums to see how many poor souls are caught up in their desires. Having said that I am lusting after a NAD 3020, thanks to yourself.
Hi-Fi ! Sansui was never considered or classified as Hi-Fi. Quad, Chilton's were at the base of what was considered as Hi-Fi affordable. 850.00$ for a 33/303 kit from Quad in late 1980's. Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Marantz, Kenwood and all were all good quality affordable materiel, but no Hi-Fi.
On "tweaking" , in the late 90's I had a chance to purchase GOOD speakers . I decided on the IL 60 line from Infinity . When ordering I asked about the side firing woofers . I was told YES , I could order✌ two left out units . I did ! Even today , I hear comments like "Wow the base is all over the room , how'd ya do that ?" One 500 wat woofer fires at the wall , and the other at the center of the room , reflecting in the SAME direction , frictionally out of sync. Have you tried this ? I am quite the novice . Is my thinking (and hearing) out of sync ? ? ?
Okay what would I say side firing bass drivers clearly not a common thing going to do something significant ultimately if you’re enjoying it who cares if it makes you unhappy try to fix it that’s all I’d say
A miracle happened with my Quad CDP2 player and 909 Amp when I ditched the costly aftermarket mains cable & used the black quad cables I’d left in the boxes! Quad engineers commented that their black “kettle” cable was carefully designed to bring out the best in their equipment! Made sense really!
Hey Kalv , your videos are very addictive , thanks for sharing your knowledge , and after listening 70’s Speakers I agree with you , Now question is does 70’s amp better for 70’s speakers? Or new amp will go with em fine , I was blown away when I listen to This 70’s ,bloody wide soundstage and Fun to listen specially 70’s rock music and Classical music it was singing to me
Such good info in these videos! 23 years old and getting really into good vintage equipment ever since I listened to a Johnny Cash original Vinyl. Quick question: I have an old Akai receiver that was my dads, some of the crossover buttons are flaky when pressed and have pops and crackles. Is that an easy fix or should I leave it be? It sounds lovely other than that.
I would open it up and spray some tuner spray/contact cleaner on the switches and see if that helps. Some videos to watch: th-cam.com/video/ohyRBZSIXpw/w-d-xo.html & th-cam.com/video/8ERQwC5pGB4/w-d-xo.html
With one Decibel scientifically correlated to the smallest difference in vollume that the average human ear can differentiate between, a 100 watt amp is like a 50 watt amp with a tiny increase of it's vollume control & that's what I hear between a 50 & a 100 watt amp, a tiny increase of vollume = to 3 of the smallest increases that can possibly be perceived. Good luck. P.S. to actually Double accoustic vollume needs 10 times the wattage, I'm guessing & bet that's close.
Are the Wharfedale 507 good? I want to use to use as HIFI and monitor, play some guitar though plugins and stuff... I have a handmade tube poweramp ... Also I saw one guy selling the JBL Control 1 but Made in USA (not China) for 169 euros and the Wharfedale will be almost for free but is pretty heavy if I have to fly away... I'll listen more Pink Floyd, "desert dry" kinda guitar tone to 90s Death Metal...
All good comments, but one sad reality needs to be faced by everyone who loves vintage gear is all of these units are getting to the age where some parts are starting to fail. Of course, things like certain caps and transistors, ect, can be substituted with modern equivalent parts. But there are a whole range of proprietary parts that are just longer available, and substutes dont exist, particularly custom ic's and swtches. Also, volume controls that have the tappings required for loudness controls are very hard to obtain. I'm not trying to be negative about vintage hi fi but rather just face the realities of owning this equipment . May it would be an excellent subject for a video talking about who is still available to service and supply parts and sources for information like service manuals so that owners can continue to enjoy owning and using their favorite vintage products.
Hi Mate ,Max from Liverpool here... Been offered a LuxmanL I Amp for 80 quid from a good friend I've bought HI FI from before or a Sony amp from the 90s for £20 .. What do on recon??
My comments (which i always see instantly go in with "comment or reply added" as comfirmation it has gone in successfully, plus i see it for a seconds or 2 afterwards) but they comsistsntly dissapesr everytime! eirher less than 12 hours & more often less than an hour after i write them, and most often like yesterday, 1 comment an 2 replues didsapeared ledd than 3 or 4 minutes after it saud "comment added" & "reply added" so i waste my time yet again. Hence i give-up, unsubscibe & goodbye forever
I don’t know why that is happening there’s only one person I have ever banned from the channel just rude and crazy the whole time so sorry don’t know why that’s happening
"People are trying to sell shit." Truer words were never spoken. Liked and subscribed!
And stupid people buy them
Like BOSE, 85% of the budget was spend on marketing. The sound quality was below par. "No highs, no lows, must be BOSE."
That depends because, if it is Schiit Audio, I hear that company is pretty good. But goofing around aside, I know what you mean.
@@ikealamp53 It is a 100% true! Marketing possessed brains.
Was about to comment same, then realized I was 3 years late to the party!
You change the cable and it always sounds better, especially if it cost more. And don't forget the five stars from what hifi, that helps with the sound !!!.
Is this guy the best?
So quietly understated, yet so good.
What a great point to finish on!
I really like how you don't pretend to know everything and you can just say from experience things sound better than others!
Chilly Willy , I agree with you completely . I wish I could use this post to inform our Republitard voters ! (here in the States).Blowing smoke up our arses to get a vote . Votes mean MONEY ! I want vintage values . LOL
Surely that's what we all do. Speak from experience.
@@inmyopinion6836 hope you are happy with sleepy Joe
Agree. Bought an active linn system in the 80s. I had to go to get an amp re capped and whilst in the showroom I listened to a modern system. I couldn’t tell a difference. I’m 67 now so my ears are more vintage than my hi fi.
@8:20 the listening room has as much of an impact as the speakers. the room is a resonance box, it's what creates constructive and destructive wave interference.
two wires of same resistance are ALWAYS going to SOUND the same. for a wire to influence frequency we need to go way above the 16kHz most of us can hear... when dealing w/ MHz and GHz wires do play a role..
I was using a modern $700 tube amp. It's super popular. Then I get a Sansui 221 vintage amp for $100 and it just crushes it! My whole world has been turned upside down!
Kevin, I have 771 and 881..and other Sansui equipment...excellent
so all that mony spent was a waste of money i am thinking of having £1500 built for me
Great review! Just subscribed ! Love the honest view on the Hifi world!
Kelvin these hi fi chats are so thoroughly interesting. I still have a pile of Hi Fi Answers and other mags in my roofspace that used to be my only hi fi digest back in the 70s and early 80s (before the female of the species stole my attention!!!) that I would read and re-read, enthralled by it all. This sort of chat is the modern equivalent - interesting, entertaining and informative. What lucky people we are to have lived through hi-fi's real era of change and progress.
Love this guy, he doesn’t BS around and isn’t influenced by incentives like those other clowns like SG, AR or Jay. Don’t be a sucker.
Thanks mate
Very true new stuff not necessarily better than old stuff. 70's and 80's stuff was so well made with top components and cost a small fortune. Buying that stuff today in great condition is a cute thing to do. I have a pair of Celestion 3 Mk2's that cost £45 on my second system that sound better than most new speakers under £500 today. I bought an immaculate pair of Mordaunt Short Avant 908 2.5 way floor standing speakers for £100 for my main system that compare to many up to £2,000! Very good advice!!!!! Why pay for advertising - the sound is what's important!
I first got into hifi from reading magazines in the early to mid 90s. As you found, it's the clever use of words that draws you in and makes you spend money. I soon learned my lesson when the kit I bought or listened to in the shops didn't match what the magazines were saying... That's probably why I'm suspicious of anything I read, especially when it comes to politics.
Yes the very first amp I bought in a shop which was so hyped in the magazines was such a disappointment .
That was a JVc jas11 btw .
@@stereoreviewx my first receiver was a JVC JR-S81. A modest receiver for sure sure, but I really liked how it sounded on the showroom floor. I still have it and enjoy it. Bought it in 1977.
Brilliant! Thank you very much for such great clear and down to earth advice!
Yes, I know that this video is 4-years old! However, this video is one of the best that you have ever done! Thanks Kelvin…!
Great video, like many here i'm waking up to vintage gear and its value in terms of great sound my "modern gear" is mainly 15 years old my older Amp, tuner & speakers are 46 through 43 years old ... and all sound great to my ears .. keep going with your "ramblings" i think they are great ...it's like chatting in the pub or at a bake off ..particularly when we can't currently
I was seeking a magical improvement for my existing hi-fi system. What I found surprised me.
I had split the budget three ways between source (turntable), amplifier and speakers. Magazines had begun to change their advise to source being more important and that seemed illogical to me. I was invited by a dealer to bring my current equipment with me to do A/B comparisons with what they considered upgrades and a few alternatives. It took barely a bar for me to appreciate the difference the source made and the differences in swapping equipment around were sometimes night and day and other time meh! My amplifier was a poor match for my speakers. The magazine and dealer choice favourite was no better. But both sounded hugely different with more efficient speakers. Using a pre and separate mono power amplifiers with 100 watts really got my speakers going. Years later I got those speakers back and used a modern 5 channel 100 Watt amplifier for my first surround sound system.
Hearing the differences with your own music and being able to swap equipment to compare allowed me to narrow my selection and eliminate alternatives - regardless of price. I did end up spending a major part of my annual salary on a new system but then kept it for 40 years with one incremental change to the turntable a decade later (now 30 years ago). Ten years ago I experimented with 5+1 systems ending up with adding active rear, centre and sub-woofer to my vintage active speakers picking now very cheaper models from the 1990s.
Repairing and getting parts for equipment over 10 years old is an on going problem.
Back in the 70s and 80s there were equipment that most people would agree where good value for money and few at different price points. Although you might get something different it was for features that were considered worth paying extra for. The choice has mushroomed since and each manufacturer has played to increment model change and our choice includes all of those second hand and can be imported from anywhere in the world.
Source for me is now a computer and Hi-fi is not about stereo music but media:- radio, podcasts, video, television multi-channel and multi-room from digital storage. A digital source files and active speakers have a different set of issues to get working as I would like.
Your equipment only has to satisfy you and only you can decide how much a difference is worth while particularly as costs rise rapidly for smaller and smaller changes and improvements that you hear.
Interesting to hear your thoughts thanks K
"Your equipment only has to satisfy you"
couldn't agree more, this makes try before you buy is an absolute necessity when buying equipment.
HELLO FRIEND , KIRK HERE . ENJOY YOUR SHOW ! ONE REASON I LIKE THE " SOUND " OF VINTAGE AUDIO , IS THE AMPS AND OR RECEIVER HAS ALMOST NO ENTERNAL ENTERFEARENCE FROM impedance From multiple circuits . It is very simple chanel to output , which keeps the sound so clean !
Really enjoying this channel and straight talk. Thanks for sharing this content. It's very helpful. The world needs more content at this level. Thank you.
Why you dont have more subscribers, ill never know.
Are you really surprised? Hi fi is a niche area
As a more than casual, but not entirely knowledgeable hobbyist, I found some very useful nuggets of basic info in this video. Nicely done and highly watchable.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent tips... even us olde-timers will benefit. Minor point... but can you please put a towel under the Ditton 11 when sliding around a hard surface... or 4 stick-on pads ? I am looking for Ditton 11's to lay down on kitchen shelf.. any scratches on ends will be visable.
Tnx again for posting video.
@@dynacoman7363 perhaps use something like a lazy Susan to sit the speaker on and make it easy to rotate and display different features.
Tip: ask wife first saves sleeping on couch for a week
It was raining that day, or was it just some vintage noise...
7:51 "Tip number two" , looks over shoulder, on the lookout for angry hifi magazine writers.
I was never angry as I contributed to Popular Hi Fi, and HiFi Answers!
This guy has difficulty expressing himself. Needs a script.
@@mikesey1 i like his authentic style. It's not overly scripted like some others.
I pressed the tone defeat on my 70s Rotel,,,,,,good advice,subscribed!!!!
Everything old is new again. I still use mu Sansui 881 receiver every day and am loving it. Who knew it would last 57 years after I bought it? They built them well back then.
Yes great I mean I can’t imagine model lamps lasting that long and I don’t know why I think that
Excellent tips for both new and experienced music listeners ...! Well Done!
Cables are a myth. I have never heard any difference with cables.
I would say speakers make the biggest difference and everything else is minimal after a certain price range. The difference between a good £500 amp to a good £3000 amp is so minimal that most people cannot tell what the difference is
Just discovered your channel, Brilliant at last an honest down to earth take on hifi without all the "la di da you get from the snobby audiophiles ( more money than sense )most of them !!! Recognised the Sanusi 661 receiver in your video & brought back memories as I used to own one & had it for years great piece of kit !!! Many thanks 😊
Soldered connections sound better because a good soldered connection actually decreases the resistance encountered by the audio signal. It's not a huge deal, but I am now intrigued by the idea of the soldered phono connection. Still, you can obviously achieve a great sound with RCA connections there. Great tips here!
Just got my hands on a beautiful Rogers Ravensbourne paired with some Dynaco A-25's for next to nothing. Cant wait to listen to it, and see how it compares to my "modern" set up. Good channel!
If you want more (boomy and muddy) bass, put your speakers in the corner. Using boundary gain to achieve more bass is not a method for sound quality. If you want to party, sure, but otherwise forgetaboutit. The best way to get stronger and tighter bass is to make sure your speakers are solid and don't wobble sitting on top of carpet. It's physics. For every action there is an equal reaction. If you are standing on a skateboard and attempt to throw something, an equal force will push you backwards and greatly reduce to force on the object you are pushing forwards. Speakers push bass drivers forwards and an equal force will rock your (wobbly) speakers backwards, dissipating the lost energy into the carpet as heat, rather than SPL. Wobbly speakers can also cause distortion when a double (or multiple) bass slam fights against the opposite movement of the speaker box. The movement might be small, but so to is the movement of the woofer at normal listening levels. It makes a huge difference especially in a basement with concrete floors.
By spiking the speakers through the carpet to the concrete will also mass load the speakers, which also helps to isolate resonance from the box.
I had to edit this comment when he brought out a speaker stand that had wheels (the skateboard affect I was taking about) on it.
I sold audio gear in the 80's and the old "how many watts" thing got soooo old. Especially guys - it's like they drew a comparison between amp wattage and engine power. If memory serves me right, a doubling of watts adds just 3db of gain, and who's ever run an amp on full and felt they really needed 3 db more. I'm sure most of us never surpass 5-10 watts of power in most situations, and as you say, so many other factors add up to the quality of the sound. In my music room I've measured the volume and it's been between 85 and 95 db which is a nice level for a long listening session. If you look at speaker sensitivity, many produce 90+ db (though it's probably a sine wave) with 1 watt. I think there is a line of high end british amps that have an output of just 2-3 watts, but I forget the name. Anyway... good point... don't be seduced by metrics and wattage. They are not the secrets to sonic excellence.
Guttenberg has a interview with Nelson Pass on this. He is also in on sound over Watts. He said a amp very seldom runs above one watt.
I personally believe more watts are better having owned both high power and low powered amps from various manufacturers. More authority, more control, better bass, greater dynamics. That is not to say there isn't phenomenal amps with lower wattage, but more watts are generally better for sound quality.
Watts my ass. As if anything in life would be as simple as x > y therefore x is better, and conveniently ranked with nice round 2-3 digit wattage numbers.
@@buttonman1831 Not necessarily MORE watts.. But MORE quality in the watt produced.
Ok, process is slow, but if reviewed from the 70's it's jaw dropping for the technology in producing components and putting them together and for the materials. Then it would be head spinning for source, digital and in music production. The increments for what gets to your ears are smaller. In 1979 I only had access to rubbish hi fi, now i can access some top quality hi fi....from the seventies, golden age !
Liked your video and you make some excellent points, based on your experience. I am willing to bet you would be a blast to have a few pints with!
You can't get the "timbre" of a cello right unless you can reproduce the needed frequencies in the right proportions. That's what 'timbre' is!
Really enjoy your no nonsense approach with hifi, keep them coming.
My whole system costs about $7000. Not much by audiophile standards but a LOT by normal people standards! So I go to my local record stores and they all have vintage gear usually spinning records on a technics turntable and one day I realize, this set up that probably cost a tenth of mine sounds just as good if not better!
I am 59 years old and in the late 70's you could buy a brand new Marantz receiver with 65 wpc for $580.00 retail, today there are cables that cost that much! TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE IN MY BOOK. I do own brand new gear but it is basically a tier or two above budget. Between that gear and my vintage gear I have plenty to mix and match and definitely enjoy the different sound I can achieve!
I totally get where you're coming from. From decades of upgrading t/tables, i kept only my very most favourites, all DD bar 1 belt drive. I just thought them far too good & far too well engineered to sell for what £'s eBay would fetch me at the time, & compared to new t/tables... (i.e. slabs of glossy painted chipboard with medite or glass platers & a £25 new Impex or Phillip's AC sycronous motor & cheapest of rega sourced arms £139 new [
Well I got some new speakers so my old statement is true anymore. But vintage gear can sound pretty awesome.
You are right. Your two ears are the ultimate judges which ones are best.
“Be aware of the world your in and the forces at work in it” 7:01
True in every way.
I fully support your ideology i buying vintage , I have done it most of my life. My last purchase on evil bay was a speaker system that was part of TEAC radio/cd system. The bass sub was nothing special, so I rejected that but the satellite speakers were smallish flat panel , balanced mode radiators badged NXT. I set up the system with an active bass speaker I made myself using a 130mm Visaton bass unit. The results sound incredible because the BMR s have a ruler flat response from 200 to 18000 Hz and roll off naturally at the low end. So that is hyper real sound for less than 500. The input is coming from a portable dab/FM radio.
"The ultimate plug is no plug" What a brilliant zen-like and all-encompassing philosophy. This actually applies to all circuitry and components; any component in the signal path can only degrade it. Have a great Christmas my friend ;0)
And a happy Christmas to you too my friend
Hi you have good advice about Hi Fi Gear , I am the Speaker Doctor , I love old speakers and modern as well for English speakers i use to run Wharfedale ,Tannoy Gold,Celestion, all my Marshall amps use Celestion, plus I like Vintage Electrovoice , I also build my own enclosures.
Thanks for sharing
This guy has good ears .....and knows high end is massively over priced chit
I'm also very skeptic of all the wattage needed. People buying 150 to 250 watts amps nowadays or even more. Is their living room the size of a concerthall?
I've heard an honest youtuber expert say must people use only 4 to 5 watts in normal listening mode and you'll need maybe 20 watt more to cover the peaks.
This is my all-time favourite topic and i would subscribe BUT... there are too many ads by a long way.
I bought b and w 601 s2 what hifi gave them 5 stars when the new b and w came out mine went down to 4 stars and the new ones got 5 lesson learned by me
Just so refreshing and honest this channel is. Really valuable advice,
Regarding the comment at the 26:00 mark... I remember learning that a doubling of watts results only in a 3db gain. Most consumers don't know this and never (can't) wind their volume controls to 10 to compare. I see the same thinking for people buying guitar amps; they assume 2x the wattage is 2X the power and worth 2x the price. And sometimes different volume controls can manipulate the appearance of more power - putting most of the gain in the first third of the knob rotation.
Kelvin, these videos are real gems, I've learned so much from you. I'm trying to scrape the money together for a pair of used Harbeth P3ESR's, they are a revelation to me.
Extremely "dangerous" GOOD information !
The main problem is that there is no tachincal way on how to rate speaker sound that is widly accepted. Even what said in the video adds to that. "dead sound" - what the fuck does that mean? Too weak lows? Too much distortion? There just needs to be some simple score to rate speakers and to be able to compare them.
Truth is there just isn’t it’s too complicated it’s three-dimensional
Merry Christmas
It's way too subjective. It is you who will be listening, so just listen, and compare.
@@barlow2976 How am I supposed to listen to all the available speakers? You might be able to test a few, but to listen to a bigger sample is really hard, sometimes impossible.
audio equipment, like most things, follows the 80-20 rule.
you get 80% performance from 20% investment and the last 20% need four times more.
like the honest tips and comments, subscribed!
Amplifiers haven't moved on that much, I'm still using a fully restored Quad 405 & it sounds fantastic, great video, keep up the good work👍
Excellent tips! Ive auditioned £800 speakers.... thinking these have gotta sound good, but as soon as I broke them in, I couldn't wait to put my budget speakers back on!
Gread advice , thanks.
Any average quality cables wouldn't affect the sound. It is just an electricity.
I agree with your first statement but your second shows ignorance.
I think "looking for the perfect" receiver, speakers etc...is a big downfall...fun at times...but can get to be expensive.
Liked his point about the importance of the speakers!!! I just replaced a speaker in a bass amp I'd grown tired of. Suddenly its working like a hot damn! Its always the speaker(s)! Everything that happens until the coil unloads onto the paper, is signal at whatever strength. The paper, which formula is patented, by the way, is where the magic unfolds! JBLs use of cones made them an international favourite all those years ago. The thick white coated 12" has yet to be equalled for low/mid bass response. With the right port, a sub is really unnecessary and the tone is exquisite!
I would agree paper cones are the best.
@@stereoreviewx
So agree! Tried Monitor audio gold at home recently and couldn't wait to return. Most music sounded like I had a steel roulette wheel spinning with a steel marble. Yuck!🤯
You know your stuff! I have enjoyed the videos of yours that I have seen and you explain things very well. I went modern average joe to vintage to audiophile modern to highend. Now I am mixing highend and vintage. I am falling in love with vintage again and am enjoying my system more after removing $6000 in gear and replacing with garage sale vintage gear lol
All my equipment I swapped for a potato🥴
@@stereoreviewx I did not intend for my comment to be facetious.
I did the same thing stopped buying expensive gear and went vintage gear never had better sound . And the hobby is fun again and l have more of my pay cheque leftover it's a win win
I drink coffee and watch, cvd19 on pause.
I agree 100%, me just buying many stuff speakers, headphones, micro systems, subwoofers, thurntables, LPs, CDs, cassetes...
Cables short better, do not use to fat cables... The biggest progress in HiFi from 70th to 1990 is remote control, digital is simple not good like analog, but it can be very nice to.
I have once Onkyo amplifier with 30 watts from 1975 I thnk, model A3000??, 30 watts was good as my Onkyo receiver with 350 watts, marketing...
Avoid black face stereo units......once you go silver, real metal, not plastic, you never go black
??? ..but many black faced units are metal !
@@WyreForestBiker perhaps some older ones, most are plastic, besides if they are painted black...whats the point? Black looks cheezy and usually hard to read the controls in dim living room light, compared to real brushed silver (aluminum alloy)
Calvin, I have really enjoyed watching the channel. My equipment ranges from 1940 through 1990. Tube uprights & consoles, S.S. Components receivers Samsun 661/771 and Sony to digital Kenwood etc... Its like you say if you feel it in the gut and it puts a smile on your face then it works. Cheers.
Spot on,like your style,subbed!
just enjoy the music agreed☺️
Super video. Admire your honesty and no bullshit approach. So much wisdom and experience about hi-fi. I have a modest system and feel your comments ring true. I BBC engineer who repairs stuff like classic Mission and Nad amps says like you that to get similar quality now is a huge amount of money.
I have been watching Steve Guttenberg's hi-end hi fi channel. He's a nice guy, of course, and says similar to you but I think unconscious bias kicks in. As you say you have to maintain the idea of the latest thing if you review h-fi. Also the paradox of some hi-fi people enjoying gear but not music. Summed up by a high end Chinese audiophile with a very expensive system playing the Lion King.
That last comment really hits home, cause I don't know when to stop.... Lol
One issue to be sure about is just how good are your ears so do a hearing test before you spend crazy sums on HiFi. If you cant hear the difference it might not be worth spending the money. Not sure if its a curse or a blessing to have great hearing but you have to cater to it.
Very interesting listen as usual, full of information and truth thanks
Hi Calvin this is Paul from Seattle I love your insightful videos and it seems like I've been doing things the right way as far as my speaker placement and such but it's great to hear a person with your knowledge Andrea listening experience to put things into perspective you sure have a lot of beautiful equipment I recently picked up a Marantz 2220 and it has tons of high-end beautiful crisp Clarity nice medium mid-range and tons of bass I'm surprised at 20 W how amazing these vintage equipment sound compared to nowadays components I also have a black faced digital display Marantz it's 125 watts from the early cement 1990s and it already does not sound like my old 20 W Miranda that's in beautiful condition with new blue LEDs and the works not only is it prettier but it sounds way better than the newer Marantz even though they were both constructed in Japan and designed in America great video as usual love that Sansui
Fully sgreebwith all i heard on all the important aspects of hi-fi. I'm s 67'yr old music lover, trapped in a 30'yr old hi-fi buyer's mind body, but for best music repro' alone. Ive had the biggest bang for £'small since i progressed from a singles tho rare-buying & relatives' handown L.P. genres tho Mantovani's "Disco A Go-Go" never sounded "right" as a 13'ish yr'old given a huge (it seemed) valved table radio with a "phono" 5-pin input, & BSR(?) stand akone boxed deck (full of air, no Dansette, maybe as good ..better?), Then from 17'yrs old circa' 1974 ..via vintage valve pre with deducated power amps, (or vica versa) fully valved gear who's power-amps esp' beat the crap out of s/h mid to late 60's & later, all the s/h much dearer transistor anps in my £'range. The first s/state Quad 303 souned flat against an older fully valved "Radford STA 25"power, it's matched Quad II valved powers were less so but still just noticeably better, imo or i.m. set-up & the Radford valve power ran supreme for for many years later (but vintage valved pre's varried on their "Phono" or "Gram" input. My various valved powers were v.cheap s/h in '73 tho went wildly upwards then eBay came & zoom() vintage valve power-smps were unbeatable then. Now i run a pure class A transistor power amp (half priced marked ex-dem Jungson 99C) with all valves before it, from pre with vakved ohono stage, all adequately silent a few inches from mid/tweet, except i often need a (only thing ive ever bought new..a) Dynavector P75 phono-stsge into an Aux inpot on pre. But Just for my fave but quiet true-mono low output & 0.15 low output M.C. Luckily, electronics was my sckoolbuy hobby & later career, tho not exclusively. I tried lster gear compared to much earlier s/h, well chosen & v.often far better sounding. Speakers too, where i learnt the art of re-coning & where possible, the re-pisitioning of speaker's magnet, if bolted only, to avoid voice-cojl rubbing many older speakers ger. I developed the theory that gravity can imperceptibly drag down the magnt's mass if not adhered to the chasiis as max' possible (full range e/stas aside, i flip my cone woofers or bass/mids180' deg' once a year or so, just in case!
I'm currently running s choice of Cellestion 3000 ribbon hybrids but for now, a relatively huge pair (my misses hates & keeps hinting, so far but even admitted they sound so lifelike, i.e. the B&W DM70 Continebtal, a 1970's e/stat hybrids now working fine since i re-foamed them & pair 16969'built Tannoy D.C. 15"inch'ers now sadly stashed with 1 unit's voice coil rubbing, i temporarily ''repsired" it by filing down the outer curves of the insulated voice coil oueter turns itself, got another 6 or maybe 9 more months but alas, it went even further out of alignment, no poss' of repositioning magnet & a totally non-replaceable cone without another circular unobtanium item, tho i'd have a go but nobody on earth has 15" Tannoy cones! on 'net st leest. I recently heard big 3-way 80's+ KEF's some guy filled with sand to some unknown to seller (3rd/hand but fine (model?, but rotatable mid/top boxes) sounding excellent & now wished i'd tried harder to close the deal. C'est la vie, hope he calls back, i'm holding out.
Always watch your vids, sometimes comment. But a great vid again. The biggest bang for the G.B.£'X makes a massive difference in music quality when you inform folk, you've been doing that v.well, as time rolls on, money plumets in value unlike decades ago (& profit margins now increase as fast as rats running off a sinking skip, perhaps)
I know who Calvin reminds me of guys.... Quincy the medical examiner from the coroner's office on TV not only does he look like him but he's a genius as is Quincy ! ❤ this Channel 🎉its like hanging out with a friend 🎉❤
My boss told me when I was 14 everything done in business is to make more money haha
So true, I’ll never forget. As the consumer you gotta smart and reasonably what is the Best Buy for you. Great video, I like your honesty
Yes good point I mean without the hi-fi marketing industry I don’t think people would buy 1/4 as much gear or spend 1/4 of much on it
I agree with what you say about reviews and the importance of reading between the lines. In particular I have noticed that reviews describing positive aspects of bass performance of small loudspeakers (low bass, articulation, etc ) rarely tell you that the speakers will only achieve this when played loud, often louder than average listening levels. I learned this from auditioning small loudspeakers in shops where I could only achieve what the reviews described by turning the volume up far louder than I would usually listen to at home.
The most difference i ever heard with loudspeaker cables was, when i sprayed contact cleaner on the ends, wiped the oxidisation off, sprayed some more on and clamped them down again. Louder, more details. An improvement almost for free.
Yeah that sounds good and right screwing it down tight is a big deal K
As you say this is a cost free improvement which they don’t like to talk about
@@stereoreviewx I agree with you on cables Kelvin, though I found cheap 79 strand noticeably better than the Amazon basics ali- cables.Not so sure about screwing down bare cable ends though, a professionally fitted plug just has to give better connectivity. I wouldn't lose sleep over it though.
Well said Kelvin. For me vintage was the way to up my game from a p.c and awful speakers. The nineties amp and cd blew me away, but were soon replaced by better models from the same decade. Another big change in quality.I'm using Br03 speakers though because living in rural Wales it's a three hour drive to go and audition anything, and they were a dealer's return bargain at £230. Luckily I love them and my 'system' fills me with joy every time I switch on. Visitors, unsolicited, comment on how good it sounds. Like you say, it's all about enjoying the music- I pity those who get sucked into the audiophile trap. I believe they get their pleasure from arguing and boasting, rather than the music. I don't even want to hear superior stuff until I've got cash burning a hole in my pocket, as I fear that would make me discontent. You only have to visit the forums to see how many poor souls are caught up in their desires.
Having said that I am lusting after a NAD 3020, thanks to yourself.
Yes please, one about turnables.
Hi-Fi ! Sansui was never considered or classified as Hi-Fi. Quad, Chilton's were at the base of what was considered as Hi-Fi affordable. 850.00$ for a 33/303 kit from Quad in late 1980's. Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Marantz, Kenwood and all were all good quality affordable materiel, but no Hi-Fi.
On "tweaking" , in the late 90's I had a chance to purchase GOOD speakers . I decided on the IL 60 line from Infinity . When ordering I asked about the side firing woofers . I was told YES , I could order✌ two left out units . I did ! Even today , I hear comments like "Wow the base is all over the room , how'd ya do that ?" One 500 wat woofer fires at the wall , and the other at the center of the room , reflecting in the SAME direction , frictionally out of sync. Have you tried this ? I am quite the novice . Is my thinking (and hearing) out of sync ? ? ?
Okay what would I say side firing bass drivers clearly not a common thing going to do something significant ultimately if you’re enjoying it who cares if it makes you unhappy try to fix it that’s all I’d say
A miracle happened with my Quad CDP2 player and 909 Amp when I ditched the costly aftermarket mains cable & used the black quad cables I’d left in the boxes! Quad engineers commented that their black “kettle” cable was carefully designed to bring out the best in their equipment! Made sense really!
Wow
😂 progress …PAINFULLY SLOW.
Your 45 years experience …IS A BETTER EDUCATION WITH LESS BIAS…IMHO 😍😍😍
Hey Kalv , your videos are very addictive , thanks for sharing your knowledge , and after listening 70’s Speakers I agree with you ,
Now question is does 70’s amp better for 70’s speakers? Or new amp will go with em fine , I was blown away when I listen to This 70’s ,bloody wide soundstage and Fun to listen specially 70’s rock music and Classical music it was singing to me
I think old speakers new amp or the other way round it’s a good idea
Probably more old speakers new amp actually
Reported this for cruelty. I mean, Paul of PS Audio was finished after 30 seconds of this. But you just had to go on and on and on... :-D :-D :-D
Great tips ! if your into vintage hifi
1. It's a sales thing 0:48
2. The cables 7:52
3. Tweak things 14:03
4. Mix and match 21:55
5. Getting sucked into the metrics 24:39
Cables make no difference... scientific fact
Get some cheap but thick stranded copper cable plus the same length of thin "bell wire" cable
what a foolish statement.
17:00 Now that was all I needed for my speakers, that 'little bit of an angle' . Great tip, thank you, sir!
Excellent!
Yessir! Great advice my friend!
Loved this video some really good advice thank you 👍
Such good info in these videos! 23 years old and getting really into good vintage equipment ever since I listened to a Johnny Cash original Vinyl.
Quick question: I have an old Akai receiver that was my dads, some of the crossover buttons are flaky when pressed and have pops and crackles. Is that an easy fix or should I leave it be? It sounds lovely other than that.
I would open it up and spray some tuner spray/contact cleaner on the switches and see if that helps. Some videos to watch: th-cam.com/video/ohyRBZSIXpw/w-d-xo.html & th-cam.com/video/8ERQwC5pGB4/w-d-xo.html
a good affordable vintage cd player is the rotel rcd991
Excellent video, thank you!🙋
Doubling watts gives a 3db gain which the human ear perceives as a doubling of volume.
With one Decibel scientifically correlated to the smallest difference in vollume that the average human ear can differentiate between, a 100 watt amp is like a 50 watt amp with a tiny increase of it's vollume control & that's what I hear between a 50 & a 100 watt amp, a tiny increase of vollume = to 3 of the smallest increases that can possibly be perceived. Good luck. P.S. to actually Double accoustic vollume needs 10 times the wattage, I'm guessing & bet that's close.
Very interesting video thank you for sharing.
Are the Wharfedale 507 good? I want to use to use as HIFI and monitor, play some guitar though plugins and stuff... I have a handmade tube poweramp ... Also I saw one guy selling the JBL Control 1 but Made in USA (not China) for 169 euros and the Wharfedale will be almost for free but is pretty heavy if I have to fly away... I'll listen more Pink Floyd, "desert dry" kinda guitar tone to 90s Death Metal...
Its all about marketing if they say nothing got any better nobody would buy or change anything its all about the money.
Hi would you please do a review of some Richard Allan speakers cheers Peter.
All good comments, but one sad reality needs to be faced by everyone who loves vintage gear is all of these units are getting to the age where some parts are starting to fail.
Of course, things like certain caps and transistors, ect, can be substituted with modern equivalent parts.
But there are a whole range of proprietary parts that are just longer available, and substutes dont exist, particularly custom ic's and swtches. Also, volume controls that have the tappings required for loudness controls are very hard to obtain.
I'm not trying to be negative about vintage hi fi but rather just face the realities of owning this equipment .
May it would be an excellent subject for a video talking about who is still available to service and supply parts and sources for information like service manuals so that owners can continue to enjoy owning and using their favorite vintage products.
yes thanks I am most interested on which new components sound the best or don't mess it up
13:55
haha, funny
cheers really good channel
Hi Mate ,Max from Liverpool here... Been offered a LuxmanL I Amp for 80 quid from a good friend I've bought HI FI from before or a Sony amp from the 90s for £20 .. What do on recon??
I’m going to doubt the Sony from the 90s is any good at allLux man do a nice sound
My comments (which i always see instantly go in with "comment or reply added" as comfirmation it has gone in successfully, plus i see it for a seconds or 2 afterwards) but they comsistsntly dissapesr everytime! eirher less than 12 hours & more often less than an hour after i write them, and most often like yesterday, 1 comment an 2 replues didsapeared ledd than 3 or 4 minutes after it saud "comment added" & "reply added" so i waste my time yet again. Hence i give-up, unsubscibe & goodbye forever
I don’t know why that is happening there’s only one person I have ever banned from the channel just rude and crazy the whole time so sorry don’t know why that’s happening