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Aging technology versus inevitably aging ears...

This could get long; please pardon me in advance or skip it. I had originally meant this for the Digital Forum, but it grew and meandered to where I just cut and pasted here... I have a large house with many rooms and, to my wife's constant objection, a well-displayed system in most of them ranging in vintage from 1976 to 2010. Each is period correct in that the turntable, electronics, and speakers are approximately age-matched. I'm old-school, so my speakers are big and beautiful-- two channels only and no subwoofers needed. Over the past few days, I've had the house to myself and a chance to do some listening to my vinyl, my better FM tuners, and even my CDs, which I normally consider a convenience medium for background or entertaining. I have absolutely nothing against digital and will admit that good digital sounds sufficiently good that it could actually provide a primary source if my LP collection melted and analog broadcasting were terminated (perhaps that's somewhere in the health care bill?), although mediocre digital is at best rather fatiguing.

My classic electronics and loudspeakers have been on a program of refurb for the past several years just because I enjoy using them and do not wish to suffer progressive degradation in their sound and function. In fact, I was A/B/C-ing some of my early mid-fi CDPs and TOTL direct-drive turntables against modern ones on my high-resolution living-room rig and came to a shocking conclusion: Properly-functioning old gear does not sound bad at all. In fact, without naming names, some of my old MASH and bitstream players sounded good enough that I would not see any reason to upgrade them unless I had a digital-only rig. Again, I prefer vinyl for solo listening and have the CDPs primarily for socializing. Every five years or so, I match and build a newer system, but since I have lots of closet space and several of Billy Bags' wonderful racks, I just don't get rid of the old stuff.

Still awake? Up to now, I had been enjoying the advances in engineering provided by the upper end of mid- and lower end of hi-fi-- that sweet spot at the rational side of the 10/10 rule. I'm always prepared to get rid of all the stuff and build one dedicated system, but just never pulled that trigger. However, I'm now at the point where I'm not sure that further advances will provide me greater enjoyment in my second half-century. If the stuff that was good enough for me twenty years ago when I had to stretch to afford it sounds pretty darn good now, is it good enough? Yeah, right, only I can answer that for me, but I'm wondering if anybody else here has reached the point where he is listening and enjoying more than ever, but admits that the gear is probably good enough? Does anybody just plain get attached to it?
morgenholz
islandmandan
848 posts
 
I greatly enjoyed reading your thread, and it is quite pertinent to me. My 63 years have pretty well ravaged my hearing, but not enough yet so that I can't enjoy my system, which is now finally at the point I always hoped it would be.

I have, within the last year or so, gone backwards in time re my speakers, having gone from current model Dynaudio's, to 35 year old Tannoy drivers, which I have enjoyed designing the enclosures, then having them built, and building custom outboard crossovers for them. I have never enjoyed audio as much as I do now, the involvement in building some of it, and the enjoyment of listening after a year or better working on making it sound as I'd hoped.
I love this hobby, you get back what you put into it, (well, eventually!) My hearing isn't great, but I will keep on listening, even if I have to use the Braille method. I don't think it matters much what you listen through, as long as you enjoy it.

Regards,
Dan
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I just bought new stuff. All new stuff. All midfi. i wanted it to last. The idea of buying cutting edge for one or two items just did not make sense to me anymore. i bought Bryston for the 20 year warranty. Figuring i HAVE maybe twenty years left?
The stuff made over the last 50 years has some very very nice sound. Sure a lot was junk, but a lot was really nice. I have some older things. A Rega P3 with the original Maggie unitrac arm and Dynavector Ruby 23 cart bought with it 25 years ago.. still sounds great.
Good luck!! I hope you enjoy the various setups for many years to come. Its fun!
metralla
945 posts
 
What a great post, Morgenholz.

I don't seem to sell anything and even have a 20 year old bit of LP kit in a storage locker to resurrect when I get back to Oz.

I still have a bit of an upgrade bug, but it's under control, and if I had to stop now and stay with what I own until I die, I would be happy. Even my disc buying habits have slowed down with the demise of SACD, and I mainly buy old CDs (from Japan and West Germany) from the early production runs.

Regards,
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
The answer is yes, the old stuff is good enough. The stuff from 30 years ago is too. But I didn't think so until only recently. Allow me to explain. Lately my system has been going backwards in time, aka retrograde. Please bear with me as I collect these thoughts.

The furthest up the SOTA chain I ever got was early/mid 90's Threshold and Theta separates with ProAc speakers. They're all gone now, traded to facillitate moving. It's doubtful I'll ever again assert myself to ascend those lofty peaks. In the last couple of months through lucky accidents I've stumbled upon some wonderful late 70's Sansui gear -- with head scratching results -- why do they sound so good, and how did I miss what happened way back when? I've got two theories:

1. there's a synergy to pairing the same maker's amp and speakers from the same time period; after all, the speakers are the missing links which complete the amp's circuits.

Or more likely,

2. something very special was happening in audio by the late 70's. This is recent news to me, so pardon me if I bore the already informed. Plenty of great, decently recorded music was produced during that decade. Its enjoyment was worth savoring. Makers like Kenwood, Pioneer and Sansui vigorously competed to overcome vinyl's inherent limitations in signal to noise, separation and dynamic range. Competent designers had to focus on stretching the limits of quietness and listenability. At the time there was no where else to take vinyl to make it sound better.

Fast forward to 2010 -- along comes the listener with a by comparison high rez, mid-fi CD player and what do you know, that late 70's stereo stuff, designed purposely to make vinyl more palatable, still sounds great with analog. In lucky addition, when set free of vinyl's limitations it performs miracles of overachievement on CD!

So good enough? I'm about as happy as I've ever been, I dare say moreso. I do feel foolish about all the things I once thought mattered. I'm happy to say I never lost money on any of the quality stuff I bought used. In that way I used it all for free. The new stuff is another matter, and to what degree I'm sad to recall. But in the end it's all good. I got to here and it's a good place. If a person can lay claim to admiring the system when its off and enjoying it when it's on, that's where I've come to. Good is certainly good enough to my aging ears, but on the good days it is spectacular.
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