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RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good

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In Reply to: RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good posted by airtime on August 22, 2016 at 08:17:45

80's- what a great time for high end- some companies benefited from rolling around in the late 70's and perfected their designs.

American specialist manufacturers ruled with computer technology trickling down for CAD and circuit design and hard lessons learned while materials science became very sophisticated yet affordable.

Acoustat
Classe
Audio Research
Vandersteen
Oracle
Counterpoint
Krell
CJ
Spectral
NYAL
Beveridge
Martin Logan
Rowland
Forsell
etc.... etc....

Probably one of the most prolific times for "high end" audio that was just about in reach of ordinary folks.

70's was largely mass market Japanese.

Today, the android and iOS devices takeover for cheap entertainment as the numbers out of the artisan factories flounders manufacturers get desperate and add 2" thick faceplates with gold engraving for the rich overseas markets with little relationship to performance.

The days of affordable high performance audio are virtually over as mediocrity takes over, old folks hang on to vintage memories, dealers get eaten by the 2nd hand web market and money congregates in Asian and other Eastern Markets leading to increasingly unaffordable bling.

1980s good times!

Follow Ups:

I agree the 80s were best..Not only that, - Michael Samra 18:06:11 08/22/16 (0)
It's when I started to buy all the stuff that the high end audio snobs would laugh at.I would be buying Dynaco ST70s and Mk3s for 50usd to 75usd each,,,Mac 60s I was buying for 350 for my first pair from a GM shop rat.He throw in two Dyna ST70s and a Mac C24 with no glass for good measure.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken
RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good - BillH 17:15:12 08/22/16 (3)
This is a good list. To it I would add Audionics, Linn, Naim, and NAD, but of course there were others.

What happened is that the Eighties weren't the Seventies, the worst decade of the second half of the 20th century. Bad economy, bad government,bad music, bad clothes, bad hair, bad cars,bad drug and crime problems, etc. Just a real waste, most of it.
- RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good - Crazy Dave 14:03:46 08/24/16 (1)
  Bad car? My 86 Mustang GT, with its fuel-injected 5.0 Liter/ 5-speed and T-tops, was a blast to drive. Cameros, Corvettes and Turbo Regals were quite nice too!
  
  Dave
  - RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good - BillH 08:28:21 08/25/16 (0)
    I was thinking of the Plymouth Barracuda I owned after graduating from college. Hideous car.
- RE: So what did happen in the 80's that made the 70s look so good - AJ 17:43:53 08/22/16 (0)
  True enough on the era for economy, hair and politics.
  
  I got out of university in the late 80s and went through 2 recessions in 4 years after school. I was born about 10 years to late to be able to afford the stuff in the 80s that was considered SOTA- too young.
  
  Now as I'm able to afford things... high end has gotten stratospheric. You used to be able to , if you saved your pennies, afford TOTL ARC for instance, now it a bit of a joke, more like buying a Range Rover.
  
  The good news is the internet is the great equalizer and good used equipment is easy to source now. Dealers who add little value - other than place the order for a not on display piece of equipment are cast aside - good riddance. There used to be a plethora of good dealers that stocked high end and added value. Now they are few and far between , take your money for simply taking the order.
  
  I have spent many many many tens of thousands of $ at dealers - save for one -they are mostly happy to take your money and run. Unfortunately, the best dealer nearby me- the principle passed away and now is a shell of what it was.
  
  Lack of good dealers, web based economy and the cash drain to taxes and erosion of the middle class buying power = very little velocity in this category for North America.
  
  More........
  
  How about,
  
  Dayton Wright, SOTA turntables, Bedini, Electrocompaniet, Syrinx, Goldmund turntables ( surprisingly affordable compared to todays offerings) etc. cool stuff back then ..

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