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In Reply to: What constitutes "vintage" gear? posted by gearhunter on January 13, 2007 at 15:44:06:
For a component to be considered a classic what would be the criteria?Build quality?
Ground breaking technology?
Industrial design?
Sound quality?
Rarity?
Cost?
Manufacturers reputation?
Follow Ups:
In my mind a classic is:
- Something that is highly appreciated and sought after, many years after it was originally produced
- Often but not always widely emulated
- Often but not always regarded as a benchmark
- Often TOTL but not necessarilyA few audio examples would be AR3a, Linn LP 12, NAD 3020, Marantz 10B and Quad ESL 57. Note that the initial cost range includes BOTL & TOTL.
What you or I regard as a classic may be quite different from what other people regard as classics.
Qualities I generally look for in equipment:
- Excellent performance at its task
- Ease of use
- Silence (no noisy transformers, motors or mechanisms)
- Reliability
- Long lifespan
- Appearance that pleases me (I generally prefer simple and understated but there are exceptions)
- Enduring market value to keep the owning cost down if the day comes when I want to replace itI generally don't care if something is old or new but old classics are generally a lot more affordable than new gear of comparable quality and some of them evoke memories and the illusion that something good can last forever.
If something is outstanding enough in one area, I will accept failings in other areas. (eg Quad ESL 57's are not good looking to my eye or particularly reliable but if I could find a mint pair at a good price, I would love to have them)
Excellent answer David.
Why would I consider a Marantx 7, 9, and 10 a classic but not the 8?
Build quality? Yes for all
Ground breaking technology? Yes for the 10, some for the 9
Industrial design? Yes
Sound quality? Yes
Rarity? not the 7 or 8
Cost? High
Manufacturers reputation? Excellent
I guess the difference is that I perceive the 8B to be more common and it is not as pretty. Also the 8B was a step down from the 9's. The 7 was made in large quantities though.How about the HK Citation II amp but not the III tuner.
Ground breaking technology? Yes for the II
Industrial design? Yes
Sound quality? Yes
Rarity? Not really
Cost? High
Manufacturers reputation? Good to excellent
The difference could be the unusual circuitry in the II.
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