I LOVE VINTAGE. Of my four motorcycles, which included a beloved 1958 Triumph T20 Tiger Cub, the 1989 Honda NT650 is the newest. Of my dozen or so guitars, my 1964 Strat and 1966 D-18 are the undisputed stars, while a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb guitar amp is the apple of my ear. I’ll never part with any of these; just pile them upon my bier when the time comes. But vintage hi-fi? Vintage hi-fi?
I lived vintage hi-fi, and it wasn’t all rainbows and ponies. I loved my heavily modified Dynaco Stereo 70 tube power amps (a pair, bridged), but they were finicky as hell, consumed kilowatt/ hours like Charles Bukowski at an open bar, and heated my third-floor walkup to heroically Finnish levels. My Thorens TD-125/Rabco setup was stone-cold S.O.T.A. when you got all the geometry dialed in just so, which happened two and even three times per year.
So, vintage audio—not so much. But modern, vintage-look gear is another story, one that is indeed fast becoming, as they say, a thing. For just two examples, the rebirth of KLH features a ‘70s throwback-look reimagining of the iconic Model 3, and Canadian stalwart PSB is doing the same dance with a visually authentic but thoroughly modernly re-engineered version of its original design.
NAD, another Canadian and indeed a corporate stablemate to PSB, is now doing the vintage, with a Limited Edition C 3050 LE streaming integrated amplifier. Visually, the C 3050 LE, is not shy about its “vintage” vibe: a deep black front panel with gold graphics in flowing script proudly re-states the “New Audio Dimension” label, a moniker that dates from the firm’s birth in 1972 but was abandoned relatively soon thereafter.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2023-utgaven av Sound & Vision.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Big Clean
Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.
Full-Featured 4K
THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.
Party Animal
FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
BACK TO THE GARDEN
AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.
Big Sound, Small Price
DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.
Stand and Deliver
IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.
