More and more people are discovering the outstanding sound, build quality and reliability of vintage hi-fi. Their popularity has risen steadily over the last decade and some are now priced far above their modern counterparts. With this blog, we want to give space to the excellent instruments of yesteryear. In these posts, we'll showcase the outstanding hi-fi, audiophile and high fidelity equipment of the 60s, 70s and 80s, equipment that still makes their owners proud today.
It is difficult to walk past a classic Accuphase component without stopping for a closer look. Not because it is loud or designed to demand attention. Quite the opposite: there is a particular sense of calm about it. The champagne-gold faceplate, softly illuminated meters and reassuring movement of its switches suggest a different way of thinking...
Is your amplifier humming, but you are not sure whether it is caused by a cable fault, ground loop, or a more serious electronic problem? I have collected the most common causes to help you identify when a simple cable change may be enough, and when it is better to bring the unit in for service.
There is something truly special about the moment a reel-to-reel tape recorder comes to life. The two reels begin to turn slowly, the tape gently stretches across the heads, and the warm orange glow of the VU meters seems to breathe along with the music. This is no longer simple music listening. This is a ritual.
Like many, I thought Pink Triangle was long gone. This company, after all, wallows in the glory of being a part of the 'cottage industry', a brand unlikely ever to reach an annual turnover of nine figures, employees in the thousands and its own hall at the Internationalen Funkausstellung. Indeed, with hand on heart, I'm genuinely amazed that Pink...
Founded in 1926 by Guy R. Fountain in London as the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company, Tannoy—a portmanteau (footnote 1) of "tantalum" and "alloy," after a tantalum-lead alloy used in rectifiers—took on its current commercial identity in 1928. Through the war years and beyond, the company specialized in public-address (PA) systems. Indeed, today,...
The Fisher 400 tube receiver may not be the easiest vintage amplifier to find, but it is well worth the effort to have it restored.
The Philips Motional Feedback (MFB) loudspeaker has been mentioned a number of times in these pages over recent years. The company achieved considerable success with both its first- and second-generation models, including the 22RH544, but in the UK at least, the third generation is less commonly encountered. The AH585 seen here is the smallest of...
