Vintage hifi gear

wozzizname

wozzizname

wozzizname

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Does anyone here use vintage hifi gear ?

I recently unearthed my Dad's old gear, which seems to be quite well regarded and collectible these days, and was wondering if it was worth having it serviced to use myself, or whether to sell it and get something current.

It is a Garrard 301 turntable, SME12" arm and an Ortofon SPU-GT cartridge (bit of a monster..).
 
Do you listen to vinyl if so give it a go if not flog it I wouldn't risk starting a vinyl addiction at this point in history!
 
wozzizname said:
Does anyone here use vintage hifi gear ?

I recently unearthed my Dad's old gear, which seems to be quite well regarded and collectible these days, and was wondering if it was worth having it serviced to use myself, or whether to sell it and get something current.

It is a Garrard 301 turntable, SME12" arm and an Ortofon SPU-GT cartridge (bit of a monster..).
Click to expand...

Your dad bought some very hi-end gear which is still sought after today. As with all things vintage though, condition plays a massive part in the value. The only way to be sure that the gear is still in good working condition, and hence to gauge its value, is to have it appraised and serviced by an expert in the field. Garrards use an idler wheel to drive the platter. The wheel is rubber and won't last forever. The motor, drive electronics and the platter bearings are the next things to have a look at. Finally the rubber mushrooms that act as suspension.

301's are a bit like owning a classic car. The condition can range from conquers condition down to a complete basket case. Fully restoring something at the "needs some attention" end of the scale can set you back a grand. Selling the deck "as is" might yield as little as a £150. It all depends on condition and the amount of work (read as money) required to bring it up to standard.

12" SMEs are nice but not particularly rare. Ortofon SPU-GT's are nice. However you'd need to have the state of the rubber suspension as well as the condition of the diamond checked before letting it loose on any vinyl.

If I was in your shoes, I'd invest £200 and have the deck serviced and appraised. You'll have a better idea then what you've got and its potential value. http://www.classichifi-shop.co.uk/ If it's in decent running condition then you'd be hard pressed to buy anything new south of £800 that would equal it.

If you're looking for an alternative deck that's plentiful, inexpensive and easy to set up and use then one of the Regas (Planar 2, Planar 3, P2, P3) or a Pro-ject from the usual used sources will set you back anything from £100 to £500 depending on model, tone arm, cartridge and condition. A dealer service and set-up would cost around £50-£80 with belt and oil.
 
Thanks Lucid, that was very useful. I'll try and set it up and give it a play to see what happens, then take it from there. Do you happen to know where I could have the cartridge serviced ?

Having inherited the 301 as well as the Gyrodec (and a Leak stereo 20, and an Audio Innovations series 500 amp) I'm not sure of the best way forward,as I also have my own Roksan Kandy mk1 amp. Bit of a mish-mash of gear !
 
With something like the Ortofon I'd start by asking on the specialist and DIY Hi-Fi forums. There's likely to be some folk on there running esoteric stuff so they'll know the better businesses in the trade to contact.

Have a look at Pinkfish and Hi-Fi Wigwam for starters
www.pinkfishmedia.net/ www.hifiwigwam.com/
 
The valve stuff is nice gear but high maintenance, Depending on how the amps are used then revalving may or may not be needed yet.

The nice thing about big proper valve amps is the way they move electrons. It's much faster than the switching in solid state amps, and that's why valves have a reputation for a wonderfully fluid midrange. Treble will be a bit rolled off and bass isn't quite as hard hitting as transistors can achieve. It's not bad by any means, but they do need some very high efficiency horn loaded speakers to get transistor level volumes.

Of the two valve amps my guess would be that the Audio Innovations 500 / Border Patrol amp is the better of the two. Having said that though, the Leak Stereo 20 is the pick of the bunch from Leaks range, so your dad chose very well.

It's interesting that you have two turntables (Gyrodec and Garrard) and two valve amps. Were those two separate systems or upgrades to one?

Final thoughts for now, the Gyrodec would be fairly easy to partner with your Roksan amp. If it doesn't already have a cartridge installed then you put a Moving Magnet cartridge in the Michell then you can use input 3 on the Roksan and switch it to the MM setting. An Ortofon 2M Blue for around £130 would fit the bill quite nicely.
 
a1ex2001 said:
...... I wouldn't risk starting a vinyl addiction at this point in history!
Click to expand...

Why not?
There is more new vinyl now than there has been for many years both re-releases and new release, plus remaster HQ (read expensive) pressings... most new albums now seem to be available on vinyl again :eek:...
Plus there's a wealth of used items in various shops around the country....

Add to that the hardware situation hasn't looked so healthy in decades...
It's niche for sure, a profitable one and growing... CD is dying and you often get a download voucher inside the LP sleeve.....

Seems as good a time as any :p
 
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