What bargains are there left in hifi (tomorrow's Garrard/Leak)?

[timmer]

Well Tempered Simplex....

 

[paskinn]

I'd take a small punt on the older SME 20-2. Tough, serviceable and now overshadowed by the 20/3. Could hold value well in the coming years. Some of the Japanese stuff like the Leben 300 could do well.

 

[stevec67]

I've already got a white belt, and a ceramic ball, Robert. It does sound good, even with the Dyna 10x4 of similar vintage, and was just pondering on whether a new motor and possible arm rewire would affect its "originality" in the future, and whether it's better to keep it "as is" or not. But upgrades will improve performance.
What does the Team think?

Keep the old bits, then if you choose to resell your buyer can have a better TT than standard AND a classic original, depending on which bits he screws to the thing. Having said that, a Rega is hardly the Sistine Chapel. Use it, if you think it's better with a few tweaks, get them.

 

[jamesd]

Again another vote for the NAD

3rd'd. The Brio-r that replaced it sounds better, but the NAD drove everything I ever threw at it. I've given it to a friend now, with the stipulation that they give it back before throwing it out

 

[Obi1]

I might be a little bit biased, but there are some really good Rotel amps out there. (class AB)
Pioneer integrated amps of the previous and last decade are also very good for the price.
Cyrus electronics seam to be very well put together, so I am guessing they will last also.

 

[Fox]

Amstrad Music Centres for the 80s revival crowd complete with dual cassettes and high speed copying mode. Rowr... Aha's "Take on Me" via thrice dubbed cassette and incorrect dolby on an SA90 is the real deal.

some other horrors, eagle amps. Early Sinclair amps (the kind that used to feedback into terminal oscillation unless switched off every few hours) and anything by PYE, I recall purple headphones from them in the late 70s.

...all easily the equivalent of all this modem crap plastic hifi sold today like Sonos or Apple Airport Expresses or those really shit sounding iPods/iPhones. and let's not talk about the truly horrific B&W airplay speakers, or even Bose... just ghastly.*

*this is a poor stab at humor.

 

[Fox]

£900 for a PYE Mozart

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=251419647772

An overlooked classic or a chancer? Once upon a time I would have been fascinated to hear what this would have done but these days I think if you can see it, it's probably too big.

 

[Foot Tapper]

Any really good CD player, as such things are out of fashion now and depreciate like a stone.

I'll start with a Naim CDS3

 

[paskinn]

Any really good CD player, as such things are out of fashion now and depreciate like a stone.

I'll start with a Naim CDS3

Will they be serviceable?

 

[Fox]

Will they be... serviceable?

Really this needs to be read out loud with the creepy voice of a buyer at a market eyeing up an attractive but underfed slave.

Dots added by the script doctor...