old Hi Fi

argonsixar · Dec 29, 2014

its my youngest's 18th birthday on Wednesday and she wants some sounds for her party. So I just dug out my old Rotel Amp from the loft. Its been up there 20 years and I bought it in 1980 so its a bit long in the tooth. Hooked it up to a set of not quite as old Wharfedale 420 speakers and plugged in an Ipod. My kids have been blown away by the sound and cannot believe the tone and power it gives.

They have modern stuff in their rooms, but they cannot believe how much better the old stuff sounds.

What is up with modern Hi Fi kit ?

My_Teenage_Self · Dec 29, 2014

I have an old Cambridge Audio AV amp (had CA amps for years) and some old eltax floor standers, with a no-name sub; so nothing high end. A workmate was bellowing about his new soundbar, and how it was so, *like* TOTALLY amazing...

I invited him round and turned mine upto 11.

He hasn't mentioned his since. I pointed him towards richer sounds.

xerxes · Dec 29, 2014

Re:

There is some excellent modern stuff about, class D/switching amps, chip amps, USB DACs, etc., but I think there's also a lot of dross. Sound-bars, wireless/Bluetooth speakers, iPod docks, etc. where you pay a lot for convenience and connectivity, but the sound is very ordinary and probably no better than the radio cassette ghetto blasters that were about 30 years ago.

DAB is another complete waste of time for anything but a portable radio. Connect a DAB tuber to a "proper Hi-Fi" it sounds worse than a 20 year old half decent FM tuner, because the DAB signal is very compressed and only the same quality as a low bit rate MP3 file.

Progress? :?

secret_squirrel · Dec 29, 2014

I agree was in John Lewis today and was gobsmacked that the latest trend seems to be sound bars and bluetooth portable speakers - both useless lifestyle products. not that the old hifi industry was much better but a least stereo separation got a nod!

Bats · Dec 30, 2014

In all honesty most people were still buying rubbish back in the 80s, it just looked more impressive because it was big enough to count as furniture.

mattr · Dec 30, 2014

People are more interested in the toys than the sound.

Stuff that sounds good is now top end only, you have to go to a stereo shop.
Stuff with toys sells at most of the high street shops.

FWIW my last amp only had 3 buttons and two dials.........

xerxes · Dec 30, 2014

Re:

Many years ago, when I was about 17, I had a Saturday job in Dixons when they were selling the stuff in the picture above. It was generally very poor, some of the really cheap stuff was essentially the innards of a portable radio cassette in a big box so that it looks like something more impressive and expensive, in much the same way that a Supermarket £99.99 full suspension bicycle is made to look like something much better than it is.

My amp has one button:

But there are two of them.

mattr · Dec 30, 2014

Three, you'll have a pre-amp hiding somewhere........

cce · Dec 30, 2014

Modern hi-fi kit is ace. Expensive though and not that much ace-er than my stack of late 80s-mid90s gear

but most people now just want to play their ipod loud enough for the room to hear. Nothing to do with hi-fi

xerxes · Dec 30, 2014

Re:

Three, you'll have a pre-amp hiding somewhere

Indeed, and that has 2 knobs on it, so I have 2 buttons and 2 knobs in total.

old Hi Fi

argonsixar

Retro Guru

My_Teenage_Self

xerxes

Old School Grand Master

secret_squirrel

Senior Retro Guru

Bats

Senior Retro Guru

mattr

Old School Grand Master

xerxes

Old School Grand Master

mattr

Old School Grand Master

cce

xerxes

Old School Grand Master

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