Best looking vintage Hifi gear

I have never had the occasion to listen to the legendary Audionote Ongaku integrated, released in 1989. 80 k dollars when launched.
Maybe someone heard it here ?

image

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I remember hearing a six figure Audionote (using valves) system at a show. It was so good, that if the cellist changed the bow, you could detect it.

So my answer is possibly

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Armstrong 521 unreliable? Never! Had one for many years, and the lovely tuner. Beautiful looking kit.

On topic, don’t see a Dragon on top another Dragon very often!

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Hi The Naim cassette unit used a German Papst transport and was sounding pretty good, It didn’t go fwd as the costings just did not add up- I might have a photo somewhere will check!

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OMG … incredible … the machine that serenaded my schoolboy years … when it wasn’t chewing tapes, it was playing them at varispeed. Slower, never faster. The speakers sounded of … well, plastic :slight_smile: I discovered that by pressing the tiny lever at the back of the tape compartment I could use the mighty 2.5w amp and speakers to connect an external deck via the din input, and at least play my tapes at the correct speed. In my first year at university I blew my grant on a wonderful JVC KD720 deck … but still used the old Philips as an amp system. However, that was not for long!!

The KD720 was my first proper new hifi purchase, lusted after it for a while before purchase, and I still have it in the loft … it deserves a pic of its own … will try to sort this.

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What does Anthony Michaelson, Tim de Paravicini, and Pentagram have in common?

My handsome looking Musical Fidelity A1.
Class A integrated amp which can grill steaks.

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Snap, a lovely amp, but with very uninteresting tape/TT. Used annually to play a few albums from my teenage years, hence stuck in a cupboard.

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What is the screen on the turntable for?

Do you mean the perspex cover? To be honest, that area is also where all my fluffy jumpers go, which go wonderfully with the stylus :wink:

I think he meant the “control panel” looking thing in the recessed area on the front.

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I’d like to think it looks a little like a CDI with top loading mechanism and olive controls for transport, record level etc.

Big LED counter display too!

Exactly

I think It
indicates the size of record and that the rotation frequency is locked

Very uninteresting I’m afraid. Remember this is 1980’s so there is just a single led that lights when the server reaches the correct speed. It was the model after that actually lit up the record size. I suppose you could say the LED is Naim green, so that should gain it a point :blush:

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It serves no real purpose. If I recall, it was mainly there to visually match in with other Sansui units (amps and cassette decks and tuners) which all had that scooped style display panel.

Personally, my most recent enquiry and own restored JVC Victor M-L10 power amp


It has the look I want that screams vintage, Huge VU meters and a rosewood case

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Now that is a lovely bit of kit that I’m sure gives the user the warm fuzzies.

How did you restore it? Recap it yourself?