I’ve been thinking about this of late and I’m hoping to start up a discussion.
Antiques of all sorts such as vintage cars are appreciating in value but this never happens in our hobby. I mean there are enough of us around for it to happen but for whatever reason it’s not worked out like that.
Many years ago I was contemplating buying a Lamborghini Diablo. At the time you could grab one in good nick for around 100k. Now they are fetching anywhere between 300-500k. Comic books, furniture, trainers (sneakers for American folks) I could go on and on.
Now I understand that some vintage gear isn’t supported by manufacturers but Naim isn’t one of those brands. So why doesn’t the value ever go up for very limited examples. Take the Naim Aro or Naim DBLs. Brilliant designs and exceptional performance even by today’s standards. All in very limited numbers and if nothing else they sell for around what they would’ve cost new .
I’d love to read other peoples take on this. I love using hifi but why hasn’t it become a collectible hobby?
LP12 springs to mind straight away lol. Another that springs to mind is the Michell Orbe, which now looks like it is discontinued. By the way you didn’t miss much by not buying the Diablo. I did own one for a year in the 1980s, a totally undrivable car in any type of urban situation. It was quick yes, but only if you had a very strong left foot (clutch) and a total belief in yourself as a very very good driver lol.
I agree that it would be nice if vintage gear was worth something more but unfortunately our hobby is a bit niche if not nerdy . Cars are where the cool kids are at.
I’ve just re-bought my first HiFi system, AIWA AD-F350 and Creek CAS4040 (See system pics). For me it’s nostalgia for a 40yr old memory. But I cheaped out and bought non-working examples which I’ve somehow brought back to life. I think vintage gear is a niche within a niche.
If I had the space I’d love a collection of AIWA tape decks and a Technics stack from the 80s maybe my old Audiolab setup, But I don’t have the space and I’ve other things to spend on, so I don’t aspire to it. I suspect many are in the same boat. Plus getting stuff repaired will get harder as engineers retire. Electronic components are easy enough to source but mechanical bits once broken can’t often be replaced I.e. if the logic board on an Olive pre breaks then what do you do? Naim CD transports
Plus, technology has moved on, today’s system are so much better why listen to old tech. I could go on.
Some vintage kit has appreciated a lot over recent years; for example, look at Garrard 301s and 401s, Thorens TD124s, LS3/5as, JBLs, even old Naim kit. Twenty five years ago you could buy a nice pair of early Rogers LS3/5as for a few hundred pounds - these days the same pair of gold label Rogers would go for £3k. A nice pair of JBL 4343s could be bought for about £1,500 - now you need to pay at least £8-10k. The last NAIT I bought was one that was being sold locally for £200. That was in 2016. You would have to pay at least double or even triple that these days. SME 3009s used to be almost given away. You could pick one up for £20-30 for ages and then suddenly they were £100, then £200, then £300, then…
And don’t start me on how much Tape machines, whether R2R or good quality cassette, have appreciated in value. It wasn’t that long ago that they were practically being given away. Not any more!
Very true but I was idly looking at eBay and there’s a AIWA 990 in working condition for about £650 which I would probably go for. It would never get the use it deserves though. It does make me wonder about the tech though. I’m not an oficienado in any way but as I understand it the 990 does a test record, playback and then automatically works out the bias (and other?). Did other decks of the period do this?
A R2R would be the ultimate though, if only the space
You’ve opened my eyes a little bit. I didn’t know there was any gear that’s tripled in value. Speaking of tape decks the only one I’ve desired is the Nakamichi Dragon but even that can be had for less than double of what it would have cost. Once you adjust for inflation it’s about the same as it was in the 90s.
I agree it still happens to hifi if the gear is classic enough.
Can’t believe myself spent £7-8k for an almost 40 years old Naim system. But I just love its outlook, sound performance the modern one doesn’t offer, and how it is still 100% serviceable.
Car guys are far more outspoken than geeky audiophiles, nature of the hobby.
I would look at a 770 instead of the 990. You lose the auto REC level but in my experience it sounds better - I think the 990 suffers from having too much in the signal chain. You still get 3 heads, dual capstans, auto calibration etc.. Otherwise, the 660 is also excellent, keeping the 3 heads and dual capstans, but with simpler metering, and manual bias calibration only.
I bought my ZX-9 for around £500 secondhand around 20 years ago and sold it for many times that about 5 years ago (admittedly it had just had a full service and re-cap by Bowers & Wilkins).
I can only confirm @Richard.Dane’s comment and have noted for some time that some well-regarded dealers in “vintage design” products (furniture, lighting, decoration) are now also adding a “vintage audio” section to their assortment. The selling prices speak for themselves, too. Apparently, there is a bright future for vintage audio equipment.
and that’s why the olives and chrome bumpers are still very much wanted, “sound performance the modern one doesn’t offer”. Once you get past a certain level it’s just a ‘different sound!
. Cars are where the cool kids are at.
