Longest-owned system or component on the Forum?

Still dreaming of Lotto win and upgrade my vintage kit

32.5 - 1986
Hi-Cap - 1986
250 - 1987
Isobariks - 1988

Denis

Can we have images of these old items - particularly the Aiwa ADF770 (I love late 70s/early 80s casette decks - still want a Pioneer CTF900).

My oldest component in age terms is:
Akai CR81D 8track cartridge recorder, 1972 (got this in 1998).


...followed by my 1983 Technics RSB85 3 head tape deck (which has a temperamental transport); a 1985 Technics SLP2 CDP (given to me free) and a 1988 Toshiba something CDP (another freebie) - the Tosh'll play a CD that gets stuck in almost any other player it's ever been in (it's worked in a 99 quid Saisho!) - even my Naim CD5 clicks a bit on it (but doesn't stick!).

The oldest component for LENGTH of time in my system is probably my Pioneer CT447 tape deck, bought off of a mate in 1996. He bought it new in 1990 and it only had maybe 3000 hours on it - never put a foot wrong either.

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Anderson:
While I'm feeling nostalgic, can anyone remember the old Conneiseur BD1 turntable? Came as a kit and you had to make your own plinth for it.

No arm (although Conneisseur made one) I think many owners fitted a top-of-the-range (at the time) SME pick up arm.


I wonder if any of those turntables are still going?

Dave.

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Dave

My first system was a Connoisseur BD2 (with Arm & forgotten cartridge), Metrosound Amplifier and Kef Chorale Speakers. My Grandad made a pair of oversized wooden tables to sit the Kef's on. A vast improvement on my Dad's Ferguson Radiogram.

Denis

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Originally posted by DenisA:
Metrosound Amplifier

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What was it like? My first 8track player (got in 1998 about a month before the Akai) was a Metrosound - but the head was shot...

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Dave Anderson,
I can confirm that at least 1 Connoiseur BD1 still exists. Following your post I dragged it down from the loft, blew some of the dust off it and plugged it in. It still works! I stopped using it many years ago when I managed to drop something onto it an bend the Mayware Formula4 arm.

As for the oldest piece of kit I own that is still in use, this has to be the Koetsu Red which I bought 2nd hand in 1981 and Len Gregory has managed to keep going.

Pete L

quote:

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Originally posted by domfjbrown:

quote:

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Originally posted by DenisA:
Metrosound Amplifier

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What was it like? My first 8track player (got in 1998 about a month before the Akai) was a Metrosound - but the head was shot...

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

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Dom,

I'm afraid my memory is not that good, especially as the Amp was bought circa 1972. The sound would have been great for my first system, after my Dad's Radiogram.

WRT Akai, I think I still have in the Loft an Akai Reel to Reel Tape Deck bought in 1974.

Denis

Nat01 from 1988
Meridian 200/203 from 1991
Isobariks from c. 1981
Celestion County (sealed box!)speakers from 1973
Arcam delta 150 TV tuner from 1991
Nad 3020 from 1983

All the above still in regular daily use

Laurie S

All my stuff (apart from CD3.5/FC) is chrome bumper. With all you guys with this old stuff, I'm amazed that Naim can keep going.

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With all you guys with this old stuff

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At least as far as I'm concerned, the 'old' stuff gets filtered down to the second or even third system and Naim keeps going because 'new' stuff gets added to the main system. How many other manufacturers can boast of customers with 9 or more of their expensive boxes in one home?

Blimey, how many systems have you guys got?!!!

In my case too many, 5 at last count. Just can not seem to part with Naim gear.

Maybe Naim should offer shares of the company based on the number of systems one owns?

Taking the original question to mean "what is the oldest piece of kit still in use in your main system"

The oldest for me is my LP12 from 1989 - it cost about £700 brand new, including arm (Linn Basik) and cartridge (Linn K5) since replaced by a Linn Ittok and DVX20 - plus a few other upgrades. It needs new hinges though!

Equal to that is my NAP140 which feeds extra speakers in dining room etc. That's also from 1989.

2nd oldest item is my Hi-Cap which I bought new in 1992.
That's about to be replaced by a Supercap to run the SNAXO 3-6 so the Hi-Cap will then be redundant..

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

The oldest piece is a Revox headphone from 1981. Still doing service.

Rob.

Just been retired from my study system. Akai B110 amp . Bought in 1981 and still working.

Colin

My chrome bumper system Jez, is my main system. I do have a second system with 42.5/110 though. I've just sold a 160 that dated from 1976, although I only had it a mere 15 years.

Come to think of it, I have an Akai 4000DS reel to reel tape deck in the loft that I bought in 1974-75, and a Pioneer PL12D TT of around the same era.

quote:

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Originally posted by Laurie Saunders:
Arcam delta 150 TV tuner from 1991

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That's an incredibly (well, FAIRLY!) rare item there Laurie - hang onto it

I want a Neal or Arcam tape deck, but the CTF900 I mentioned earlier will do - should I ever find one fully intact.

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

I am too young to really contest here,
but my conviction that NAIM is good is based on
a Naim Nait 1 which I bought in 1986.
With a gap of maybe total 4 years out of 17(when I was travelling/living abroad).
It was alway turned on, I spend in average about one hour per day listening to music, until 1999 this was my only system. Then I had money, I am in Europe... I bought some upgrades.
Until December 2003 the Naim did then its service in the Kitchen/daily living room with a lot of latin american music - several hours a day. As it is used there so much i replaced it now with a hicaped 32.5 (nearly as old as the Nait).
Only problem for some time, as I never touched the balance in that years, there was a contact problem, I thought service was necessary, went to a dealer, he played 20 seconds with the balance and volume nots - and it was perfect again.

Others will have similar experience.

Congratulations to Naim for such equipment.

Like Mike, I've had my ears for as long as I can remember (May '60 but I can't find the serial number!).
HiFi-wise my Mk 1 Kans are my oldest item (bought new mid 80's).
Music-wise I've got my horseshoe magnet Ricky 4001 bought s/h around '77.

Paul Rowlands

My oldest piece of hi fi is a Phillips CD player CD304 brought in 1984. It is still in use with my naim amp and speakers and still sounds good.

Any takers for whos got the oldest/earliest/rarest piece of Naim kit on this forum?

I suppose the real question is 'longest owned' and 'still used'.

In about 1977/1978 I had a Connisseur BD-2 [with its own arm and a Shure M75ED], Quad 33/303 and Quad [original] electrostatics.

I still have all of this stuff but the only bits I still use are the speakers [also, there was a gap of about 10 years when I did not use them, since I was afraid my son would electocute himeself with them].

I used the Quad 33/303 continually from 1977 to about 2 yaers ago when I replaced it with Naim 32.5/SNAPS/250.

James

P.S. I have a really old pair of home-made speakers using EMI-350 [??] drive units [as far as I can remember]. I built them in 1975/1976. Since I knew very little about speakers I made the boxes 2' x 1' x 1' [which I now know is bad for standing waves]. I used these speakers until I bought the Quads ....

P.P.S. My tendency has never been to look for a balanced system. I buy the best component I can afford and upgrade things as they wear out or I have spare cash.


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Old piece of kit I have is my very first turntable, a Thorens 166 MkII, I bought new in 1983 with my first summer work wages (phew, that makes 20 years down the line!). I don't use it anymore, but she's safely packed in its original box.

Oldest piece of kit currently in use: my Thorens TD124 from 1962, obviously not purchased new by me, I wasn't even born

Jean-Marc

[QUOTE]Originally posted by James Hamilton:
I suppose the real question is 'longest owned' and 'still used'.QUOTE]

I realise that was the original question , but I was just interested in who had the oldest peice of Naim equipment (for historical interest) , and what it was .

Ani ideas anyone?