Kevin Answers Your Questions- New Vs Vintage, Why He Avoids Describing Sound & Wattage Ratings!

Thank you for all the questions! Hopefully we can get more answered in the future. Thank you for watching!
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[@jakefiersing]

Kevin, as a german and non-native english speaker, I appreciate your clear enunciation. As a lot of interesting items are presented in english on YT, which I experience to be a lot more exhausting to follow , I have realized the comfort of listening to you during this video today. Thank you . 🙏👍🤗

[@DavidDarrow]

Well said man! Sound being subjective is huge! It's just a FACT that what sounds good to one person may not to another. For those that may not understand that, here's a little experiment. Sit in front a your system or even your TV, and reach behind your ear, and just slightly manipulate the shape of your ear and notice the difference it makes. Then take a look at the fact that no two ears look alike. And that's just one tiny element of our auditory system. Don't be like me and waste years reading reviews, and looking at charts trying to find the gear that is the most perfect. It's all a waste of time. Find what sounds good to YOU in YOUR space. Then just ENJOY THE MUSIC. Chasing gear and the "perfect" sound is a futile effort.

[@Mikexception]

Final tool for hearing is brain. Brain does job which in audio does speaker. Ear shape is surrounding ear membrane which we should treat as microphone . Every human brain individualy adopts own transformation to "used " individual ear shape. This way different people have common recognition of say natural sounds if it's pleasing or dismay. Problem was created when people started to argue about speakers which are not natural sound sources. Nobody can describe how sounds speaker - they are not comparable and depend on delivered signal . Their final quality is no own sounding at all it is something nature would not alow. . But with ear shapes it is like in tape recorder - you may use different heads with very differnt electrical parameters size and look but with designed to it internal preamp correction, it will always result in right equaliization. Brain has of course bigger almost infinite possibility to adopt and does it dayly

[@michellevey9608]

Local vintage speakers! You're so very, very right!!! The absolute best value out there!

[@jefftobin4034]

Kevin, great video. In support of your comments on power ratings of speakers vs. amps: You can do far more damage to a speaker by driving them with a low wattage amp that is in clipping (in an attempt to get higher volume from the pair) than from a high wattage amp that is comfortably creating high volume without clipping.

[@DriveResultsRealty]

Yes! You are completely correct about vintage gear not aging or sounding the same. I've had 5 Klipsch Heresy pairs and each one sounded very different from the others. I'm guessing that over the decades some internal parts were upgraded, or worn, or replaced, or were no longer in spec. So when you find vintage gear that you love the sound of, hang onto it forever because you can't presume that you could find that exact sound again.

[@MarkRDKing]

Thanks! The beauty of art is in the eyes of the beholder, the beauty of audio is in the hearing of the beholder.

[@skylabsaudio]

💯

[@debbieverret4033]

Please keep doing these great videos, it allows those who are thinking of building a system the opportunity to choose between vintage and new. Nothing is greater than your word of mouth.

[@NCislander]

Completely enjoy all you have to say on equipment, sound, listening environments, opinions. These kind of YT episodes are very interesting. -Thanks Kevin

[@louisperlman8030]

Kevin, your honesty wrt the listening room situation is very much appreciated. But your basement at least looks pretty cool in the video.

[@bdisaac1]

Just knowing your personal reference gear is helpful…gives us some insight on what top tier gear to look for. Thanks for your expertise.

[@NicoloEugelmi001]

Your training and transparency will make you a legend.

[@bigdan2828ify]

Wow, you picked my question to answer.... and I was mainly referring to vintage companies still around today vs the old days. Like, these NAD or Marantz all in one with screens... nobody will want this stuff 20 years from now as most of the tech will be obsolete at that point. I definitely respect your views and the way you approach audio topics. I envy all the gear I see and keep up the great job.

[@mileshigh1321]

Nice one! Lots of good questions and answers! like others said, please make more like this! Maybe you could talk about setting up the cartridge and stylus, IE are all those protractors and height gauges really necessary etc! Of course the tracking force being the most important set up!

[@fabieneldridge3414]

My old Marantz 2325 hasn’t been turned off in a month ! I’ve left it on . Sounds Great, pushing Klipsch K- horns and Belle’s for over 30 years ! Rocks !

[@michellevey9608]

You totally hit it with the consumer grade thing!

[@joemartin6439]

You are wonderful , I have learned all you say it took years for me to get it , thanks for put it out for public knowledge

[@davidbailey6350]

Great video Kevin… I have a SX737 I bought in 76, and for 35 watts it’s amazing. With my heresy twos hooked up to it, it has all power I need…

[@leonardblush2557]

Fellow 737 owner. Such wonderful bass and easy but articulate mids and highs. Responsive tone controls. Non-fatiguing. Tried out a nice separate phono stage, but the on-board stage won out. It's a cold dead hands item.

[@Phil-pq4ks]

SX-780 here. Absolutely love the Soundstage presence.

[@lesterdiamond6190]

This has to be my fav new discovery channel on YT. Prompted me to clean up my Marantz 2250 , add a Sub, pull some guitars off the wall and enjoy some music. I don’t care what other people think about this speaker vs that speaker.. my setup sounds good in the space I have to work with, and that’s all that matters.

[@kevinyoung2431]

If they ever re-make The Hunt for Red October, I want you listening to the sonar.

[@LakeNipissing]

But Kevin... I connected my Pioneer SX-1280 to a pair of 'Yorx' speakers with 10 W 'rating' and they only played for a minute before there was a puff of smoke from each 6 inch 'full range' driver, and now they are silent.

[@skylabsaudio]

I think you needed more power for your Yorx. Very demanding speakers ;)

[@karaDee2363]

Another great video Kevin, and honest as always... I totally agree with you with everything you said...

[@skylabsaudio]

Thanks Karen!

[@harlest71]

I think it's very hard to review these amplifiers from the good ol days. The room and whats in it has soooo much to do with the sound. I recently got rid of some furniture in my Living room and that changed the sound but I still enjoy it. Thanks Kevin for another awesome video

[@skylabsaudio]

Thank you. Agree, as soon as we tore the carpet out of our living room and went to hard woods (even with a rug) I immediately stopped listening to as much music. Sounds horrible

[@mr1enrollment]

Yes: the room is incredibly important. Perhaps second only to your ears.

[@spacemissing]

Anything with surface-mount parts (SMD) is more difficult to repair, particularly by someone with semi-clumsy hands like mine. Point-to-point and through-hole are So much easier. As for the matter of audio power: If you can get it to play CLEAN and louder than you would ever like it to be with the volume set at no more than two-thirds of the way from minimum, that's good enough.

[@michaelwright1602]

Thank you Kevin! Another well presented video.

[@jim010109]

Great video, some very interesting points.

[@alanblock3538]

Awesome video Sir.. Great info regarding wattage matching.. Thx..

[@fullwaverecked]

I just picked up a pair of JBL L56s at a local thrift shop for $13.00. I just stood there blinking. I thought i was hallucinating...

[@marks.2909]

New subscriber,…..Thoughts of a vintage receiver never entered my mind until I came across a Pioneer SX-5590 receiver. It’s been refurbished by a competent tech I use it in a office system driving a pair of TeKton Lore speakers, the paring between the TeKton speakers and Pioneer is eye blinking spectacular , shockingly good omg . The rest of the system is AfterDark music server / streamer , Denafrips 12 Anniversary Venus II , action video game play the sound quality I’ve never experienced this before ever ,… Having owned Boulder electronics , Magico speakers including an array of other high end components the shocking experience I am experiencing with this vintage receiver driving entry level speakers and source is shocking how good it sounds ,..

[@passacaglia28]

I appreciate your honestly. I LOVE your videos!

[@sonicd57]

Hey Kevin.. Thanks for selecting and addressing my question(s) I will take your recommendation 👍 and thanks for creating an awesome channel here

[@larrysmith5413]

Superb video as always.

[@dankingjr.2088]

Excellent perspective on sound. We all have a different ear and different expectations. Good call and good video.

[@ethimself5064]

This was a great production/Thanks/And I enjoyed it a lot. Currently running a 97 vintage Yamaha system 5.1 in stereo mode with Yamaha speakers and still working great. Back in the 70's and 80's I had expensive equipment and they sounded great. I am taking my time learning the new equipment, terminology/RMS vs Discrete power, I an still fond of the RMS of ir still exists and the headroom etc etc.👍 - 👍

[@TheKeymaster316]

I don’t blame you a bit for not being specific about sound. Just the conversation on some sites illicit some pretty amazing arguments. Some people think using equalizers is patently absurd and I have them on every system in my house and vehicle. Also, the way I have my current setup laid out in my room, it sounds perfect if you’re sitting in the chair in front of the speakers. Standing up, nowhere near as good, especially the bass. It’s hard to describe but that’s part of setting up you speakers in your listening room, you have to play around with it until you get it right. Keep the videos coming , I really enjoy them.

[@lamarw9901]

Good stuff as always. Thank you for sharing other sources of information. PS labs is a good one. I'd enjoy deeper dives when the topic comes up. The other catch with reviewing vintage equipment is you don't know what has been replaced, how the equipment has been treated , or if something is well out of spec. At least the reviewers of new equipment on youtube have fresh items. Reviewers will admit sound changes with break in. Steve Guttenberg pointed out sound changes with playing time in his Magnepan LRS vs LRS+ video. I've also watched where they were surprised with how much something changes with break in. I watch their videos to get an understanding on the character of a speaker or amp but I don't have their ears or their space. Vintage will be broken in but I've been in 20 year old car systems where the same system sounded terrible and the other sounded as it should,

[@humanwaveform]

Skylabs Anechoic chamber when? Seriously though, love these videos, always learn something new.

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Interesting video Kevin ... First ... on speaker wattage ratings ... most speakers specify a range of power. They will say 10 watts to 100 watts, for example. Initially this was intended to be a guideline where the 10 watt lower limit was to avoid clipping which even at low power can damage some tweeters and the upper 100 watt limit was intended to avoid overheating of the woofer voice coil in constant high level use. In general, so long as your amplifier is someplace between the two power ratings you should have nothing to worry about. Second ... vintage vs modern speakers. It's very simple: there is no replacement for displacement. Larger woofers move more air with less effort. The trend to smaller drivers and tall skinny speakers requires speakers with longer excursions (more movement) and that causes all kinds of issues with linearity and frequency response. If you compare analysis graphs for an older 12" woofer with a modern 6 inch woofer you will discover the 12 incher almost always has smoother response and a more gentle downward transition above it's crossover point ... and that's because it moves less to produce the same output. So, yes, many vintage speakers with their giant woofers have more 'oomph" and "soul" than the modern ones.

[@raygarafano3633]

Great vidz Kevin! A Pioneer sx650 w volume str8 up pushes about 17.5 watts, YET it very nicely drove my cerwin vega SL-12's I was very impressed. So any good rcvr pushing 35 to 50 watts would be plenty even at half volume.

[@ripjones5294]

Excellent installment ! I completely agree with your statement about "Soul". While an IC can boast about component density in a smaller package, there is something about seeing the individual discrete components of vintage gear. Technology is driving this movement. As we want the latest technology, we are almost assured that things are made disposable. I can see the need for probably four or five more "installments" on the horizon. Take care....Rip

[@raygarafano3633]

I think the newbies have no real idea yet as to what a given amount of power will sound like. When I bought an SX650 I hooked it to a pair of SL-12s, at half volume or st8 up I was putting out 17.5 watts and had plenty of volume, good clean crisp highs and throaty tight bass nice mids... so it goes that with very good spkrs and a decent rcvr one would have a very good core of the system.

[@joemartin6439]

Wish you can hear my room is perfect, it has taking years buying dogs , selling it in 6 months, finding a cheap system . I loved Alter threater of sound . 14 Watts in my room will blow you away

[@brunorazum3724]

love your videos, dedication, and you truly have voice and style that is not boring… could listen you for hours… and your background is ok, i mean video background…just put some backlight that separates you from background, and it will be perfect 👍

[@rondickinson8741]

Keep the videos coming you've become my favorite KZbinr or b****** equipment and audio gear thank you for your time

[@skylabsaudio]

Appreciate it!

[@ianyates7742]

I totally agree with what you’re saying vintage class, a class a B sounds nice most class D sound artificial, cold and heartless. And that is why I run a kt88 tube amp and an old class AA technics transistor amplifier along will a lot of old vintage 70s 80s hi-fi equipment I do have a nice Cambridge cd player. But I love my vinyl and I love switching out turntable’s

[@Mikexception]

Agree with you. I was hunting for better than my achieved in 70ties and lost later sound and after trying all modern stuff includiing home theater and realy big speaker sets I managed to make it. But to my complete surprize to found that I had to go back to 70 ties with all the same old stuff and old ideas. Even size and look of my vary vintage system is simmilar. . Hopefully I learned something within 50 years 😁

[@ianyates7742]

@@Mikexception this audio disease we have court can be very frustrating and costly fortunately, I only wasted my money once on one class d amp managed to sell it on and didn’t loose to much money. If you can afford it try a valve amp the Chinese stuff it’s bad look at reviews before piling the trigger. thou vintage is best but make shaw it’s been serviced and has a guarantee. Like you I’m in my 60s and can dedicate time to sit back and enjoy my music especially Dire Straits and Fleetwood Mac, and of course the Beatles The Who etc. above all else enjoys this fascinating hobby yours Ian

[@Mikexception]

@@ianyates7742 Thank You for honest advice. For years I had purchased two tube amplifiers - one Pioneer SX34 and next was Bell 2420 - both amazing, both well equipped but did not replicate excatly my desired impressions. So with my learned life knowledge I build own tube amplifier to which I included all desired for years and not found even in books circuits. It is SE back to rather not big power only 4 W/ch I selected german widerange vintage speakers dated 1954 in unique DIY enclusures which deliver below 30 Hz and keep working in phase to 19kHz . All that is covered by deep three stage cascade phisiological control and is driven with german preamplifier (integrated) CV140. It is 70 watts but not used by me,. Source is 3 head R2R with copied by me music from LPs CDs cassettes and net to tapes Anyway it may be driven from all sources . That at last is more amazing then was in my young days. . But fun is that whole developement lead me back to past. My music has wide variety - I also play myself and sing. But as reference for system quality I prefer LPs from Moody Blues. My turntable is Beomaster 1700 with best B&O pcikup MC20 CL - I think M. Blues are recommended for great variety of sounds example Days of Future Past thus are very requiring from whole acoustic and audio.

[@scottprice8994]

The "stereo wars" in the 1970s was a battle to outdo each other on manufacturing stereo receivers with the highest wattage rating. They were doing this so they could sell more expensive stereo receivers and also for bragging rights to promote their brand. It seems they started focusing more on wattage and less on quality, so that by 1980 the quality started to decline, in general. If you have high-efficiency speakers, say Klipsch Forte IV speakers rated at 99 db, that will require one watt of power to have 99 decibels at one meter from the speaker. The most common listening level is about 70 decibels. If you are sitting farther back from the speakers, you would have about that volume level with the one watt of power. This means a 15-watt stereo receiver will do the job just fine. Kevin is correct that watts do not mean much. You should pay more attention to speaker efficiency.

[@aaron_r6567]

Great video, wattage on speakers should only be used to protect the speakers from being over driven, that’s all. Higher wattage does not equal “better”

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

I liked this presentation, and discussion on hi fi audio; and related hi fi equipment - only of audio. Certainly a thumbs up. I'll take your word on the wattage applicability on speakers, that rating of resistance is important. Ohms, and SPL in dB are not considered as much, maybe a selling point. As for discernible differences of Receivers, Integrate Amplifiers, whereby audible sounds are closer to a very small margin, I'm taking your word; and believe what you are saying, and explaining. I've got a vintage turntable, and cassette decks; and with a different, higher performance cartridge it is a bit easier to notice a difference, and advantage. However, we cannot all be listening to music in an anechoic chamber! I've tried to notice differences with up to four CD Players - one of which is a CD Transport for the playback of various CDs. Three CD Players, and one is actually an SACD/DVD, and a CD Transport are connected to my a Sony 85W AV Receiver (of 2012). I only listen to audio, stereo mode. CD Players are connected with Coaxial Cable, except one is with a short, 3 feet Optical Cable; so that they are connected as (in italics) a CD Transport. Those 3 CD Players connect to a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (2023); as I explained above as a Transport. Except that one of the CD Players is connected to the DAC of Receiver. Most times it's very difficult to tell the CD Players apart; as I tested playback, and to hear a clear advantage of a CD Transport. Listening has to be done very carefully; and early evening.🔉🎵🎶

[@skylabsaudio]

Thanks for commenting. Agree!

[@crmixman]

Great answers to those questions. Speaker wattage ratings are pretty much worthless without the conditions of the testing. Trying to explain that to a non-technical person can be tough. Most are probably made up by the marketing dept anyway. Remember when car audio speaker manufacturers were touting magnet weight as sign of superior sound quality? I imagine there were quite a few testy meetings with the marketing and engineering teams on that one.

[@skylabsaudio]

Lol! I bet you are right. A lot of eye rolls and facepalms from the engineers as well.

[@joemartin6439]

Sherwood 5500S My little tube amp AudioSpace can be repaired, my BlueSound Vault 2 can be repair, my York phono stage can be reported, my Thorens TD 160 with my Jelco TS -550S , last to be made . My Grace F9 flys below the radar

[@scottengh1175]

My JBL L65s were rated at 75W continous. A year later they rated them at 250. I listen around 0.5 Watts, 55 dB peaks; from 80 Watt amplifier. One Watt would be 91 dB. Have gone there a few times in a large room.

[@ethimself5064]

Also: The consumer grade electronics thing. Lets talk about receivers and integrated amps - In general, what price points and brands will take someone to the top of the threshold or exceed the threshold of consumer grade electronics? This is a very interesting topic in my mind. Thanks again

[@oldschoolriverrat]

A friend of mine and I have a saying about the differences from one person to another of "tastes" in (for example) music, beauty, food & beverage, vehicles...whatever. "How do I know the blue for you is the blue for me?" Meaning, I could look at something colored blue, but are my eyes/brain interpreting that color exactly the same as you are? Tastes in audio equipment and sound - what sounds good to you - are probably different than the next person. Therefore, ultimately, what will matter most to someone is whatever purchasing decision they ultimately make - the ultimate judgment on it's audio quality will be made only when it has been set up in that person's home. I mean, sure, nowadays you have specs and you have reviews...a wealth of information out there to have a basic understanding of what you're buying. But ultimately, you're not going to know for absolute certain until you set it up in your home and give your preferred musical choices a good thorough listen through what you purchased. Been that way for the 45 or so years I've been buying gear. Always will be too...

[@skylabsaudio]

Yeah, it's too bad, but ya kinda have to buy it and live with it before you can truly know. Another perk of vintage- you won't lose 30% of the cost opening the box like you do with a brand new product.

[@lithiumstatic]

This guys information is some of the most raw, real, down to earth advise on the subject. Nothing, but respect. With that being said.... Yamaha makes a great line of integrated amplifiers that are nearly identical to vintage 70's gear in terms of quality parts and sound. Check out the more clinical side A-S301, A-S501, A-S701, A-S801 or the more pure 70ish sounding premium A-S1200, A-S2200 and A-S3200. All of these have high quality caps, resisters, etc. No junk in the construction of any of these. These models are dedicated to 2-channel audio. Yamaha has a home run with this line imo. They all sound great!

[@brianj.connelly3353]

If the sound makes you smile and the price is right, buy it and enjoy it.

[@jamestyrer907]

Re: how an amplifier sounds. I would much rather that you use two pieces of Keysite (or vintage HP) test equipment to listen to amplifiers. They would be very objective and you could interpret the results. THD vs power output graph is the most important. Although crossover and TIM distortion also matter. Your basement is fine. You just need an isolation transformer and a Faraday cage.

[@biueshound]

Kevin, enjoyed hearing a bit about your educational backgroud in recording engineering. I also enjoy your honesty on any given subject. I have to admit that I was hung up on believing that WPC was the end all factor in what I was looking to buy. Your explanation of speaker ratings by watts is pretty much BS. Once in your shop you told me that "hey if you are looking toget the cops called on you... I can set you up with a 30 watt system that will do the trick". That really opened up my eyes, thanks for that. I sure wish your shop was not 3+ hours. Keep on keepin' on, and continued honesty in your opinions.

[@frankalexander5401]

I still use a Dynaco SCA 80 Four Dimensional integrated amplifier for my music. Works “good!!”

[@raygarafano3633]

Best Buy = Best 2 FLY like in flying outa there. I was in the Hyannis store, cape cod. An older gent was being told, "No , big 12 inch woofers,are not made anymore. So called sales man was called for an issue. I told the gent that spkrs with 12 and 15 inch woofers, are still being made. Told him to check out Cerwin Vega SL-12 or SL-15. The gent would have believed Best2fly and not have been happy. And Best 2 Fly could care less. The best or one of the best ways to buy a pair of speakers is to be VERY FAMILIAR with a given piece of music then to audition spkrs. .

[@atw4321]

I dont care so much about speaker power ratings i care how they sound i have 2 pair of polk s55 signature series towers driving them with two 2 ch pa amps at 160 watts RMS and have only blown one tweeter 😂 and i listen to loud music but the sound is very good 👍 thanks kevin ..termiteaudio

[@manueex]

Thank you for the awesome videos, I always learn something new with each one. I'm looking to buy a Technics 1210 just for music listening but with all the information online I can't decide. I was thinking on a 1210GR first but reading about some problems related to the built quality and the fact that are not made in Japan anymore makes me think, which model of the 1210's would you recommend just to listen to music? Thank you very much!

[@Crmsnraider]

I just bought an old Japanese 1200mk2, was thinking the same as you and decided to just gog with the Original killer turntable especially since theyre repairable and were all Japanese quality made....yes its coming from Japan. If I remember and its garbage Ill let it be known here, what I understand is the mk7 is doable ass a replacement, its lighter, bit different build in Malasaya, however its spelled, but I didnt want to risk it and gget things build outside Japan. I know for a fact mk2 last 30 years and keep going. THe only Technic that wasnt an option for me was that 4,000$ G version, so I didnt even research that. I paid less then half, even 1/3 of an MSRP GR version for it as the thought is, I can always just buy that too if the MK2 isnt all its cracked up to be but for the difference with price and recommendations why skip it, test it out.

[@manueex]

@@Crmsnraider thank you very much for your imput, so far I'm thinking to buy a mint MK5 or the best working one I can find, have a great day!

[@stevew321]

Love your video's. I have been meaning to ask you, is it ok to leave my receiver or power amp on all the time? I have an older Akai set up in my garage, and when the winter comes I generally leave it powered up to keep a little bit of heat in it to stop any moisture problems etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts.. Steve

[@arnoldschloss9634]

Great review Kevin! In your first point about the quality of vintage vs. new high-end equipment, strictly on build quality, how would you rate a brand new Accuphase E-4000 (185 WPC) vs. a new (1977) Sansui AU-20000 (170 WPC) meaning, would you expect the Accuphase to perform and hold up as well as the Sansui over decades to come?

[@skylabsaudio]

I would. Although, I've never owned a newer Accuphase, I don't think their reputation has diminished in the slightest. I have an E202, and it's incredible.

[@raygarafano3633]

Big- ass 50 lb magnavox spkrs wicked good, wicked expensive to ship too!

[@tmdillon1969]

A follow-up question about vintage vs. new. When you do the lists of best receivers and such when accounting for inflation the "consumer grade" Pioneer, Marantz, HK, etc. from 76 costs way more than what you're looking at in a Best Buy that doesn't have a Magnolia inside it. So if a 76 Marantz 2330 costs 2300 in today's money how does it compare to a $2500 flagship Marantz or Pioneer Elite from today?

[@hippydippy]

Nice summary. Paul from PS Audio is the "real deal." No nonsense, straight to the point & builds amazing product's from the things I've seen.

[@mostirreverent]

Why do you tend to talk more about receivers and less about separates (amps and preamps)? Also I’d love to see a video talking about Denon’s direct drive turntable’s, including their flying saucer models (e.g. DP 62L)

[@williamdenton5716]

Do people actually watch KZbin videos to hear what vintage equipment SOUNDS LIKE ? SMH.... Sounds like a perfect example of an entire generation which has no idea what quality sound even is..... Few things that I enjoy more than having someone in their 20s sit in my living room, with their jaw on the floor, as I spin some Zeppelin or ZZ Top... Lol... Or the way that they just stare at the stylus as it tracks its way around the record, utterly amazed that the source of the sound is that record... A true joy !!

[@joemartin6439]

Love old Sansui but they need TLC, and a con speaker terminal is very big to never by one again

[@chrislj2890]

Yeah, most of the audio equipment reviewers are something else, with their flowery descriptions describing all of the nuances of DACs and cables. I imagine they have a list of words they've built from a dictionary and thesaurus. Speaking of which, at the 8:20 mark you used the term "peppery". That's a new one on me, so is "salty" a viable one too, lol?

[@skylabsaudio]

Yeah, I might have just made up a new audio descriptor there to add to the "word salad".

[@chrislj2890]

@@skylabsaudio LOL !!!

[@pala23mj]

Depends on the manufacturer. Bryston comes to mind. Pure line stage is the way to go for me

[@skylabsaudio]

Bryston makes excellent equipment and from what I have heard an excellent warranty and customer service.

[@Universityofvinyl]

I love my McIntosh MA 6100 but one modern line I’ve been admiring is Leak audio, gorgeous stuff with lots of vintage curb appeal

[@johnnytoobad7785]

Analog audio is just about as good as it gets... You can purchase great parts and re-build just about any classic audio component to to sound as good (if not better) as it's original specs. Digital devices today are basically ALL "throw-away". Repair manuals are also harder to find for the newer stuff. And re-working SMD components is tricky. This just helps to drive up the price of the vintage stuff.

[@humanwaveform]

Analog audio really peaked by the late seventies. It's one of the reasons analog synths have held their price so well and why new ones are still manufactured in much the same way. The price on new ones is also reflected in that, as is the sound.

[@Mikexception]

We could as well use term not "analog" but "manual" audio The biggest difference is not in amplification - both technologies do it the same way only now with miniaturization now is harder to replace parts. But vintage audio was controlled totaly by hands and it required big enough for fingers advanced switches which required more space inside and lot of outside connections. It was a lot of costly hand job done by producer staff. . With microprocessor control all is packed inside ICs. They are controlled by another controllers of remote systems, Wi FI , micro switches or touch screen All may be assembled by robots. But this all ICs are powered by own supply for acting which with overheating of leak on board is possible source of their complete domino damage. Old manual switches also were not 100% reliable but their damages were limited to particular contacts, most of them very low voltage and safe which could be cleaned, replaced or repaired

[@vcp93]

If you've answered this one before, please forgive me...I'm new here. It's in regards to your "we don't ship" policy at your shop. I could kind of understand that if you were in NY, LA, Chicago, or (Fill in your favorite large city) where there are a lot of people, thus increasing the visitors to your shop. Are there really that many people in West Des Moines interested in vintage gear? I suppose the answer must be "Yes", as you are clearly in business. I'm guessing that the possible issues with shipping are so great that you don't find it worth while....."right?" Just curious.

[@bradspencer3648]

can you please tell me your option on the telefunken sts 1 turntable

[@michaeldelorenzo6827]

We don't listen to wattage... We listen in db or spl. And speaker efficiency. Normal speakers are rated at 90 db at 1 watt. You double the wattage for the next db...so on and so forth.. Inefficient speakers need more power or wattage.. Efficient speakers dont..!

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Doubling wattage should get you 3db ... multiplying by 10 should get you 10db.

[@alm5693]

0:45 Rats. I just finished my beverage. Back to the fridge...

[@skylabsaudio]

Lol

[@ethimself5064]

Curious about new records from the past. Just how do they cut new records when the original master's are either long gone or worn out? Thanks

[@johnvincent4048]

New records are digital transfered to vinyl. Take master tapes from the 1960s. If they even can be found, the sound quality will be poor due to age. And if you find a new "remastered" vinyl and like the sound. Just enjoy it.

[@ethimself5064]

So overall poor quality reproductions? I remember about 76/77 when I first came across direct ro disc pressings and they were in general limited to 100,000 pressings/Thanks@@johnvincent4048

[@briannewell6064]

This is off topic but I'm wondering why Carver gear from the 80's is never mentioned when vintage equipment is discussed? If I remember correctly it was good stuff.

[@skylabsaudio]

Very good equipment, also very difficult to find someone to service it, unfortunately.

[@briannewell6064]

OK. Thanks. Love your videos.

[@mosfet500]

That's not true, you can buy amps like Nelson Pass makes that sound better than most vintage gear and hold up. We know more about what sound listeners like today, we know why they like tubes for example and we can contour audio today in ways not possible 50 and 60 years ago. We can make much better power supplies and soft start circuits today also. Just because DACs change doesn't mean they are poorly made, it's technology and technology moves forward, not backwards. Tube rectification can never compete with today's solid state rectification, 60 years ago they didn't have three terminal regulators, today we can make instruments that you can buy for your lab that measure down to picoamps, unheard of 50 years ago. Audio is just instrumentation designed to perform a specific function just like an oscilloscope has a specific function. Speaker materials are much more advanced today also and we have instruments that can measure their benefits.

[@raygarafano3633]

I have heard, " The heavier it is, the better it is" better build quality, new stuff is push button tuning NO variable capacitor. U wont get as many stations w pushbutton tuning. New stuff is a minimalistic thing, like 1/5 of what it used to be, u really want to go THAT way?

[@rotaxtwin]

Wattage ratings to me are like horsepower numbers on cars, it helps to sell them. They often don't have much to do with how they operate in day to day use. With China and ebay now involved the numbers mean even less than they did 20 yrs ago.

[@PoppinWheeliez]

Like your channel because you avoid pretentious audio-fool speak.

[@stephenstevens6573]

If you hadnt spent the first 7 minutes babbling, you would have had more time for questions...

[@sonicd57]

The first 7 minutes were the best and most interesting part of the video. The whole video was informative but first part was great.

[@eddienylund6736]

you dont talk much about realistic. ive had a realistic sta 64b for years that recently crapped out and i was wondering if it is worth getting repaired.

[@robertdavis5714]

Everybody is different on the sound they like, some like a lot of mid range "Klipsch La Scala", I like Jazz so Bass and Treble are of importance "Celestion ditton 66". Bottom line, stay clear and do not buy "Class D"....................my opinion. Speakers, how I Love speakers, however it is easy to over do it and now own 19 pair and 1 sub.

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Please allow me to suggest you re-vist your opinion about Class D. Many of the top line amps currently available are class D and people end up enjoying them for years without even realizing. (Eg. PS Audio Stellar and Sprout lines) Plus with the advances in assembly and miniaturization Class D can be very affordable... I'm currently using a 100w/ch class D amp based on the TPA3255 chip ... cost me $120 and sounds delightful.