Epic Collection of McIntosh, Technics, Klipsch, Mark Levinson and more!!

[@justinliborio6240]

Fernando and the team at Sky-Fi Audio are true professionals. They answered all my questions and helped me get acquire a vintage Mcinstosh amp and some beautiful Klipsch speakers. I must say, something that he didn't mention is how secure and the packaging is especially on the vintage items.

[@SkyFiAudio]

Hi Justin, glad you're enjoying your gear. Thanks for the kind words.

[@keplermission]

@@SkyFiAudio 'Kind words' and smiling faces. 😁 But you know these McIntosh are elderly vintage, restored but not modern Manley Snapper? So at that not ζ100 but ζ10-20 and great for for EMI 319 and other ... early 1960s speakers. With EMI though, it takes time to get them sounding as good as new, takes months running at low volumes, gradually increasing them just a shade until they go louder. Most buyers aren't in the market for that and Klipsch give quicker results. In the U.S.A. most everybody is in a hurry.

[@cinqiwc]

Thank you Steve for this great video. I really like the diversity of the videos you make. Keep up the great work!

[@Venus_Isle]

Putting aside all the refurbished holy grail stuff, Fernando always comes across as a top quality chap...

[@marcus1970]

Very calm demeanor about Fernando... A fantastic interview Steve, really enjoyed this one... Wish there was a CARS, coffee and music event over here in the UK.

[@dextergonzalezrivera4415]

What a coincidence! I was in that audiophile paradise yesterday! Fernando is a kind gentleman.

[@TheMrgonzalo05]

What did you buy?

[@dextergonzalezrivera4415]

@@TheMrgonzalo05 Used Wilson Audio Sacha 1 😍

[@TheMrgonzalo05]

@@dextergonzalezrivera4415 beautiful. Happy listening

[@HAL-vu8ef]

Wonderful interview. I’m not an audiophile but love high quality engineering, love cars too.

[@ArizonaVideo99]

I didn't not expect so much really fantastic and rare audio gear, it was a walk threw time, thanks

[@thebiffer100]

Hi Fi and cars, us guys will never change our DNA. Thank you Fernando and Steve.

[@paulpavlou9294]

I’ve been on Fernando’s mailing list for years, just wish he was in Sydney, Australia. I just love his work.

[@roccobruno8027]

Wait until the Technic SL-1300G hits the floor. That is one gorgeous Reel-to-Reel and absolutely love the Marantz Model 9 amps.

[@thespy5845]

Fantastic interview of a remarkable guy and store.. Thanks Steve.

[@scottyo64]

I absolutely love Fernado's store!

[@brentcollins9727]

That TechMacs reel to reel is so cool!!! 5:33

[@swizlstik]

Klipsch and McIntosh, two great American audio companies. One day……

[@johnvincent4048]

In the early 80s when I was in high school I would get Mcintosh catalogs and dream. In April 2023 in bought my first Mcintosh. A vintage C26 preamplifier. And over 30 years ago I bought my first Klipsch, KG2s. Now I have La Scalas. I'm in music heaven!

[@deanfisher1656]

That was fun and appreciate that he likes “nice stuff” and enjoys ascetics as well as performance. He’s right …a lot of us are car guys too….😊

[@eltalibanoverdad]

Brilliant video Steve! As always. And Fernando is so knowledgable and cool

[@truman4956]

I love the passion of both of you and can listen to you guys all day.

[@gtrguyinaz]

❤❤ Great review and what a wonderful retailer to work with. Nice job with this extensive video, Steve.

[@jasonpomare5639]

One of the best episodes yet Steve , I've watched this several times so far, especially the technics components, just wonderful. 👍

[@davidgreen1504]

Wow Steve this was outstanding , made my weekend listening to this several times.I have to agree with what he said about people into fidelity are also into cars ,Once again great take on this..

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Thank you!

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Amazing store. Drool drool. Audio eye Candy.

[@garyfain7235]

Steve, one of my favorite videos from your channel! Mac 275, gotta have me some of that 😊

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Thanks!

[@dougg1075]

That reel to reel is epic

[@Darrylizer1]

Fernando and Sky-Fi Audio are top tier!

[@jos5067]

Great guy to be so honest 😊 !

[@johnnyhiett]

Ive followed them since the beginning and get their update emails. Its the best.

[@Jack96993]

I bought my Bryston 3B amp from Sk Fi It came well packaged and in excellent condition as stated on their website Very responsive with the buying procedure and excellent follow up after I received the Bryston amp

[@stevieg2755]

SkyFi describes their pricing,however their equipment is top notch and usually reconditioned and backed up

[@tweakerman]

I also follow Fernando's channel as well, his shop is amazing, great video steve 👍

[@sixergixer]

That BMW M5 is the coolest thing in that shop, and that's saying something! Would be a cool-as-hell place to spend an hour. :)

[@toddccrawford]

Love this video - thanks for this Steve!

[@ptg01]

Well done ! I truly enjoy Fernando's videos too... Hope to be able to do business with him..

[@peteschreiber9517]

Great video. I have all vintage audio and it sounds great. The power I have is around the 200 watt pushing vintage speakers and a big pair of Heath Kit monster speakers from the 70's. I don't use or need any dedicated circuit breakers to run my stuff and not even a 20 amp outlet or home run to panel. My question for you : Would I need an upgrade to my outlets, and circuit breakers to run some of the big power amps you showed in the video? EX: dedicated 20 amp circuit breaker to run just the equipment on it? Thanks a lot.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

I think you can leave things the way they are.

[@johnpischedda6951]

Next trip to NYC I got to get over to this place ! Dreamy !

[@RobFishbein-ju2yk]

How fun n cool. Do I need a ticket to be in there! Thanks for sharing. Cheers.

[@bobcat6653]

I love the term "equiptment-phile", that describes me perfectly, maybe "gear-phile" would be better!

[@Jack96993]

I might be a Porsche-phile😅

[@middleearthltd]

+1 to La Scala My personal favorite

[@tonykazz2779]

Thank You for this Story , I see gear that I've once owned but don't quite miss ( except for the LaScala ) . Just a short while ago I shared Tyll doing a TV interview in Montana and a little bit about Tyll out in the Wilds with PUT . Now , I'm curious about the Great HFN&RR Editor John Atkinson who kinda retired around 2019. Betcha your vast following would value your visiting & reporting with John . I read Stereophile two or three times a year , it no longer has the magic sparkle that our old friend gave each months Issues. I miss the Old Stereophile and JA . Actually , I'd have to say : that you are now the best of what remains of that Old Stereophile and JA. The recorded music hobby is my last Drug of Choice , listening to the Roaches sing ( giving it to the married man ) still makes me feel wonderful. Thank You, Tony in Sarasota Florida

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

John is not retired! And I interviewed him maybe four or five years ago. It's in four parts on my KZbin channel.

[@tonykazz2779]

Oh , OK , thanks for writing back. @@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac

[@aleewade4162]

Have to agree with Fernando about the 225 over the 275. Better yet, two 225's mono-amped, if you need the power. A pipe dream for most of us...

[@johnvincent4048]

Fernandos shop is so cool!! Yes he's on the higher price end, but so what.

[@gil3green]

Pretty cool!

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

Some great stuff in there class

[@ThomasW.Insall]

The originals 275 were made thru 73 or 74. Then the 275 CE came along in 93. So there was almost a 20 year period when 275's weren't made. My favorite Mac tube amps were the MC 3500 and the MC 225.

[@ELBigYuyo]

I am a gearphiliac too!!!!!

[@CashGravel]

Pulp fiction brought the real real back to life. If I ever won the lottery, I’d have one of them, but until then I will suffer through my streamer and CD playback.

[@TheDjcarlos67]

You can pick a R2R up very cheap. I paid £50 for a beau SONY TC630 recently. Spent £90 on a full service and it sounds superb. Tapes aren’t too expensive

[@bzdtemp]

Maybe the 2000 watt people do some welding on the side, those amps are powerful enough to power that.

[@davep2945]

The one man on earth willing to admit he really just loves the gear. Doesn't matter the hobby from audio to fishing poles there's a huge percentage of buyers of all equipment who just love the next thing they've never owned/used before. Nothing wrong with that but, geez, to find a man with the guts to admit it is very rare. Like the guy who never hauls or tows anything he couldn't also haul with a Prius but he NEEDS a truck. No, you want a truck. Big difference. Babe, I NEED new speakers because I think I'm missing tiny details with my current pair. No, you want new speakers and you use the pretense of a love of music and a pursuit of detail an excuse because you don't have the balls to say you just want them. Good on you, Fernando, for telling the truth.

[@DR.Detroit11]

Can’t wait to send my pic in.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Me too!

[@turokforever007]

My set up is ready now

[@billwoods9302]

High powered amplification, even for people who listen at reasonable volume, is often sought after because that high power also brings high current. That allows an amplifier to control a speaker with an iron fist. High power also eliminates any speaker limitations so you can sample any brand or style to find your perfect match. I don't think I would pair super sensitive horn speakers, but I've seen some people who have and get great results. The primary concern for high wattage being used for low volume levels is class A topologies, which would turn the amp into a space heater that would likely never get used in the summertime.

[@Jack96993]

I have a Spectron musical MK lll class D amp designed by John Ulrich output is 500watts@8ohm 650@4ohms and 1,200 watts@1ohm It brings my Maggie's to their knees 😅

[@vendelius]

Ah to be a kid in That candy store....

[@7029100]

Of course he IS an audiophile, certainly more than many others claiming to be 😂

[@moogoomoogoo5990]

Wow. It looked colors of the wires on the chassis of the Nagra was in order of the natural color spectrum🌈

[@a.g.4268]

QUÉ LOCURA!!

[@solomonstewart1025]

The prices are not inflated, they reflect the market he is in.

[@FOH3663]

Indeed ie., ... "a very special home out on Long Island"

[@blugato22]

very cool

[@Truth-Machine5000]

3:25 bottom shelf under the records with VU meters. What is that?

[@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v]

I've blown a few speakers in the past and have been told that in most circumstances speakers get damaged due to the amp having insufficient power, not to having too much. Can someone please explain how those Klipsch speakers can be powered by 20 watts.

[@johnvincent4048]

Sensitivity or efficiency. My La Scalas produce 104 decibels with 1 watt of power.

[@toddclarke1580]

I’m not catching the brand name on the all aluminum equalizer and power amps. Are you saying TOA?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Cello, started by Mark Levinson

[@stinkenstine]

Very expensive but good stuff

[@danielwilliams1921]

I donated my old Sony preamp to Fernando as a form of appreciation for what he does. He’s a very nice fellow!

[@MattDapson]

Good guy.

[@philigan2339]

👍👍👍👍

[@36karpatoruski]

Most buyers of Bugatti Chirons don’t drive 260 mph either.

[@SubTroppo]

If someone wants to make some money they could make and market fake reel-to-reel with turning reels and VU meters that respond to the ambient noise. Throw in some glowing "nixie" tube type displays and quids-in! Or have normal electronics but given the reel2reel esthetic. Nagra could do it themselves! I'd seriously think of buying one. nb Rolex have got Tudor.

[@charliewilliams9811]

Gearhead!

[@auggysimcity]

we have been here before....

[@debilthomes501]

What’s with the BMW on the lift? Looks like it might be an e34 M5.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

It was traded in for Audio!

[@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Steve, you are joking, right?

[@Jack96993]

Hey I had a 1991 E34 BMW M5

[@allenfields9058]

​@@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v-- No, Steve isn't joking. Sky Fi trades cars and hi-fi gear for each other. I've been on his email list for years and see the cars that come in.

[@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v]

@@allenfields9058 Cheers mate, there is a store similar to that in Glasgow, well when I say similar, there are some shoddy, possibly stolen, bicycles on show along with some tired old stereo stuff. Though I did pick up two B&W LCR60 S3's for just under a hundred U.S. I don't expect to see any Lamborghinis in Govan any time soon but hey, one never knows.

[@cunningtim]

I listen with my eyes closed, and save a lot of money on the aesthetics.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Do Americans normally pronounce "Technics" as "TECHNIQUES"?

[@chrislj2890]

Always, and we pronounce Nikon as NYE-kon, not Nick-ON, lol.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

@@chrislj2890 "I own a NYE-kon camera. I love to take a photograph. Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!" Paul Simon.

[@middleearthltd]

Tek- nicks but I am old I gave up caring about pronunciations

[@scottyo64]

I always have since the 70s

[@clonesteak]

I am an American and I pronounce it Tech Knicks

[@nathanevans6277]

No viewer system of the day. 😢

[@ovid-uc3fs]

Yeah maaan, I know what he means about buying things for the aesthetics only. I buy $20,000 cables just for the aesthetics, because I know they sound the same as regular cables.

[@Truth-Machine5000]

Video to short. Needs to be 18 hours longer!

[@elonmuskrat2830]

A little birdie told me the name of the store is Sky Fi because the prices are sky high.

[@Fedgery007]

Sky high to you. Not everyone.

[@bigblueocean]

I wonder what you get out of making remarks like that? Special things and great service means higher prices.

[@DavidUrquhart-j1i]

seemed more about the looks versus the sound

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

True audiophiles are actually in an equipment, not music, so when I talk with them regarding some music, they will show me technical diagrams.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Sorry you've had that experience, no diagrams here. I am an audiophile who loves music, sound and equipment.

[@MarxxxxExpo69]

Sky Fi prices are highly inflated,, ridiculously overpriced, although maintained/serviced gear. Of course in NYC there are customers as well with Sky Hi wealth.

[@saint6563]

LOL You have to pay for the level of maintenance & repair this shop offers. You can certainly go cheaper compromising quality.

[@scottyo64]

One in every crowd

[@MarxxxxExpo69]

@@saint6563 Same quality available without Manhattann / NYC rates for maintained gear. Simple as that. More affordably available elsewhere. Sky Fi done great effort in social meida marketing. Well done!

[@Fedgery007]

Someone will buy it. Guaranteed. So not overpriced to them.

[@ptg01]

It's full price but Fernando comes across as super knowledgeable, credible and passionate.. There's a ton of value in that.

[@eegybeegy]

Are poor people allowed in the store?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Ha ha, where do you buy your hi-fi?

[@MasterofPlay7]

​@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliaclol people will address you by the way you dressed

[@truman4956]

They do a credit check at the door

[@ptg01]

I assume it's by appointment only at best..... he is practically a one man (plus techs) show hence much more constrained

[@Jack96993]

They are scanned for a tin cup 😅

Being called an "audiophile" is an insult.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

What are you?

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Not an "Audiophile", what are you.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

I'm an audiophile, and I am happy that you were watching an audiophile oriented KZbin channel! and if you're not interested in the subject that's extra special nice of you!

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I didn't see any magic audiophile power cables, gigantic speaker cables with elevators or $600 USB and Cat6 cables. Mostly high quality equipment and custom built pieces of new and used audio gear. Refreshingly the owner balked at being call audiophile, I don't blame him.

[@glenncurry3041]

Analog tape is, was never better than vinyl. It lacks the S/N, the frequency response, massive low frequency issue with head bump. higher distortions, hysteresis loss,... Plus prerecorded tapes are 3-4 generations down from the masters that the vinyl would have been cut from. Adding more noise and distortion. On really good vinyl pressings you can hear the tape hiss ramp up and down between cuts. I attended an AES (as a member) meeting in a Nashville (lived there) studio in the '70's that released the "Grab Bag" DtoD by comparing it at that meeting to an Ampex half track master and Soundstream Digital recording of that session thru the Mastering sound system. And every one picked the DtoD as the best sound.

Up until the mid to late 80's all records were sourced from analog tape.

[@glenncurry3041]

WOW! Explain then how as mag tape was invented (1928) well after records (1857)...! Hey but FACTS....! Or the massive collection of Direct to Disc I have! Sad!

@@glenncurry3041 So you have records from 1857 through 1928? That's BS, modern LP's are 99% derived from analog tape or digital masters. A massive collection of direct to disk? What's that like 7? The mastering of an LP as a minimum of two transfer functions (applying the RIAA curve and required compression and limiting to prevent the cutting lathe from jumping out of the intended groove.) non direct disk LP's require a lacquer, metal master and stamping into an LP. That's a third generation by the time you hear it. You are wrong about the analog tape specifications too, it has wider frequency response, higher signal to noise ratio and lower distortion. Even home units with DBX noise reduction have close to 90 Db signal to noise compared to barely 60 on the quietest LP. Sorry if reality disproves your vinyl rant but most of us live in the real world. Enjoy your vinyl.

[@glenncurry3041]

SAD! When a lie is exposed, a rational person accepts the FACTS and adjusts rather than squirm and double down! ALL records? "Up until the mid to late 80's 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 were sourced from analog tape." So when FACTS show that to be impossible... ditch and dodge. Suddenly ALL becomes "modern LP's" And you even prove my point by explaining the additional lossy generations "non direct disk LP's require". But lack the ability to comprehend your own words? "That's a third generation by the time you hear it." And spec comparison? CD4 required vinyl response out to 60Khz. Signals out to `125Khz have been measured on vinyl. Show us all the RtoR that has that spec. Head Bump stops any RtoR from having a flat low end below around 300Hz. Laws of physics. And I was the Rep for Sheffield Labs, "Direct to Disk", Audio Technica's series, Toshiba's series JVC of Japan's series, and many more. I carried dozens of different DtoD recordings and still have most of them. Just because your limited knowledge can only come up with 7? Again SAD! Oh and DBX can be added to vinyl playback for artificially enhanced S/N! Some were even preprocessed for it. But again... if you only knew...! SAD!

[@robertorivera1778]

Fernando’s prices do not reflect the market conditions, way overpriced and expensive. After all most of the equipment is used, some is refurbished, not everything. And he has acquire the habit of marking almost everything as rare, very rare or extremely rare with price to match. Most of what he sells one can buy for less than half his asking price at usaudiomart or other online sellers. Best to take a chance than to buy overpriced mediocre sounding gear from a greedy seller. Happy hunting!!!

[@stimpy1226]

They do a great job at restoring classic and very expensive components. The man is getting filthy rich from this business. I will stay away from him like the plague

[@stevenkoski228]

Aesthetics mean little to an audiophile, where the bottom line is high fidelity performance. To me, a plain black box which sounds incredible is my desire, bells & whistles are useless eye fodder. Levinson gear hasn’t the clarity of early Pass/Threshold gear, & early Krell models are awesome. He doesn’t have any classic Crown equipment, strange.

[@FOH3663]

Agreed. 30dB transient peak requires 1000x power. So the mega wattage has its place. Of course doubling down capabilities facilitate control, and ability to track challenging loads and not be half power (-3dB) at a given bass region. If one's seeking ultimate speed and control of bass centric playback, as much voltage swing and current capability ... 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.