Strange Stereo Trends | Vintage and New

2024 has brought unexpected shifts in the Hi-Fi world, from the decline of certain vintage receivers to the rise of streaming. In this video, we explore the key changes in the industry:

🔊 Vintage Hi-Fi Gear – Why are 100-watt receivers from the '70s disappearing, and what does this mean for the future of vintage audio?

📱 Streaming Music – The growing demand for streamers has many audiophiles embracing services like Spotify and Tidal. Will streaming replace vinyl?

💸 New vs. Vintage Gear – More people are upgrading to modern equipment with a vintage vibe. Why are brands like Advanced Paris gaining popularity?

📉 Impact of Big Corporations – With Bose buying Macintosh, what does this mean for the future of repairable, high-end vintage gear?

🤔 Younger Audiences & Hi-Fi – Why are younger people losing interest in two-channel systems, and what does this mean for the Hi-Fi industry’s future?

Join us as we dive into these trends and discuss what the future holds for Hi-Fi enthusiasts.

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#VintageHiFi #StreamingMusic #MacintoshBose
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iSonic Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner (10-Records)

A1 Phono Preamp Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Turntable Pre Amp

Douk VU3 VU meter and A/B switcher

Speaker wire
Voltive 14/2 Speaker Wire

RCA cables
Audiophile 2RCA Male to 2RCA Male Stereo Audio Cable,Gold Plated | 4N Oxgen-Free Copper Core (3 Feet (1M))

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Recommended Turntables:

[Sylvan-]

I just turned 20, and I recently picked up a Pioneer SX-850, a Technics turntable, and a pair of the infamous Bose 901’s to start off my vintage HiFi journey. Proud to be in that very small percentile of being an audio guy in my age group. I can’t wait to grow my collection over the next several decades!

[dorfus]

As a 178 year old, I always knew those Edison tube things were just a flash in the pan. I simply replace my live chamber orchestra every 30-40 years.

[MW-ouyt]

My youngest daughter is into music. She always loved playing vinyl on our system. Now that she's on her own, I restored a HK 330A along with a Denon DL TT with some Klipsch speakers and she loves it. She spends hours just reading and listening to music. She uses us as a vinyl library (400+ albums to choose from)
We've been to several record shows and it's really neat to have your child find what you love to be able to share it with each other.

[jonrutherford]

Aged 85 come January, and with impaired hearing including pitch distortion since trauma in 2002 -- my prime listening days are long gone. But I still enjoy hearing about the state of audio reproduction and associated gear. And the down-to-earth, lowkey style here adds to the pleasure. Ii've attended hundreds of symphonic, solo, opera, ballet, jazz performances -- so I used to be able to evaluate gear pretty well. I find myself agreeing with almost every word here -- as well as having experienced some of the reversals of view myself. Many thanks.

[MichaelValadez-vs]

Im 71 and the days of old search out the stereo of your interest the quality..the ability to go to listen the product is gone.I miss the stores that you could go audition your interest. Here where i live we have one store that has been in business for 50 years. He is on the verge of closing. And the incoming generation will most liking not be interested in upgrading. And thats because everything is digital. The throw away society. Its sad.for us older audiophiles..love your channel and your point of view !

[shut_up_meyer]

I'm 28, and I got into the vintage hobby during COVID. It all started when I came across an Philips 80s hi-fi system in great condition at Goodwill for just $50. I couldn’t help but wonder why it was so cheap, and I was bored as hell and looking for hobbies to pass the time the time, so I bought it. The moment I played music on it, I was blown away—it sounded so much better, so real, in a way I can't fully explain. Three years later, I now have a nearly complete '70s Pioneer system, including a restored SX-980 receiver and PL-41 turntable. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect speakers, but they'll come in time.

[Hard__Iron]

I retired last February…my wife and I decided to rebuild our hi-fi equipment. Our kids grew up with more hi-tech surround sound 5 channel or more channel. We converted our home office into a seating area and 2 channel system with receiver, turntable, and even CD’s capability’s routed thru a VU meter capable of 2 setups of everything. Our hope is in 2025 to take a drive from Minnesota to Iowa and see if we can find our vintage options. Our youngest is still at home, and he has discovered 2 channel bliss… he asked for the 2 albums we just ordered from you, and I requested another SkyLabs tee shirt for Christmas. Thanks for everything in 2024, and Merry Christmas to you and the team!

[jamesirving]

I am 62 years on this planet. Never "locked down" thank you for your channel. You kick ass. My pioneer still kicks ass thanks to your tuneup. . Thank you Kevin.

[RockoRockoRocko]

I, a 24 year-old, began exploring vintage hifi during the tail end of the pandemic in large part because my dad got back into it. I found a pair of Heresy 1s in a literal barn in rough cosmetic but perfect internal condition. I snagged them as well as a Technics SA-505 for $40 and restored both. Since then I acquired a Philips 7800 receiver (one of the last American-built receivers of the 1970s) and a pair of Cornwall 1s for $700. It’s been a great hobby thus far for myself and my dad.

[DanAllore]

There is satisfaction going thru old albums and finding a song you forgot about or a new old one you haven't heard before. Hang in there the 50 plus are still here! Thank you for doing this. Cheers

[jonturner]

There is nothing that I can add to all of these wonderful comments. I am 70 years old (young?) and I have been in involved in this incredible journey since I was about 14 years old. I have seen a lot of changes since "the day". I have a lot of equipment in my home including two multimedia systems. But the Holy Grail (at least in my opinion) is a Pioneer SX-1250 which I got back in 1980 for $75.00. Yes, $75.00. I also have Large and Small Advent Speakers, Bose 601, and so much more. I find that being in this hobby is very therapeutic too. When upset, sad, depressed, I put something on and it automatically cheers me up. I love watching Kevin's videos and seeing new generations of people get involved. What I have found is that it is a common denominator and bridges young and old.

[jamesdicker]

33 years old here and all in on vintage audio! Also, very into owning my own physical music. There's nothing like the hunt for your next vintage item or record🤘🏻Thanks for a great channel!

[j.patrickmoore]

I'm going to share some of my experience - 70 years old now...
I grew up in a family where we had a stereo console, my mom would load records up and have music playing in the house a lot of the time, especially through the holiday season. Some of the mid-fi from that era, had a TV in the center of the console.
I went to college and a lot of people in my dorm had their own stereos in their rooms, people would go to other rooms and listen together to music. The exposure to music and stereo systems was widespread.
After college, I worked in retail in a department store for a number of years. We sold mostly lower to mid-fi systems, but I remember the first Sony Walkman coming in. It had two headphone jacks, the idea being that people could walk together and listen to music together while out of the house. The second headphone jack disappeared almost immediately, and music was on the way to becoming more of an individual experience. Quality increased with CD's and eventually the iPod came out with digitally stored music.
Over the last few years, I've occasionally looked at the products out in the market. There's a lot of speakers sold for computers and other speakers sold for Bluetooth systems - for many of those, I just don't see the emphasis on sound quality; that probably goes along with a lot of car stereos that emphasize the low end with a "subwoofer" that functions more like a big bass drum than any quality sound at the bottom end. In essence. a loss of any sense of quality sound, whether due to the idea of portability or just having some noise there.
The cost of getting into quality stereo systems is getting really high - I look and just wonder how a lot of people can afford it; perhaps part of the market is simply offering what people will buy. With the emphasis on vintage equipment, I'm sure that part of all of the increase in prices is simply supply and demand, a lot of people interested already bought theirs and people selling are figuring out that they can get more money for their equipment. There's probably some effect of the economy as far as people being able to afford vintage equipment as well. I'm sure that there's a certain amount of ebb and flow to the vintage market due to a lot of factors.
In the meantime, I'll paraphrase Charlton Heston: you can take my Harmon/Kardon when you can pry it from my cold, dead hands...
One of the things missing from a lot of modern systems is good, low bass. There's a visceral experience of cranking up music on a good system that listening with ear buds just cannot replicate

[c.a.petrisek]

We old guys appreciate what you're doing. Really enjoy your stuff.

[davidlevin]

I discovered your channel a few weeks ago, after inheriting my father's 1971 Sansui 441 Receiver and '71 Dual 1215. Your knowledge, humor, and honesty is incredibly refreshing. I'm a fan. Thanks for what you do. I'm in St. Louis and would welcome making a trip up to your store sometime.

[Refriedbeans]

As a 25 year old guy that just inherited his grandpa's SX950, HPM100s and PL530, I just wish the old man would've shown me the stereo he'd ignored for 30 years. Most of my friends were entirely unaware such a category of home stereo existed. The most any of them were familiar with was maybe an acoustimass system, or a home theater. They seem very interested in my old stereo and ask a lot of questions, but seem really intimidated. Having researched the value of the stuff gramps had, I can't say I blame any of them. Vintage is a lot to take in. If you know younger family members or friends that enjoy music, maybe introduce them to the hobby, and give them some advice? The best way to generate interest in anything is to share it.

[ChristelloNervio]

I'm 41 years, but I've been a big fun of Vintage / HiFi / Analog music since my 20s. I just bought a sx 1250 thanks to your channel! Thank You!

[martinmartian]

I love listening to you talk about the old and new products . It’s like going down memory lane. And you’re the coolest mellow person with the best sense of humor brother. My wife and I laughed our asses off about your coffee you couldn’t drink. Thank you!

[timcorner]

I live on the east coast of Canada, and wish your shop as here, as we really don't have a shop like yours here. I would be a regular coming in to see what you have. I hope your able to keep it going a long way into the future. I'll take this opportunity to wish you and your whole crew a Merry Christmas and great New Years.

[williamschaefer]

So, I worked for an independent Service Center, and I personally went to Bose, @ The Mountain, to request to be a Bose service center. The answer was yes. We in fact were their Premier Repair center for all of their direct sales products from the 90's, until 2010, mostly their AW-1, CD2000, CD3000, and Wave Radio lines. I can assure you, that repair of legacy products were "high" on their list of priorities, because they cherish their reputation. They stockpiled old cassette components for their AW-1 models, salvaged physical potentiometers, and anything they could get their hands on to keep their 30 year old products alive. Even the CD2000's that were fitted with "Alps" CD pickups were redesigned to retrofit a Sony CD mechanism 20 years after they were made. I still to this day repair MANY of them a week for legacy customers.