What's your oldest piece of audio kit still in regular use?

Audio Gear Talk
1

Mine is my, newly reinstalled, turntable from 1980.
Then 1999 speakers.

I’m sure they are relative whippersnappers so…?

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2

Advent Loudspeakers (original, large, restored), 50 or so years old.

Klipsch Quartets (refurbed), 30 something years old.

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3

Technics Turntable, with Sure V15 Type IV cartridge. Couldn’t really say it is regular use (as I don’t actually use it), but it is connected to my main stereo and I could use it if I place a record on the table and selected the Phono source on my Preamp. I think I bought this in 1978. Could be 1979.

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4

I had one of these in a Garrard around the late '70s. It was the cartridge to have at the time.

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5

As best as I can tell, my preamp is about 20 years old. On the other hand the tubes in it were new last year…

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6

Turntable, power amplifier and speaker drive units are all circa 1982. The speaker enclosure is early 70’s.

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7

Oldest device in service is my W4S multichannel amplifier -2011

Oldest piece of equipment in service within my setup are vacuum tubes 12J5, 1626. circa 1940.

I also have a working Sony ES CD changer from 1993, but its currently not in the rack.

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8

A pair of Quad ESL57 speakers. Originally bought in 1976, but refurbished in 2016.

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9

The loudspeakers in the kitchen-diner system, which are a pair of Dynaudio 42Ws, which were introduced sometime around 2000.
I have quite a few bits of home cinema hifi kit from the 90s knocking around awaiting repair/reuse/scrapping but they are not in use.

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10

Tag Mclaren AV32r preamp, DAB card, with 5.1 bypass 1999 ish. I use in my office. It still sounds good. The bypass allows for newer DAC/Roon endpoints (breathing live and functionality into a good preamp).

Wilson Beneath ACT speakers 2005 ish in my main rig (keepers, as I look to enter the age zone of hearing decline)

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11

Wilson Benesch “Full Circle” turntable, with ACT 0.5 tonearm and Ply cartridge - ca. 2003. It’s a lovely functional, sculptural thing to look at and a pleasure to use, though that’s only occasional these days.

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I tend to stick with gear that I enjoy for a long time and have only fairly recently retired (not as in Blade Runner!) a pair of Sonus faber Guarneri Homage speakers dating back to 2002.

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12

Creek CAS4040 amplifier. Bought new in 1987 and still going strong in my kitchen system.

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13

A true classic.

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14

You obviously buy beautiful as well as practical gear. Ive only ever seen the Guarneri once and thought they must spend weeks putting the finish on the wood.product_120592

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15

A classic amongst classics.

16

Meridian 518 audio processor as a switch box for TV Radio etc inputs. An amazing piece of kit that works it’s magic on digital sources and allows me to adjust the gain as well.

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17

The first ever hifi show I went to Pink Triangle were demoing their turntable using a passive preamp and the original meridian active speakers. Never forget my stomach churning as they moved the air in the tiny hotel room playing buffalo gals by Malcolm McLaren.
Always been out of my price reach but a consistent vision over the years.
I did have a very old meridian two box CD player I bought for pennies of eBay, until it died.

18

Thanks. It’s partly from necessity as this is all in our living room.

19

I’d never heard of Advent but Henry Kloss so 'nough said!

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20

Indeed it was.