High Fidelity Connections - a photo on Flickriver

            A few years back I started to get into vintage HiFi stereo gear. There's a lot of love about the well made, high performing components from the 70's. Assuming they are in working order they sound absolutely amazing, and if they're not functioning, they are reasonably easy to repair. No motherboards or computer chips....just power supplies, transistors, capacitors, and other source-able parts. 

Much like my analog cameras, they are also very tactile in their operation which I love. Dampened and machined buttons and knobs. Levers engage with a satisfying audible click. And a cueing lever on the turntable as to take it real easy on the records. The JBL's have amazing high end clarity, can thump with the best of them, and handle all the power one would need. Plus they have those badass white cones......

That brings me to aesthetics. Yes, the sound and function are the most important factors. That said, form isn't far behind for me. Compared to most modern gear, I find vintage gear to have more character and charm. It harkens back to a different, perhaps simpler time and tells a story. 

Buying gear off of guys 10 20+ years my senior also leaves me with stories. Blasting AC/DC on JBL's and drinking beers on a Saturday afternoon with a guy who brought them all the way from Italy when he was in the service in the late 70's. Spinning records and talking music in a guys well appointed listening room down in Oregon City. Perusing a veritable audio museum up in Castle Rock while dropping of a receiver for repair. Being scolded by a guys wife saying, "if you boys are going to talk stereos, why don't you go downstairs. I'm trying to watch my shows" 

Just like vintage cameras, vintage stereos have a power to connect to a past that was dying and is now reviving if not thriving. They're a commom thread to pull on when I see someone walking through the park with a Hasselblad or go to a party where they're playing records. With photography and music it's all about connection. To the medium yes, but it stretches beyond that.

In this photo you can see my dining room set up (yes, I have a few). A Pioneer SA9100 amplifier, RG-1 Dynamic Processor, SG 9500 Equalizer, and SX535 receiver standing in for a tuner. An Acoustic Research AR-XB with custom cherry plinth and one of two JBL L112 'bookshelf' speakers. As this photo was made with my SWC, you'll also see my trusty 500cm. 

If you can name the band/album hiding on the console I know we will be friends. Embrace your desire to feel the rhythm. To feel connected.

Taken on: August 19, 2020

Tags:

SWC

Hasselblad

analog

square

Pioneer

JBL

Stereo

HiFi

6x6

music

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