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ukbobboy
Legend

Old Hi-Fi System

@caseyb1993 @Andy @GraphiteGB @mark_suff  @commanda6

 

Hi Guys 

 

I was bouncing around YouTube when I came across this video, it shows the Thorens turntable and SME tone arm I used to use back in the day.  Before marriage and children, I used to be (well) into Hi-Fi (high fidelity) systems and the Thorens turntable combo used to be the head/start of my system.

 

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with NowTV etc. but I'm sure there are a few older fans out there that still remember the days when Hi-Fi was king.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaMn20oJ4Bc

 

 

UK Bob

 

310 REPLIES 310
ukbobboy
Legend

@schnapps

 

Hi Schnapps

 

You know, I remember the Memorex advert with Ella Fitzgerald, the one where she sang a very high note and broke a wine glass then they would play a recording the same note Ella just sang via a Memorex cassette tape which would also break another wine glass.  The voice over would say, "Is it real or is it Memorex?"

 

As you know, it came out sometime later that the advert was faked.

 

Back then TDK were the kings of making quality cassette tapes at competitive prices, however I did try some other manufacturers tapes as well, e.g. BASF, Sony, Maxell, Memorex and Phillips, all in the name of Hi-Fi.  But I always returned to TDK, they were simply the best, best on quality and best on price.

 

Those were indeed the days.

 

 

UK Bob

 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

@ukbobboy

 

Hi UK Bob,

 

Was this the Memorex advert you was talking about back from the mid 70's (edit first video) ?

 

 

[video]

 

 

 

 

 

[video]

 

If so, it was a little bit early for me, i started getting into HiFi and music in the early 80's.

 

Missed the Glam Rock and Disco era Smiley Very Happy

 

Like you i tried a few different cassette brands, but always returned to TDK tapes.

ukbobboy
Legend

@schnapps

 

You know Schnapps

 

I remember the first advert but not the second one, still faked or not they were still fun.

 

 

UK Bob

ukbobboy
Legend

Hi Guys

 

The Sony Ferrichrome Cassette Tape:

 

Sony Ferrichrome C60 Tape.jpg

 

The fourth kind of tape I regularly used back in the day.

 

 

UK Bob

ukbobboy
Legend

 

The Sony Ferrichrome Tapes were classified as "Type 3" tapes.

 

Sony Ferrichrome C90 Tape 02.jpg

 

 

UK Bob

 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

@ukbobboy

 

Just out of interest i was wondering over the years have you got any regrets with regards in purchasing or selling any particular HiFi equipment.

 

Mine are, i wished i bought a pair of Shahinian Arc American made loudspeakers that i heard in a HiFi shop back in 1990 (at the time they were a few hundred quid over my budget).

 

The second was me selling my TDL Studio 3 Transmission Line speakers back in the mid nineties, the low bass frequency response was amazing and could match a lot of standalone subwoofers out there at the time.

 

ukbobboy
Legend

@schnapps

 

You know Schnapps

 

Now that I think about it, I have two major regrets and they are:

 

1) I got rid of my Sansui turntable when I foolishly "upgraded" to a Techniques Direct Drive turntable, the worst Hi-Fi mistake I ever made.

 

You see, I believed the hype that DD turntables were better than belt drives because they were more stable, i.e. less wow and flutter.  That may have been true but what they didn't say was that the magnetic pulse that made the turntable spin also affected the magnetic cartridge, so much so that the music sounded as if it was squashed, not compressed, while being pushed through a narrow hose pipe.  Listening to music via the Techniques DD gave me a headache.

 

The Sansui cost me, at the time, about £50.00 and the Techniques £120.00 and that was the biggest waste of money I ever spent on a system (it also taught me about "hype").

 

2) OK, my next regret was having to get rid of my Hi-Fi system, as posted previously, because young kids and Hi-Fi do not go together, that is my system got ruined, and there is no way I could ever re-buy it.

 

Mind you, I don't think I would still be playing it because using a Hi-Fi system is too fiddly,  delicate and requires dedication, something that I just don't have anymore.

 

However, Hi-Fi did show me how recorded music should sound, something that most people nowadays will never know or experience.

 

 

UK Bob

ukbobboy
Legend

@schnapps

 

As a PS to the above, I hate direct drive turntables and would never believe anything good reviewers say about them or ever buy one again.

 

UK Bob

 

ukbobboy
Legend

@SeeMoreDigital

 

Ah yes SMD

 

I remember 9 of the 16 cassette tapes on display (bought some as well), had one of the Nokia mobiles allocated to me as a works phone (I think No.2), recognise all of the floppy disk but only ever used the 5.25" and 3.5" disks, the 8" was before my time, owned a polaroid instant camera and owned a Betamax video recorder.

 

That really is digging up some very old memories.

 

UK Bob