That warm feeling.......

Do you ever buy equipment for reasons other than perhaps absolute performance?

I suppose I'm really talking respect for the designer or admiration for a company.

When I bought a Michell Gyro it was partly through admiration for the work of John Michell. Same goes for the little stack of Quad amps. Some modern boxes would probably do the job as well, but it feels nice looking at Walker's finest on the shelf.

Anyone else do this, or is it performance all the way?

 

More for nostalgic reasons I suppose I keep some kit that I don't use but will not get rid of because I have fond memories relating to it. An original Nad 3020 I used as a kid, a Cambridge DiscMaster, some KLH speakers and some Mordaunt MS25i too etc..

One piece of kit I'd really love to own again even though I have no need for it, is a pair of PMC AML1 but given they are still selling for around £4,500 I'll have to wait until I'm rich to waste that kind of money Brilliant memories of those, they made me sing, dance, laugh and cry!

 

Rob,

I'm not sure about audio (everything I have is pretty good for the dough I paid), but I definitely did with cameras — a Nikon 35Ti.





Joe

 

No.

 

Hi yes

Both my favourite cameras were bought with 50% tactile comfort reasons - Hasselblad 500cm system and Tachihara 4x5 system.

They just feel right to use a nikon d700 or canon 5dmk11 will do just as well in most cases but ?

 

I like owning classic kit and buy with a view to history, ergonomics, investment and resale as well as sound quality. It's nice to spend time with some real design classics like the 301, 124, 3009, 303 etc (items people know just by their number!), and there's a lot more out there I'd love to try. I'm as far from a flavour of the month / performance only buyer as it's possible to be, though I suspect the kit I run would be fairly hard to beat sonically for the money it can be found for - this type of stuff tends to attain it's classic status for good reason. I can't see the point of buying kit that depreciates really. I've a lot of respect for the designers too, e.g. Peter Walker, Paul W Klipsch, Guy R Fountain, Alastair Robertson-Aikman etc. All real audio pioneers.

 

I bought my Luxman L31 purely for "that warm feeling".

 

I don't think it is fair, or accurate, to lump together 'flavour of the month' and 'performance only' buyers. I certainly have no interest at all (or any time for) the 'flavour of the month' approach.

 

I'd not have put you in that category at all - turntable aside you're an 80s-retro buyer ;-)

 

Pawned

 

Blimey sq, you are making extensive use of the urban dictionary these days - you are properly down with the kids .

Tony, your description is pretty accurate - but I don't own that gear because of some fuzzy, warm feeling I have for the 80's.