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Rogers BBC LS3/5a Loudspeaker system. Bought in August 1981 and still making great music!
Sometimes we get lucky and find a product that turns out to stay with us forever. Which audio product has spent the most amount of time in your system?
That would be my 1983 AR turntable : "The New AR Turntable", fitted with w/ a Linn Basic LV X arm. I'm currently using a new Dynavextor 10X cartridge and, considering the engineering quality of the vast majority of my '60s & '70s LPs, it will be with me for quite a while longer.
The old Crazy Eddie-bought Acousti-phase monitors lasted from 1978 (I was 18) until enlightenment finally came in the form of Joseph Audio RM25si speakers in 2003. That would be a long time for speakers a lot of people consider garbage. They rocked well in this apartment. I also had my very trusty Rotel RX-855 receiver from, oh, '83 until '04, when it was replaced with a modified Jolida 502B. The Thorens TD-318 MKII turntable purchased in '92 just got a new cartridge, so should be around for years to come. My system evolves at the pace of tectonic plate shift beneath the sea, but that doesn't mean I don't take my listening seriously.
My Well-Tempered Turntable Classic. I've upgraded the motor and few other aspects, but essentially the rig still rocks the party as good as anything that's anywhere near the price for the 20 years I've had it. No other component has lasted half that time.
Forever is a long time, but my Legacy Signature III speakers, now discontinued sleepers but truly extraordinary (and mysteriously neglected by the audio press), soldier on. Why replace a component that does everything well, plumbs the depths, can shake the house, does quartets and Led Zeppelin with equal aplomb, biamps beautifully with 300B SETs on top (with Spelts Zeros), and looks fine in the bargain? Other elements change, the Legacies keep up and promise still more.
My Linn LP12, might not be the best sounding out there, but it is well built and shamed my previous Oracle Alexandria which fell apart after two years. Despite looking at other decks I have kept the Linn simply because it has been so reliable and timelss and can be upgraded. Long live the LP12.
I don't know that I'd say it was lucky, but my Paradigm Studio 20/version 1 were my main speakers for 7 or 8 years. I've had my VPI HW-19 Junior for almost six years, and that'll probably be in the system for at least another year or two.
My Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. It was purchased in 1986 and still going strong with several upadates including the Lingo. With the recently announced sub-chassis upgrade, I can't see replacing the LP12 unless I win a really big lottery.