I’m always surprised that the vintage electronics subculture even exists. Everything electronic that our family has ever owned either wore out or became technologically obsolete long before making it to vintage (colloquially, any chattel that survives 20 years). As a minimalist, I consider it a form of hoarding and sunk cost fallacy. But there is prestige in having what others don’t or can’t.
This video highlights some of the self-destructive perils that devices from even 10 years ago face:
https://youtu.be/EX6t0g8uBJQThe video focuses on computer electronics, but the problem applies everywhere. It seems like those consumer electronics we’re storing to resell for future $$$ are self-destructing in storage. Some culprits:
- leaking and aged batteries
- self-destructing capacitors
- soft touch plastics that have used up their antioxidants
- ports, hard plastics, bearings and hinges that have exceeded their intended duty cycle
- galvanic corrosion
- improper storage at a non-ideal temperature and humidity
- lack of replacement parts without a source of donor parts
I prefer to operate current and only own a couple of electronics that qualify as vintage: a 1980 Boliva quartz wall clock that only loses a minute a season; and a Mirage PS12-90 subwoofer that sounds like the day I bought it in 1994, as long as I feed it contact cleaner every other year as a blood sacrifice. Anything older is technically electromechanical rather than electronic, such as a lamp, door bell, or power tool.
Is there any vintage electronics (audio or otherwise) that you’re still dreaming of in 2023? I only want that I can use today as a daily driver, so I wouldn’t mind a vintage Mirage PS12/180, BPSS-210, or Axiom EP500/600.
