42. My Modified DYNACO Stereo 70 (ST-70) from 1959

The Dynaco ST-70 is the most popular tube amp in history. Over 350,000 were sold. God bless David Hafler. 35 Watts per channel of stereo sound in 1959? Just stunning. This is my first tube amp. I picked up a trashed ST-70 for $100 that had the original irons in good shape. Audiokarma's Big Bill and Fasterdamnit put in a new board and tubes after I sanded off all the rust that I could and gave the chassis a crappy paint job. The guys did a great job with it and gave it back to me on Christmas day. I was so surprised when I got to Bill's house and heard my amp. I couldn't wait to get it home and hook it up to my restored JBL 4311 speakers. I had it going for 7 hours straight and loved every minute of it. Here's a pick of my Dynaco:

41. Pioneer PL-518 Direct Drive Turntable from 1978 to 1979

Wow, this is a great turntable! It is built like a tank. About 21 pounds. Extremely accurate. This is what Vinyl Engine has to say:

"Pioneer has developed a 16-pole, 24-slot DC servomotor for the PL-518, one that provides exactly the same high signal-to-noise ratio and low wow/flutter as that used in the more expensive PL-520 model. This motor's magnetic circuit is twice as strong as conventional direct-drive types, a fact which contributes greatly to its improved resistance to torque ripple caused by uneven magnetic force.

Its switching frequency is also doubled, to 13.3Hz. Together these mean improved load characteristics, more accurate platter speeds at all times and, ultimately, better tonal quality results from your records.

You will find that few if any turntables in this price range offer such outstanding performance specifications: the signal-to-noise ratio achieved by the super-silent DC servo direct-drive motor is a high 73dB or less, while wow/flutter is an excellent 0.03% or less, and will stay that good over long years".

I completely striped it down and used Fleck Stone to paint the base. After letting it dry thoroughly, I put several coats of clear coat on it. I cleaned the bearings and oiled them. Now this is one of my favorite tables and it's in my Pioneer rack. Here's a picture of my PL-518 about to give Weezer Blue a spin: