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Dogen posted:I think we can all agree we are a bit silly for insisting on using decades old technology to enjoy music I think you'll find transistors age like fine wines.
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Sep 26, 2014 15:57
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Speaking of which, anybody have some extra Sanyo 2SB186 or 187 transistors laying around?
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Sep 26, 2014 16:43
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BigFactory posted:That's a sick amp. I think you should track down a big pair of ADS speakers. 910's, specifically. I didn't even know I needed those Until now Also, looking to trade "up" to a Denon DL-103R
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Sep 26, 2014 22:02
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Chill Callahan posted:The thing with the 1200 is it was originally used as a broadcast turntable for radio stations. Its cousin, the SP10 is highly sought after. Being a broadcast turntable, it was subject to rigorous testing for total harmonic distortion, wow + flutter, rumble, etc. As such, Technics engineered an extremely good turntable for that environment with really good specs. To take it even further, the SP family motors are based on, but not identical to the SP-02 a very successful cutting lathe drive system. If your lathe drive system has noise, everybody has noise.
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Sep 26, 2014 23:56
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This thread has convinced me to take the plunge, but I'm a bit bewildered by options. Doing some research, I'm looking at Pro-ject and Rega. Specifically: Genie w/ 2M red cartridge ($400+~$100 for dust cover) Xpression III w/ 2M red cartridge $660 (refurb floor stock) Debut Carbon DC w/ OM10 cartridge $500 (same plus 2M blue cartridge ~$800) Debut Esprit DC w/ 2M red cartridge $680 Rega RP1 w/ stock cartridge $550 And an upgrade to a 2M red is ~$140 here All these prices include the Australia tax  , and amazon won't ship here.The obvious stand-out from a price perspective is the Genie, and it does look... unique. My main questions are: - Is it worth considering the Carbon with an eye to upgrading to 2M Blue in future? Not sure that I will, but upgrading to the red doesn't seem worth it since the Esprit is about the same price. - Does the Genie compromise on quality to achieve that price? Is it cheap because it's not popular, or is it cheap because it's not built to the same standard? - Are the supposed advantages of the Xpression (a better arm - maybe) worth the supposed disadvantages (worse motor isolation - maybe)? - I looked at an RP1 in store today, and the sales guy said it was harder to upgrade the cartridge as it requires adding in a spacer for the tone arm height. Is this true, or was he steering me to the more expensive pro-jects? - How the gently caress do you get objective information without the audiophile bullshit?? Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Sep 29, 2014 |
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Sep 29, 2014 05:22
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Is there any technical reason why one shouldn't put two pairs of speakers next to each other for the sake of having an A/B setup? I've currently got my CR-2040 running through a pair of Pioneer HPM-900. They're great fun, pretty unique, but not exactly balanced "audiophile" speakers. At some undisclosed time in the future, I'd like to get a pair of more laid-back "East Coast" style speakers and I'd like to run them from the CR-2040 as well. I'm envisioning a scenario where this is in a dedicated study/listening room and I can choose which pair of speakers I'm outputting through. Aside from it obviously looking a little pants, is there any mechanical issue that I should be wary of (maybe like a resonance or interference effect)? I just can't bear to actually replace the HPMs with anything, and I don't forsee myself ever having the room to set up multiple "listening areas" around giant speakers all over the place.
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Sep 29, 2014 06:18
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Captain Postal posted:My main questions are: I'm no expert but I'll try to contribute some info. The Debut Carbon plus the acrylic platter is identical to the Debut Esprit, aside from the cartridge. Opinions on the acrylic platter seem to be mixed. Ortofon has discontinued the OM10 but still provides replacement styli, it seems that the 2M Red is largely equivalent. Looking at the Genie I see lower overall weight and a less fancy tonearm. Lower weight may make it more susceptible to picking up vibrations. I'm still reading about how tonearms affect the sound so I can't say how much you should value that. As to the Xpression, I think it has a very similar arm to the Debut but the Debut version is missing the height adjustment mechanism. However the Debut arm is all carbon fiber while the Xpression is not. Given that the Xpression III is a slightly older model it's possible the Debut has better motor isolation. They seem to have very similar ratings for noise. The spacer thing on the Rega seems to check out but it applies to the Pro-ject Debut as well. Maybe the stock Rega cartridge is unusually thin so that most replacements will require raising the arm to maintain the correct angle, but I don't know for sure. I'm still on my first table and cartridge so I'm wary about making any subjective comparisons. The Dude fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 00:12
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Currently, my sound system consists entirely of my AT-LP120-USB and the some decent powered speakers (Swans M200 MKII's) stacked on cinderblocks acting as speaker stands. What's the minimum I would have to spend (on an amp and speakers) to get a noticeable bump in sound quality? Trying to decide if it's worth it to upgrade right now. Alternately, would my money best be spend upgrading some aspect of the turntable (e.g. the cartridge, getting a dedicated pre-amp, etc)? E: I should probably note that I already have a decent record cleaning system and brush or else I would expect one of you to recommend that. dik-dik fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 01:01
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Depending if you have the free time and don't mind a bit of driving around. Just bring your smartphone with you and hit up some yard/estate sales and your local thrift stores. Plenty of great stuff is collecting dust and can be saved from the trash. Almost every piece of equipment has some thread about it on audiokarma so you can get a quick idea of it's a worth picking up or not. Snag the eBay app as well and see if the equipment has sold recently and for what price. Most of the time the sold price will tell you if it's a good piece of gear or not. Also might find a bunch of vinyl too.
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Sep 30, 2014 02:08
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The Dude posted:I'm no expert but I'll try to contribute some info. The Debut Carbon plus the acrylic platter is identical to the Debut Esprit, aside from the cartridge. Opinions on the acrylic platter seem to be mixed. Ortofon has discontinued the OM10 but still provides replacement styli, it seems that the 2M Red is largely equivalent. Looking at the Genie I see lower overall weight and a less fancy tonearm. Lower weight may make it more susceptible to picking up vibrations. I'm still reading about how tonearms affect the sound so I can't say how much you should value that. I was going off the OP which said: andretti posted:Ortofon 2M Red (which is miles ahead of the OM-5 and OM-10). I thought the acrylic platter had a larger inertia to help with wow? At any rate, as the cartridge upgrade alone equals the price difference between the Carbon and the Esprit, so I figure the platter upgrade is essentially free if I go the Esprit route. And it kinda does look better on a non-black TT. However, the standard Carbon + 2M Blue for $100 more than the Esprit may be a different story. But the Genie comes in at $150-$200 cheaper than the other options, which is a huge saving at this price point, so I'd like to get an objective review of it against the bigger ones before ruling it out. The guy didn't say anything about the Debut having an adjustable height arm, just that you could swap between ortofon cartridges without any further adjustment, so I think you're right that it's a case of the Rega cartridge being shorter. He said the spacer was ~$30, and I suspected that was some audiophile bullshit and asked if I could just use a washer... edit: figured out why the Genie is so cheap. It's end of line as a carbon version was just announced. New question: is a carbon arm worth $250? Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 04:35
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Captain Postal posted:I thought the acrylic platter had a larger inertia to help with wow? At any rate, as the cartridge upgrade alone equals the price difference between the Carbon and the Esprit, so I figure the platter upgrade is essentially free if I go the Esprit route. And it kinda does look better on a non-black TT. However, the standard Carbon + 2M Blue for $100 more than the Esprit may be a different story. Ok, I'll come clean, I have a Debut Carbon with 2M Red so I've been reading a lot about potential upgrades and the acrylic platter just doesn't seem to be enough of a win to justify the cost. Like I expect to see unqualified praise but instead I get the sense of "it reduces static and doesn't change the sound very much". So I'll be spending my money on the speed box and a 2M Blue when the time comes. Outside the U.S. I gather that the speed box is not as good an upgrade since you generally have to get the more expensive Speed Box DS, plus the DC versions already have similar circuitry to keep the speed stable. As to whether a carbon tonearm is worth $250, a few months ago I'd be shocked to hear that $250 USD was the starting point for a "better than budget turntable".
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Sep 30, 2014 07:26
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Yeah, well I figured that the xpression carbon DC had the new motor (I hope  ), the carbon tone arm, the Red cartridge, the acrylic platter, the motor isolation mount, supposedly slightly better in all regards and was still same price to ~$20 cheaper than everything other than the Genie, so I put in an order.I also ordered a puck. Do I need anything else to get started beyond a CF brush? My receiver has an integrated phono amp
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Sep 30, 2014 09:01
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I found this thing in the electronics recycling at work today, and I actually burned a CD for the first time in like 10 years:  Does anyone know anything about it? From what I can gather online, it's a non-signature, non-KI version, which were the special editions. It seems like it was produced from 1996 until last year (which is probably wrong), so it's hard to pin down a year on it. On eBay they seem to go from £20 to over £200 depending on condition. This one plays the CD I burned just fine, but I haven't had the chance to hook it up to a receiver and speakers yet.
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Sep 30, 2014 12:00
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Captain Postal posted:Yeah, well I figured that the xpression carbon DC had the new motor (I hope That looks like a great table and I always feel like it's best to go with the high end of your price range so that you're not constantly thinking "if I'd only spent that extra $40..." It's tough to find accurate info especially given that Pro-ject tends to make changes in their lineup for each territory.
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Sep 30, 2014 17:32
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Captain Postal posted:Yeah, well I figured that the xpression carbon DC had the new motor (I hope Nice! I'm jealous. That looks like a kick-rear end TT. You might want to also get some sort of record washing system. I bought the "Spin-Clean Starter Kit" off Amazon. Other people in this thread who know more than me might suggest a different one, but it seemed like a good price to quality ratio for me. E: Also, what's the thread concensus on sleeves? I've been purchasing a lot of old vinyl with gross, dusty, yellowed inner sleeves (even when the records themselves are immaculate). Should I bother replacing them with new inner sleeves? (such as these) Also, should I be getting outer sleeves to protect the cases? (I'm also a comic book collector so I have a long history of buying sleeves for everything). And while we're at it, what's the cheapest way for me to store my records? milk crates? dik-dik fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 21:26
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Outer sleeves should be standard. Those MSFL inner sleeves are really nice. Paper sleeves can sometimes leave dust and scuff records, so it's nice to upgrade them. If you want to go all out, store the record and inner sleeve outside of the jacket but inside the outer sleeve to protect against ringwear. Make sure the opening of the inner sleeve is pointed to the left or right so dust doesn't settle inside.
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Sep 30, 2014 21:45
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dik-dik posted:Nice! I'm jealous. That looks like a kick-rear end TT. You might want to also get some sort of record washing system. I bought the "Spin-Clean Starter Kit" off Amazon. Other people in this thread who know more than me might suggest a different one, but it seemed like a good price to quality ratio for me. If you have records that are collectable it's a good idea. If you have a bunch of Jim Nabors records, don't bother. I know the dimensions of real milk crates were changed at one point so they specifically wouldn't fit records, so if you're going to buy "milk crates" that are really just record storage bins, you're probably just better off buying a shelf. If you only have 15 records, who cares, put them in whatever you have, but if you have a few hundred you're going to be buying a lot of milk crates. And that trick of putting the record outside the jacket, believe it or not, takes up a lot of shelf space. So concider that before you do it. But it's great for minimizing further damage to damaged jackets. BigFactory fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 21:47
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TooLShack posted:First thing is thank your girlfriends Dad, the amp alone is worth a grand. Man those needles are awesome. Yup, I have thanked him many times; he knew what he had but he just never used it anymore so wanted to be sure they went to a good home. He also gave me some enormous JBL speakers that each wiegh about 60lbs and he tells me they are of an excellent quality. There is a shop that sells vintage stereo equipment just a few blocks from me so I went in to check out what he had and the owner was very nice and impressed with the setup that I was given. He didn't have a black matching Technics but recommended a nice Pioneer with wood finishing for $175 so I will probably go back and get it sometime on the weekend. I could probably do better on craigslist but this guy guarantees that the unit works and he put a new needle on it so I would rather deal with him. I took a few photos, his shop is packed with neat stuff, I didn't take a photo of the wall of speakers or of the wall of '80s ghetto blasters so you will have to use your imagination. The last photo is of the Pioneer that I will likely buy.   
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Oct 1, 2014 20:46
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jet sanchEz posted:There is a shop that sells vintage stereo equipment just a few blocks from me so I went in to check out what he had and the owner was very nice and impressed with the setup that I was given. He didn't have a black matching Technics but recommended a nice Pioneer with wood finishing for $175 so I will probably go back and get it sometime on the weekend. I could probably do better on craigslist but this guy guarantees that the unit works and he put a new needle on it so I would rather deal with him. Where is this magnificent place?
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Oct 1, 2014 23:45
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This looks like the stereo repair shop in my neighborhood.
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Oct 2, 2014 00:15
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What's up with the turntable in the bottom left of the second photo, with the Y-shaped platter? Is that actually the platter, or am I looking at a fixer-upper?
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Oct 2, 2014 00:33
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slomomofo posted:What's up with the turntable in the bottom left of the second photo, with the Y-shaped platter? Is that actually the platter, or am I looking at a fixer-upper? The head shell makes me think it's a B&O maybe? An old beogram? Edit: can't find a Beogram that looks like that. An old Rega maybe. BigFactory fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Oct 2, 2014 |
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Oct 2, 2014 00:53
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slomomofo posted:What's up with the turntable in the bottom left of the second photo, with the Y-shaped platter? Is that actually the platter, or am I looking at a fixer-upper? I asked about that one too, he told me that it's a German brand and that it would be really valuable if he had the case cover...I don't recall the brand name though, I'll ask when I am there again. He wanted $450 for it as it sits now and the shop is in Toronto. Parkdale, to be exact.
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Oct 2, 2014 01:52
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Interesting! It looks really cool but I can't help but wonder if all of your vinyl would wind up warped from the lack of support like a normal platter... would that be a problem?
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Oct 2, 2014 01:58
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slomomofo posted:Interesting! It looks really cool but I can't help but wonder if all of your vinyl would wind up warped from the lack of support like a normal platter... would that be a problem? What? You might want to double check your tracking force.
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Oct 2, 2014 02:04
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jet sanchEz posted:I asked about that one too, he told me that it's a German brand and that it would be really valuable if he had the case cover...I don't recall the brand name though, I'll ask when I am there again. He wanted $450 for it as it sits now and the shop is in Toronto. Parkdale, to be exact. What's the place called? Maybe I'll make a trip to TO and check it out.
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Oct 2, 2014 02:15
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I am not sure of the name but it in the west end on Queen West at Roncesvalles. There are a bunch of nice antique stores along that strip and this guy is on the south side of Queen. He does repairs as well. Dunno if it is worth seeing his store if you are really far away but he is a nice guy and it seems that the prices he gave me were somewhat reasonable...or is $175 for the Pioneer too high? Edit: I guess it is this place http://parkbench.com/canada/ontario/toronto/parkdale/classicvintageaudioandproprentals jet sanchEz fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Oct 2, 2014 |
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Oct 2, 2014 03:15
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Thanks. I think I found it: I have friends in Toronto that keep bugging me to visit. Maybe I'll make a day of it and put this on the list of things to go check out.
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Oct 2, 2014 03:27
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jet sanchEz posted:I asked about that one too, he told me that it's a German brand and that it would be really valuable if he had the case cover...I don't recall the brand name though, I'll ask when I am there again. He wanted $450 for it as it sits now and the shop is in Toronto. Parkdale, to be exact. English actually, the Amstrad TP12D. Copy of the Rega Planet, fairly average one apparently.
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Oct 2, 2014 04:04
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It's a strange copy of a Rega I've owned, the LT-76, which was a really cool table. I regret selling it, but I already have a manual turntable. http://youtu.be/YowomTgz5e0 I finally got around to putting back together two pairs of speakers I got for free. There were both Altec Lansings, one a Model 5 and the other a Model 7. The Model 5 must have had the tweeters replaced since they don't match but I can't tell a difference in the sound. I think they turned out great, my friend refoams speakers for a bit of side work and was really happy with the job he did on these two sets. The Model 5s are up high and the Model 7s are on the table. Good solid bass in both sets, now I gotta figure out what receivers to pair them with when I sell them.   Found a nice Pioneer EQ at the thrift store last week so added it to the main system for some pretty lights. Also finally went to town with some metal polish on the PL-630s platter, think it turned out pretty nice.  
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Oct 2, 2014 05:13
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that Telefunken 
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Oct 2, 2014 09:04
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That JVC boom box has a turntable in it. At the bottoms of the stack. 
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Oct 2, 2014 13:14
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BigFactory posted:What? You might want to double check your tracking force. Oh duh, color me ignorant. I forgot the whole arm is counterbalanced so there's actually hardly any weight on the needle/record.
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Oct 2, 2014 18:45
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minivanmegafun posted:That JVC boom box has a turntable in it. At the bottoms of the stack. I got a buddy with a Sharp boombox with a fold down turntable in it. It's a monster.
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Oct 2, 2014 21:01
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Got a decent deal on two massive Yamaha receivers, a CR-1020 and a CR-2020. One even came with original box,manual, and packing material. Both are in great shape and I've always wanted one of these beasts.  
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Oct 5, 2014 03:58
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Is anyone using a vintage cabinet or stand for their systems? Or is there a vintage-y cabinet that I can buy new? The particle board options from ikea aren't doing it for me....
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Oct 6, 2014 17:01
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There's probably a dozen vintage cabinets up for sale on craigslist/kijiji at any given time, usually for cheap. I bought a vintage cabinet for $20 and resurfaced it.
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Oct 6, 2014 17:11
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jet sanchEz posted:Is anyone using a vintage cabinet or stand for their systems? Or is there a vintage-y cabinet that I can buy new? The particle board options from ikea aren't doing it for me.... You can get console hi-fis for free on craigslist all the time if that's the look you're going for. Gut it for storage and put your gear on top? Might end up with a tube amp out of the deal too.
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Oct 6, 2014 17:14
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jet sanchEz posted:Is anyone using a vintage cabinet or stand for their systems? Sort of... 
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Oct 6, 2014 18:17
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Also check out various salvage or consignment type places
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Oct 6, 2014 19:25
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