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Enos Cabell posted:I've got a Marantz 2230, and will be adding a Marantz 5220 tape deck that my in-laws have. I would love a 6200/6300 but lol at paying $1500+ for one. I'm looking more at the 6150 tier and want to keep it under $500. Sound wise I'd just like something that doesn't sound noticeably worse than my AT-LP120. That shelf looks great, is it sturdy enough to support 150+ pounds on top? My marantz 150 tuner and 510m power amp weigh a ton and I just added that $20 pioneer RT-707 so I'm slightly concerned it'd be way too heavy. The only thing I would like to add is a 5020 or 5220 cassette deck if I ever find a deal on one but that shouldn't add much to the present system weight.  RT-707 update: I did drop $10 for a new counter belt and $40 on wood rails from ebay to make it a better visual match to my marantz gear. Counter Belt was pretty easy to install and the auto stop/repeat works great. I bought a roll of foil tape and have been working through my box of tapes listening to them and putting foil at the end of side A. As far as Marantz turntables go, aside from the SLT they were all made by CEC for Marantz and while they look fantastic they are not the greatest turntables for the amount they sell for now. I lucked into my 6300 for $400 at a record store a few years ago. I threw on a repop dustcover and have only had to deoxit the speed control pots a few times and I still need to replace the strobe as the stock one is intermittent. However the arm lift, optical autostop, speed control and various gremlins are super common and will take some tinkering to keep running on even a restored table. Even in perfect condition a 6300 will never be as speed stable as quartz locked model. I also have a 6270q I found on FB for $100 that has all the same features as the 6300+quartz lock and can be found for much less than a 6300 or the wood veneered tables. Your best bet is looking at all the 70s era turntable models on the site listed below and figuring out which ones meet your taste. http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/mindex.html It seems like you can still find occasional deals on the models that aside from the 6100, 6200 and 6300. You might also get lucky scouring your local FB marketplace just searching for "record player" "hifi" "stereo equipment" and "turntable" and spotting a marantz table in the picture where the seller did not specify the make and model in the ad.
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Dec 18, 2022 01:05
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my turn in the barrel posted:That shelf looks great, is it sturdy enough to support 150+ pounds on top? My marantz 150 tuner and 510m power amp weigh a ton and I just added that $20 pioneer RT-707 so I'm slightly concerned it'd be way too heavy. The only thing I would like to add is a 5020 or 5220 cassette deck if I ever find a deal on one but that shouldn't add much to the present system weight. Beautiful setup! I couldn't find weight limits anywhere in the specs, but it seems like it should be sturdy enough. The top, bottom and sides are hollow core, but I think there is enough vertical support if you kept your amp in the center it would be fine. quote:As far as Marantz turntables go, aside from the SLT they were all made by CEC for Marantz and while they look fantastic they are not the greatest turntables for the amount they sell for now. That's an awesome score, and much more satisfying than overpaying for one on ebay I'm sure. Honestly I've got no complaints about the LP120, so keeping an eye out locally sounds like a great idea.
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Dec 18, 2022 18:49
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Enos Cabell posted:Beautiful setup! I couldn't find weight limits anywhere in the specs, but it seems like it should be sturdy enough. The top, bottom and sides are hollow core, but I think there is enough vertical support if you kept your amp in the center it would be fine. Based on factory specs + wood cases I'm probably at ~125lbs of gear right now and I can't imagine a 5220 would push it past 150lbs if I ever add one so I'll have to make a trip to ikea and see if I can stress test a floor model.
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Dec 18, 2022 21:01
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We love a Boxing Day pawn shop mega sale, just grabbed these Neat Motive 1’s for $370. They’re pretty neat.
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Dec 27, 2022 21:41
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help, i bought a used restored belt drive Technics and I'm enjoying it enough that im tempted to take it back to the used shop and return it for a direct drive model that's like $200 more
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Dec 31, 2022 09:56
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Feels Villeneuve posted:help, i bought a used restored belt drive Technics and I'm enjoying it enough that im tempted to take it back to the used shop and return it for a direct drive model that's like $200 more How much would that be in total? $500?
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Dec 31, 2022 11:02
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actually it's more like $400 more, it's an SL-1600 mk2 for $700 which I'm not seriously considering, but dang if this isn't an unhealthy bug to get bitten by
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Dec 31, 2022 16:39
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Feels Villeneuve posted:actually it's more like $400 more, it's an SL-1600 mk2 for $700 At that point I’d just drop another $200-300 and grab a new-in-box SL 1200 Mk7 that you can be sure will outlive you
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Dec 31, 2022 21:42
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Wife came through and got me this chonker for Christmas  Gave my buddy my old pro-ject essential ii that she got me for Christmas years ago after taking the 2m blue stylus off it and swapping it with the silver from the new one. Looks great and measures better than I'll ever be able to hear 
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Jan 1, 2023 01:10
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What app is that?
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Jan 1, 2023 01:13
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Mederlock posted:What app is that? It's called RPM Speed & Wow
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Jan 1, 2023 01:30
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large hands posted:Wife came through and got me this chonker for Christmas That’s gorgeous. What is it?
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Jan 2, 2023 18:41
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It's a pro-ject X2 in walnut. They sell a few relatively similar looking tables in different model ranges, this is just the thickest and heaviest.
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Jan 3, 2023 00:27
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Hello thread. Excuse my illiteracy as I don't know dick about receivers and speakers and rather or not I should upgrade mine so I come here searching for recommendations. I have an AT-LP3 that's hooked up to a late 80s/early 90s Zenith MS100 stack that I stole from my parents 2 decades ago. Googling this receiver has turned up no information on it. It works, it has a phono input, it plays music from my record player into the massive Zenith speakers that came with it, and to my untrained ears it all sounds fine with no distortions or unwanted sound issues. I have been lugging this thing and these speakers around for the past 20 years and I am finally at a place financially where I am wondering if I am missing out on anything by still using this receiver/speaker combo. From what I can gather from looking at the back of the receiver it's 60hz/300w and from the back of the speakers they are 8 ohms, 125 watts with a frequency range between 65hz to 15khz. No idea if those numbers mean anything or not. I know the logical question is "what do you think you are missing from your current setup?" and I really don't know how to answer that question as I have never been able to listen to music on a hi-fi setup and therefore don't know what I might be missing out on. I guess my main question is would I see a substantial gain in audio fidelity by switching out this receiver and/or speakers without having to drop thousands of bucks to hear it? If so is there a clear cut direction for me to go product wise? Would a vintage receiver (I see a Marantz 4220 on sale locally for around $350) be an improvement sonically or would I be mostly paying for the looks?
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Jan 9, 2023 04:52
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pootiebigwang posted:(I see a Marantz 4220 on sale locally for around $350) That’s an insane price. It’s either broken or already gone. Get it either way. That’s like what the price would have been 10 years ago.
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Jan 9, 2023 04:55
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The Marantz 4220 was their lowest output quad and only puts out 8w x4 or 20w x2. The quad functions add extra complexity in a small case and will be a pain to work on. The baby marantz receivers that put out less than 30w are usually pretty cheap when you find them. http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/mindex.html
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Jan 9, 2023 13:37
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pootiebigwang posted:Hello thread. Excuse my illiteracy as I don't know dick about receivers and speakers and rather or not I should upgrade mine so I come here searching for recommendations. I have an AT-LP3 that's hooked up to a late 80s/early 90s Zenith MS100 stack that I stole from my parents 2 decades ago. Googling this receiver has turned up no information on it. It works, it has a phono input, it plays music from my record player into the massive Zenith speakers that came with it, and to my untrained ears it all sounds fine with no distortions or unwanted sound issues. I have been lugging this thing and these speakers around for the past 20 years and I am finally at a place financially where I am wondering if I am missing out on anything by still using this receiver/speaker combo. Honestly you're probably better off getting a more modern receiver. The phono stages have gotten better again, after years of being an afterthought, and the digital-to-audio converters for content like cd and streaming services have gotten way better in these units. It all depends on your price range really. You could get a used Bluesound node for around $250-$350, something like this (https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649938073-bluesound-node-2-with-manual-packaging-and-box-in-very-good-condition/). This will get you Bluetooth Aptx connectivity, connection to streaming services like Tidal and spotify that you can control from your phone, and other goodies of that nature. Pair it with a decent, say, Yamaha stereo amplifier (ie. Like this: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649836143-yamaha-a-s501-integrated-amp/), and then some decent tower speakers or a pair of decent bookshelf speakers+an active sub. I'd buy it all used, Let the other suckers take the Hit on the depreciation on this gear.
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Jan 9, 2023 18:56
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Mederlock posted:Honestly you're probably better off getting a more modern receiver. The phono stages have gotten better again, after years of being an afterthought, and the digital-to-audio converters for content like cd and streaming services have gotten way better in these units. It all depends on your price range really. You could get a used Bluesound node for around $250-$350, something like this (https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649938073-bluesound-node-2-with-manual-packaging-and-box-in-very-good-condition/). This will get you Bluetooth Aptx connectivity, connection to streaming services like Tidal and spotify that you can control from your phone, and other goodies of that nature. Pair it with a decent, say, Yamaha stereo amplifier (ie. Like this: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649836143-yamaha-a-s501-integrated-amp/), and then some decent tower speakers or a pair of decent bookshelf speakers+an active sub. I'd buy it all used, Let the other suckers take the Hit on the depreciation on this gear. I don’t disagree. Not to diss your parents or their gear, OP, but Zenith wasn’t particularly hot poo poo in its day, and you could do much better for not a lot of money in both the receiver and speakers department and still stay 100% vintage (aside from like a streamer and/or a DAC), or update everything with new/recent enthusiast gear, and either pathway would be a massive improvement. Speaking entirely honestly, you could replace the speakers with new ones/better ones and add some kind of plug in streaming solution and keep the old Zenith receiver and also see a major change. Like the worst thing about your current setup by far is those Zenith-branded speakers. Something from the 70s/80s/90s made by a more reputable company would blow them out of the water, never mind something built with the benefits of decades’ more modern tech.
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Jan 9, 2023 19:16
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are McIntosh-branded speakers any good? store has a pair from the 1980s for like $200 which makes me suspicious given the amount of money McIntosh stuff usually goes for
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Jan 9, 2023 19:40
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Feels Villeneuve posted:are McIntosh-branded speakers any good? store has a pair from the 1980s for like $200 which makes me suspicious given the amount of money McIntosh stuff usually goes for uuuuuuhhhh….what does the audiophile internet say?
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Jan 9, 2023 19:56
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Feels Villeneuve posted:are McIntosh-branded speakers any good? store has a pair from the 1980s for like $200 which makes me suspicious given the amount of money McIntosh stuff usually goes for I’ve got a pair of 70’s vintage MC100’s or something and they are the best sounding speakers I’ve ever heard by far. But I am not an audiophile $200 seems cheap… I’d personally buy them if they work at all
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Jan 9, 2023 19:59
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I have a set of HPM-900s with the original woofer cones that I bought from a local audiophile hoarder for $250 (and transported in the back of my E36 Coupe) and they’re my favorite speakers.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:13
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Ok Comboomer posted:I don’t disagree. Not to diss your parents or their gear, OP, but Zenith wasn’t particularly hot poo poo in its day, and you could do much better for not a lot of money in both the receiver and speakers department and still stay 100% vintage (aside from like a streamer and/or a DAC), or update everything with new/recent enthusiast gear, and either pathway would be a massive improvement. Oh yeah I definitely don't disagree haha, I knew this had to be some budget receiver speaker combo they got in the early 90s from Sears otherwise I would find at least something about it on the internet. Good to know that the speakers are the main thing holding me back. I am honestly not too interested in adding too much to the audio setup in the way of modern streaming conveniences and such and would like to just keep it as basic as possible while allowing my vinyl to sound as good as it can within reason price wise (speakers + receiver for like $800 - $1000). I like the aesthetics of vintage receivers so it's good to know I wouldn't necessarily be losing any fidelity if I started heading in that direction. We have a local shop that sells some vintage gear so I think I am going to pop in there and see what's what. I appreciate y'all throwing some recs and giving your opinions so I am not too clueless and maybe I can finally class things up a bit in my home and get some more enjoyment out of my collection.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:22
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Feels Villeneuve posted:are McIntosh-branded speakers any good? store has a pair from the 1980s for like $200 which makes me suspicious given the amount of money McIntosh stuff usually goes for They’re good but not highly sought after and so still have decent pricing.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:34
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So, this brings up a question I’ve always had: Has the technological progress of the last four decades made stuff (like tuners and amplifiers specifically) better in every quantifiable aspect with respect to sound quality and reproduction? It seems like no, but figured I’d ask. Like is total harmonic distortion and other quantities, idk, way lower now for new stuff such that only the most expensive vintage stuff has similar values? It’s just so wild to think that old computers are completely obsolete in every way but the old amp I have is about as good as new stuff. To be clear, I’m not talking about efficiency. I know stuff nowadays is way more efficient. Fake edit: I guess it makes sense that they would be considering we’re only talking about a fixed frequency range of human hearing: 18Hz-30kHz or whatever… wild
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Jan 9, 2023 20:35
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pootiebigwang posted:Oh yeah I definitely don't disagree haha, I knew this had to be some budget receiver speaker combo they got in the early 90s from Sears otherwise I would find at least something about it on the internet. Good to know that the speakers are the main thing holding me back. I am honestly not too interested in adding too much to the audio setup in the way of modern streaming conveniences and such and would like to just keep it as basic as possible while allowing my vinyl to sound as good as it can within reason price wise (speakers + receiver for like $800 - $1000). I like the aesthetics of vintage receivers so it's good to know I wouldn't necessarily be losing any fidelity if I started heading in that direction. We have a local shop that sells some vintage gear so I think I am going to pop in there and see what's what. I appreciate y'all throwing some recs and giving your opinions so I am not too clueless and maybe I can finally class things up a bit in my home and get some more enjoyment out of my collection. Beware, vintage gear (especially gear that’s been “serviced”) can be hella overpriced. Once you start spending “new nice gear” money on it you really need to know what/why you’re buying. Personally, I like sticking to Craigslist/local for vintage gear for that reason. Once you start dropping $300+ on an old receiver you should be 100% confident that it gives you something worthwhile that you can’t get from spending the same money on newer gear. For example— that Marantz 4220 you mentioned is a really cool collector piece, and not exactly badly priced at $350 assuming it’s in good working shape. But it’s a quadrophonic amp, and would be awful in your setup and 100% what you don’t want. 8wpc into 4 channels @ 8 ohms or 20wpc into 2. Also, I may have missed this in your OP, but any reason you’re not looking at AV receivers? I know you’ve said that vinyl is most important to you, but for many/most people I’d say that you don’t really sacrifice that much by going with an AV receiver, esp if you are interested in home theater poo poo. I will also counterpoint the aforementioned by saying that I think 2-channel is great for TV and movies, especially if your speakers are big/nice, and beats a lot of 5.1+ channel mixes where the bulk of everything gets sent through a too-small center channel.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:45
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pootiebigwang posted:Oh yeah I definitely don't disagree haha, I knew this had to be some budget receiver speaker combo they got in the early 90s from Sears otherwise I would find at least something about it on the internet. Good to know that the speakers are the main thing holding me back. I am honestly not too interested in adding too much to the audio setup in the way of modern streaming conveniences and such and would like to just keep it as basic as possible while allowing my vinyl to sound as good as it can within reason price wise (speakers + receiver for like $800 - $1000). I like the aesthetics of vintage receivers so it's good to know I wouldn't necessarily be losing any fidelity if I started heading in that direction. We have a local shop that sells some vintage gear so I think I am going to pop in there and see what's what. I appreciate y'all throwing some recs and giving your opinions so I am not too clueless and maybe I can finally class things up a bit in my home and get some more enjoyment out of my collection. Oh, in that case definitely check out the Yamaha receiver I linked, the A/S501 or similar Yamaha units in that range will definitely be up your alley as it's 100% styled after vintage receivers and is barebones basic, but you get all the advantages of fresh electronics that won't need capacitors replaced and faders/switch's/potentiometers replaced on the reg. I only recommend that because my dad and I both bought 70's vintage receivers from a local vinyl/vintage hifi shop and both of our units are starting to have issues with selector knobs and controls within about a year or two of purchase. It just comes with the territory of 50 year old electronics. I think it's as easy as opening them up and spraying them with Deoxit.. but that's also a pain in the rear end to do. And then go and get a decent set of vintage speakers from that shop nearby. Speakers age waaay better than receivers imo. And the internal crossovers in the old speakers are way easier to get access to and safer to replace the caps than messing around with an amp with lethal potential energy stored in the big caps.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:51
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Ok Comboomer posted:Beware, vintage gear (especially gear that’s been “serviced”) can be hella overpriced. Once you start spending “new nice gear” money on it you really need to know what/why you’re buying. 20wpc is plenty if your speakers are halfway efficient and you don’t have an enormous cave of a room.
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Jan 9, 2023 21:53
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BigFactory posted:20wpc is plenty if your speakers are halfway efficient and you don’t have an enormous cave of a room. Still, it’s quad. I wouldn’t buy quad gear unless you knew you wanted to get into quad
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Jan 9, 2023 22:01
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i think setting up a quad system is a level of nerd even beyond getting really into old reel-to-reel
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Jan 9, 2023 22:07
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So the shop was closed but I will swing by there and check out their speakers and see what they have when they open back up. I popped into a local thrift store and found a Technics - SA 500 for $150. It was plugged in with some crappy speakers and with the FM radio on and it sounded like it was working good! Tested both channels and audio was coming in clear and the lights are all working as well! It actually looks almost brand new which is kind of a shocker. Electronics have a 14 day return period so I can at least see if it works and how it all sounds but based on a quick google search it seemed like it was a good enough deal to scoop up and resell if it isn't to my liking and I can head towards that Yamaha. Can't wait til I can get it hooked up to some new speakers. This thing is substantial and feels like a tank compared to the plastic hollow tower I have now. I'm a photographer and it reminds me of getting my first medium format film camera and how that felt compared to the all plastic cameras I was using up until that point. There are a million reasons that living in the deep south sucks rear end but the thrift stores here can't be beat imo.
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Jan 9, 2023 22:09
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quad receivers.... 
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Jan 9, 2023 22:11
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Now I want to hear four separate quad systems playing Zaireeka. Surely some crazy person out there has attempted this.
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Jan 9, 2023 22:15
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Enos Cabell posted:Now I want to hear four separate quad systems playing Zaireeka. Surely some crazy person out there has attempted this. Zaireeka is meant to be played on period appropriate equipment 
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Jan 10, 2023 00:22
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Enos Cabell posted:Now I want to hear four separate quad systems playing Zaireeka. Surely some crazy person out there has attempted this. I don't... do you understand how quad works? It's four discrete channels. Four CDs x two channels = two quad systems. Also I used to have one of these and it was peak ridiculous. A two channel amp that was only supposed to do the "other" two quad channels. 
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Jan 10, 2023 14:34
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someone help this thing is tempting me at $160
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Jan 12, 2023 18:42
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Did not realize this thread existed and bothered the vinyl thread first. my dad has 1 or 2 old turntables and speakers from the late 70s still just sitting in his basement. i have no details as the stuff is not here with me. He says one of them is "broken" but i have no idea what that means. My uneducated assumption is outside of a very niche guy looking to complete a 1978 or whatever set of stuff, no one really wants a busted old turntable and speakers now. I have no idea what the market is for original equipment in 2023. Would it be worth it to figure out the exact models and such and look into reselling them or donating them somewhere, or just toss them? Anything I should look for next time i am over there and can take pictures and get names of the stuff?
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Jan 12, 2023 18:47
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Feels Villeneuve posted:someone help this thing is tempting me at $160 My understanding is that those later DVD/LD combo players weren't as nice as the standalone LD players. I'd definitely go for a Pioneer standalone player if there's one available around that price.
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Jan 12, 2023 18:57
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WoodrowSkillson posted:Did not realize this thread existed and bothered the vinyl thread first. It's definitely worth at least figuring out what it all is. Late 70s was pretty much the peak era for high quality equipment, just before the race to rock-bottom prices on plastic stereo stacks that you could buy at Sears began. If it's halfway decent stuff, there is absolutely a market for it, broken or not. Feel free to post more specifics in here as well and someone will help you out.
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Jan 12, 2023 19:01
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yeah the nice thing is that turntables and *especially* speakers haven't really technologically advanced much since the 70s so well-made stuff is going to remain good. turntables have regressed if anything
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Jan 12, 2023 19:02
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