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Ok Comboomer posted:alternatively it’s fascinating to find a beautiful old analog recording that either hasn’t been properly/legally digitized and rereleased or got a slipshod CD transfer job in the 80s/90s and nobody outside of like three music professors have since cared I have like, 50-100+ military / concert band recordings that we inherited from a recreational music ensemble that we're members of, that was just going to throw them all out. Most of them fall into that category. Some really fun Sousa and Holst and all sorts of other little treasures are in there that I wasn't able to find the particular recording of. Perhaps I should do a capture of them at some point and put 'em on YouTube, but  As for Gear repairs, I'm about to set in on what seems like a fairly nice Yamaha AX-700U receiver from the 80's that I picked up a few months ago, now that I'm in-between jobs and need something to occupy myself. The unit turns on, but there's absolutely no sound that plays no matter which input or speaker terminal I use  I have 0 experience with electrical repairs, but cracking it open showed the main chonky capacitor's head blown out, and one or two of the transistors that were attached to the heatsink were blown right out in what was obviously a fiery blaze of magic smoke and flame.   As you can see... It's also very filthy. Any tips or tricks to this? First step is going to be blowing out and then cleaning everything with isopropyl alcohol (is that safe?), then mindless poking around every component with a multimeter pretending I know what I'm looking for. Then I'm going to try and source that transistor and capacitor and anything else that seems suspect or that doesn't test right. Should I consider doing a full recapping for this project? Or should I just replace the ones that look obviously broken? Is it even worth putting the money into a (reasonably nice) piece of BPC? Also, I do have a capacitor discharging pen because I don't want to be on the 6 o'clock news for being the latest idiot to kill myself playing with energized stuff. 
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Aug 13, 2022 21:39
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Is there any particular reason I shouldn't use a mic mixer, hi fi amp, dynamic mic, and some efficient bookshelf speakers (built like tanks) that I already own for some light PA work outside for a 30 minute wedding service, rather than paying a good $250 CAD or so to rent a single generic PA speaker with mic?
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Aug 17, 2022 03:04
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ephori posted:For a wedding party you need something that’ll move air imo; unless it’s a small space, you will need to pair bookshelves with a sub or get speakers with reasonably sized woofers otherwise it’ll sound accurate but anemic. No no, the music is being handled by a proper DJ at the reception. We're just running a microphone for the officiant for the ceremony. Nothing more Ok Comboomer posted:you’re gonna drop your amp on the wet ground at the wedding It's going to be 30°C and dry as bones on the day of 
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Aug 17, 2022 03:31
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DoesNotCompute posted:My partner is a wedding planner in Canada, your life will be exponentially better the day of the wedding if you just rent a Bose S1 Pro from long and mcquade (should be around $30-$50 max). I say this purely due to the simplicity of setup and minimal wiring, it's battery powered (can run for 6-8 hours putting out decent SPL), has bluetooth input if you need to stream processional music and a built in mixer to take your mic input. If it's a larger service and you really need to throw some voice there's also the Yorkville EXM mobile 12. Thank you so much! This is why I love this dead gay comedy forum. After calling them you were totally right, it's going to be like $50 all in or something in that range.. about 1/5th the price that the event rental contractor we were using for the seating was quoting us.
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Aug 24, 2022 06:28
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I wonder if a variable resistor pot on the power wire going in might slow it down?
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Nov 6, 2022 05:00
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Ok Comboomer posted:If you’re getting to that point, there’s no reason why you couldn’t build a fully robotic “learning” TT. Use a combination of available track data/noise recognition/position recognition/user input to build a tracklist of your LP, recognize it when you start playing it, actuate the tonearm, and then let you do poo poo like select tracks from your phone. drat I would buy the poo poo outta that.
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Nov 7, 2022 18:58
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BigFactory posted:Idk, why not just stream the music at that point I wouldn't do it for modern music, that would be pointless. But for all my old classical and jazz records it would be cool if it could tap into the Discogs database and do that. It would basically be a vinyl cd player in function which would be dope
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Nov 7, 2022 20:45
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The only correct answer is because it's fun and dorky and the large format album art and liner is nice
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Nov 7, 2022 22:33
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What's the reasonable top of the line package in the DIY speaker world? It's something I'd like to check into but I don't want to over pay on bullshit.
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Nov 16, 2022 21:19
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On the note of small, cheap audio gear that actually sounds good, I picked up this Fosi Audio TB10D after CheapAudioMan did a video on it. I guess at first, it was pretty trashy (https://youtu.be/fkfu7KT_1BE). But the company actually listened to feedback and improved the unit significantly, and supposedly it was a serious contender : https://youtu.be/x6MSVFPUsdY So, I bought one for myself, and I am mightily impressed! I had a spare set of Wharfedale Diamond III's that I picked up secondhand for cheap, and I wanted to give my wife a better option for music in our bedroom, which she uses to help her sleep and calm her anxiety. The sound is extremely clean, the power it packs is waaaaay more than I could ever use in my apartment without getting noise complaints, and the tone controls offer just enough customization to dial the sound in. For the $90 odd Canadian Kopeks I spent on it, I couldn't ask for more
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Nov 21, 2022 19:33
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Jonny 290 posted:I'm looking at the tiny class D amps like the Fosi so i can be an indulgent rear end in a top hat and have tiny setups in the bathroom and kitchen and they seem really good for that, especially the ones with BT so i can just throw my phone at it Do it! I dunno about the bathroom because humidity/water issues, but it's definitely a solid idea for the porch/deck, kitchen, and the bedroom
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Nov 22, 2022 04:37
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How's it sound?
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Nov 27, 2022 07:46
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TooLShack posted:Because of this thread I picked up a the upgraded Fosi TB10D for my first class D amp for the spare bedroom that I take naps in sometimes. I'm using a Pioneer GR-777 EQ as a way to switch between either whatever minidisc player or whatever Ipod I'm using. I picked a pair of Klipsch KG 2.5s off of CL and it's a nice little set up to just put some chill music on while reading/napping. What're your thoughts on it so far?
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Nov 28, 2022 22:22
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What app is that?
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Jan 1, 2023 01:13
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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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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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Feels Villeneuve posted:aww. it's just kinda cool, honestly. Just get a Sony BD from what, 2008-2015 or whenever they were bundling in SACD into them. Got mine for $10 at Goodwill. As long as you have a DSD compatible DAC you're good
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Jan 13, 2023 18:37
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DoesNotCompute posted:I was curious about this since I have like.. 3 SACD's? Turns out my Sony BD player can do SACD but it only outputs DSD via the HDMI output, so if you just plug the optical or coax into a DAC, even if it's DSD capable it's just gonna spit out 44.1kHz ones and zeroes. Not sure if this is common or if this is a recent Sony thing, either way any difference I hear is imagined anyway. My Onkyo AV receiver can interpret the DSD data stream via HDMI so that's what I use. It sounds pretty great ngl.
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Jan 13, 2023 19:05
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Adding to the above, I really wouldn't start with a turntable over BT either. You can get a very reasonable Chi-Fi setup these days that sounds really solid. Bluetooth, especially the codec that they'll use in a cheap BT turntable is just going to really limit what you'll get out of your records, and so will the soundbar. A 2.0 or 2.1 channel stereo system can still be hooked up to your tv for a big improvement over the soundbar, and will have tons of upgradability and modularity for you to build it out as you like over the years. The soundbar and a Bluetooth turntable are going to be a dead end, in comparison. Something like this for the Amp https://www.amazon.com/Stereo-Amplifier-Class-Channel-50watt/dp/B08MJBG53V/ With something like this if you want multiple sources (ie. TV, CD, and turntable into the amp) https://www.amazon.com/PROZOR-Bi-Directional-Channel-Splitter-Selector/dp/B099WMC1DJ/ Then something like the Sony SS-CS5 's , they drop down to like $90 on sale too and they're on for $125 right now https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-5-3-way-bookshelf-speakers-pair-black/5721014.p?skuId=5721014#&intl=nosplash Keep in mind you'll need a turntable with a Line Out option, and if the turntable you get doesn't have that, you'll need a phono preamp that you wire the turntable into first. For the turntable, it's hard to beat the AT-LP60X for $150, it's fully automatic and comes with a line out and phono out, meaning you won't need a phono preamp unless you wanted to upgrade down the road. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP60X-BK-Belt-Drive-Hi-Fidelity-Anti-Resonance/dp/B07N3XJ66N/ After you buy the Amazon basics speaker wire and other cables and whatnot, with the above you'd be able to get a very respectable stereo and turntable setup, start spinning your vinyl and getting a much more enjoyable experience from all of your audio sources for about $425. If your tv doesn't have RCA out, all you'd need is an inexpensive Optical to RCA converter. It has lot sof room to grow too, you can add in a Fosi audio BT receiver to play music from your phones if you want, you can add a CD player if you want really high quality music, you can get an active subwoofer with speaker wire input/passthrough to really fill out the sound, etc. Etc.
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Feb 3, 2023 17:09
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BigFactory posted:What is Chi-fi? Is the Chi for Chinese? Yeah, it's just a term for the new wave of very capable, very aggressively priced Chinese made hi-fi gear. Their price/performance ratio is off the charts, but you gotta be picky and choosy about what you get. The term even extends to some products in the $2000-$3000 range that compete with products 2-5x the price. I absolutely do not mean it in any disparaging way.
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Feb 3, 2023 20:32
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TooLShack posted:Is there a decent DAC around 50 bucks? I picked up several 3rd Gen apple TVs to airplay through some of my older systems. I already have Schiit Modi and a SMSL SU-9, I just want something on the cheaper side since it's mainly for background music while I clean house and stuff. Probably something like a Fosi Audio unit for that price point. https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Digital-Analog/dp/B07VDQQY95/
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Feb 13, 2023 01:37
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Branch Nvidian posted:I have an Audio-Technica LP60X I got for my birthday a year ago and I’ve been using it with some basic-rear end Edifier R1280T speakers I bought from Best Buy. It sounds fine enough to me, and I mostly just listen to anime OST vinyls or emo music on it. However, a friend talked me into buying some Sennheiser 560S headphones, for which I need an amp to run off the turntable. I was in order directed to the Schiit Magni+. That's actually considered a bargain price, good quality headphone amp. Snake oil hilariously overpriced gear is more like... $1000-$2000 and up. If you wanted something dorky with tubes and wanted to save some money, you could get this https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Amplifier-Receiver-Integrated-Headphone/dp/B07Q26T5N7 , but that Schiit will be more reliable long term.
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Feb 21, 2023 19:14
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TooLShack posted:Thanks, mine came in today, not a bad little device. Yeah, for the money, they're great little units. I don't actually have that DAC, but I do have their TB10D stereo amp for the bedroom with a WIIM mini streamer/DAC unit as a source, and it's fantastic for that purpose/price point. It's driving a pair of 86db sensitivity Wharfedale Diamond III bookshelf's perfectly
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Feb 23, 2023 01:41
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Has anybody tried re-capping /repairing and/or replacing old speaker crossovers before? Or other generic refurbs like redoing gasket materials, packing the cabinet and whatnot? My dad has a pair of old 3-way Realistic Optimus 25 speakers, those 1' x ~3' style of grandpa speakers. They just sound.. dead? Like the low-mids and down and the highs feel rolled off and compressed, they just sound so thin and meh. Which is weird because this thing has a 12" woofer, 4" midrange woofer, and a 2-1/2" tweeter. He has an older Realistic STA-530 driving them which definitely needs some Deoxit at the bare minimum, too. Just looking for suggestions on brands of caps to replace them with, and consideration about making a new crossover for it if that's a reasonable thing to do. I have some basic to average soldering skills and I'd like to wake these speakers up for my dad. Not my picture but they are pretty nice, it's actually real Walnut veneer on the cabinets 
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Feb 26, 2023 19:24
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bigman.50grand posted:Have you futzed with the bass/treble knobs on the receiver? I'd suspect a problem from the source before diving into speaker components. Especially if the speakers sound identically lovely. Give the LOUDNESS button a shot, too. It should increase higher frequencies at lower volumes. Yeah I've already done lots with that to get it to a listenable state. Added an active sub, loudness on and the treble and bass have been painstakingly set. But yeah you're right, I should bring my little Fosi TB10D class D amp over and try the speakers with that 200W animal before I go too far into the weeds.
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Feb 27, 2023 00:40
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OP if you really must, you can run Baltic birch plywood with a good stain(use stain conditioner) or just use MDF like everyone does for a reason and use a nice walnut or cherry veneer. Align the grain as you go around the box and it'll look great.
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Mar 15, 2023 18:13
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Enos Cabell posted:I mean the real answer is buy the ATLP120 so you can play records now, and then start scouting local spots for a promising fixer upper. Then you either flip one or keep both and start hoarding vintage gear like god intended. This goon gets it
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Mar 18, 2023 16:47
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His Divine Shadow posted:Looking at some vintage headphones. Does the brand Tip-Top mean anything to anyone? Mostly I'm wondering if they're worth 40€ or if that's a ripoff. Really want some beefy headphones with a proper coiled cable. Vintage headphones almost universally suck. There's been tons of technological improvements on miniaturization that has made modern headphones vastly superior. Sigmund Fraud posted:Thanks! Am considering them. At or slightly above ear level is exactly where you want tweeters, so you're good! And yes, a dedicated sub, even a well-driven 8", will fill out the low end very well. They have a lot more cabinet volume, ports, and other design considerations that make them hit down lower than a pair of bookshelves. 10's are a great choice too, though. You'll definitely get more sub bass and extension as you go up
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Mar 27, 2023 23:47
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His Divine Shadow posted:TBH I think I will buy some vintage headphones, just so I can test out the claim that vintage phones suck because I have indeed read that a lot, and a few dissenting opinions. I have some modern headphones already. If you do, make sure to open them up and hit the pots there with some Deoxit or similar. I have an old Realistic pair I got for the same reason as you(mine were only $5 at a Goodwill tho), and they were terrible until I opened them up and cleaned them. The channel balance was all out of whack until I did that and they had cutouts/crackling when working the knobs. Now they're just.. kinda mediocre. I'm kinda tempted to strip out the old drivers and drop in some decent ones just for laughs.
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Mar 28, 2023 06:14
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EL BROMANCE posted:Wow, goodwill in 2023 usually wouldn’t have a period in that price tag. Good job! For real though. It's getting absolutely asinine what Goodwill and other thrift stores are pricing stuff at. They just take the median price off eBay and roll with that, even for stuff with clear deficiencies and an unknown state of repair
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Apr 2, 2023 18:04
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His Divine Shadow posted:From what I could tell it was hooked up in parallel. Anyway I found this site which was helpful. I wonder if someone just didn't know what they where doing has been working on it. Build your own diy Boombox with them 
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Apr 8, 2023 16:29
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Wait, I'm confused. Can you hear a channel imbalance, or are you feeding your turntable output to 2 different tape decks and inferring the channel imbalance from what you're seeing on the tape deck Vu meters? Or does your amplifier have its own Vu meters and you're seeing this on that? Do other albums on cassette also show this imbalance, or just the turntable output?
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Jun 5, 2023 21:40
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olives black posted:It was originally about the turntable stylus. After swapping the left and right cables going from the turntable to the Line In ports on the deck, I found that there was still a difference between the left and right channels when I played the same song on the turntable. I dunno sounds like you have an old cap or something sapping current inside the tape deck or something
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Jun 10, 2023 05:05
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Yeah I had a set of the old but similar RB-51 II's that I used for years, they're Klipsch sound through and through. I ended up moving on from them but they sat in my system happily for years. Isn't it awesome when you put together a system and sit back on the couch and just listen? I love CDs and vinyl for that, there's definitely something to the ritual of setting it all up and then sitting back
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Jun 23, 2023 17:40
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I only buy classical records on vinyl these days because the local record shops have $1 bins for those, maybe up to $4-$6 for some really nice ones, for records that were very lightly used and well looked after that often sound really great. I've been frequently surprised at the quality of some of the recordings, particularly some out of the CBC recording studios. CD's at the thrift stores and music store bargain bins are where it's at too
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Jun 28, 2023 22:58
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I want to get a tape recorder so I can make a janky rear end loop tape and make a tape delay out of it
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Jul 26, 2023 18:26
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A Bad King posted:Hi Thread! What's your budget? What pre-amplifier are you going to use with it? Are you set on using bookshelves, or would you be down to going to floor standers? Are you willing to buy used, or from overseas(ie. China/Korea)? What are your musical tastes? Would you listen to the system more if you added a digital music source ie. Streaming/Bluetooth/etc.?
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Aug 1, 2023 17:47
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A Bad King posted:Whoops. Should have included that! For $400, your best value will definitely be used. Oh, by preamp I didn't mean the phono preamp, I meant a stereo preamp to control the volume of the amplifier with a knob and/or remote and manage the sources. Do you already have one that you didn't mention? Because that Belles 150A looks to be just a power amplifier that needs a preamp to control it. Those stands are totally fine. If they can easily be filled with sand, that might give you some minor improvement, in tip-over stability if nothing else. As for speaker recs, what's your country/region? We can do a little perusing on usaudiomart.com/elsewhere and find some good options
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Aug 1, 2023 20:21
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Yeah I check Discogs and other audio nerd forums for reports on pressing quality before I waste my money on new vinyl releases. E: This one's probably my favourite newish LP, it's a 45 RPM 12" by TWRP.  
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Aug 8, 2023 22:39
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 01:57 |
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SerCypher posted:By the way how can you tell if your stylus is worn out on a record player. Also, pick up an inexpensive stylus cleaner with an integral brush(it'll be like a nail polish bottle basically) and give it a clean first. And then clean all yer old records too, for good measure. At least the ones you listen to a lot. I got a spinclean because they were on a decent sale , and homebrew my own cleaning solution because their product is  prices. I try to do a batch of vinyl here and there, and it makes a reasonable difference in noises and surface sounds if they are old and crusty. You don't need an expensive machine either, there's more basic methods too.
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Aug 10, 2023 20:08
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