Tell us about your stereo!

[Craig in Indy]

I dream about having cabinets like that for my collection. Sorry about your ASL blowing up, there is no doubt the "Mass Manufacturing" by even once reputable electronics firms has not maintained the quality we are used to.

I almost bid on an old Yamaha 1020 receiver last week on e-bay,,,but I would have to double the cost and send it to a guy in Colorado to upgrade the PS and Capacitors, then it would last another 30 years. I am so tempted though, and if a 1010 integrated amp shows up again I might not be able to resist.

Personally, I think any of the old Japanese electronics are generally worthwhile to get and upgrade if you have the cash to do it. All that stuff from the '70s was really pretty decent, at least compared to the stuff that gets churned out these days. Yamahas would be at or near the top of the list from that time, I think.

As far as the ASLs go, I was warned that extremely cheap tube gear from China has a tendency to self-destruct in a shower of small-scale fireworks, but I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Like I said, I was lucky it didn't damage the speaker it was connected to.

There are, however, a handful of high-end companies that have managed to keep a sharp eye on their Chinese production facilities and have effective QC programs, but all that is reflected in higher prices than these little ASL units had. Outfits like PrimaLuna and Cayin are doing a great job with Chinese made goods, but like I said, the quality is reflected in their prices (though they're still bargains compared to comparable stuff made here and in Europe).

 

[LG]

I never ventured into the Tube universe Craig. I know about the warmth and other good things, but I was always nervous about something going wrong. You know if I did ever buy one in the 80's, I would have automatically got a few replacement tubes from the manufacturer, just to make sure I had the necessary parts. I think there is a specialty company that still makes replacements for Macintosh, and some of the other high end gear, but I can't remember the name...

 

[Hepcat]

^^Not to mention most European gear won't work here and vice/versa because of the differences in our voltages.

Which is probably why Marantz has different models in European and North American markets.

***:

 

[Mr. Shadow]

as for record players, I have one similar to this.

Found it cheap at a yard sale a while back..the things people pretty much throw away.

Not that model, but I bought one of those a few years back.

 

[Mr. Shadow]

I also have a Bose system in my 350 Z.. and the sound is awesome.. Two huge sub woofers behind the seats and then a set of 10 inch woofers and tweeters in the doors and under the dash..
The sound is great!!
My reflection speakers don't cause any resolution problems what so ever..
So the people on that forum sound more like finding fault with the name brand rather than giving Bose a fair rating..
They have a set of out door speakers I'd like to have that are water proof and can play under water.
They sounded awesome!!
And I'm sure there are better speakers out there but really Bose does satisfy when it comes to a good full sound..

Bose does not publish frequency specifications. The reason for this is
that we believe that such statistics do not add very much to an
understanding of an audio product's acoustic characteristics and, even worse,
can be misleading. Audio manufacturers make these measurements
independent of industry standards, and in varying conditions. Additionally, a
single statistic is not a reliable measurement of a product's
performance. One could, for instance, find a very expensive system with exactly
the same specifications as a much less expensive system. On paper, the
two would appear identical. The difference in performance, however,
would be significant. A better approach, we feel, is to listen to the
product.

Thank you for contacting Bose Corporation.

 

[LG]

Been doing some shopping recently and picked up a few nice pieces.

I was talking to Sweaty a few weeks ago about a new CD player I was thinking of buying. After Christmas was over and I was in the City the next week I stopped in my favorite Hi-Fi shop and looked at two Marantz players. One was about $800 and the other one $400. They had a sale on so I went home and did some research, went back two days later and picked up the Marantz CD-5004, the cheaper of the two. It rated favorably against models in the $2000 range and I am doing some more additions later so I ended up buying it for about $320.00, including tax.

I have been messing around with it for about 3 weeks when I have time and I have to say I am very impressed with it so far. It puts my old Philips in the shade, and has a unique feature that I am falling in love with. You can pick what quality of Analog out you want, regular, EX, and EX 2. I have never heard a CD player produce the quality and subtlety that this one has on all kinds of music too. My old CD player is pretty much done so this was just a matter of luck and timing, but I am tickled with the addition to the hoard.



Next I am shopping for a new DVD player, most likely a Marantz as well.

 

[JerseyGirl]

as for record players, I have one similar to this.

Found it cheap at a yard sale a while back..the things people pretty much throw away.

I was looking at one of these the other day. Anyone know how they sound? Worth getting?

Been doing some shopping recently and picked up a few nice pieces.

I was talking to Sweaty a few weeks ago about a new CD player I was thinking of buying. After Christmas was over and I was in the City the next week I stopped in my favorite Hi-Fi shop and looked at two Marantz players. One was about $800 and the other one $400. They had a sale on so I went home and did some research, went back two days later and picked up the Marantz CD-5004, the cheaper of the two. It rated favorably against models in the $2000 range and I am doing some more additions later so I ended up buying it for about $320.00, including tax.

I have been messing around with it for about 3 weeks when I have time and I have to say I am very impressed with it so far. It puts my old Philips in the shade, and has a unique feature that I am falling in love with. You can pick what quality of Analog out you want, regular, EX, and EX 2. I have never heard a CD player produce the quality and subtlety that this one has on all kinds of music too. My old CD player is pretty much done so this was just a matter of luck and timing, but I am tickled with the addition to the hoard.



Next I am shopping for a new DVD player, most likely a Marantz as well.

Nice LG! Glad you're happy with your purchase.

 

[LG]

Thanks JG and NO don't waste your money on that record player.

I would get Denon's USB turntable anyday over that cabinet model, it looks okay but the quality is not there.

 

[JerseyGirl]

^^^Glad I asked LG. Thanks! Cost on the Denon?

 

[LG]

^^EB bought one last year...about $120.00 I think. They still are decent quality and easy to find.