New to this

Ramblerman

New Member
Hello everyone. I've always enjoyed vintage radios. I grew up poor. But lucky for me, I grew up in the 90s when everyone was throwing or giving away those large cabinet style radios. So that's what I had most of the time. I've never been very happy with modern systems. There's just something different about the radios they had in the 70's and early 80's.

Now I'm in my 30s, I have a good job and some disposable income. I feel the need to bring that type of sound back into my life. So I did some research, set myself a budge of $200 for a receiver and $200 for speakers. I figured I'd take baby steps. I've always liked the silver faced systems from the 70's, so that's what I went with. I found a Yamaha CR-820 on eBay for $150 shipped. It ticks all the right boxes.

It's beautiful, powerful, and affordable. Mine has a busted speaker block for the "B" speakers and the lights for the radio dial don't work. The volume knob has some corrosion, so it pops a lot and the left channel cuts out until you have it in a sweet spot. But all that can be fixed. I'm a handy guy. Another plus of growing up poor is you only get things other people don't want. So you learn how to fix things. I've already bought and received a replacement speaker terminal block, so it's going to be time to pull out the soldering iron soon!

While I was waiting for the Yamaha to get here, I went in search of some vintage floor speakers. I hit all the usual suspects; Goodwill, thrift shops, antique stores, but wasn't finding anything good. On my way back from running some errands that took me a little farther from home, I found an antique mall and stopped to check. What I found isn't exactly vintage. A set of Bose Acoustimass 6 Series 2 "Home entertainment" speakers. I know there's not a lot of love for these speakers. But I needed something decent to try out the receiver with, so for $90, I took a chance. The only problem was, how do I test the speakers before the Yamaha gets here?! So I picked up a GE RA200A receiver for 20 bucks at the same mall.

I got home and set up the GE and the Bose. I was pleasantly surprised. It sounded so much better than the $300 Visio sound bar I was used to (I know, that doesn't take much). The GE is pretty cool. It has an Atari 2600 kind of vibe going on. Black face with silver post switches. And it glows blue (not LED converted!)

I almost convinced myself that I didn't need the Yamaha, but when it finally arrived and I got everything set up, it was obvious that it was another couple notches up the post from the GE. It weighed probably twice as much, or more. It's got a less bass-heavy sound. Nice and light, but still deep when it should be. That's the sound I missed from my childhood. Sound that feels like it moves. Like it's around you, not in front of you.

I need to find some speakers. These Bose are nice, but I want something with real wood boxes and large woofers. I want something that looks as good as it sounds. I'm going to have to increase my budget.

Pics coming. I wrote too long and my lunch break is over. Sorry for the book, but I couldn't say it in fewer words!
 
Pics!

20170511_163900_zpsmstfxjzp.jpg


20170511_232716_zpslnzrelvz.jpg


20170511_231709_zpsh1o3jy91.jpg


20170511_233018_zpsf1tjz0aj.jpg
 
Welcome to AK. You may want to look for a pair of Polk Monitor 7's. They work very well with the Yamaha CR series. Another winner would be some Boston Acoustic A150's. Both are inexpensive and not too hard to find and have good synergy with your 820.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome! It looks like I will be looking through the repair threads sooner than I'd hoped. The Yamaha worked great for a day but now won't turn on. Upon further inspection, I found the main 250v 4A fuse had blown. After replacing the fuse, it blew roughly 2 seconds after I pressed the power button. I'm a DIY kinda guy, so I'll be delving into the world of vintage electronic repair. Wish me luck!
 
Back
Top Bottom