Too old for heavy audio gear

Tom Bombadil

AK Member
Had to move a couple of months ago. I found that at 63 yo and with varying stages of arthritis in joints, that I could no longer move some of my gear by myself. Had to hire a couple of movers to assist me.

Bummer.

I've got a 75 pound power amp which I moved twice and injured my back both times. The bass module sections of my tower speakers weigh 100 pounds each. I couldn't even begin to move them, outside of sliding them around the floor. A few years ago I moved those puppies by myself.

Guess I need to take this into consideration in the future. Maybe swap some things out for lighter gear. Not considering buying anything too heavy. Maybe go with Class D power amps - they are getting fantastic reviews nowadays. Or just stay put in my new place.
 
I too am running into this issue. One item that has made things a bit easier is a nice 2/4 wheel Magliner handtruck, the kind the beverage guys use to bring stuff from the truck to the building. It does not answer the issue of lifting items up to a shelf or similar, but it does make life easier. I am using it for all kinds of stuff. My wife uses it to bring boxes with seasonal decorations from the garage to the house. They are great for speaker movement. They are worth every penny they cost.

You might consider changing to some of the amazing newer Class D type amplifiers. No weight, great sound.
 
Last edited:
The op makes me think of the equipment reviews I read where the 400lb speaker gets delivered by truck to the front door of the reviewer's 3rd floor walk-up :)
I swapped out my old heavy amp for a D-class that weighs a few pounds, puts out gobs of power, and sounds fantastic!
I doubt I'll ever get easy-to-manage speakers that give me the same smile as my current ones, though.
 
Tom, I hear ya, dude! I'm 71 and last October I cracked an L3 vertebrae and ripped my right piriformis (butt) muscle pulling a pair of AR9s (the big 150-lbs. each ones) up two flights of stairs (31 steps) on a dolly, even with my long-suffering wife pushing. What softened me up for the AR9 fiasco was pulling a pair of ADS L1530s (115 lbs. each) up one flight of stairs, using the same dolly and same wife. It's taken me seven months to recover from the injuries but not yet from my wife's warnings of "Never again!"

After those two sets of behemoths, I acquired a pair of Mac XRT1Ks (168-lbs. each). I paid my contractor and two of his helpers to carry those babies up the Stairs of Death & Serious Injury. The only thing I'm lifting these days is my phone to call for help!

Dave
 
Last edited:
At 62, I'm starting to have similar thoughts...
I will be selling some of my heavier items before I retire to a smaller house. My EPI 1000 towers at 180# each will be the first things to go. I once thought of repairing/restoring vintage audio for retirement income, but the stuff worth working on is getting to be too heavy for me to mess with.
 
Super sliders are nice for big speakers. We move stuff around here all the time with them. Those Class D switching amps seem great for the output, weight and price. Lots of guys like them, though I only ever owned the early Carver ones which are pretty amazing for their size and weight. Did not replace any of my big iron though and moved them on.
I doubt you will ever be satisfied with small satellite system and a subwoofer or smaller monitors. IMHO there’s just no way to get the same response, soundstage or image as you get from larger floorstanders of good quality, so it might be worth hiring someone for a hand moving those.
 
62775_zzz_alt_500.jpg


https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-heavy-duty-hand-truck-62775.html

Best $39.99 I ever spent on audio. :bigok:
 
Maybe it's time for a DAC/Headphone Amp, a good set of headphones and a membership in Head-Fi. Slap me now.

I recall that when I was 64 I loaded an entire houseful into five or six moving pods, about 12,000 pounds of "stuff," and when done, went into the hospital for a week. Then I went to Kansas City "with a Foley on my knee."

What I made and call a "roll-around" can save you a lot of work. It's some old lumber, rubber pads and four cast-off casters. $40 cheaper than Tox's handtruck, but then, I have two of those. They are all a great help.
 

Attachments

  • P1010205.JPG
    P1010205.JPG
    82.9 KB · Views: 71
  • P1010206.JPG
    P1010206.JPG
    97.3 KB · Views: 66
Last edited:
I'm 62 and I can relate . I answered a craigslist add last nite . Bought 2 sets of pioneer speakers , a set of CS-99a's and a set of CS-63dx's .They are heavy speakers . Getting them in and out of the car was one thing. But up narrow stairs into the man cave was rough. All this in a hurry to get it done before the wife got home..
 
My listening gear is not really a problem for me yet - turned 61 in January. My problem is the speakers I've hoarded that need to be stored away. I have Large Advents and a pair of Heresy that are on shelves above my head. And a pair of AR5. Along with some other gear.

Alan
 
Yer talking to a guy who's got a McIntosh MC2205 in the rack that hasn't been plugged in for years. It's not in my way, so it can just sit there and hold the rack down ... <G>

mc2205.jpg
 
I own this same hand truck. Used it during my last move. It helped a lot. However I still had to hire movers for my heaviest stuff.

I need to avoid injuring myself. It makes no sense to insist upon moving my heavy gear and then being laid up for weeks recovering.

If you get laid up, just make sure you are positioned in the sweet spot. That way you can be listening to the fruits of your labor as you lay in pain and agony.
 
At 71 I recently had a rude awakening concerning moving heavy audio gear. I called on one of my neighbors to help me move an Acoustat SPW-1 (relatively large sub). I had tried but couldn't move it myself. He came over picked it up and asked, "Where do you want it?".
 
I've had the rule that I have to be able to lift and carry equipment, by myself, for some time.
Also the equipment has to be relatively happy with a ride in the back of a pickup.

Passed up a pair of EPI 400's awhile back, mainly for this reason.
100lbs each? Sorry that's just too much at this point.

And yeah, I own various dollies and hand trucks.

I did construction work for many years in South Texas heat.
I got nothin' to prove to anyone at this point.

Listening to a dual stereo Class D set-up as I type.
Can't exactly fit it your pocket, but it's never gonna hurt me if I lift it.
 
Last edited:
What I made and call a "roll-around" can save you a lot of work. It's some old lumber, rubber pads and four cast-off casters. $40 cheaper than Tox's handtruck, but then, I have two of those. They are all a great help.

I call those furniture dollies, very handy especially for moving sofas and such over hard surfaces. If you can lift one end you can load a sofa onto a truck or trailer with those. I made mine out of 2x4s with scrap carpet nailed on, and got some casters 'free' by knocking them out of discarded server cabinets and similar stuff in the scrap metal pile at an electronics recycler. They said they used to save them but no one really bought them so they stopped.

Tox, that's the Harbor Freight dolly that helped me ruin my back and butt! :confused:

Dave

Sorry to hear! Rereading your tale, I own AR9's and I can see how that would be even with this dolly. They are tall enough that there is a lot of weight up near the handle and above.

General Note: With tall items or stuff you don't want to fall off (say, on a hill tilting sideways outside your basement door, which is what I have), a ratchet strap helps. Also a towel between cargo and dolly to prevent scratches. I put amps/receivers on this thing too, no use killing myself to move an SX-1250 upstairs or down.

Yer talking to a guy who's got a McIntosh MC2205 in the rack that hasn't been plugged in for years. It's not in my way, so it can just sit there and hold the rack down ... <G>

Hey I know a way to get that out of there if you want to be rid of it. Just as a favor to a fine AKer. :biggrin:
 
Back
Top Bottom