$15 Radio Shack Amp that kicks - the Accurian
- Thread starter Snade
- Start date
Big thanks and props to you all.
I literally found one of these on the street in San Francisco.
I looked at the name and decided to look it up online. I found
this thread and quickly ran back out to the street to see if it
was still there. It was, and I grabbed it. I took it home, and
I made the mod, and now my laptop is driving the best sounding
audio I've ever had come out of one of my computers. I had
two Klipsch KS2 book shelf speakers gathering dust that are
now the best computer speakers I've ever had; especially with
the Breakaway audio enhancer software running.
Many thanks to you folks for the education!
I registered to this forum, just to thank you all. I am not really
an audiophile, but computer speakers always suck. :thumbsdn: Some are
just better than others. Now I know how to have great computer
speakers. :thmbsp:
I literally found one of these on the street in San Francisco.
I looked at the name and decided to look it up online. I found
this thread and quickly ran back out to the street to see if it
was still there. It was, and I grabbed it. I took it home, and
I made the mod, and now my laptop is driving the best sounding
audio I've ever had come out of one of my computers. I had
two Klipsch KS2 book shelf speakers gathering dust that are
now the best computer speakers I've ever had; especially with
the Breakaway audio enhancer software running.
Many thanks to you folks for the education!
I registered to this forum, just to thank you all. I am not really
an audiophile, but computer speakers always suck. :thumbsdn: Some are
just better than others. Now I know how to have great computer
speakers. :thmbsp:
No need to do the Modd
Folks, I have this amp running directly from the computer without a modd, and it sounds great. I just plugged in a Y cable to the RCA Jacks (Out) on the Amp, and it works just great. I have four speakers that I want to use the original way through the powerline. Would appreciate if anyone has 4 of the receiver Eproms handy. "RS 0624 R". Please let me know.
Folks, I have this amp running directly from the computer without a modd, and it sounds great. I just plugged in a Y cable to the RCA Jacks (Out) on the Amp, and it works just great. I have four speakers that I want to use the original way through the powerline. Would appreciate if anyone has 4 of the receiver Eproms handy. "RS 0624 R". Please let me know.
Blue Meanie
Scratch 'n' Sniff
How does that work, without source input jacks? The point in the mod is to make the output jacks into input jacks. Sounds like yours was modded before you got it. Or maybe I'm missing something...:scratch2:
Have to agree here. My two were interesting pieces of electronic junk until the mod revealed their true potential. One is still powering my desktop speakers (EPI 100 Series 3) and the other my daughter's IPod speakers (Infinity Primus 142s). Great little device. Some other audio sites on which I posted about this little gem answered with derision and disdain. Go figure.
johnda
Addicted Member
Ah yes, that 106 in your avitar. In the late 50's I watched them take off from Kelly AFB under full burner, go to the end of the runway, then pull up into a Immelman and fly in the opposite direction. They never went past the field and completed the manuver over the runway! Amazing.
MrGee
Stereotomus Lobotomus
I still have three of the seven I bought a couple of years ago.
Been waiting for one of those board deals on ebay to catch peoples eye and ear...
Each one has gone out to family or friends with ipod and no home speakers.
For the ipod generation, they make a perfect instant stereo. Couple them with a powered sub that has a gain on it, and you can get very decent music from them.
Has anyone come up with a good kit to use the trans and other parts with? It was always my intention to take these and make a monoblock out of each one...
Been waiting for one of those board deals on ebay to catch peoples eye and ear...
Each one has gone out to family or friends with ipod and no home speakers.
For the ipod generation, they make a perfect instant stereo. Couple them with a powered sub that has a gain on it, and you can get very decent music from them.
Has anyone come up with a good kit to use the trans and other parts with? It was always my intention to take these and make a monoblock out of each one...
Re: portable iPod sound...
Back when RS still had them kicking around in their stores, I snagged 4 pairs of the amped, wireless speakers that went with this series for $10/pair...new in the box. I modified them to work as portable amped speakers (explained in this post) and gave a pair to my 10 year old daughter for her brand new iPod. I also set her up with a mixing board and a mic so that she could sing along with her music.
Nearly 4 years later:
This Christmas I got my wife a new Logitech dock/speakers for her iPhone. She wanted something really small for portable music. After listening to its impressive, compact sound, my daughter said she wanted one for her iPod for in her room. I reminded her of the plug-and-play speakers that I gave her 4 years ago that are set up in her room. With electronics becoming technologically obsolete in a year's time, she was convinced that this little Logitech would sound much better than the speakers that I'd given her way back when she was a pre-teen; which was eons ago in the age of iPods, Bluetooth and cell phones. Actually pretty solid reasoning on her part.
She borrowed my wife's dock to take up to her room to compare the sound, and there was no comparison. The modded Accurians blew away the dock speakers - particularly at higher volume.
She's been using them with her iPod once again. She must have forgotten how good these speakers sound.
Back when RS still had them kicking around in their stores, I snagged 4 pairs of the amped, wireless speakers that went with this series for $10/pair...new in the box. I modified them to work as portable amped speakers (explained in this post) and gave a pair to my 10 year old daughter for her brand new iPod. I also set her up with a mixing board and a mic so that she could sing along with her music.
Nearly 4 years later:
This Christmas I got my wife a new Logitech dock/speakers for her iPhone. She wanted something really small for portable music. After listening to its impressive, compact sound, my daughter said she wanted one for her iPod for in her room. I reminded her of the plug-and-play speakers that I gave her 4 years ago that are set up in her room. With electronics becoming technologically obsolete in a year's time, she was convinced that this little Logitech would sound much better than the speakers that I'd given her way back when she was a pre-teen; which was eons ago in the age of iPods, Bluetooth and cell phones. Actually pretty solid reasoning on her part.
She borrowed my wife's dock to take up to her room to compare the sound, and there was no comparison. The modded Accurians blew away the dock speakers - particularly at higher volume.
She's been using them with her iPod once again. She must have forgotten how good these speakers sound.
Last edited:
DCinDC
I'm here to fix it
Try the second modification where the front board is bypassed.
Hook the three wires on the main amp plug all the way to the right direct to the rear RCA jacks.
Locate the input wires on the main board. (on the front of the board, towards the right side while looking at the amp from the front) They should be L G R. They are on the right side of the group of wires.
Yellow to white
Black to green
Red to blue
POOF! No more front board and about 35% cleaner amp! The difference is VERY noticeable.
You can drive it just fine from a computer (even though you will not reach really high volume, it is plenty) and this mod is easily reversible. Try it, my bet is...you will like it!
I know this is an old thread....
Here is a link to a slicker way to bypass the front board. No soldering required!
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/sho...f-the-Century!&p=854872&viewfull=1#post854872
go to post 176. You are basically moving 3 pins from one connector to another.
The difference is astonishing! This thing sounds GREAT!
I may try to redo the preammp board to make it sound good, but the payback for 5 minutes work is hard to beat!
These amps are all over ebay. For the asking prices I may pick up another.