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Greater Than the Sum of it's Parts

scavenger

scavenger

Member
Some of us are poor. Very poor.

Over the past couple years I've been scavenging which, of course, leads to being both thrilled and disappointed at the same time - thrilled at the gem that you got for peanuts, but disappointed in that you know it'll never fill the void.

So I ask, what's the best system you have managed to piece together FOR VERY LITTLE MONEY and/or what unorthodox methods have you used to get more out of a piece than it should produce?

Mine is a follows - $125 over 2 years - absolutely ridiculous looking (isn't going near the living room) but for what it is, sounds INCREDIBLY good to me and ALMOST makes me say "I'm done for now" (almost.)

  1. $25 - Proton D940 - posted about this when I found it. This is what makes it all possible 40 GOOD wpc with the Dynamic Power On Demand circuitry (which supposedly makes it's peak well over 40 when pushed).
  2. $7 - AR SRC - Not necessary to the system, but having a remote is a cherry on top!
  3. $5 - Niles HDL-4 High Definition Speaker Selection System - Fancy name for a 4 speaker switcher that allows me to have up to 8 speakers in parrallel and ensure that impedance never drops below 4 ohms
  4. $20 - Fisher DS-177s - nothing special 12" woofer 3-ways - boomy but full
  5. $55 - Cerwin Vega D-1's - Paid $30 for the pair and then refoamed for $25 - loud and forward.
  6. $5 - Infinity RS2's - competent but nothing special bookshelfs - High and Tight.
  7. $8 - Ventura V-8 subwoofer - seems to add in what the fishers are missing.
Somehow, this system sounds so good and covers such a wide range of wants and needs (depth, control, VOLUME) that it amazes me every time I sit back and decide to put it through its paces. So much that I had to post about it. The $5 switcher is what made it fall together because I was trying to A/B a bunch of different speakers and their combinations and placement. I finally found landed on this ridiculous setup.

So, if you can't afford a great set of speakers, maybe try a switcher and several sets of cheap speakers? Working for me at the moment!

proton.jpg

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Robisme said:
9090DB - $25
JBL L100s - Free
A Denon CD player I'm sure I payed $25 or less for.
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That's the kind of stuff I was never lucky enough to stumble upon! Plus all I can do is refoam, so if something needs work, I can't really get a good deal from it. Only things I ever got for free were a pair of Bose 201's and a pair of Infinity rs 525's that needed foam. Both of which at the time I couldn't believe the guy was giving me for free - shortly there after I gave them to someone else.
 
Plus, like you said, that was years and years ago. Just in the last 2 years, I've watched the price people are asking for stuff triple around here if not quadruple.:mad:
 
My workshop system is as follows:

Sansui 6060 $28
KLH Model 6s $30 + $12 for new caps and grill cloth
Old Toshiba DVD player a buddy was going to throw it out $0

This system gets more playing time than any of my other systems. It really should put it somewhere else. It sounds very nice and I wind up listening to it instead of working on the task at hand.
 
bigaltx24 said:
I wind up listening to it instead of working on the task at hand.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head. Like listening and posting here instead of working. It's that "stop-you-in-your-tracks" for a moment feeling where you say "hey, listen to this!". :beerchug:
Of course, most people I know just hear :blah: by now.
 
Sansui AU-D77X amp, $75, Friend
Sansui AS-100 speakers, $9.98, GW
80's Sony mega-bass portable CD player $75
Techincs TT free, Brother
AT cartridge $70, eBay

$220 - sounded great! :)

Still have the AS-100 speakers & AT cartridge.
 
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I am going to suggest a new system as an alternative.
Yamaha R-S202 receiver selling for $150
A pair of Denton B625 Air speakers for $70

So, for $220 you get delivered to your door new and unused gear with a warranty. The Yamaha R-S 202 has a built-in Bluetooth receiver in addition to AM and FM. The Dentons have AMT tweeters with a great sound. They even come with speaker wire!

No matter what route you choose, new or used, have a great time!
 
My surround system-

Denon AVR2308ci: $20
Advent 4002's: $5
JBL CL505: $5
Realistic Minimus 7's: Free
Bic Formula F12: $130 (got it brand new at a discount)

TOTAL: $160
 
Current best value system that I have:

Sherwood S7100-A receiver: $15
Realistic Optimus 5B speakers: $20

Both from local charity thrift stores.
Sherwood sounds lovely, but needs a paddle switch.
Speakers could probably use caps.

Cheapest system I ever used regularly and liked:
Realistic STA-430: $4 + $7 for dial lights
Yamaha NS-A635A speakers: $3

Bought from GW and a garage sale, respectively.

If I had not been able to upgrade my system, I would still be happy with the last system.
 
Probably my best sounding "budget oriented" system @ the moment would be my basement workbench system. (that is -if- you dont include the rack it's all in right now,LOL)

That one is:
NAD 3140 integrated Amp [$85.00]
NAD 2140 Power Amp (Gonna bridge this and use it to power a passive sub,possibly a bucket sub) [$60.00]
Nikko EQ1 Equalizer (Was gonna use it elsewhere but it was'nt needed so in the end it went here) [$120.00]
Magnavox CDB-500 CDP [$20.00]
Optimus Pro7AV (A-channel speakers) [$40.00]
Klipsch KSB 1.1 (B-channel speakers) FYI: Honestly I should'nt have even included these as they're leftovers from a different system... [$50.00]

^^^^ That ^^^^ Totals = $375.00 and nearly a third of that is the "leftover" Nikko EQ1...

And if you included the misc. NAD accesories and such (2 pr.NOS rack handles and 1 pr. Min7 speaker stands) that would add like another $125.00 or so.

Next closest would be the kitchen system,but it does'nt sound quite as good as ^^^^ that one ^^^^,it's pretty close though.
Anyhow the SQ for that basement system is beyond any expectations,and it's bound to sound even better yet when I get the subwoofer situation taken care of.

FWIW

Bret P.
 
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toxcrusadr said:
L100's for free. You know we hate you right? :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Well, then you are really going to hate me when you hear this. I actually got two pair of L100s for free from the guy.
No grill frames on either set though.
The guy had a bunch of gear he wanted me to sell for him, and said I could keep the speakers plus 20% (or some %, it was a long time back) of the sales.
It was actually a lot of work. Heavy items and turntables. All sold on Ebay, so packing and shipping sucked.

I built wood frames for the pair I still have and covered them with grill cloth.

But, I have had very good luck over the years. I picked up a free Sansui AU-9900 on Craigslist. Ad said free stereo. It came with a set of speakers, so I guess that was a system too.

Rob
 
I don't normally actively go the scavenging route but most if my garage computer system was super cheap.

Mid 90s CD player and receiver I paid $20 for, a free (with purchase of a nicer turntable) Sony belt drive table and though some more pricey PSBs are hooked to it at the moment, there are usually a $20 set of Pioneer SB BS21s or a $35 set of Paradigm Atom v3s hook to it.

Not the most bass and and the Pioneers aren't quite as bright as I prefer, I mostly listen to movies or streamed music or MP3s out there, it seems to do just fine for the $100-ish I have in it.
 
Yamaha CR-2020 receiver in like new condition from original owner--painted a bathroom for it as a trade.
JBL L-100's--paid $400, but they are mint with new grilles and all original sales documentation and receipt--price new (discounted even) was $525 in 1977.
 
I guess the thing that got me started on this thread is that the only real "deal" in the whole system is the proton. None of these speakers by themselves sound very good in my opinion, but all of them together sound far better than I ever expected. It's like they each compensate for the others in a very synergistic way. I've been looking for that killer speaker deal (and still am) but now the urgency has been alleviated.
 
If the room has a positive influence on the sound system, then yes the system can be better than the sum of the parts.
 
I've said this numerous times in other threads, but it bears repeating--no single "great" component can make a whole system sound "great", but a single "poor" component can make a "great" system sound "poor", and "synergy" IS REAL--some of our "toys" don't play well with others and/or the room they are in--others magically fall into place. It is what it is and no amount of paperwork (spec sheets and reviews) can change that.
 
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