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New to Audiophile u-verse

Is this a good beginning set-up?

  • Total voters
    20
musichal said:
Welcome, bdeihc. I agree that different speakers would be a good, next move for you. Would you mind telling us in what part of the world you live? If you look at my avatar, I broadcast my town and state to the world, whereas Blue Shadow, above me in the thread, provides a more general area, which also works. Of course, it is optional to share anything like that - no biggie either way. But there are a lot of gearheads hanging around here who might just help fix you up with a pair of spares for little cost, if they know you happen to be nearby.
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'''pay no attention to musichal he just wants to sneak into your house and steal that been around the block a few times copy of Three Dog Night "It Ain't Easy" just kidding

Seriously, a lot of us peruse the used equipment sites often and could steer you to a good speaker deal if we knew the area you lived in
 
Thanks. I found a pair of Advent 4002’s. Any thoughts on them? My HK is only 25watts per channel as stated previously...
 
bdeihc said:
I’m curious as to whether or not the record player resting on top of the reciever didn’t contribute to overheating and blowing the fuse... thoughts?
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You may be a beginner, but your instincts are good. All components that create heat, such as amps and receivers, need room to breathe. In some cases, a small fan helps. Being cool not only prevents catastrophes, but prolongs life.
 
bdeihc said:
Hey All, newbie here... Just got my set-up going. I am new to this and sorta trying to find my footing but here is my set-up... I Inherited my mom's record collection and her husband gave me a TT for free to play them. I am really into vintage things right now and I was really into these vintage speakers I found so I added those in as well...

  • TT - Pioneer PL-660 - Received for free - Circa 1985
  • Receiver - Harmon/Kardon HK-330 Vi - Purchased - Circa 1988
  • Speakers - Zenith Omnidirectional Speakers circa 1968

Just a few questions for some feedback and for my own knowledge...
  • Any feedback on each piece would be great
  • I really like the look of the speakers but am wondering am I getting great sound? Should I look for something in similar style that doesn't break the bank and gives me great quality sound?
  • I'm kinda really into the Kenwood receivers from the 60's and 70's for appearance and make..(specifically KR06400, or KA-7300) better receivers than the HK?

Thanks

B
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It is definitely an interesting system. To your question about the speakers. I am not at all sure if you are getting "great sound" and a 50 year old speaker will generally have issues. The H/K receiver is also elderly, and there too may need some work.

The real litmus-test is if YOU like what the system sounds like. ;)
 
My biggest issue with the speakers isn't that they aren't putting out great sound, they are, it's that there is no bass tone AT ALL. I had to adjust the bass up to get it to where I like it and that of course starts to distort the mid to higher tones.

I did look for some Advent speakers in the area based on @gdmoore28 s recommendation and was able to find a pair. So I may go for those and see what they sound like as well. The seller did say the stands won't come with them, is there a benefit to having a speaker on a stand vs the floor?
 
Excessive bass boost tends to make amplifiers (especially lower powered ones) run out of power. The distortion you're hearing is the amplifier running out of power and clipping. Distorted sound is the result of clipping.

Any speaker not specifically designed and labeled as a floor stander will sound best when on stands that place the tweeters at ear height when seated. This includes even larger "bookshelf" speakers such as Large Advents. The cheapest stands I'm aware of are Cinder blocks. If you don't like the looks wrap them in Black plastic trash bags.
 
You will enjoy the Advents. Just be sure to examine them carefully. The foam rubber "surrounds" that suspend the woofer cone in the frame is known to crumble over time and need to be replaced. The replacements are inexpensive and readily available, but are very important. Ask the owner if the surrounds have ever been replaced. If not, ask him to gently press in on the surrounds around both woofers. If they crumble or split, they will need replacement. Be sure to listen to them before buying.

GeeDeeEmm
 
@gdmoore28 it's funny you say that! I was just watching a video on youtube of a guy replacing a foam surround. I will for sure do this before purchasing. Thank you for the info! @JoeESP9 thanks. I will for sure buy some stands with that info. Don't mind looking for some nicer ones for aesthetics and for the best listening experience for the speakers.
 
My first serious pair of speakers were the Advent 4002s. Very nice speakers. After a couple of years, the original tweeters went bad and were replaced with the orange "fried egg" tweeters. The reason the 360 speakers are a compromise is imaging. Omni-directional speakers bounce sound all around the room making it difficult to hear how the instruments are placed in the sound field between the speakers. To hear the sound as the engineer intended proper speaker type and placement is necessary. Read speaker reviews to get the best handle on what specs are important.
 
bdeihc said:
Hey All, newbie here... Just got my set-up going. I am new to this and sorta trying to find my footing but here is my set-up... I Inherited my mom's record collection and her husband gave me a TT for free to play them. I am really into vintage things right now and I was really into these vintage speakers I found so I added those in as well...

  • TT - Pioneer PL-660 - Received for free - Circa 1985
  • Receiver - Harmon/Kardon HK-330 Vi - Purchased - Circa 1988
  • Speakers - Zenith Omnidirectional Speakers circa 1968

Just a few questions for some feedback and for my own knowledge...
  • Any feedback on each piece would be great
  • I really like the look of the speakers but am wondering am I getting great sound? Should I look for something in similar style that doesn't break the bank and gives me great quality sound?
  • I'm kinda really into the Kenwood receivers from the 60's and 70's for appearance and make..(specifically KR06400, or KA-7300) better receivers than the HK?

Thanks

B
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Cool setup! I love the look of those speakers.
 
bdeihc said:
@gdmoore28 it's funny you say that! I was just watching a video on youtube of a guy replacing a foam surround. I will for sure do this before purchasing. Thank you for the info! @JoeESP9 thanks. I will for sure buy some stands with that info. Don't mind looking for some nicer ones for aesthetics and for the best listening experience for the speakers.
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Replacing foam surrounds is very easy. It took me an hour to replace the foams on a pair of Advent Mini's. That was the first time I did it. I bought the foam surrounds from Simply Speakers. They were very inexpensive and glue was included.
 
bdeihc said:
... is there a benefit to having a speaker on a stand vs the floor?
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Bass is reinforced by each flat surface that is adjacent to the speaker. The most bass will be with the speaker in a corner on the floor (three surfaces) and may sound boomy. Second is away from the corner and at the floor/wall intersection, can be good for taller speakers with the tweeters near ear level. Lowest bass is the speaker out in the middle of the room.

I'm wondering if the Zenith might hold up the Advents? Would that put the tweeters at ear level?
 
If you buy vintage speakers with foam surrounds that need replacing, then don't hook them up for a listen until you replace the surrounds or you may well damage the driver. Another option is to look for speakers with cloth, or rubber, surrounds - they don't often need replacing, but foam does.
 
bdeihc said:
These Advent's have had the from replaced. What do you guys think?
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Yes, they should be replaced. You might consider, purchasing refurbished speakers direct from Polk. I got a pair of TSI 100's (which carry the full 5 year warranty) shipped to the door for $95. They went into my husband's home-office (12 x 10 feet) and they sound amazing in that space. ;)
 
OK, I found out the issue with my Fuse... I wired a speaker in wrong. Which explains why the one speaker wasn't performing correctly. So when I turned the balance to that speaker, it fried the fuse. ROOKIE MISTAKE #1. But I must confess I'm pretty obsessed with this little set-up. The speakers are real "tinny" sounding but I dig their design. With that said I am real interested in the Advent speakers.
 
Natasha Bell said:
Yes, they should be replaced. You might consider, purchasing refurbished speakers direct from Polk. I got a pair of TSI 100's (which carry the full 5 year warranty) shipped to the door for $95. They went into my husband's home-office (12 x 10 feet) and they sound amazing in that space. ;)
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Do you have a website for "purchasing refurbished speakers direct from Polk?"
 
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Also, I'm already thinking about replacing the Receiver as well. Found a nice Marantz 2225 and Pioneer SX-780 in my area... thoughts?
 
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