Although I've been happy for the last couple of years with a Sonos Play:1 speaker in my office, I decided I wanted an actual stereo. No, this isn't a practical thing - I mostly play news quietly weekdays, a little music on the weekends. But I got the urge, so...
I needed speakers, cheap but decent, and after contemplating the usual Pioneer/Polk options I settled on a used pair of Infinity Primus 150s. I owned a set years ago but never really gave them a fair listen.
Next, I wanted a receiver. I have an old NAD in my main family room system and like it a lot. Shopping eBay, I found.a really nice NAD C720BEE receiver for very little money. I already have a Phillips CD/DVD player at the office with an ok analog out and an optical out, so that was covered.
Anyway, I hooked up everything, and then added an iPad to stream music, and it was delightful. Couldn't be happier, except...
The NAD is really nice, a serious bargain. I could use it at home.
So here's why it's a Frankensystem: the NAD will head home, and out of storage comes...wait for it...a B & O Beomaster 2400 I bought a decade ago and shelved. I bought special speaker cables (and I have no idea if the polarity is right) and special connectors for both the CD player and to get to the iPad. (For anyone who doesn't know, B & Os of that era used DIN plugs. The good news is, there are people on eBay who make DIN-to-regular-speaker wires and DIN-to-RCA/mini-plug connectors, and they're not expensive.) Hooked it up while doing payroll this afternoon and it works like a charm. The B & O seems to have all its lights working, the touch panel works, the thing sounds decent, though obviously I'm not taxing it. Not bad for a 40+ year old unit.
Next up: the iPad goes away, to be replaced by an Amazon Dot, 2nd generation. They were on sale for $19 this weekend.
So to recap, the Frankensystem will be a Beomaster 2400, with an Amazon Dot as source, hooked up to a pair of Infinitys.
Pictures as soon as I tidy up everything.
s.
I needed speakers, cheap but decent, and after contemplating the usual Pioneer/Polk options I settled on a used pair of Infinity Primus 150s. I owned a set years ago but never really gave them a fair listen.
Next, I wanted a receiver. I have an old NAD in my main family room system and like it a lot. Shopping eBay, I found.a really nice NAD C720BEE receiver for very little money. I already have a Phillips CD/DVD player at the office with an ok analog out and an optical out, so that was covered.
Anyway, I hooked up everything, and then added an iPad to stream music, and it was delightful. Couldn't be happier, except...
The NAD is really nice, a serious bargain. I could use it at home.
So here's why it's a Frankensystem: the NAD will head home, and out of storage comes...wait for it...a B & O Beomaster 2400 I bought a decade ago and shelved. I bought special speaker cables (and I have no idea if the polarity is right) and special connectors for both the CD player and to get to the iPad. (For anyone who doesn't know, B & Os of that era used DIN plugs. The good news is, there are people on eBay who make DIN-to-regular-speaker wires and DIN-to-RCA/mini-plug connectors, and they're not expensive.) Hooked it up while doing payroll this afternoon and it works like a charm. The B & O seems to have all its lights working, the touch panel works, the thing sounds decent, though obviously I'm not taxing it. Not bad for a 40+ year old unit.
Next up: the iPad goes away, to be replaced by an Amazon Dot, 2nd generation. They were on sale for $19 this weekend.
So to recap, the Frankensystem will be a Beomaster 2400, with an Amazon Dot as source, hooked up to a pair of Infinitys.
Pictures as soon as I tidy up everything.
s.
Last edited:
