ignis-fatuus
Member
My father used to enjoy listening to vinyl, even though CDs had become ubiquitous and ruled the music landscape by the 1990s and I remembered how lively the music sounded out of his stereo setup. Fast forward 20 some years and here I find myself trying to recreate a similar listening experience that my dad once enjoyed before he passed.
Just out of graduate school, I decided to find a used turntable and see what it would take to build an effective stereo setup and I quickly found a fair amount of joy and thrill hunting for good deals in vintage audio equipment. So far, I have scrounged the following by lurking on various local market places (CL, FB Markplace, etc):
Turntable: Technics SL-3300 -- Had to drive a good distance but was able to get what I thought was a decent turntable. I have been eyeing some Pioneer turntables recently; maybe I just like the look of wood and bright metal?
Amplifier: Pioneer SA-7100 -- This is what really turned me down the path of vintage audio. It was listed as not working but I watched and watched the listing and it was clear that it wasn't going to sell; the dude was asking somewhere close to $200 even though he said that it had no sound output. I made an offer of $50, and with a background in repairing solid state pinball machines, I figured it wouldn't hurt take a stab at it. I brought it home, plugged it in, and it worked perfectly. I still can't figure out what the issue was as I have been all over the amp. I'll be recapping it soon and replacing some transistors while I'm in there for good measure.
Speakers: Pioneer CS-203 -- I just picked these up locally as I wanted something a little more substantial than the bookshelves I've been using. So far I like them a lot, but they don't hold a flame to the HPM 100s that guy I purchased them from had in his setup. I can't find much info on these speakers. When I do a google search I see a number of posts relating the CS-G203s but very little on the CS-203s.
Preamp: Shiit Mani -- I originally picked one up when I realized that my modern Yamaha receiver didn't have a phono section. I keep flip-flopping whether to keep using it as my SA-7100 has a phono section. I want to say, however, that the music sounds a little more vibrant with the Mani plugged in, however.
I am still learning a lot about audio gear and have a lot of history to wade through regarding vintage equipment. Any suggestion regarding future upgrades, speakers to look out for, etc., would be appreciated. Keep in mind, of course, that money is tight and I'll largely keep to looking at what's cheap and local...If anything, it keeps me on my toes.
Just out of graduate school, I decided to find a used turntable and see what it would take to build an effective stereo setup and I quickly found a fair amount of joy and thrill hunting for good deals in vintage audio equipment. So far, I have scrounged the following by lurking on various local market places (CL, FB Markplace, etc):
Turntable: Technics SL-3300 -- Had to drive a good distance but was able to get what I thought was a decent turntable. I have been eyeing some Pioneer turntables recently; maybe I just like the look of wood and bright metal?
Amplifier: Pioneer SA-7100 -- This is what really turned me down the path of vintage audio. It was listed as not working but I watched and watched the listing and it was clear that it wasn't going to sell; the dude was asking somewhere close to $200 even though he said that it had no sound output. I made an offer of $50, and with a background in repairing solid state pinball machines, I figured it wouldn't hurt take a stab at it. I brought it home, plugged it in, and it worked perfectly. I still can't figure out what the issue was as I have been all over the amp. I'll be recapping it soon and replacing some transistors while I'm in there for good measure.
Speakers: Pioneer CS-203 -- I just picked these up locally as I wanted something a little more substantial than the bookshelves I've been using. So far I like them a lot, but they don't hold a flame to the HPM 100s that guy I purchased them from had in his setup. I can't find much info on these speakers. When I do a google search I see a number of posts relating the CS-G203s but very little on the CS-203s.
Preamp: Shiit Mani -- I originally picked one up when I realized that my modern Yamaha receiver didn't have a phono section. I keep flip-flopping whether to keep using it as my SA-7100 has a phono section. I want to say, however, that the music sounds a little more vibrant with the Mani plugged in, however.
I am still learning a lot about audio gear and have a lot of history to wade through regarding vintage equipment. Any suggestion regarding future upgrades, speakers to look out for, etc., would be appreciated. Keep in mind, of course, that money is tight and I'll largely keep to looking at what's cheap and local...If anything, it keeps me on my toes.
