A thread for stories of old farts passing on their audio karma (see what I did there?) to the younger generation.
A few weeks ago I picked up a pair of beat-up KLH Model 32's. I fixed up and refinished the cabinets; re-doped the surrounds and gave them a listen. They were good, but not good enough to knock any first-string gear out of the rotation, so I stuck them in the basement. Around the same time I found an old Realistic STA-35 on the curb. It had a beautiful walnut case so I took it home and cleaned it up too. It looked better than the Sherwood 7110B in my office but, head-to-head, it was no match in sound quality so it went into the basement too.
During a neighborhood-wide garage sale last week I put both pieces up for sale as a system. The KLH's wanted more power than the Realistic could deliver, but they were a fun pairing and I played them all morning to entertain the customers. A little after noon a carload of cute, college-age girls pulled up and started browsing. One of them asked me about an old mid-century Western Electric radio and I steered her toward the receiver and speakers. She loved the look of the walnut cabinets, so I encouraged her to plug her iPhone into the AUX input and play some of her own music. She cued up an electronic dance track and I cranked the volume. Her friends gathered around as the music started. They must have been accustomed to listening to iPhones played through plastic, powered speakers because their eyes widened at the sound quality, and when the bass dropped so did their jaws (I have always been impressed with the way even small KLH speakers handle bass). An old dude (i.e. about my age) wandered over and offered his opinion to the youngsters: "I remember those old KLH speakers. They are pretty good and if you don't buy them I will." That clenched the deal. I gave them a good price (less than I paid for the speakers); offered some advice on how to set up the system; and told them that the speakers would sound even better with more power. They happily carted off their prize, already planning a dance party for that evening.
Feeling like I had done my part to educate the youth of America, I cracked a beer and went back to flogging the merchandise.
A few weeks ago I picked up a pair of beat-up KLH Model 32's. I fixed up and refinished the cabinets; re-doped the surrounds and gave them a listen. They were good, but not good enough to knock any first-string gear out of the rotation, so I stuck them in the basement. Around the same time I found an old Realistic STA-35 on the curb. It had a beautiful walnut case so I took it home and cleaned it up too. It looked better than the Sherwood 7110B in my office but, head-to-head, it was no match in sound quality so it went into the basement too.
During a neighborhood-wide garage sale last week I put both pieces up for sale as a system. The KLH's wanted more power than the Realistic could deliver, but they were a fun pairing and I played them all morning to entertain the customers. A little after noon a carload of cute, college-age girls pulled up and started browsing. One of them asked me about an old mid-century Western Electric radio and I steered her toward the receiver and speakers. She loved the look of the walnut cabinets, so I encouraged her to plug her iPhone into the AUX input and play some of her own music. She cued up an electronic dance track and I cranked the volume. Her friends gathered around as the music started. They must have been accustomed to listening to iPhones played through plastic, powered speakers because their eyes widened at the sound quality, and when the bass dropped so did their jaws (I have always been impressed with the way even small KLH speakers handle bass). An old dude (i.e. about my age) wandered over and offered his opinion to the youngsters: "I remember those old KLH speakers. They are pretty good and if you don't buy them I will." That clenched the deal. I gave them a good price (less than I paid for the speakers); offered some advice on how to set up the system; and told them that the speakers would sound even better with more power. They happily carted off their prize, already planning a dance party for that evening.
Feeling like I had done my part to educate the youth of America, I cracked a beer and went back to flogging the merchandise.
Last edited:
