• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

The worst piece of HiFi Equipment you've ever owned?

similost said:
When I was about 12, I bought a Panasonic all-in-one system.. and it had.... get ready.... THRUSTERS! :D
Click to expand...

I had a free GE setup with an eight track that was fine. It wasn't anything, but being the 15 year old classic rock, and metal headbanger I was at the time was fine.

I still have very little money in what I am running.........if you know how to work it, and have patience it can work out that way.
 
E2 said:
I had a free GE setup with an eight track that was fine. It wasn't anything, but being the 15 year old classic rock, and metal headbanger I was at the time was fine.
Click to expand...

Same here.. I was really the only kid I knew into music and the hardware... Grew up on military bases, and had one neighbor especially who had a killer quad Sansui system I always listened to when I babysat for them. Had other neighbors that had really nice systems, but his was over the top.. You ain't heard anything until you've heard Get Your Wings and Machine Head in Quad on a set of Koss Quad Phones.. That guy was what really got me into the hardware, and all I could afford at the time was that Panasonic.. I wore it out! LOL..

We had a guy that DJ'd at the Youth Center at that time too. CRAZY system... He had 4 bass horns that were 15" drivers that had a 6 foot long horn on them that started at about 12" at the driver and opened up to 3 feet. Stacked them in pairs, so the top was 6 feet tall.. Then he had two massive boxes that had 16 8" drivers in each box Then 4 JBL lens horns on top... I believe he ran 10 amps if I kind of remember right.. That system left a permanent impression on me. (and my ears)

He was also the manager at the local radio shack, so he gave me deals on all the speakers I'd come in and buy to hook up to my Panasonic.. LOL.. had them all over my room eventually. Even gave me a kit to build my own strobe..

OH.. speaking of which, he had a hell of a strobe. A B52 landing light inside a box with a rotor with a hole cut in it that spun... (we were at Barksdale, the B52 Base for the nuclear standby) so the lamp was easy for him to get..

aaahhhhh.. good times...
 
Fun question.

Not because of sound quality, but the Mission Cyrus 2. It's inputs are pointing upwards which is the worst for attracting dust.

In my youth I had some real crap, but the Cyrus is the memory more germane to the thread.
 
OK.. probably the worst modern piece of gear I've had, and it still have is a Tapco amp.. It does what an amp should, and it sounds ok, but it's not hard to put it into thermal protection, and it's just made kinda thin and light for what it claims to be... It's not as bad as say Pyle or similar though...
 
similost said:
Same here.. I was really the only kid I knew into music and the hardware... Grew up on military bases, and had one neighbor especially who had a killer quad Sansui system I always listened to when I babysat for them. Had other neighbors that had really nice systems, but his was over the top.. You ain't heard anything until you've heard Get Your Wings and Machine Head in Quad on a set of Koss Quad Phones.. That guy was what really got me into the hardware, and all I could afford at the time was that Panasonic.. I wore it out! LOL..

We had a guy that DJ'd at the Youth Center at that time too. CRAZY system... He had 4 bass horns that were 15" drivers that had a 6 foot long horn on them that started at about 12" at the driver and opened up to 3 feet. Stacked them in pairs, so the top was 6 feet tall.. Then he had two massive boxes that had 16 8" drivers in each box Then 4 JBL lens horns on top... I believe he ran 10 amps if I kind of remember right.. That system left a permanent impression on me. (and my ears)

He was also the manager at the local radio shack, so he gave me deals on all the speakers I'd come in and buy to hook up to my Panasonic.. LOL.. had them all over my room eventually. Even gave me a kit to build my own strobe..

OH.. speaking of which, he had a hell of a strobe. A B52 landing light inside a box with a rotor with a hole cut in it that spun... (we were at Barksdale, the B52 Base for the nuclear standby) so the lamp was easy for him to get..

aaahhhhh.. good times...
Click to expand...

Youth the center? The youth center was the pool hall, grass, and Budweiser. And it didn't matter what side of the tracks you were on, it was how close you were to them in what part of town. We lived in a nice neighborhood, but we were still not far from the tracks in an otherwise meh area. Now if we lived in Ruxton, or even on/near the NCR that would have been different.
Closest thing to a youth center probably was a place called Skateland, but it was past it's prime by my mid teens. Even the pool hall was past it's prime by the early 90's.
Radio Shack, and a place called Record Masters were across the street from the pool hall. Record Masters was cool with the head shop in the front, and album covers painted from the inside of this giant glass window. That was neat.
Most people didn't think that well of Radio Shack. By the early 80's I though they sold mostly junk, and were just not that great of a place to deal with. They were displaying their poor customer service, and general idiocy even then.
I mostly don't view those years well, but it's great that you have fond memories.

I have had a good time digging for great deals in the last 20 years. That's been cool. I learned a lot.

Sorry, back on topic.
 
E2 said:
Youth the center? The youth center was the pool hall, grass, and Budweiser. And it didn't matter what side of the tracks you were on, it was how close you were to them in what part of town. We lived in a nice neighborhood, but we were still not far from the tracks in an otherwise meh area. Now if we lived in Ruxton, or even on/near the NCR that would have been different.
Closest thing to a youth center probably was a place called Skateland, but it was past it's prime by my mid teens. Even the pool hall was past it's prime by the early 90's.
Radio Shack, and a place called Record Masters were across the street from the pool hall. Record Masters was cool with the head shop in the front, and album covers painted from the inside of this giant glass window. That was neat.
Most people didn't think that well of Radio Shack. By the early 80's I though they sold mostly junk, and were just not that great of a place to deal with. They were displaying their poor customer service, and general idiocy even then.
I mostly don't view those years well, but it's great that you have fond memories.

I have had a good time digging for great deals in the last 20 years. That's been cool. I learned a lot.

Sorry, back on topic.
Click to expand...

This would have been back in 76, 77, 78, and left Louisana in 79. Yep, the youth center was the pool and pinball hangout on the Air Force base for the kids.. .. one night at a dance, found a power hitter stuffed behind the AC unit outside.. LOL.. so sounds pretty similar.. 18 was the cutoff age.. hhhmm.. Sugar Mountain style huh? :D Those were the years I really dove deep into music and electronics as a kid..

They normally had two dances a month, some times three, and the guy I was talking about usually did at least one of those a month.. Still remember his name... Ron Green, and the company was called Green Machine, and he drove a green custom van.. LOL.. Matter a fact, it appears he has left this world, but the company still exists. at least it did a few years ago when I last looked..
 
similost said:
This would have been back in 76, 77, 78, and left Louisana in 79. Yep, the youth center was the pool and pinball hangout on the Air Force base for the kids.. .. one night at a dance, found a power hitter stuffed behind the AC unit outside.. LOL.. so sounds pretty similar.. 18 was the cutoff age.. hhhmm.. Sugar Mountain style huh? :D Those were the years I really dove deep into music and electronics as a kid..

They normally had two dances a month, some times three, and the guy I was talking about usually did at least one of those a month.. Still remember his name... Ron Green, and the company was called Green Machine, and he drove a green custom van.. LOL.. Matter a fact, it appears he has left this world, but the company still exists. at least it did a few years ago when I last looked..
Click to expand...

At least your memories are positive. I try to stay positive but I have become a misanthrope over the years.
Music, and digging for flips keeps me in check. I keep telling myself it's about the journey.
 
E2 said:
And I am located where they were made.

Unlike southern California where apparently you pay to much for everything and they sell quick people driving hundreds of miles to pick a pair of 10's they are also sloooow flips.

JBL Northridge series speakers are pretty much nothing as well.

Folks get excited for certain vintage speakers, and very few of them are that good. That's how a lot of this is though. :dunno:
Click to expand...


Right now I'm quite impressed with the Energy pro 22s, JBL L16, JBL S38. They sound pretty nice when paired with good amps.

The Pro 22s are quite special and I have many speakers new and vintage.
 
Riccardo77 said:
Right now I'm quite impressed with the Energy pro 22s, JBL L16, JBL S38. They sound pretty nice when paired with good amps.

The Pro 22s are quite special and I have many speakers new and vintage.
Click to expand...

I had the 38's. Awful! I have had a few northridge speakers, none were impressive. It's the price point. You aren't getting anything at those price points. Nothing that makes you say wow.
Now if you are finding them in the wild that's great, but it doesn't make them sound better.

I have said it many times, once you get into quality standmounts from the last 20 years you won't go back.

Something like these, although the sky is the limit.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dya...EB2gEECAEYB9oBBggCEAEYCg&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
 
I love my S38s but it all depends on the amo the room etc. I also have lots of new speakers as well that are standmiunt like bw kef etc Most important it's personal preference. That's what is so cool about this hobby!

Enjoy the music

E2 said:
I had the 38's. Awful! I have had a few northridge speakers, none were impressive. It's the price point. You aren't getting anything at those price points. Nothing that makes you say wow.
Now if you are finding them in the wild that's great, but it doesn't make them sound better.

I have said it many times, once you get into quality standmounts from the last 20 years you won't go back.

Something like these, although the sky is the limit.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dya...EB2gEECAEYB9oBBggCEAEYCg&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
Click to expand...
 
similost said:
Oh how I wish I had a picture of my old basement system handy.... JBL theater speakers, with around 1000w of amps in a 15x15 or so room. :D
I had three of these..

Not my speaker.. I stole this picture for an example..

image1-jpeg.14126
Click to expand...
makes me kind of "anxious", if ya' know what I mean...
 
E2 said:
At least your memories are positive. I try to stay positive but I have become a misanthrope over the years.
Music, and digging for flips keeps me in check. I keep telling myself it's about the journey.
Click to expand...
You wouldn't be a cynic or a misanthrope if you listened to 15" woofers, exponential horns and mega-watt amps. That means vintage. Live and love life.
 
It probably has to be the Mission Cyrus 1 and 2, I owned both.

There was nothing particularly bad about it, but an accumulation of bad ideas, maybe like the Lee Iacocca Chrysler K Cars from the 80s. The group that designed the Cyrus is like the group that designed the K Car. Engineers, but eh.
 
Realistic MPA-25 Receiver Radio Shack Tandy 1988.
Dual-power 20-watt PA amplifier operates on AC or 12VDC power. 20 watts rms at 8 ohms. Outputs: 4, 8, 16 ohms; 70 V line.

It's balanced! Both mics are equally scratchy sounding.


rs.jpg
 
First record player, a Fisher(price) wasn’t the best sounding, but played anything you threw on it. Nothing like a high quality piece, but hey it is what it is.
upload_2023-4-24_13-12-46.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom