I’ve got quite the collection of audio shit, not so much in the way of recent stuff though - it’s a slightly different hoarder disease than JDM’s.
You’re about to find out, but I love old school stuff - primarily receivers, speakers, and turntables. Lots of Craigslist/thrift store finds that are broken, I fix em up and sell them or use them. I’ve had quite a few cycle through these various spots.
Anyway, enough chat, let’s get to the meat.
Also, I know the Steelers stuff is too much. It ain’t goin anywhere.
Home theater
Here’s one more of you folks should be able to relate to - my home theater setup.
It’s 7.1, with a Sony receiver from 2010 (I know, but it’s ES, I swear it’s fine) running the show: the STR-DA3600ES. At the time, it was quite good, though it’s got HDMI 1.3 (no 4K) and no Atmos support. The amp still holds up though.
The TV is a Sony Bravia XBR-55X850B, a super early 4K TV - so no HDR. Has passive-3D though, totally useless. My last TV was a 55" active-3D TV, which was really good, but there’s hardly any content for it and replacing the button batteries in those glasses is a pain in the ass.
The TT is a Technics SL-Q200 with an AT VS225EP (same as AT112EP) cart, pretty solid setup. The cart isn’t super high end but it sounds just fine.
Now, the speakers:
Center channel is a Klipsch KV-2 from the mid 90s.
The fronts are my favorite, the famed Klipsch KG 4s
from the late 80s.
The surrounds are some Klipsch bookshelf speakers from the 90s, the KSB-1.1s. They’re alright.
The rears are the newest speakers I own, they’re Klipsch RS-35s.
Finally, the sub - a Klipsch KSW-10. The auto-power feature is hot garbage, has broken itself several times. I just use always on at this point. But, performance wise, no issues. Great sound (as long as you keep its volume low, gets real boomy real fast), low end can really be felt.
My rear placement is…interesting due to space constraints. It actually works pretty well, I’d imagine you’d get a better sound from not having them mounted on the floor behind the couch lmao but it works, can hear things behind you and it doesn’t sound like the positioning is off in films or whatever.
Gym Audio Rack
I’m probably the most proud of this one.
From top to bottom:
Amplifier - TA-AX390: this amp I purchased recently, my TA-AX410 died. This is a suitable replacement but it doesn’t work perfectly with the remote system.
CD Player - CDP-520ES
Tape deck - TC-RX77ES
Tuner - ST-JX390: purchased along with the TA-AX390; the tuner went at the same time as the AX410, I think a power surge killed em.
Remote Control - RM-S410
The speakers I have paired up are Advent/1s I refoamed. They’re fantastic, considerably better than some very old and very large Sony speakers I replaced with them.
This whole rack is based around the RM-S410 system at the bottom. There are ribbon cables from it to everything pictured, minus the tape deck (died). It also controls the missing turntable that’s currently in the TT station. It has THE coolest slide-out remote. Everything in the rack (and the TT) can be controlled via this remote. It’s awesome - a universal remote from 1984.
Women break into my home every time I press that Eject button. I had to fight one off immediately after taking this picture.
This is actually the second remote I’ve purchased, the first one had the button labels fall off, and subsequently all of the little BBs that act as buttons. I lost a few, and found a remote by itself for like $30.
Garage Setup
This is a fairly nice vintage Sony from the 70s, (under)rated at 18w. Not as pretty as my other vintage receivers, but it punches just as well. Warm sound to it. Paired with some old bookshelf speakers from a small but decent brand I can’t remember.
The CD player is nice enough.
TT Station
TT - Sony PS-LX500 w/ an AT SLT96E (clone of AT132EP) cart - a solid linear tracking TT that was an absolute BITCH to repair. Don’t buy a broken linear TT. Ever. Spend as much money as you want on any TTs except these TTs.
The cart’s pretty good.
The TT also had a broken lid mount that I’m in the process of (hopefully) repairing with some 2-part epoxy. I don’t have high hopes, the hinge spring has some serious force and the part that covers it is broken clean off.
This TT I actually stole from the basement rack, it’s meant to integrate with that whole system. But, it was in need of some other repairs, so I haven’t been bothered to bring it back down yet. I did have the Technics that’s in my home theater here originally, but wanted some TT action in my living room. I like to say TT.
TTs.
Sony GX909ES - This receiver KILLS. I love it. It’s paired with some old Advent 2s, and it sounds so great. Wish I had a rack of this product line, even if it was just for the matching walnut cheeks. I might have to do some hunting. It’s an awesome example of how older receivers hold up extremely well for music playback, dare I say even the ugly higher end models from the late 90s/early 2000s that can be had ridiculously cheap would do very well.
CD player - I had an old Sony ES 5-disc changer here, but it had some trouble with shuffling discs, it’s in my to-repair stack. This is a (hopefully temporary) replacement I picked up for $5 at an estate sale. Works just fine.
My Favorites
Pioneer SX-440 - This is probably my personal favorite. It’s (under)rated at 12wpc. It’s not super underrated though, probably tops out around 18.
I pair it with some old Advent bookshelf speakers and one of my favorite TTs, the Sony PS-11. The cartridge is a Sony VL3xG, don’t remember which exactly and it has to be removed to see the model number. It’s pretty good, not the best cart I’ve owned but the sound is good. It’s currently out of action as I was making some variable resistor adjustments.
Crowd Favorite
Marantz 2238
I’ve had a lot of Marantz receivers, and this is the only one I didn’t sell. It’s (under)rated at 38wpc. Yes, pretty much every receiver from this era was underrated. Super clean look, super clean sound. The tuner is very clean as well.
To-Repair Pile
This pile’s dwindling, because I stopped spending ridiculous money on vintage audio equipment and upped my ridiculous spending budget on janky personal server shit.
It consists of:
Sony C75ES - the CD player originally in the TT station, the disc changer chokes intermittently. I think the belt is slipping after a bit of use.
Pioneer SX-3700 - awesome receiver that has some power delivery issue, I have to go through and test every component with a dim bulb tester, not fun. I’ve put this off a while, when it’s done it’ll probably become my new baby.
Pioneer PL-220 - nice TT with another Pioneer cart on it, not the original though - it’s a much higher end one. I can’t remember the Pioneer model number, but it’s a clone of the AT95E. Very nice cart.
I had this turntable in fully working order, sold it to a friend, and he broke it somehow. Have yet to do any serious diagnostic work, as I have to disassemble the tone arm, and I don’t feel like doing it at all.
That’s all I’ve got left for now. Sold probably 4 or 5 receivers in the past few months, as well as a handful of TTs. Let me know what you guys think.