2. amps-preamps
  3. 1076191685

my $686 stereo system, laugh if you want...

I have just finished establishing my $686 stereo system. Laugh if you want, but I am enjoying my tunes on my vintage system. Audio Research D-100A amp, Audio Research SP-4A pre-amp(very cool stuff) both $50 at yard sale, Mistral CD player $84 at pawn shop, ADS L710 speakers(garage sale $10) rebuilt for $200, Luxman 110 tuner, $10 at thrift shop, Mirage PS-12-180 sub woofer $300 on Audiogon, radio shack Fusion IC $12 Ebay, and Monster Cable speaker wire $20 at Best Buy. Sounds good. Sarah Brightman, Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLaclin all sounding good.
bottomsup
dougeyjones's avatar
dougeyjones
163 posts
 
+1 to Brightman’s rendition of Scarborough Fair being excellent. I like it better than the original tbh.  
no_money
638 posts
 
sounds like you put the work in researching and finding the bargains!

Congrats!

Now I want a bedroom system.. you started this!
big_greg
6,620 posts
 
Nothing like reviving a 16 year old thread.  That's $936.20 in today's dollars!
Post removed 
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,760 posts
 
@bottomsup  One thing to look out for on equipment that old are the filter capacitors in the power supply. You got an amazing deal- someone clearly had no idea of what they were selling.


But if a filter capacitor fails (and this stuff is old enough where that is a guarantee rather than a possibility) it can take a power transformer with it. If that happens repair might no longer be an option. And it would be a shame if something happened to that nice stereo....

One thing about replacing old filter capacitors is that the equipment will immediately sound better and perform better.


Now if you decide you don't want to spend the money and stare down the shotgun barrels instead, here's a tip: if the amp or preamp has or develops a low hum in both channels, that's a sign that a filter cap has failed and you may notice the power transformer running hotter as well. That is when you are on the bitter edge; at that point I would get it fixed without question.

Its nice to see this stuff in use by someone who can appreciate it- clearly whoever sold it didn't or they would have been asking more.


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