My God .... It's Full of Stars!

[Scorpion8]

Anybody remember the climactic line in 2001: A Space Odyssey where Dave Bauman, the remaining astronaut finally navigated to the mysterious black obelisk and looked inside? Well, I felt akin to him today. I picked up a Sony CDP-190 CD player from the thrift. Real nice shape, marked "As Is" for $5 which usually means there's something wrong with it. So I get it home, plug it in and the CD tray won't extend.... makes a small buzzing noise like the motors trying. So I open the case, give it a push by hand and it slides out nice and smooth. In, out, in, out, in ..... works fine. Did I need another CD Player? Heck no, but this one is fixed and looks/works better than my BPC Sherwood at work so it'll replace that one.

However, upon examination, but what catches my eye? There's nothing inside the case. It has the CD mechanism, a small transformer where the mains line comes in, and a 2" by 6" PCB thats on the back of the front panel display. In other words, the entire case is empty. So like Dave Bauman above, mine wasn't full of stars but a shining tribute to the world of BPC -- the black obleisk is empty.

Amazing what they can do with technology, but another reason I prefer that analog sound ....

[BroonsBane]

Is it possible to post a pic of nothing? :scratch2:

[BrassTeacher]

Is it possible to post a pic of nothing? :scratch2:

I bet it's really good at playing a recording of one hand clapping, or the tree falling that no one sees, or John Cage's "4 Minutes, 33 Seconds".
:D

[Scorpion8]

Is it possible to post a pic of nothing? :scratch2:

Yup. Pic below ...

























As you can see above, the inside is empty. :D

[Arkay]

I opened up a big BPC "component system" like that once. It was a cube, about 16 or 18 inches on each side, with a turntable on the top. Made to look like a stack of components, but actually all just one box. Opened it up, and about 90 percent of it was empty space. It had a very chintzy motor mechanism for the TT on the top, a transformer on the bottom, and all the electronics was contained on a couple of circuit boards plastered along the front wall, behind where the controls were. German name on the front, and plenty of controls to give it that "full bells and whistles" look. They went one step further, though: there was a slab of some cheap "pot metal" screwed-and-glued into the bottom of the case, to add weight! :nono: Clearly a case of emphasizing outer form over any semblance of substance, and a monument to how cheap audio became... although I'll bet anything that when this was originally sold back in Germany, the price tag wasn't all that low. :no:

Completely agree with you: give me vintage analog stuff, any day! :yes: :thmbsp:

[BroonsBane]

Geez, you weren't exaggerating!

[EchoWars]

...They went one step further, though: there was a slab of some cheap "pot metal" screwed-and-glued into the bottom of the case, to add weight! Weight added to keep you from knocking it onto the floor every time you sneezed.

[Scorpion8]

...but have you seen this empty?

82688

[MAXZ28]

Well if you ever need a great stash for valuables, it's a safe bet that noone's gonna figure it's in there. Heck you could park a Mack truck in there!

[vinyldavid]

WOW! I got one in my stereo as I type (not connected, of course :D)

Never thought that it was THAT empty!

[bricktop]

Looks like a perfect place to add a better DAC:scratch2: Or throw in a little chip amp for a complete system

[vinyldavid]

Looks like a perfect place to add a better DAC:scratch2: Or throw in a little chip amp for a complete system

ya know, there is a headphone volume control pot on the front....it could be re-used as a volume control for said system.

But i'm too lazy to do that. I wouldn't use it anyways. Good idea, though.

[whoaru99]

Well, computers once occupied the space of a large building... ;)

[Scorpion8]

Looks like a perfect place to add a better DAC:scratch2: Or throw in a little chip amp for a complete system

Well, if you wanted to (or had the gumption) to have it Lampinated or Lampazillainated (sorry if I butchered that) there is plenty of room. But I actually like the one suggestion: put on a false back, and have the stereo system swing out like a cabinet door and you could hide money, valuables, a handgun or any number of things inside AND have the unit still operate perfectly as a fake front. That one may occupy my mind for awhile ....

[wajobu]

Kinda like the inside of a Yamaha CT-610II Tuner.

From the AK Archives:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27496&d=1160539559

[Ultra-Hog]

No, no, no! All that space is carefully engineered to give all those db's room to breathe before they go to work. :yes:

[clydeselsor]

Yup. Pic below ...

























As you can see above, the inside is empty. :D

Oh that! I've seen that before!!

[Scorpion8]

I could slide a brick or two in there to make it really heavy, and sell it at auction as TOTL!

[kcollins4]

It looks empty cuz there's supposed to be fiber glass insulation in there.:D

[RaymondLeggs]

I opened up a big BPC "component system" like that once. It was a cube, about 16 or 18 inches on each side, with a turntable on the top. Made to look like a stack of components, but actually all just one box. Opened it up, and about 90 percent of it was empty space. It had a very chintzy motor mechanism for the TT on the top, a transformer on the bottom, and all the electronics was contained on a couple of circuit boards plastered along the front wall, behind where the controls were. German name on the front, and plenty of controls to give it that "full bells and whistles" look. They went one step further, though: there was a slab of some cheap "pot metal" screwed-and-glued into the bottom of the case, to add weight! :nono: Clearly a case of emphasizing outer form over any semblance of substance, and a monument to how cheap audio became... although I'll bet anything that when this was originally sold back in Germany, the price tag wasn't all that low. :no:

Completely agree with you: give me vintage analog stuff, any day! :yes: :thmbsp:

But how did it sound? did it come with those big 90DB/1w/M 2-way floorstanders that blew the plaster off the walls too? :D:tongue:

[Twenty20Man]

now thats what I would call having room for improvement....

[sfox52]

I'd like to think that Arthur C. thought this as he passed to the other side.. RIP Mr. Clarke!

[dshoaf]

...but have you seen this empty?

82688

Well, back in the 70s, that space would have been put to _really_ good use. My old roommate would have crafted a nice water pipe to fit, too. :smoke:

Cheers,

David

[Fisherdude]

...but have you seen this empty?

82688

You could put a Sonic T-amp in there, and have a 2008 All-In-One system!

[Jeffhs]

The idea of putting one PC board into a huge cabinet isn't restricted to modern hi-fi gear. Many 1980s-vintage console TVs have almost all of the set on a small PC board, which is then mounted in a 100-pound console cabinet. There's so much empty space in those cabinets that one could put an entire stereo system in there and still have room to spare.

[andy]

I have a Philips DVD recorder that had a 1/8" thick metal plate on the bottom to add weight. This, and a nicer front panel, were the only differences between it and the next model down. I threw the plate away before my last move to cut down on the shipping cost. It added about 10 lbs to the weight of the recorder.

[jetman1979]

This stuff is for old people that can not lift much. For ones that threw out there back in the days lifting Sansuis.

[70salesguy]

I think that it says a lot about "perceived value".

It also makes it "fit in" better with other components.

When the very early Magnavox CD players came out, they were only a little more than a foot wide, but were heavy as heck! I can tell you that if you open one of those up, they're pretty full.

[jackwoz]

Maybe its for mp3 storage????:scratch2:

[Chuck M]

It's full of the same stuff my ex-wife put in her bra. NOTHING. :butt2:

[wbain]

Oh Chuck, that's funny.