jbeckva
04-09-2008, 10:09 PM
Hi everyone!
I'm pushing 40 now, and for a mid-life crisis I think I'll go out and buy audio equipment instead of cars!
My journey started early - 3 years old to be exact, yanking my Dad's Sansui 2000A receiver and Girard (I forget what model that was) turntable from downstairs upstairs into my room and playing with it (the AKAI reel-to-reel was just too heavy for a 3 year old). Got my butt beat, and 3 days later did it again. Heck, I was determined (if not pretty stoopid) in those days.
Thought I was cool when I was 10 having a Yorx stereo/alarm clock, then disappointed when the speakers turned out not to be 2 way, and instead the "tweeter" was actually a bass-reflex port.
I used to do a DJ show or two in my junior and senior years in high school, playing a local watering hole up in them thar hills in WV. I remember blowing up my amp doing something pretty dumb (hint - involved trying to "touch up" those output transistors with a soldering iron but wanting to listen to music at the same time. Figure that one out for yourselves. :banana:).
Bright side of the story there - a friend of mine let me use his Denon POA 1500 and preamp for a gig or two. Drove 4 huge 15's effortlessly!! Heck, I sure didn't want to give that back...
Then Dad sic'd the Navy recruiter on me. Did 10 years as an aviation electronics tech (damn... too bad my parents threw out the broke amp from the "output transistors touch-up" incident.. could have FIXED that... <g>).
From then until a few months ago, lost touch. I bought a few "circuit city" specials, and a Pioneer VSX-501 back in 1992. When I bought the Pioneer, and recently, I thought I was just going deaf. It never sounded even close to what I remember my earlier equipment sounding like.
Turns out the old adage is true - they really don't make 'em like they used to. Some manufacturers kept true to a good design, but most just went for the cheap build.
Now I'm back... I kid you not - in the last 2 months I have been through *five* amps/receivers/whatevers. Getting close... right now I have a Nak AV-1, but since it's preamp is blown (sounds like a filter problem?) I'm using an Onkyo TX-SV717Pro to drive it. Good enough... but never quite good enough if you know what I mean. Speakers are pretty good - Infinity SM-122's that were refurbed rather nicely by a guy who really did a good job on it. Had to get a new crossover/l-pad for one of them, but overall they sound pretty good to me. (yeah.. I know.. but tonal quality to me is subjective, just like opinions).
One of these days I will find a good denon separates combo... Just haven't gotten up the courage to take the dive yet (the 'better half has *some* say about expenditures...).
Anyway.. there's me story... nice to be here!
I'm pushing 40 now, and for a mid-life crisis I think I'll go out and buy audio equipment instead of cars!
My journey started early - 3 years old to be exact, yanking my Dad's Sansui 2000A receiver and Girard (I forget what model that was) turntable from downstairs upstairs into my room and playing with it (the AKAI reel-to-reel was just too heavy for a 3 year old). Got my butt beat, and 3 days later did it again. Heck, I was determined (if not pretty stoopid) in those days.
Thought I was cool when I was 10 having a Yorx stereo/alarm clock, then disappointed when the speakers turned out not to be 2 way, and instead the "tweeter" was actually a bass-reflex port.
I used to do a DJ show or two in my junior and senior years in high school, playing a local watering hole up in them thar hills in WV. I remember blowing up my amp doing something pretty dumb (hint - involved trying to "touch up" those output transistors with a soldering iron but wanting to listen to music at the same time. Figure that one out for yourselves. :banana:).
Bright side of the story there - a friend of mine let me use his Denon POA 1500 and preamp for a gig or two. Drove 4 huge 15's effortlessly!! Heck, I sure didn't want to give that back...
Then Dad sic'd the Navy recruiter on me. Did 10 years as an aviation electronics tech (damn... too bad my parents threw out the broke amp from the "output transistors touch-up" incident.. could have FIXED that... <g>).
From then until a few months ago, lost touch. I bought a few "circuit city" specials, and a Pioneer VSX-501 back in 1992. When I bought the Pioneer, and recently, I thought I was just going deaf. It never sounded even close to what I remember my earlier equipment sounding like.
Turns out the old adage is true - they really don't make 'em like they used to. Some manufacturers kept true to a good design, but most just went for the cheap build.
Now I'm back... I kid you not - in the last 2 months I have been through *five* amps/receivers/whatevers. Getting close... right now I have a Nak AV-1, but since it's preamp is blown (sounds like a filter problem?) I'm using an Onkyo TX-SV717Pro to drive it. Good enough... but never quite good enough if you know what I mean. Speakers are pretty good - Infinity SM-122's that were refurbed rather nicely by a guy who really did a good job on it. Had to get a new crossover/l-pad for one of them, but overall they sound pretty good to me. (yeah.. I know.. but tonal quality to me is subjective, just like opinions).
One of these days I will find a good denon separates combo... Just haven't gotten up the courage to take the dive yet (the 'better half has *some* say about expenditures...).
Anyway.. there's me story... nice to be here!