What cheapo system gives you great pleasure?

msg

Boston Acoustics 2.1 computer speakers from 1998, and an iPhone 4 running TuneIn, Pandora, or Spotify
I use it while working in the garage.

MillerLiteScott

My budget system

SMSL Q5 $99
Pioneer BS 22's $78, DIY Nano Neo's $75, Totem Mites $Free
Sonos Connect $Free
24" Stands $25
Kimber 4TC $30

I am planning on getting a pair of ELAC B6's in September.

Sounds pretty good for some relaxing listening in my bedroom.

I like simple.

Scott

mhardy6647

dromunds wrote: »

mhardy, did you find Alison One's at the dump? Remarkable to say the least. My college roommate bought a pair new and still has them, mint. He currently uses them as surrounds in a very high end system with Salks, etc. and they sound awesome. Very desireable and command high prices. Heck, the grills bring top buck.

Yup. They are very good loudspeakers indeed. In full disclosure, one woofer was "deconed" so I had to invest in one replacement woofer. Didn't seem like a bad investment to me. They're in very good cosmetic condition (although not mint) -- the grilles are (as most are at this point) brittle and fragile (I haven't done anything about that yet).

I don't think I have any good photos of 'em but if I find an even halfway decent one I shall post it. They live on the back wall of the hifi room, on the seedy, soiled state side of town.

motorhead43026

My unconventional KLH 20 Plus. It just looks awesome.

Tbone289

Conradicles wrote: »

That's my C740 in that pic!

I'm still running it in my cheapo system (The cheapest I have):

Musical Fidelity V-DACII
NAD C740 receiver
Philharmonic Audio Affordable Accuracy Monitors (Pioneer SP-BS22-LR)
Polk PSW-202

This is my PC setup, where I do the vast majority of my listening. I swap out the C740 for a a NAD 114/ADCOM GFA-535II combo sometimes, and the Yaqin MC-10L I bought from polkfarmboy a few years back in the winter.

leftwinger57

I guess my bdrm system Nikko 6065 receiver-34 watts a side $40 C/L
JBL-G-200s --$20 C/L
Sony--DVP-NS 300 cdp w/ remote--$10 garage sale -- downside, does not play burned cd

Conradicles

Tbone289 wrote: »

That's my C740 in that pic!

The C740 is high on my list of stereo receivers. Sweet sound.

Conradicles

If you ever find a pair of these on the cheap, buy them. Amazing speakers.

Joey_V

Cheapo system

Axiom m22
HK330 receiver

I was a happy camper.

mhardy6647

unsuffixed hk330?

The pedigree gets a little confusing as there was the hk three-thirty, then the 330A, the 330B, and finally the 330C.

All nice entry-level receivers (ca. 20 wpc), but all somewhat different; I don't even know if they were made by the same OEM (althouh there's a fair amount of information/documentation on teh webs).

My personal fave is the "C" version -- which is a nice basic receiver with unassailable cosmetics (IMO, of course). This is in no way meant to denigrate the other 330 morphs -- I just always liked the looks of the "C" (which was, truth be told, a current model back when I first got interested in this stuff).

Th hk330C was not uncommonly paired with Polk Audio Monitor 7s by hifi dealers in the mid-Atlantic in the mid 1970s.

GMMgreatbeginnings by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(Yeah, those are AVIDs not Polks -- decent speakers, though, they were, too. )

As an aside -- hk also sold what appeared to be just the power/pre amp section of the hk 330C as the A401 in the mid-70s. One of the most beautiful & elegantly simple (cosmetically) ss integrated amps ever marketed, IMO. I'd love to pick one up someday...
borrowed images:



sources: www.hifiengine.com and medias.audiofanzine.com respectively

OK, I'll stop now :-P

Joey_V

Smarty pants!

Lol jk

Moose68Bash

mhardy6647 wrote: »

dromunds wrote: »

mhardy, did you find Alison One's at the dump? Remarkable to say the least. My college roommate bought a pair new and still has them, mint. He currently uses them as surrounds in a very high end system with Salks, etc. and they sound awesome. Very desireable and command high prices. Heck, the grills bring top buck.

Yup. They are very good loudspeakers indeed. In full disclosure, one woofer was "deconed" so I had to invest in one replacement woofer. Didn't seem like a bad investment to me. They're in very good cosmetic condition (although not mint) -- the grilles are (as most are at this point) brittle and fragile (I haven't done anything about that yet).

I don't think I have any good photos of 'em but if I find an even halfway decent one I shall post it. They live on the back wall of the hifi room, on the seedy, soiled state side of town.

@mhardy6647,

I've owned a pair of Allison 6s for three decades or more, and I think they have great sound -- especially for their size. I had the crossovers rebuilt by VR3 Mods, which made them sound even better.

The Allison 1s are speakers that I had always "coveted," at least till I procured my SDA SRSs three years ago. I'd love to see pictures of the ones you found in the dump, as well as to a review of their sound.

afterburnt

afterburnt wrote: »

Mine: about 7k more gear and I will be good.

I think I have reached my goal and maybe then some.

mhardy6647

heh -- so -- two years ago, moose68bash asked about Allison Ones... and I missed it? What kind of drugs was I doin' then?

They are very very good sounding loudspeakers, with a big, clean smooth, articulate and accurate sound. Mine are only semi-restored (i.e., they are functional but really need more work); I really should rectify that someday

They're hard to photograph at my house due to their placement. When we moved up here, my "goal" was to have a solid state wall and a vacuum tube wall -- but by the time all of the junk had settled in, there really wasn't room

Here's about the best I could do, in terms of a photo, without moving furniture.


DSC_5794a by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_5795a by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

jeremymarcinko

This little Bose soundlink mini speaker because it is so convenient. I listen to it out on our patio, in the garage, in the kitchen, and in my office when I'm working from home. It sounds pretty good for what it is too.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_018SLKMN2P/Bose-SoundLink-Mini-Bluetooth-speaker-II-Pearl.html?tp=63331&awkw=136875054985&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=175693025962&awdv=m&awug=1019250

mhardy6647

I don't recognize 'em either (FWIW) -- they're not NS-690s, that's fo' sho'. I am guessing mid to late 1980s vintage (but that's a SWAG).

rooftop59

@jeremymarcinko I was pretty shocked when I bought this for our upcoming beach trip: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K9NLD76/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1




And it sounds pretty darn good, especially if you shove it up against a wall, even better in a corner. I built a farm table and bench over the last week and used it in teh garage, and it was great to have tunes out there. And it gets pretty loud and actually has some bass, pretty sweet for 50 smackers...

Jstas

A pair of Jungle Green KLH 17's I got from @George Grand for less than $20
A tube amp I built from a kit that cost $140, 8 watts per channel of fury!
Damn near any source you got, my favorite was the SanDisk MP3 player I had but the Sony Car Discman is a champ on it too.

I drug that up to Polkfest 2010 at @ohskigod . Went deaf after @dorokusai trying to blow that rig up with Rob Zombie and Black Sabbath.

The reason doro was messing with it was because I was trying to blow it up with Rob Zombie myself and he actually came upstairs and told us to turn it down, they couldn't hear the BBQ/LSiM prototype demos or the AR9's downstairs over it.

Yes, I still have all of it. Except the MP3 player. That pooped the bed years ago. Have to hide that rig from @cnh every time he comes out to a fest too.

mrloren

My Warehouse system at work. It's powered by an old class "B" stock Sony STR-DA2100ES $100 Sony employee price. Sony 12" Sub $60 Sony employee price and two ebay RTi4 $60. Sony employee we got family store discounts and gift checks. I always saved my gift checks so I never really paid for anything.

steveinaz

I have a system I "donated" to the warehouse I work in. It's a $99 Sherwood receiver and 2 Advent Calypso outdoor speakers. This system has been running 24/7, 365 for over 8 years!

FestYboy

Y'all might hate on it a little, and that's ok!! Sony APM-690 system I picked up for $20. Rehabbed the CD and replaced the back lights on the receiver. Then swapped in a Panasonic SL-H306 TT that needed a new belt for I found for $10. The highs aren't all that transparent but the lows are crisp and clean and they are really efficient. Was very surprised what $30 and a little elbow grease got me.

ken brydson

Conradicles

la2vegas wrote: »

Conradicles wrote: »

If you ever find a pair of these on the cheap, buy them. Amazing speakers.

Are those ns-344's? If not, please include model number.

Yes Yamaha NS-344. Giant killers.

They do not have the bloated bass that many speakers their size have, but they have everything else in spades. I was shocked when I 1st heard them.

I have a pair that I rotate in the Garage Rig powered by a Kenwood KA-701 and a Magnavox CDB-582 (modded by Musical Concepts and sounds amazing).

voltz

I use a Dared SL-2000a preamp + 2 Dared VP-300B Monoblocks (9 wpc) and the Omega Super7 full range speakers! not super cheap but not that expensive either.

EndersShadow

ken brydson wrote: »

I TOTALLY FORGOT about the Hitmaster (despite having 2 shirts promoting them I might add)....

Thats a kick butt outdoor system I bet..

Here is my favorite current cheap setup.

Console playing FM radio. 40 bucks invested with a suggested 150 to come to refresh the caps

mpitogo

Cheapo is relative, I think this setup is a relative bargain but sounds sweet.

AU-6900 (fully overhauled)
iPod Mini (old square style with builtin radio tuner)
Martin Logan Motion 40

mrloren

I had to work on Saturday, Warehouse system was up over -10db most of the day hope nobody in the building was trying to sleep.

StevieB

Free Proton D940 receiver with $25 garage sale finds Technics sl j2 turntable and Monitor 5B's.

FestYboy

^ that's a win!!

deronb1

Polk Woodbourne