Start 'em Early

DaveHo

While certainly not hi-end, this is a hell of a lot nicer than I had as a kid. What better way to satisfy your audio obsession than to equip your kids. Bonus, mommy loves the 3 way stereo wars. Older son, age 11, AJ bookies, Yammie 777, an old Pioneer cd player, and a Dayton/HSU sub:


Younger son, age 9, Klipsch Kb-15 bookies, old Denon receiver, Onkyo DVD player, Polk PSW10


So, who else is sending their kids down the rabbit hole?

cnh

Very nice! Very early! My daughter didn't get interested in good sound until she started singing, playing guitar and starring in plays and musicals in H.S. Then her Dad, yours truly, taught her a few chords and found her a Sherwood RX-4109 for $5 used. I also had some old JBL 2500 bookshelves with dead tweeters, so I rolled over to PExpress and started perusing similar spec drivers for the somewhat unremarkable titanium domes in the JBLs, with a preference for Vifa soft domes (and WHAT a difference those tweeters MADE!). After redoing the JBLs (and I am NO DIY guy, that's for sure). I was amazed at how similar they sounded to the AJ Pioneers (maybe even a little more detail up top). She's now in her first year at college with them and asking for a turntable). The Sherwood has a phono stage and I have an old Pioneer PL12D sitting around with a Shure cart on it that is going to her when she comes back for the summer. Wants to buy some LPs, I'm not a big vinyl guy, but I do spin some.

If she gets better housing in the coming years (has more room), there will probably be some upgrades. Larger Paradigms (5SE MkIIs) and maybe a Sansui 5000A or something similar?

Or maybe I'll give up my Polk Monitor 5As, and bring her into the family? She has a phenomenal ear and voice! But, unfortunately, that and whatever a current subway fare is will get you where? Ask my father, he's been dead since 2008.

MrBuhl

LOL I'm getting ready to do same for my son, who just got out of college and is a semi-poor high school teacher. Gonna surprise him with a decent Harman Kardon setup I came into at the right price. Just working on the speaks and shipping at this point!

My daughters I just can't get off the simple iHome for bedroom sound, though I did get my youngest some nice Audio Technica (AT-50?) headphones that she uses non-stop, so I think I'm on my way there now!

DaveHo

The younger one plays cello & has a pretty good ear. The older is not as refined but is getting there. When I replaced the RatShack Minimus 7s with the AJ bookies he was like wow, that's much better!

scubalab

Great thread Dave!!

So, some may recall I set up a modest stereo in our living room after the holidays with the help and advice from several forum members. I went with a little tube integrated (Jolida FX-10) and some Polk RT25i bookies. We use it with a Chromecast Audio to stream music from Spotify, Amazon, and our I-devices. I did a shootout of speakers between the Polks and a pair of Andrew Jones Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookies.

Kara, my younger daughter (10) and listening buddy sat down on the floor with me and we did soma A/B comparison of the two speakers. I explained soundstage, range, clarity, etc. to her. We listened for individual instruments, breaths in vocals, fret slides on guitars, the bows moving on cellos & violins. It was a GREAT time, and we both decided we liked the Polks a little better.

At the end of the session, while just taking in some more music, Kara looks at me and says, "Dad, can I take this stereo with me when I go to college?" My answer was quite simple... absolutely. Love that kid!

Here's a couple pics of what will one day be "Kara's rig"

scubalab

DaveHo wrote: »

The younger one plays cello & has a pretty good ear. The older is not as refined but is getting there. When I replaced the RatShack Minimus 7s with the AJ bookies he was like wow, that's much better!

Those AJ bookies are QUITE nice and impressive! Very close to the Polk RT25i's I have. I somewhat regret returning them. For what I paid (I think around $90 new from BB), I should have kept them and found a use for them somewhere...!

Are yours stock or modded? I tried picking up a pair of modded AJ Pios here, but never heard back from the seller. Curious how the mods sound.

Legender

I tried that with my daughter who's off starting her own life/family, teaching and raising kids. I had some spare parts and asked if she wanted a home theater setup in their new house. She said yes, but then when I asked if she wanted performance or cute? .... dang, if she didn't choose cute. So the Bose system was dusted off and set up. I know.... don't shoot me. The AM 5 came free with a TV I purchased... I'm still hoping that she'll improve over time. My son is already into vinyl and has both an ear and tasted for better music.

DaveHo

scubalab wrote: »

Those AJ bookies are QUITE nice and impressive! Very close to the Polk RT25i's I have. I somewhat regret returning them. For what I paid (I think around $90 new from BB), I should have kept them and found a use for them somewhere...!

Are yours stock or modded? I tried picking up a pair of modded AJ Pios here, but never heard back from the seller. Curious how the mods sound.

Mine are stock. How long did you let them break in before deciding on the Polks? I thought the AJ bookies sounded terrible right out of the box. After about 20-30 hours they improved significantly. Not saying the Polks are bad, I've never heard them.

scubalab

Dave - yeah, I did not let the AJs break in at all - didn't have time before the return window closed. The Polks are well broken in, and sound great for their size/cost. The AJs weren't bad by any means, and I guess given time to break in, they would have been much better and comparable to the Polks. Call me crazy, but in the very short time I gave them (2-3 trials at different times with maybe 2-3 hours total), they seemed to improve a little each time! What I did notice that gave the Polks a big advantage was that the AJs weren't as efficient (I think around 85 dB) as the Polks (I believe around 89 dB). That was CLEARLY noticeable in what it took for the amp to drive them both at similar listening levels. I had to really crank the volume knob to get the AJs to the same level as the Polks. Bass on the Polks seemed much more accurate and pronounced as well.

Again, I REALLY liked the AJs, and the decision likely would have been much more difficult once they were broken in, but the Polks were that good.

EndersShadow

Hey Al... Can I get some STANDS with those sexy speakers lol

scubalab

Dan - I know, I know... I actually will be moving that little rig to the side of the room. the amp will be on a small table, and I'll repurpose the stands that my HT fronts are currently on for the Polks in the living room.

Derek - those t50's are a lot of speaker for a little coin even new! Used, I can imagine they'll be a no-brainer. I'd love to hear them, as I know you highly praise them as hitting WELL above their price point. I'm just not a huge fan of the looks or the size for our living room. But, for the price...

-Al

zingo

I was listening to The Nutcracker this morning with our 5y.o. daughter, and she asked me to turn it up during quieter periods. I explained to her that sometimes music is loud and sometimes it's quiet, and that helps to make good music. She accepted the theory, but I want her to learn early and often that music doesn't need to be a loudness war.

msg

man. I'm gonna go get some kids. what a great way to get more gear, guilt-free.