Exploring LP’s

Tony M

I'm still VERY curious about the "hydraulic lifter" and "auto return mechanism".

I wish I had your talents and patience.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

I'm still VERY curious about the "hydraulic lifter" and "auto return mechanism".

I wish I had your talents and patience.

Yeah me too. I’m not sure if the 1500 has the same auto return as the 1400. Admittedly I haven’t looked into it any further. Either way, for the cost of the shapeways parts, I may just order both repair pieces and use whichever one I find works, then list the incorrect part on eBay for half. Someone will be able to use it.

Having thought about the plan over a good bottle of Jameson IPA last night, I think I’m going to go with a set of Morrow PH4 Reference cables with this system. Dedicated phono cable to the NAD PP2i, then a Morrow MA4 from the pre to the 326bee.

I picked up some Cardas Silver solder so I’ll just solder the Morrow cable directly to the board Technics used for the stock cables.

“I wish I had your talents and patience”

You can do it too. It’s nothing special. The trick is to walk away when things go wrong or you’re not sure of something. This applies to working on cars, building a piece of furniture or repairing an electronic component. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from something, only to explode like a crazy person hours later when the solution just comes to me. My wife used to freak out because I’d suddenly jump out of bed at 3am screaming “holy chit! I figured out what I was doing wrong!” Lol. I don’t know if that’s a gift or a curse..........

Anyway, we have it so much easier these days with the information available at our finger tips. You can not only read how to do something, but watch someone else do it in real time. The internet has replaced the 70 y/o man who taught me about electronics as a kid. Now everyone has that “old neighbor who knows everything”. Lol. First step IMO is to learn how something works. Once you understand that, it’s easier to troubleshoot. Kinda like an engine, when someone asks me to figure out what this “noise” is, I stand there and my mind pictures everything spinning and doing it’s job. Then I pinpoint where the sound is coming from and since I understand what is there and why it’s there, I can quickly figure out “has to be a stuck lifter because it’s the only thing there that could do that”.........something like that but you get the point.

Electronics, to me, are a little more complicated because there are a thousand little pieces; all having a purpose. But I’m getting there. At this point I’m just a parts replacer. I’ve got good diagnostic tools but I need a good Oscilloscope to progress further. Not sure if I’m going to take that step or not. Spectrum Analyzer too.

Tony M

I don't know if having a bunch of electronic diagnosing equipment on a boat is going to work safety wise, but I'm sure you won't do diagnosing on a boat will you?

NICE choice of cables!
NICE choice of solder!

I'm 60, so I've had a few times I've had to walk away from some scenarios. Especially when I'm looking for something and can't find it. Then the next day or even a few hours later, there the thing is in plain site. It wasn't there before,( I don't think it was), so how did that happen ?, I don't know!

I like having the web at my finger tips too. I admit, I've not used it enough though!
There's been a few times I'm also laying in bed and a thought pops into my brain," look for a video on the web about it!". It's happened more the past year or two. Last summer, my brain told me one night to look for a video on fixing my F150's tail gate latch sticking problem. I've been slaming that tailgate to work for years.

Sure enough, there was one that was fully detailed. It started off saying there were 2 types. An easy one and a hard one to repair. My tailgate had a full panel I could remove to access the guts but it was covered by a protector cover so I never saw it.

I had that latch mechanism working like new in one hour the next day. I could've kicked myself for being so stupid for not checking the web. But the thought to search did pop into my head one night, like what happened to you on occasions.

I've been forced to do things I've never done before and yes, after a few times it gets easier and easier.

I tossed a bunch of GREAT woofers in the trash or passed up great speaker deals at yard sales because the surrounds were rotted. Now I can replace them with joy while doing the process. Crazy isn't it. From uneducated to a somewhat confidant speaker surround replacer BECAUSE I watched a video on the web and replaced a few sets!

Experience is the best Teacher for sure. But to have a Teacher and / OR a video to watch is educating too. I'm living proof.

I think I read a saying from somebody that said " Haveing the will to do something is having 1/2 the job done already"

I know " Where there's a will, there's a way" but you have to have a goal in mind don't we.

Alan_r

Alright, both Shapeways cueing cam parts ordered. I guess I could have cracked this thing open to see which one I needed but for $23 I just ordered both the bronze bushing and steel version. I don’t like taking something apart and then leaving it that way for weeks. I’ve had better results when I put it back together immediately after a repair. Less chance of lost parts, life intervention preventing completion etc....

Regarding the Morrow cables, man I really wanted to try them.....but I apparently missed a major sale, like 40% off, by a few days. Now it’s 15% off but when considering I was going to buy a PH4 with upgraded Eichman copper RCA’s, along with the MA4 with upgraded RCA’s; without the 40% off the price is really high. Over $800 in cables for a $300 turntable triggers some internal WTF are you doing alarm in my head.......

So at this point I’m back to KABAudio. I emailed them last week asking for some ideas and they’ve responded promptly with a few recommendations regarding the tonearm wire and interconnects. It’s no fault of Morrow but I think this is the direction I’m heading.

I finally finished the NAD 2700THX amp I was restoring so the Technics will get worked on as soon as all the parts arrive.

Tony M

I was hoping to hear how you're doing.

What else did the NAD 2700THX need? I thought you fixed the "cutting out" channels sound.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

I was hoping to hear how you're doing.

What else did the NAD 2700THX need? I thought you fixed the "cutting out" channels sound.

I replaced the output “protection” relays and changed a resistor to allow more current across the relays, basically making the relays “snap” a little stronger ensuring a solid connection. I’ve also replaced all the small capacitors with Nichon audio caps, replaced the four large power supply caps with Elna for the 80v and the best Chinese caps I could find for the 100v. No one makes quality audio caps for the larger ones so it was the best I could do. I’ve got different op amps for it that were recommended by an audio shop but I haven’t done them yet. I’m considering picking up another 2700, upgrading it to match and then using them as monoblocks. Looking at some Polk LSiM705’s for that system and want to provide them with some horsepower. The 2700’s have an incredibly high dynamic power rating when used like this so they should run the 705’s very well.

Clipdat

Damn. I admire your DIY skills!

Tony M

I agree!

You have some awesome skills Alan!

I'm amazed at your electronics knowledge to be able to make a relay better.

I have 2 Integra amps I'm sure need relay diagnosing attention. The 2 techs I gave one too failed. I think the job was over their skill level for some reason or other.

I'm still wondering about that auto return on your SL-1400Mk2 you're about to dive into. And maybe, just maybe, I'll know whether I'm able to follow in your footsteps.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

I agree!

You have some awesome skills Alan!

I'm amazed at your electronics knowledge to be able to make a relay better.

I have 2 Integra amps I'm sure need relay diagnosing attention. The 2 techs I gave one too failed. I think the job was over their skill level for some reason or other.

I'm still wondering about that auto return on your SL-1400Mk2 you're about to dive into. And maybe, just maybe, I'll know whether I'm able to follow in your footsteps.

I’m just following paths already cleared by others before me. DIYAudio is a VERY good resource to spark ideas as to which upgrade path you should choose. I also use Audio-High-Store.com for pre-made upgrade kits for amplifiers. They’re nice when you don’t want to research and track down every single capacitor on an amp board. The staff were incredibly helpful as well, can’t recommend them enough. I think they’re in Bulgaria so Shipping is well....international snail mail. Good resource regardless.

I did order both versions of the auto return can. Whichever one I don’t need will be useless to me so I’ll sell it off cheap. Apparently there are/were two different types used, one with a bronze bushing and one with a steel sleeve. No idea if they’re interchangeable or not. Won’t know until I tear it down.

Currently waiting on KAB to put together an order of Litz tonearm wire and Cardas SpiralAir phono cables.


EDIT- almost forgot, don’t worry I’ll document the job right here so you can see what you’re getting into.

Tony M

GREAT!

I doubt I'll be upgrading any amps though. I would like to be able to just diagnose the problem parts and be able to replace them.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

GREAT!

I doubt I'll be upgrading any amps though. I would like to be able to just diagnose the problem parts and be able to replace them.

I know that with NAD amps, though I’m sure it crosses over, oftentimes the problems are obvious. I had picked up a NAD Integrated C356bee, that would often automatically go into protection mode a few seconds after turning it on. Other times if you touched anything on it, it would go into protection mode. So I pulled the case off, powered it up and took a popsicle stick and gently tapped each component on the board, starting at the power supply. When I say gently, I mean like you’re operating on someone’s eye gentle. Eventually I got to a 5w ceramic resistor on the right channel board. I think the air pushed by the popsicle stick caused it to immediately go into protection mode, because the thought of touching it set it off. Close inspection on the opposite side of the board revealed a cracked solder joint. By touching any button, or sometimes just the act of functionality caused a change in the resistance resulting in the protection circuit kicking in. The protection circuit of these Bee amps seems to be very sensitive. Ironically I preferred the sound of the 326bee in that system so I sold it cheap to a friend. He’s still using it daily and loves it. Go figure. Anyway, NAD solder joints suck. Full stop. But they are easy to repair. Every series of NAD amplifiers has a failure point common to the series. That’s what I check first. I got there by doing a lot of reading. Eventually you pick up patterns within a series. But then again I’m weird. I’ve been known to read technical manuals as entertainment .....to the massive amusement of my (now ex) wife. No correlation........

Clipdat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlMwc1c0HRQ

Alan_r wrote: »

But then again I’m weird. I’ve been known to read technical manuals as entertainment .....to the massive amusement of my (now ex) wife. No correlation........

Tony M

That makes me think about what I've told a lot of people about a lot of problem-solving in other scenarios as a teacher in a way;

I'd tell them," you have eyes, don't you? Use them first."

You apply that to your diagnosing also! That's so right!

I've opened a lot of receivers or amps or whatever to look for burnt fuses if there were any. I just diagnosed a receiver that stopped working for a guy. I sold it to him 10 years ago. Mitsubishi is the brand. It's heavy and well made. He brought it back and bought a Yamaha from me. I eventually took the cover off and it has about 7 fuses in it. But I checked all 6 fuses and was about to give up when I spotted a little short fuse among the dust. I just barely spotted it. I was 2 seconds from trashing it too. It was blown.

Replacing it brought it back to life. I was so joyful, I smiled for a day or two over that.

I hope to advance my sight skills to seeing solder joints. I know what a cold solder joint looks like since a neighbor showed me one, years ago.

I have a Pioneer A-88X Amp that has a volume fluxuation for about 5 min. and then all is well. I have yet to look inside but I bet there is a cold solder joint somewhere in the volume circuit. Maybe it will be right on top. LOL.





Thanks again for telling me about how a lot of things are on the web now. I've said before, I'll try to use it more!

It's how I found out how friken easy it would be to fix my trucks sticking tail gate latch if it was of a certain type. I have a plastic bed liner and it also came with a plastic tail-gate protector. I didn't know there was a huge access panel under that cover to access the mechanisms of the latch. Thank God my tail-gate had that big panel, otherwise, the job would've required laparoscopic surgery.

I also need to learn fine soldering. I've done a ton of house plumbing copper soldering so I've got the basics. I can't wait to up my soldering skills soon!

Alan_r

Alright KAB order done. Just waiting on the mailman. Pretty stoked about this whole project. I’ve been collecting a bunch of vinyl from the mid 60’s through late 70’s, even some weird French La Disko stuff from the mid 70’s. The true test of this system will be if I can get some 27-35 y/o’s dancing to a French version of a Nancy Sinatra cover tune.........half your age plus seven rule.

I picked up a NOS stylus for that cartridge that came with it. Again, thanks JDJohn.

KAB speaks very highly of their Cardas/Litz SpiralAir cables. I had them upgrade the RCA’s on the Phono Pre end with ETI Gold over Copper plugs. Apparently copper tames brightness, and brightness bothers me so hopefully it’s a good match. Curious about replacing the tonearm wire. Never done anything like that before but it doesn’t look too difficult. Never worked with Litz Superflex wire either. Definitely going to have to pay attention to how much my hands are shaking that night. So one wire and walk away for the night most likely.


Someone had mentioned that new pressings are hit or miss; I found a company called AccousticSounds that advertise extremely high quality pressings, the prices certainly show their love for them. I may try some out to compare them to original 70’s pressings. One thing I noticed that confused me was that the “mono” pressings seem to sell out before the stereo ones do......is there a reason for this? I wouldn’t think anyone would be interested in a mono recording. What am I missing here? Maybe a solo Cello would sound ok in mono, but Grace Slick?

ken brydson

Bathroom sink for the vinyl lover...

Tony M

I like the styling in a way. I'll bet that dual sink is $$$$$. That spout or spigot would be in my way for sure.

I do like that graphic equalizer mirror though.

Oh yea. They should have that "many records under epoxy (?) resin" in the room under this vanity. Or would that be too much?

Tony M

Alan_r wrote: »

Alright KAB order done. Just waiting on the mailman. Pretty stoked about this whole project. I’ve been collecting a bunch of vinyl from the mid 60’s through late 70’s, even some weird French La Disko stuff from the mid 70’s. The true test of this system will be if I can get some 27-35 y/o’s dancing to a French version of a Nancy Sinatra cover tune.........half your age plus seven rule.

I picked up a NOS stylus for that cartridge that came with it. Again, thanks JDJohn.

KAB speaks very highly of their Cardas/Litz SpiralAir cables. I had them upgrade the RCA’s on the Phono Pre end with ETI Gold over Copper plugs. Apparently copper tames brightness, and brightness bothers me so hopefully it’s a good match. Curious about replacing the tonearm wire. Never done anything like that before but it doesn’t look too difficult. Never worked with Litz Superflex wire either. Definitely going to have to pay attention to how much my hands are shaking that night. So one wire and walk away for the night most likely.


Someone had mentioned that new pressings are hit or miss; I found a company called AccousticSounds that advertise extremely high quality pressings, the prices certainly show their love for them. I may try some out to compare them to original 70’s pressings. One thing I noticed that confused me was that the “mono” pressings seem to sell out before the stereo ones do......is there a reason for this? I wouldn’t think anyone would be interested in a mono recording. What am I missing here? Maybe a solo Cello would sound ok in mono, but Grace Slick?

I just went and read up on those cables and wire you might use.

KAB...Very cool cable and wire Co.

And they're affordable too!

I always liked small stranded wires for some reason. The flexibility I guess.

I just read in the latest Stereophile last night that the late G. Gordon (?) LOVED buying MONO albums too.
I wonder why also.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

Alan_r wrote: »

Alright KAB order done. Just waiting on the mailman. Pretty stoked about this whole project. I’ve been collecting a bunch of vinyl from the mid 60’s through late 70’s, even some weird French La Disko stuff from the mid 70’s. The true test of this system will be if I can get some 27-35 y/o’s dancing to a French version of a Nancy Sinatra cover tune.........half your age plus seven rule.

I picked up a NOS stylus for that cartridge that came with it. Again, thanks JDJohn.

KAB speaks very highly of their Cardas/Litz SpiralAir cables. I had them upgrade the RCA’s on the Phono Pre end with ETI Gold over Copper plugs. Apparently copper tames brightness, and brightness bothers me so hopefully it’s a good match. Curious about replacing the tonearm wire. Never done anything like that before but it doesn’t look too difficult. Never worked with Litz Superflex wire either. Definitely going to have to pay attention to how much my hands are shaking that night. So one wire and walk away for the night most likely.


Someone had mentioned that new pressings are hit or miss; I found a company called AccousticSounds that advertise extremely high quality pressings, the prices certainly show their love for them. I may try some out to compare them to original 70’s pressings. One thing I noticed that confused me was that the “mono” pressings seem to sell out before the stereo ones do......is there a reason for this? I wouldn’t think anyone would be interested in a mono recording. What am I missing here? Maybe a solo Cello would sound ok in mono, but Grace Slick?

I just went and read up on those cables and wire you might use.

KAB...Very cool cable and wire Co.

And they're affordable too!

I always liked small stranded wires for some reason. The flexibility I guess.

I just read in the latest Stereophile last night that the late G. Gordon (?) LOVED buying MONO albums too.
I wonder why also.

Given the small investment that I have in this system that will use the SL-1400MKII, in the end I just couldn’t justify the price of the Morrow Cables that were not on sale. It’s totally my fault for missing their sale but is what it is. KAB comes highly recommended by Technics fans so......what do I have to lose.

Without getting into a cable debate, given the mid level at best of my gear, I can’t say one way or the other what expensive cables do. What I did notice when switching over from generic wiring to Kimber products, can best be described as “my perception of the soundstage seemed to become more defined.” Did it “sound better” when rocking out to Joy Division at 2am after half a bottle of Jameson? No. Sounded fine either way. Did it sound “more realistic” with regards to a well engineered recording when listening critically? To me yes. I have music playing all the time. Hell I’m typing this while listing to The Doors while lying in bed. I don’t listen “critically” 85% of the time. Usually I’m just enjoying the music and not trying to think about the gear it’s being played on. Would I buy them all again? Sure. Worse things to spend money on I suppose. Either way I felt that the “tech” in cabling has surely improved from the time Technics installed those super cheap wires on this turntable. Can’t hurt. But keep in mind I have nothing to reference this with as the last turntable I touched that wasn’t being used to spin at parties came in a suitcase and had its own speaker....and the “good” tables used at those parties, well I barely remember those parties so I have no idea what they sounded like. This “upgraded” SL will be the first I hear from a quality of sound point of reference......and it will likely set the tone for everything I hear afterwards.

Tony M

You've got a nice TT there for sure.

Just like the reviews I just read from the guys and gal at that audio show, every manufacturer has their idea of what sounds good. I've owned so much stereo stuff, affordable for the most part, that I used to be able tell what each brand sound signature was. I had them all on hand at the same time mostly.

It's a FUN passion to have. Yes, wires do change the sound, I've heard it. So upgrading cables and wires is a genuine option to pursue. Changing capacitors and resistors change the sound, so that option to upgrade the sound is cool too. How deep our pockets are is the only factor and where does the point of satisfaction equal what we can afford is the only limit. Nice things generally aren't cheap but if we do the manual labor ourselves, the costs come down significantly on the total cost of a job. With your skills Alan, you definitely save a ton on your up-grading projects!

We can't miss what we haven't heard. I wonder what those MBL speakers sound like?

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

You've got a nice TT there for sure.

Just like the reviews I just read from the guys and gal at that audio show, every manufacturer has their idea of what sounds good. I've owned so much stereo stuff, affordable for the most part, that I used to be able tell what each brand sound signature was. I had them all on hand at the same time mostly.

It's a FUN passion to have. Yes, wires do change the sound, I've heard it. So upgrading cables and wires is a genuine option to pursue. Changing capacitors and resistors change the sound, so that option to upgrade the sound is cool too. How deep our pockets are is the only factor and where does the point of satisfaction equal what we can afford is the only limit. Nice things generally aren't cheap but if we do the manual labor ourselves, the costs come down significantly on the total cost of a job. With your skills Alan, you definitely save a ton on your up-grading projects!

We can't miss what we haven't heard. I wonder what those MBL speakers sound like?

That is a path I’ve put a lot of thought into. I generally try not to take anything I can’t afford too seriously. Thankfully, and I say this with all the love in the world, some of my more well to do friends simply buy expensive stuff and put no time or effort into proper setup. Therefore their speakers that cost more than my car don’t sound that impressive. Loud yes, but accurate?......I suppose this can be applied almost universally. Case in point, I’ve been hell bent on replacing my ex wife’s car with something....more fun. Retirement present to myself so to speak. Corvette Grand Sport fit the bill nicely. Then a friend loaned me his Jaguar XK for a weekend. I’m now forever tainted and the Corvette interior feels like a polished Chevy Colbalt. Nothing wrong with a Cobalt mind you, but the XK is just on another level. Cheaper than the Vette too. It is through this lens that I view audio equipment. I don’t want to home demo a $6000 amplifier. Why? Because I’ll constantly measure what I have against it and it will detract from enjoying the music. Lust and envy are nasty nasty animals....dark side of human emotion I suppose.

Having said that I’ve spent hours, months and years into ensuring my setup is as perfect to the 16th of an inch. Crossovers set so my subs sound seemless to the speakers. I have tiny pieces of tape under the feet of my loveseat so I can make sure it hasn’t moved from that “perfect spot”. Center of the equipment rack lined up with the board on my hardwood floor so I can quickly ensure I’m right where I’m supposed to be. MADNESS!!!! Lol. But to me, my mid fi gear is as optimal as it can be. No point in spending more if you’re not optimizing what you have.

I’m truly happy with what I’ve created here. Always looking for more? Of course. My other threads here expose that. But that’s where the “hobby” side of this comes into play.

But I too sometimes wonder about the equipment people like Steve Atkinson get to play with. Is there really a “magic carpet” of audio nirvana that people like you and I are completely ignorant too? I don’t know. I was lucky enough to see Pink Floyd live in Baltimore during their Division Bell tour. No audio equipment I’ve ever heard could possibly recreate that experience. But isn’t that what we’re searching for? How can some electronic components possibly recreate the ambiance that goes with a concert like that?

So maybe we’re not so far from where we want to be with our “mid fi” gear in the first place. Perhaps not getting caught up in what something cost and instead appreciating what we’re hearing in that moment is what’s important. So while that “Built in Coventry England” interior of that XKS is nice and all....in the end it’s just another car.

Tony M

I feel the same way about asking myself, how much better than this (present stereos) can something sound? Those MBL's might recreate your PF concert sound memory.

I went to the local "Spot Festival" in Hampstead, just 10 miles north of me one year. There was a band set-up on a trailer bed. In front of the trailer bed were a bunch of 18" woofers and a bunch of mid horns and high horns. That sound was hiting my chest like a baby might hit you. And I was pretty far from them. There quite a few people up closer but wow, what a LIVE sound that was. I cannot recreate that BASS volume but I can recreate it in a smaller scale now. 2 18" JBL pro-subs and 2 15" mids with horn helpers and then 2 12" high speakers with horns helping them too.

But I might want to do that OUTSIDE for sure. I only spent 100.00 to get a huge beautiful PRO system from a local church. ( Thank you God! )

Most No, ALL of my high-end stuff I have bought second hand and from where-ever. I've been LUCKY. I've heard a lot and the BEST sound has to be those SDA-SRS2's. The Newform Research 645RB's (?) are a close second. 8000.00 speakers I paid 500.00 for total. I have a bunch of other speakers up there close too. But, I'm sooo happy to have heard how GREAT music can sound at home.

My first enlightenment was hearing my ESS-AMT1b's. The heavens opened up and that sound came filling my house. I knew I would never be the same. But life came first for sure. All kinds of great gear has been played with here but not the mega $$$$ electronics. That stuff is rare where I've been shopping , except nooshinjohn had a miraculous find at a place like where I shop, and it was in the Sansui Brand I believe. I found a 900.00 CD player at a local pawn for like 37 or 47 dollars once. I found out how great my CDs could sound that day!

I've read about all the electronics and speakers that have ever been made up until 15 years ago I guess.

I still get 2 magazines but those AUDIO Equipment Directory'e were my nightly reading magazines. I still have them. One is worn badly, the 88 year. It had the MOST I believe.

My TT was just another TT but a heavy and solid one. But as the days passed, I read up on it and decided to get a better cartridge. I got the affordable Sure XR85 or something like that and heard an improvement for sure. Now I'm getting vinyl fever all over again. I still have every album I ever bought so I played a bunch and liked it. Then a Forum member sold me that Denon DL-160 for cheap. Then I heard what I think is perfect sound coming from my SDA-SRS2's now. How much better could it sound? I don't know but it would have to be in an enviornment alot more spacious than my crowded room is now FOR SURE.

I've had a lot of " WOW"s said after I hook something new to me into one of my systems. Polk's Monitor 10's with peerless tweeters got me going again 15 years ago or so. I heard classic rock like what I think it should sound like. My receiver was a Luxman 1030 I think. I liked ithe sound so much I duplicated that stereo from Ebay purchases. I was in heaven and then I bought a set of Kenwood KD-888D's I think. 15" woofers. MOTOWN speakers. I bought another set off Ebay. 4 Polk-10's and 4 Kenwood 888's in one 21x18 room with a cathedral ceiling going up 17'. 10' high walls, so there was a lot of space. Great concert systems but not the critical listening period yet. That came later with some book shelf speakers and subs. I then started hearing the finer details in music better.

I don't sit and listen to music out there because it's too crowded. But stereo stuff has always been in my blood since I was 12.

48 years of off and on nirvana.

Better than doing drugs or drinking too much for sure.

Sorry for another rant!! darnit!

Tony M

Alan,
Have you test-driven a Hybrid Toyota Camry yet?

My step-daughters' 2014 is AWESOME!

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

Alan,
Have you test-driven a Hybrid Toyota Camry yet?

My step-daughters' 2014 is AWESOME!

No I haven’t. Not sure I’ve ever even seen one. Rode in a Prius once. I’m part of a dying? breed addicted to horsepower and torque. In lieu of that, go cart level handling. Did a few HPDE classes with the NASA and got addicted all over again. First car was a Triumph TR6, followed by Camaro’s, Chevelle’s and ultimately, Corvettes. The irony is now I’m getting right back into a British car. Life is a big circle indeed. Lol. Tell you what though, I’ve been considering renting one for some of my road trips. Did a 1700 mile round trip a week ago averaging 16.3 mpg burning premium in a Hemi powered Jeep. A hybrid anything is starting to make sense...

On a side note being that we’re kind of bsing until the mail delivers my SL parts, if you ever get a chance to hear the Bowers and Wilkins sound system in a 2008-2013 Jag XK, it’s one of the best factory systems I’ve ever heard. It’s rare that I get a decent soundstage from a car system, but that system can do it.

Tony M

Don't let the word Hybrid make you think "no power". my step daughter has thrown me back in my seat jumping into traffic a bunch of times. The take-off is electric and then the motor starts up sometime or other. We can do 0-60 in 6 seconds it seems. It's like a ROCKET.

I used to own a 65 Oldsmobile Starfire with a 455 in it and it didn't take off like her 2014 Camry does. I could smoke my tires till they popped but the excelleration from a dead stop was NOTHING like her car.

I think she gets 55 to the gallon here in the city. If she doesn't go over 10-15mph, the motor never starts up. It's dead silent.
Highway, maybe 35mpg I think she told me it got.

It's VERY comfortable too. Very!

The sound system?, I don't know. We mostly keep it low and talk.

I think the newer Camrys might be smaller than hers now. But her car size is very impressive. I want one and so does my wife. Maybe one day...we'll buy a nice used one with not that many miles on it.

But I LOVE the NEW Camrys body styling a lot!

Clipdat

@Alan_r if you like amazing handling cars go test drive a Subaru BRZ this weekend.

Alan_r

“we'll buy a nice used one with not that many miles on it”

Right there with you. I’ve purchased two brand new cars in my life. Worst investment I’ve EVER made bar none period. Didn’t learn the first time so years later when I was paying $780 a month for a truck that was then four years old with 70,000 miles.........(yeah I drive that much).I learned that time. It’s only new once and eventually the value has dropped to the point where you could buy your identical car for less than you’re currently paying. Crazy world we live in.

Alan_r

Clipdat wrote: »

@Alan_r if you like amazing handling cars go test drive a Subaru BRZ this weekend.

If it’s anthing like the WRX’s from a few years ago, very very impressive. Always had an interest in Baja so naturally Rally caught my attention as well. Subaru has that corner locked down pretty well. Clip, vaguely remember reading about you somewhere (maybe here?) but you were into import tuner cars. I stepped away from street racing right about when big turbos on Civics were getting mainstream and dyno shops were popping up in every major town. I was always in the other lane but on the same road as the import guys. Never fell into the us vs them crowd. Always just looked at us as car guys. Same cloth different flavor. Was street racing an LT1 Camaro when F&F1 came out so we watched it all happen lol. Got bored with straight line and dipped a toe into road racing. Didn’t take long to realize that while a Camaro can handle, it’s still a big car. No matter how many Corvette parts you bolt on to a Camaro, it’s still a Camaro. Long story short ended up dating a girl with an E36 B to the M+W and with that, no more road racing big cars. Kind of like audio, you’re in bliss right up until you hear something better. I think that happens to a lot of marriages too......

Tony M

I'll never forget that afternoon drive in the BMW Z3 or Z4 convertible a man I was doing carpentry for let me drive since my truck was in front and had tools and stuff on it. I had to come home, 3 miles away, to get a long level. I was tempted to take the long way back to his house ...but I didn't. lol.

I felt like the car was made for my body size and height. But man are they expensive.

Alan_r

Tony M wrote: »

I'll never forget that afternoon drive in the BMW Z3 or Z4 convertible a man I was doing carpentry for let me drive since my truck was in front and had tools and stuff on it. I had to come home, 3 miles away, to get a long level. I was tempted to take the long way back to his house ...but I didn't. lol.

I felt like the car was made for my body size and height. But man are they expensive.

There’s something to be said about this for sure. With all the interest in “self driving” cars these days, I can’t help but think “man, I really enjoy driving”. I guess I’ve always chosen a car based on some quality that enhances the experience in some way. I don’t want to just sit down and have mindless transportation. If I wanted that I’d take a bus. I recently shotgunned a short road trip with a friend who borrowed her husbands CT6 or CS6....the Cadillac bigger than the XTS, anyway it had that Interstate self driving tech installed. Only worked on certain portions of I95. We both thought it was strange. Ok, the cars driving itself. We’ve got four hours to go....now what do we do? It was just strange; removing a part of the experience just didn’t feel natural. Perhaps some day when kids aren’t exposed to the “driving experience” from birth, it will feel normal for them. Hopefully I’m permanently horizontal by then.

Tony M

My uncle took me for a ride in his OLDS 442, the real thing, And I was hooked.

I was 12 years old I think. My dad had a Rambler 4 door, bless his heart. It was an upgrade from a 54 chevy tank of a car.

Anyway, my uncle even let me drive his 442 for 200 yards or so, down a hill real SLOW of course. That was a memory for sure!