My down-sizing pics.. Anybody else have any you want to share?

Tony M

I forgot to add these pics...





These Hartley's sure do impress me.

BlueBirdMusic

A "city skyline" of speakers.

Tony M

I now have a pr. of Polk RTi12's on the ends.

Clipdat

Room looks great!

Tony M

I mentioned our local audio sales having GREAT stuff. Well, the other day...

A seller posted ZU audio "dirty weekend" speakers for 800 along with Vandersteen 2's for 400. with stands. The Vandersteens are still for sale.

The ZU's lasted about 24 hours or 48. I did some research and thought, they can only match these Hartley's probably so I let them go to somebody else. The veneer on them was pretty impressive too.

But one woofer's inner cone flange thingy had been damaged in two places. 2 folds in it but I'm [pretty sure the buyer got them for 500 or so BECAUSE of that damage to the one.

mrbiron

Mine aren’t the “dirty weekend” but still omens nonetheless. You should have dumped everything you got and hit “buy now!”

Tony M

Have you heard these Hartleys?

I've heard a couple of small bookies that were SPACIOUS sounding. B&W something or others and that was 30 years ago or more. Then those little Totems. What a sound! They sounded like these Hartley's but with less bass.

I haven't heard the ZU's ( I've read they are very special speakers ) but when these little Hartley towers fill a 18' wide & 10" high wall like a stage with a band on it, The ZU's could probably do it too I would imagine.

I decided I'll also want/need more CBD oil in the future. I could've went and offered less just to see what they would say.

I emailed one person awhile back what they sold their stuff for but got no response. I could email or call to see what the ZU's were sold for. I might do that...

I have my Triton Ones that make me shake my head with joy most every minute I listen to them too.

Tony M

Well I emailed them and it's a she who's selling them. She said she still has them for sale.

I said I'd relay that and I got a picture from her site too. I didn't think the add was up though. Somebody is going to look at her Vandersteen's tomorrow.

Here's the ZU's.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/585226239510882/?ref=messenger_share

mrbiron

She notes that they are 1299 a pair, new.
Four years ago they were $999 being dirty weekend.
Offer her $600 and see what happens.

There are a lot of polarizing reviews of Zu. With a room that big, they will need a sub to round them out. I’m in desperate need of a sub, but need to spend moneys elsewhere.

Stipulation…(in my best Tony’s wife’s voice) “you bring in a pair, you have to sell three pair!”

mrbiron

Cabs look to be in good condition. Her whizzer (bahahaha!!) is a little gnarly in the one photo.

In the dark, they all look the same.

Tony M

I read they only make a few and sell them during ONE weekend a year. Is that true?

I emailed her back and said i hope to hear more input to pull me off the wagon again.

Let me see if somebody responded to my CL ad I posted tonight...The sale of that set of POLK's would help out on the ZU's for sure.

Nope...no nibbles on the POLK's.

Tony M

She said her and her husband want to try something else.

I suggested we meet over here and let him and her take a gander and listen to something that would ease the purchase price of their Zu's or maybe a trade might happen.

There might be Zu's in my future after all.

mrbiron

They offer them a couple times a year but they supposedly sell out quick.

Tony M

She just messaged me to tell me the ZU's were sold today for 800 and she is very happy about it.

I'm happy for them too. I researched some more and think my new to me Hartley's will give me just as much fun. I'm going to refresh the Hartley's cross-overs soon too. I feel the cross-overs are causing the distortion I hear after 20 minutes of louder listening. The Hartley's acted up again but this time with the NAD Receiver. The receiver was room temp but the distortion raised it's ugly sound from the Hartley's. I Waited for 10 minutes or so, turned the speakers back on the sound was almost clean again.

I hope the refresh will give limitless play time through these Hartley's in the future.

Tony M

According to this phrase, I was really out of balance.

Tony M

I said goodbye to these JBL S412-PII GEMs today.

Yes, it was difficult and I thought about taking the ad down many times after re-listening to them for quite a few hours over quite a few days. I almost (seriously) emailed/called the guy to say I wanted to keep them after all. I then pondered, maybe he won't buy them and I can take the ad down and store them for another 10 years.

BUT, I pushed onward, he LOVED them, so I made a fellow from Raleigh / Durham VERY HAPPY and I regained a big amount of more floor space.

They are some of the best speakers I've heard since I've been collecting speakers.

I just hope the amps keep plugging along since I barely used them in 10 years.

Tony M

Did some more organizing in the back room since I sold those JBLs and Polk RTi12's. Really liking the ability to hook-up systems I haven't heard in years. The back room hasn't sounded this great in about 8 years since I had KEF Corina II speakers playing from the same shelving. Those were some FINE! speakers. I regret ever selling those!!












Did some carpentry too after it got cooler last week. I've been wanting to replace the decking on the front porch for maybe 10 years. Finally attacked it. The sub structure joists aren't normal. Everything on the old build was free from the lumber yard I worked at. I'm glad it lasted. I was going to replace the sub-structure / joists but everything was still ALMOST like the day I built it. So I'm leaving it.

I still have to screw the decking down. I might move a board or two to different placing locations. The board in the middle looks darker than the rest for some reason.

I've been spraying "BENGAL" roach and spider spray under my porches for a few years now. There wasn't a spider under the old decking! There was one small roach, that's it. BENGAL is the BEST fogger spray there is. 98% of the original galv. screws came out pretty easy too. All 650+ of them.








I then went and got some decking boards SINCE the prices have come back down to where they were.

Tony M

I did lower the "front height" of the porch to help smooth out the belly in front of the doors in the middle.

The premium level decking boards Lowe's had were some of the best I've ever seen, and I worked for 21 years in the lumber business.

I've staggered decking boards my whole life until this deck. I never walk on the right side of it so...16' boards landed right on a joist...so there was that. That then left 5'4" to complete the runs. I only needed 5' 1" to complete a run so I got 3 boards out of a 16'er to put down on the right side runs. Hardly a scrap of waste too. I added an extra joist from front to back where the boards meet at their junctions on the right since there were so many boards that were ending on that joist line.










My back was tight tonight. I also moved some HEAVY 19"x19"x2"concrete squares. 5 of them. Those blocks hurt my groin when I moved them a couple of months ago. I was extra careful today but still...getting old has it's drawbacks.

BlueBirdMusic

I'm glad to see you are still improving!

Tony M

Thanks guys.

I have another pile ready to go to Habitat / Resale store. I'll definitely make a run this week after I add to this pile. I've had this air-tank for 15+ years at least and never...ever used it. It looks like new too.
Maybe I'll advertise it for 20.00. The white box has my F150's truck cover in it. I brought it out because leaves are starting to fall now. It worked great last year keeping the leaves out of the windshield trough and truck bed.


Oh...I had this fine and great working 12,500 BTU Kenmore window A/C unit. It was in pretty good condition Really. The front vent was sealed with that towel. The plastic discolored from the sun shinning on it for a couple of years or more.

I've had it for many years. It's been on that cottage's front porch for years just in case...


I thought it weighed a ton and that's why I listed it for free. But it didn't. Still, it was old AND IN MY WAY NOW.

In fact, I didn't move it till the 2nd guy was coming over. I got my wife to help me take off the porch and put it on a stand to make it easier for this one legged man and me to load it. We could've stored it on the side porch for some time more just in case...BUT...we've had it for years!

It was in the way of rebuilding the porch on the cottage so I advertised it for free. Within 5 min. I had 2 callers that wanted it. I took their info and took the ad off. The first young kid didn't show when he said he would. I called him, he didn't answer, so I said on the message box I was giving it to the second caller.

The second caller lived 10 blocks from me. He quickly came over and said it would come in handy next year. Cool.
I looked at this past weekends yard-sale ads and there it was.

He just had a phone# on it and a few big pieces too. No prices. I hope he sold it and got a 100.00 at least for it. He lost one leg due to Diabetes and he was elderly. So I hope I helped him get some extra spending change for whatever.

I told myself if I needed a new window unit for any reason, I can afford to go buy one. That's a good feeling.

Tony M

I screwed the long boards into position except the one against the doors. I have to place flashing against the building first. I had 1+1/2 boards left to work on the corner section with asap. I'll have to buy some more to finish the corner. I did shuffle some boards around for color continuity. That dark board doesn't stand out anymore.

I decided to only put one screw per board per joist after the 4th row because it was getting late. I'll finish the whole deck tomorrow. maybe finish the corner section Thursday. It's been a long time coming...





Then onto other projects (the barn shed's porch [which I use as a table-saw platform] and it's 30 year-old roof re-design re-building) while I still try to downsize the contents of the cottage even more.

Tony M

Took the edge board off to start the corner deck yesterday. I was shocked at what I saw!

I found 4 Black/Brown Widow egg sacks in the middle and one on the far end. They were hollow. No guts. I hope they didn't hatch and that's why they were hollow. Anyway, they're in a baggie and in the trash can.

I finished the corner and the other end of the deck today plus the flashing was cut and is in place to secure tomorrow along with **** down that last board against the building. I've decided to replace the stair treads/boards too. Then the whole front "decking boards" will be new. They should last longer than me if a hurricane doesn't pick them up and destroy it all.














Here's a great example of a Black/Brown Widow web.
Strands that just go in all directions with no pattern to speak of. The Widows DO make a little tighter webbed nest where they sit in.

rooftop59

the deck is looking good!

Tony M

Thanks.

Even the Mrs. is commenting how much better it looks.

I'm going out to replace the step boards and finish that flashing area this afternoon.

Tony M

Almost done.
The piece of flashing on the corner deck is just there. I'll cut a short piece to fit the junction area soon








lastly, I have to do some kind of flashing in this junction. No biggie though.


I never made it to donate anything this week. I worked from noon-on each day.

Before, ;

verb

Dang Tony - You're on fire! Love the energy in organizing and improvements around the house!

Makes me want to retire right now and start enjoying myself, fixing and twiddling around the house!

Well done sir!

Tony M

Thanks Dave.

Being retired is nice for sure. But working at something you love is better. Especially if you make good $$$ at it.

My wife is still working and hopes to till she's 67 to get the max. from SS. She doesn't love her job but she has some good weeks here and there to balance it out.

I sure wish I had worked all those lost years. My SS checks would be 500+ more a month at least.

These projects would've already been done too.

Oh well, I thankfully could hang in there and I'm glad I can buy stuff now to do stuff now with some kind of regularity with very little neck pain.

Tony M

Tony M

Done with that.


This deck is now under re-construction now. It's been a year or more kind-of sitting like this...

Tony M

Done for today.