Izzy Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Hey guys. I have an issue. I'm a music lover and: I have no stereo. All I have is an iPod dock and that is NOT a stereo...it is just something to listen to while I cook. Problem is, if this were 1994 I'd get one of those awesome systems that have everything separate, the five disk tray and the record player and the tape deck...now days all there is is docks and home theaters. What should I do? Buy old school 90s system or just modernise? I'd like to have a vinyl player not just cds. iPod docking not necessary. heck, tape player preferred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WahKeen Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Hey guys. I have an issue. I'm a music lover and: I have no stereo. All I have is an iPod dock and that is NOT a stereo...it is just something to listen to while I cook. Problem is, if this were 1994 I'd get one of those awesome systems that have everything separate, the five disk tray and the record player and the tape deck...now days all there is is docks and home theaters. What should I do? Buy old school 90s system or just modernise? I'd like to have a vinyl player not just cds. iPod docking not necessary. heck, tape player preferred. Ya mean like one of these? I know exactly what you're saying. They don't make them like they used to. I bought this Yamaha system back in 1990. The only thing I replaced was the cd player ( it's still a 5 disc changer). I added the mandatory record player. It's what I jam with at my house, still going strong after 20 years and many moves. I have thought about what I would do if it went out. I haven't really looked but I sure hope I could get something similar. It's 1 of the best purchases I ever made. I hope you find what you need and something that you really really like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Yeah I have my old Pioneer Stereo system out the garage that I haven't used in while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 i don't have a lot of time, i will add more later, but you should do used for exactly the same reason you do used in buying a guitar: you get the most quality at the best price. and if you buy new it is because of the advantage of getting what suits your needs. check out these 2 places. echo audio in portland oregon, it is a store that sells high end used equipment, and audiogon, it is an online community similar to ebay that deals exclusively in audio equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Macaron? No... Hi Izzy. I plug the iPod into a small PA setup. Get a mixer with the right pre, and you can push your turntable into it. Buy pieces used, and you'll end up with a PA as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 I am SO glad I didn't get told that I need to move on and that I want an antiquated system and should get over it. King, that stereo is exactly what I was talking about...I've been looking in pawns and stuff, but lots of times they look a little beat up. Yours is sweet. Stein, you're right. Sometimes to get the good stuff you gotta buy used. I'm going to try out the sites you mentioned. What brand should I go for? Pioneer, Sony, Magnavox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Izzy, two things constitute the heart of your system... the amplifier and the speakers. Everything else is (literally) peripheral. Buy yourself a good integrated amplifier and a great set of speakers. Into the amp you can plug a cassette deck and/or a turntable and/or a CD player and/or an iPod. Most of them now have HMDI and optical audio inputs and outputs to run your digital TV/Cable/DVR sound, but you don't have to do that if you don't want/need it. Another thing I have noticed lately is that many integrated amps do not have the correct input for an old school turntable. If you already have a turntable this can be an issue. If you do not already have a turntable then this is no biggie. Many modern turntables are loaded with different outputs to compensate for this. My most recent turntable has a switch that selects the old school "phono" type of input or the more modern "aux" type of input. Again, a good amp and great speakers are the key to success here. Hope that was helpful (or at least not totally confusing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The more I think about it, the more I like the inexpensive PA idea. MF has their low-end unit at $200 or so; you can plug a boom box right into it and Radio Shack or MF have similar conversion wires/plugs you can use with about anything. In the olden days I had a mono turntable that went right into the Deluxe Reverb amp. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 In the olden days I had a mono turntable that went right into the Deluxe Reverb amp. m Now that is an impedance nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 All components back to LPs are still available new from Best Buy and the like. One possible source. Look for electronics repair shops. We've one in our area which specializes in 'vintage' electronics, older stereos and the like. They buy/sell/trade vintage stuff, refurbish and put it out for sale. Great old dreadnaught (read hoisted on your shoulder) sized, tape video cameras too. These are top notch and are repairable, unlike what comes out of China today. Back in the day the consumer grade stuff was pro grade in a cheap cabinet. Therefore they had great quality workings. Since then they figured out how to cheapen up the innards as well. So, chalk one up for vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The more I think about it, the more I like the inexpensive PA idea. MF has their low-end unit at $200 or so; you can plug a boom box right into it and Radio Shack or MF have similar conversion wires/plugs you can use with about anything. In the olden days I had a mono turntable that went right into the Deluxe Reverb amp. m Milod, Is there anything you wouldn't use a PA for??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Andy... Don't ask. <chortle> I think, though, that there's not much a PA can't do. I really wonder how some of the yuckie (not) old tube types would have done with modern speakers, too. Seriously, the DR worked quite well with that mono turntable. Woulda been around '66. Never though much about impedance in those days. Really. And it did work quite well. Heck, it'd leave you not hearing anything for hours if you turned it up a bit. Used a mike in one side, too - it worked decently as a solo gig amp. But really, I think we're really spoiled nowadays. Notes Norton has said he plugs guitar and everything else into a PA and does it for a living. I'm personally not sure it really makes all that much diff to an audience. "We" are hearing guitars and drums and bass... an audience hears a band. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'd go with the PA idea also, I've use our PA ever since my early 90's Pioneer Stereo equipment gave up the ghost. Realized right then I should have been using a PA the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'm gonna be the voice of dissent here and ask why? Unless you have a huge source library of records why would you want to go this direction? I own one of the best stereo systems arguably ever made with a combination of Macintosh amps and Nakamichi Dragon turntable and tape decks, and to be honest I rarely ever even turn it on anymore unless I want to listen to a new piece of vinyl or something from my collection that hasn't yet been converted to digital which is getting pretty rare. I play music in my house and my art studio 90% of the time when I'm awake and it's rarely from the high end component deck. Instead I have a Roth tube amp for my IPOD and a set of high end bookshelf speakers in the studio and the same amp with a multi-room distribution system in the house and that's what I use pretty much all the time. And if I really want to zone out and listen to something special I plug my digital device into a Rado headphone amp and my Rado headphones and I'm set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson Artist Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hey guys. I have an issue. I'm a music lover and: I have no stereo. All I have is an iPod dock and that is NOT a stereo...it is just something to listen to while I cook. Problem is, if this were 1994 I'd get one of those awesome systems that have everything separate, the five disk tray and the record player and the tape deck...now days all there is is docks and home theaters. What should I do? Buy old school 90s system or just modernise? I'd like to have a vinyl player not just cds. iPod docking not necessary. heck, tape player preferred. Izzy, i won't bother with recommending which technical mumbojumbo you should use but ill tell you this. Im looking at buying a new home and one of the rooms i plan to have an old record player in, not a big stereo or anything but just a good old fashioned 60-70s record player. The vision i see in my head is a stack of old vinyls i pick up from 2nd hand stores, everything from T-rex to the doobie brothers to peter frampton to new york dolls, a real 70s vibe. I own an ipod myself and use my computer as my stereo believe it or not lol. The point im tryin to make is you should follow your heart and if that leads you to those retro systems than that is exactly what you should buy because first and foremost, it's what YOU want! Hope you find what you're looking for a perhaps post what great old treasures you find at some yards sales, Happy Hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky scott 29 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Personally, I like Yamaha, Onkyo, and Kenwood here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondJig Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 HiFi audio can be more addicting than guitar/amps or drugs. Here is a site that has a wide range of products http://www.crutchfield.com/ and here is a good used site http://www.audiogon.com/ they have been around a long time and I have used them to buy and sell. You should look in the yellow pages for a mom & pop store too. Like guitar amps, HiFi tube amps are the bomb. A PA is not as good as a true HiFi system. A good HiFi amp and speakers will reveil more detail than a PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I really like the Onkyo tx-sr608 I own a small AV custom shop and that Onkyo is great for most of my installations 1.4 HDMI switching All video upverts to HDMI On screen Meta Data for an Onkyo Ipod Dock Its my go to receiver with a customer with a smaller budget. If its in the budget, the Integra receiver maybe the best on the market Integra is a high end Onkyo. If you must buy on-line please call the manufacture and find out if they are an authorized dealer, don't take the sellers word for it. BTW you can guy a phono pre-amp for $30.00 at Radio Shack Its sad about Klipsch but its the sign of the times I guess. They made some great product Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 All components back to LPs are still available new from Best Buy and the like. One possible source. Look for electronics repair shops. We've one in our area which specializes in 'vintage' electronics, older stereos and the like. They buy/sell/trade vintage stuff, refurbish and put it out for sale. Great old dreadnaught (read hoisted on your shoulder) sized, tape video cameras too. These are top notch and are repairable, unlike what comes out of China today. Back in the day the consumer grade stuff was pro grade in a cheap cabinet. Therefore they had great quality workings. Since then they figured out how to cheapen up the innards as well. So, chalk one up for vintage. Paragraph one. ^ They are here also in N. Ky. re: greater (ha!) Cincinnati. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 ok, i said i would be back and here i am. it sounds like you are serious about wanting to listen to music for enjoyment. i am extremely hip to this stuff. call me an audiophile if you want. please do not assume i am stuck up because of that. although i may be, it is not because of being an audiophile. having a good stereo is a very worthwhile thing. the better it is, the more enjoyment you can get out of listening to music. it is for enjoyment, not to save babies or anything. it should not matter if one does not care to have a nice stereo or if one thinks it is important. now, as another stated, it can become quite addicting, as well as expensive. but it doesn't have to be. at this point i think it comes down to how much you want to spend, AND how much effort you want to put in it. sometimes, part of the fun is how well you can make a system sound with as little as money as possible. sometimes, cash is a lot easier. the question is when does the effort become fun or not. here is some cool points: if you have say 50 records, it is cheaper to spend a few bucks on a record player than it is to buy new music. if you have a used record store around, maybe records are a buck. same with cd's. you know those record players showing up in the department stores now? cool there is now, but take an old dd turntable from the 70's or 80's, put a new cart on it and you have a record player that sounds better than any cd player that cost less than, say, 500 bucks. no lie. or what about those old crusty recievers from the 70's and 80's, maybe got one in the attic. say it doesn't work. spend 100 bucks to fix it and you have something that may costt 500 bucks to buy new (sound quality anyways). it is completely reasable to find and build a system for a couple hundred bucks that sounds pretty darned good, but it takes some effort. likewise, if you do want to spend good money, there are some suprisingly great sounding systems to be had if you know where to shop and care to listen to them, you just won't find them at sears. nothing wrong with having a listen to a 20,000 system if you can. might be an experience you won't soon forget. so, hear is my advise and my point: you can literally anything in between next to nothing and more than you can imagine, they all exist. and sometimes a little knowledge can go a long way. there is no minimum of efforts or max of fun to be had. feel free to ask any questions, i'll be glad to answer if i can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I've got a half decent hi fi system. It's been in boxes for the past three moves. Just an additional thought. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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