bigbossman 

OK - off-topic relative to bikes, but sort of on-topic in relation to C&V.

I just put the finishing touches on some major updates to my home theater/stereo system. Had to search a bit for a decent A/V Receiver with analog pre-amp outputs and phono outs - auditioned a few, bought one/sent it back, and finally made my selection.

The ~15 year old ADCOM GFA-555II, which has been switched off for a decade, is on the bench at the local stereo repair place getting turned up slowly and reconditioned on the Variac. It is preparing for a starring role as the primary driver for the two main speakers.

(As an aside - the owner, Steve, went to high school with and is friends with Grant Peterson)

After ~10 years sitting dark, my turntable is up and spinning. I just finished listening to the B side of the album E.C. Was Here.

It was............. NICE.

wrk101

On the vintage hifi stuff front, one of my recent thrift store finds was a set of Bose 901s, series II, with the graphic equalizer. Around 1975+/- vintage.

Although I got a good deal on them, I was in Utah at the time. So the shipping was crazy....

I am saving them for my new workshop project...

southpawboston

Nice! I'm starting to get back into vintage audio myself. I've never had anything truly high end, but this past summer I did dust off my old Dual turntable, my big floor-standing A/D/S speakers (hand built in Woburn MA!) and a bunch of vintage vinyl, all of which had been in storage for 20 years:





But it turned into a huge let-down when I discovered that the needle was shot!

Oldpeddaller

C&V bikes, C&V Hi-Fi, C&V music? Your workshops sound like places I want to visit!

triplebutted

Wait, did you attach a Brooks saddle to it? I'm confused.

bigbossman 

Check the foam surrounds. They're only good for ~10 years, and could be disintegrating. It that is the case - fear not. there is a place in Ohio that re-foams drivers for about $33 each. My Advent Utility drivers are there as we speak.

Dual made nice turntables, and there were a lot of nice speakers that came from that area. I think my Advents came out of Massachusetts, too.

I spent a little time digging through and sorting my vinyl just a little while ago. When I picked my 15 year old daughter from school, I told her that the phono was back in business. She said she'd never heard an album before, and couldn't wait to get home to see how it worked. She also started planning thrift shop expeditions, in search of LP's.

bigbossman 

As soon as the drivers get back from repair, my garage/C&V workshop will be sporting the advent Utility speakers, driven by a 1977'ish Pioneer SX-780 receiver - one of the last of the "Silver Series". I even have a 1st generation Sony CD player waiting to go.

southpawboston

By the mid 70s, A/D/S were using butyl surrounds. Their earlier foam surrounds disintegrated like everyone else's. And yes, there were a ton of speaker companies that started here. I don't know if it was the MIT proximity or just a whole bunch of companies spinning off from one another. Bose, KLH, A/D/S, BA... there were lots.

Very cool. I never had a high-end amp or receiver. That was the weak link in any of my systems. My only vintage receiver is a circa 1990 mid-range Onkyo, digital of course.

redxj

BBM, I am using your amps matching preamp, GFP-555 mkII as a phono preamp. I bought it from the original owner who I worked with at a higher end stereo shop when I was in college in the early 90's. He had upgraded to the at the time brand new Adcom GFP and GFA-5802.

table and amps:


adcom as phono, tube preamp, tape deck, and Eico tube tuner:


and everything runs through a set of these vintage 1970's Altec Valencia speakers:


I often look for vintage audio equipment at thrift stores and garage sales as well. My best buy so far was a set of JBL speakers (D130a woofers, LE175 tweeter, and N1200 crossover) that I picked up at a Salvation Army for $30 pair. They are in the basement powered by a non-vintage Harman Kardon receiver. I want to power them with the Fisher 600 tube receiver my aunt gave me, but I need to get it fixed first. I haven't found anyone local just yet that works on vintage tube equipment.

Here is what the JBL's look like:

WNG

ADCOMs are fine audio hardware. Congrats on the find BBM! I had considered upgrading to ADCOM or Carver equipment once out of college. But got sidetracked by the dreaded A/V home theater craze. Lot's of surround junk passed as hi fidelity.

Lot of the Massachusetts-based audio companies were brain child's of Henry Kloss. Quite a few spin offs as he sold each company and started a new one...KLH, Advent, Kloss Video, Acoustic Research, Atlantic Technologies, and lastly Cambridge Soundworks.
Let's not forget, Bose is headquartered in MA, Lexicon too, and others I'm forgetting.

As for C&V audio, I only managed to retain my pair of AR 94s and a Technics SL-1700 Mk2 (home model of the legendary 1200 disco mainstay). Most of my stuff had to be CL-ed off for my move.

Bianchigirll 

$33 each for 16 speaker plus shipping.... that can add up

I got a cheap radio shack turntable for xmas. plugged it into my old brokedown Luxman, and listen to some great old country music coming out of my Bose 301s and 201s.

Kudos to Lotek btw for directing me to a repair shop

WNG

New Order!!

rat fink

When I was a DJ in the late 90's/early 00's, I had three computer based rigs with my ~80k track library ripped at 320kb/s on a portable hard disk. For that entire time I did all my listening on that system. After I sold my rig, I would play the music through the auxiliary in on my 70's Yamaha (blackface m-series) system with Marantz speakers. Eventually, I pulled out my old Pioneer belt drive turntable to listen to some vinyl again. Then, I was home. I have since been slowly replacing every title in my digital collection with LP's.

My favorite stuff is usually the second from TOTL Pioneer and Yamaha receivers with Pioneer turntables. I also like Sansui, Marantz, and some others. I don't have a tremendous preference for speaker, but I really like the big Pioneers and Infinitys.

bigbossman 

I have that pre-amp, but I'll be using the new A/V receiver for pre-amp duties on the main system. The ADCOM will likely get paired with the Phase Linear 400.

A long time ago, I found a Phase Linear 400 amp at a thrift shop. Phase Linear is one of Carver's brain-child's, I believe. They are wonderful sounding 200W amplifiers, but have a reputation as speaker killers because they sometimes go 50vdc on the output and blow everything up. Mine never did, but I ran a 5A fuse in-line when I used it. It's been dark for 10 years, too. I've heard the nick-name "Flame-Linear" as well.......

You're right about the A/V home theater craze - it sure sidetracked me. BTW - ADCOM 555's are still pulling good money on eBay.

Yeah...... that price is for 8-10" drivers. May be less than that for smaller ones. Shipping wasn't too bad - about $20 from the west coast for 3 10 inch drivers, via FedEx ground. The local guy wanted almost $200 to re-foam the same 3 drivers, so it was a lot cheaper to ship them out. Free return shipping and no tax sealed the deal.

Even with 16 drivers - if they're foam, they're toast. If he wants to light up those 901's, he's gonna have to repair or replace.

rat fink

I think I'm going to bow out of this conversation before people start talking (and posting pics) about tube equipment, my real vice.

stien

Just wait until we start getting into vintage musical instruments. My favorite rig ever was my japanese tele copy into an Echoplex EP-2 (tube) into a '65 Fender Bandmaster with a modern 2x12.

I only have the tele still

Grand Bois

I've got an ELAC Miracord 770H record changer in a solid teak cabinet, but my digital receiver doesn't have inputs for it. Is there some sort of an adapter I can buy? I've got an old Marantz analog receiver, but I don't really need or want two systems. My wife has big collection of LPs that she hasn't heard in 20 years.

rat fink

I already started a thread like that in the Road Forum, stien.

rat fink

I've been on a minimalist kick for the last year or so. So far, I'm down to just:

- Pioneer SX-838 receiver
- Pioneer PL-530 turntable
- some modest, but nice sounding Rsl speakers
- a Sony reel to reel
- some recording equipment, signal processors, amps, and speaker sets.

Eventually, I will get some nicer stuff. The goal is not to go overboard like I did the first time.

CV-6 

Do a search for phono preamp. Several choices out there.

cb400bill

Another company that Henry Kloss was associated with was Tivoli Audio. They make nice table radios and such that are based off designs from Mr Kloss' days at KLH.

BTW, as to Adcom's model numbers, the GF part is an abbreviation for Great F*****g and then the last letter stood for Amp, Preamp, Tuner, etc.

A place that I had recone my JBL L166 speakers is fairly local to me. Circuit Shop out of Grand Rapids MI. https://www.circuitshop.com

rcschafer

Very nice, I almost bought an ADCOM GFA-555II new back in '87 but ended up with a NAD 2200. Both pretty well-respected amps given their price, and as we're seeing, their longevity.

Still sticking with the NAD gear and vintage Polks (SDA-SRS 2) myself. Good stuff!

Chris W.

Great thread!!! 25-30 yrs ago when I had a Woodrup, Gitane SC, and a Lotus...I also had a B&O turntable, Klipsche speakers, Tandburg tape deck, all hooked up to an N.A.D amp/pre-amp, and tuner not only do I kick myself for selling my bikes in 84, but my Stereo as well My current stereo is somewhat C&V it's a mid to late 80s N.A.D. reciever and CD player, and some big Onkyo speakers.

Cheers,
Chris

YoKev

I'm really enjoying the pictures in this thread

Grand Bois

Thanks! I just needed to know what to look for.

More than several. Five eBay pages, too.