Post your stereo system!

mrussel1 said:

pjpjpaul said:

Will do. They sound killer. I have my Mac mini running through the usbc input of the Arcam as well. 

How do you like that Orto black with the Uturn?

Its great. Transparent without sacrificing anything in the eq spectrum. Not as "punchy" as the Blue but more nuanced. 

tempo_n_groove said:

static111 said:

So my 70’s pioneer sx-750 that I have had for over a decade is finally to the point of being completely unreliable. The cost of repair could be about $450-750.  I have a U-turn orbit and a pair of JBL L830 speakers that I have also had for about a decade.  No real complaints about the speakers or the turntable.  

Any suggestions for a good amplifier with a phono pre, or a modular system with a dedicated phono pre and a separate amplifier?  Looking to keep it under $750 all in, otherwise I could just suck it up and fix the old 35 lb beast.

As much as the SX-750 is a joy to behold I can’t help but believe that I can’t get something that can push the sound from my record player to the speakers that sounds as good these days.

You live anywhere near Long Island?  

Nope Austin 

static111 said:

mrussel1 said:

static111 said:

So my 70’s pioneer sx-750 that I have had for over a decade is finally to the point of being completely unreliable. The cost of repair could be about $450-750.  I have a U-turn orbit and a pair of JBL L830 speakers that I have also had for about a decade.  No real complaints about the speakers or the turntable.  

Any suggestions for a good amplifier with a phono pre, or a modular system with a dedicated phono pre and a separate amplifier?  Looking to keep it under $750 all in, otherwise I could just suck it up and fix the old 35 lb beast.

As much as the SX-750 is a joy to behold I can’t help but believe that I can’t get something that can push the sound from my record player to the speakers that sounds as good these days.

I would probably look at Emotiva or Yamaha.  There's a really nice Cambridge integrated amp but I think it's a few hundred above your budget.  I think the Yamaha integrated amps are really nice for the money.  I have some experience with Emotiva and have liked it, and I hear good things about both the separates or the integrated path.  

Funny you talk about your 750.  I have one as well that I let my son use and it's getting wonky.  The left channel keeps going out.  I will clean it/Deox the pots and it will be fine for a few months, and then go out again.  I would think if there's a real issue, the deox wouldn't work but it does.  Probably going to shelve mine as well.  I think I paid 250 for it 15 years ago, so no reason to invest in it.  

Found a nice older arcam a28 on the local Craigslist I am going to check out this weekend.  

If the Cambridge unit you are talking about is the AXR 100 those run about 600 and have pretty good reviews.  

I hate abandoning the old pioneer, I paid about $175 11 years ago. It sounds great when it works which it doesn’t anymore.  Oh well. If I can get another good amp off Craigslist for $250 or less I will be fine in the long run.

I always thought it had a dry sound to it, particularly the phono stage.  I have a Marantz 2230 (1971) which I think sounds much better.  

Old Arcam's are really nice.   I haven't kept up with the brand recent years, but for a long stretch, certainly a quality solid state.  

This was the Cambridge I was mentioning, the CX-81.  Really nice features, although no phono stage, which is weird considering someone that buys an integrated these days likely spins.  But if you end up with one without a phono, I have an extra Cambridge phono stage sitting around that I would be happy to send to you.  I'll likely never use it so be nice for someone to get some use.  

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_779CXA81M2/Cambridge-Audio-CXA81-Mk-II.html?tp=34948

tempo_n_groove said:

static111 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

static111 said:

So my 70’s pioneer sx-750 that I have had for over a decade is finally to the point of being completely unreliable. The cost of repair could be about $450-750.  I have a U-turn orbit and a pair of JBL L830 speakers that I have also had for about a decade.  No real complaints about the speakers or the turntable.  

Any suggestions for a good amplifier with a phono pre, or a modular system with a dedicated phono pre and a separate amplifier?  Looking to keep it under $750 all in, otherwise I could just suck it up and fix the old 35 lb beast.

As much as the SX-750 is a joy to behold I can’t help but believe that I can’t get something that can push the sound from my record player to the speakers that sounds as good these days.

You live anywhere near Long Island?  

Nope Austin 

I was going to give you one of my amps if you were.

Sorry static...

Wish i was near long island!

static111 said:

jesus fucking christ when did decent recievers become so goddamn expensive.  Everything is like 5000% more expensive than last time I was shopping. I didn’t feel so robbed when I was shopping and was making less money!

It's pretty rough nowadays. Even lower end, consumer grade stereo gear is crazy and the good stuff is astronomical. 

Secondhand or vintage is the way to go, IMO. At least most vintage gear is still able to be repaired/restored if need be. Pretty much all of the consumer electronics sold today are disposable once the warranty expires. 

mrussel1 said:

dudeman said:

static111 said:

jesus fucking christ when did decent recievers become so goddamn expensive.  Everything is like 5000% more expensive than last time I was shopping. I didn’t feel so robbed when I was shopping and was making less money!

It's pretty rough nowadays. Even lower end, consumer grade stereo gear is crazy and the good stuff is astronomical. 

Secondhand or vintage is the way to go, IMO. At least most vintage gear is still able to be repaired/restored if need be. Pretty much all of the consumer electronics sold today are disposable once the warranty expires. 

Hey any thoughts on an sx-750 that keeps losing the left channel?  When I clean the pots, it works for a few months and then goes back out.  

I've run into that before. Usually a good cleaning with Deoxit and then following that with Fader Lube sorts it out. Sometimes just working the pots back and forth a bunch of times gets them working too since it redistributes the cleaner/lube.

Next step is pot replacement which nowadays, I feel is worth the bench fee and labor cost for a good tech. Most of them will clean and check everything else out while they're in there. It will almost definitely cost less than buying a comparable unit, specs and performance-wise.

Also as a general use thing, I would turn the volume all the way down when you're not using it. With pots, the spot that causes trouble is usually where the it it set most of the time. By turning it all the way down, you keep the wiper off of the carbon in the ranges you set it to for listening. Once I started doing that, I haven't had nearly as much trouble with any of my vintage gear. Same goes for any pot that causes trouble and also Mono/Stereo or Tape Monitor switches. When not in use, keep them set to the position you don't use.

static111 said:

mrussel1 said:

dudeman said:

static111 said:

jesus fucking christ when did decent recievers become so goddamn expensive.  Everything is like 5000% more expensive than last time I was shopping. I didn’t feel so robbed when I was shopping and was making less money!

It's pretty rough nowadays. Even lower end, consumer grade stereo gear is crazy and the good stuff is astronomical. 

Secondhand or vintage is the way to go, IMO. At least most vintage gear is still able to be repaired/restored if need be. Pretty much all of the consumer electronics sold today are disposable once the warranty expires. 

Hey any thoughts on an sx-750 that keeps losing the left channel?  When I clean the pots, it works for a few months and then goes back out.  

I will say this. So far i have auditioned a lot of units to replace my 750.  Nothing comes close soundwise.  I will probably buy something cheap and used and do a full rebuild of the 750 sometime next year.  The sound is just perfect for me.
 
  

What have you demo'd thus far?  Curious as to where you're headed.  

So I’m leaning heavily toward the axa35.  I can pick one up new for under $400.  It has a pretty pleasing sound at least in the shops.  I will see how it sounds with my speakers and if it’s good great.  If not there are a lot of good speaker options on Craigslist locally right now.  35 wpc should be fine for a 14x10 living room, the Pioneer is 50wpc and I never cranked it much higher than half and it was loud enough for the neighbors to hear.