A sound system journey

After many attempts and configurations the Back Room of the house is finally set up as my little Man Cave. At the very least the audio components are finally in place.

About a year ago I replaced an old pioneer belt drive turntable with an Audio Technica AT-LP60. There have been no problems with it at all. It delivers solid performance. For the price, it's probably the best turntable you can get.

My thirty year old Onkyo receiver was losing a channel frequently. I still have it and if anyone can fix it, come on over, I will pay you in beverages. I picked up a Lepei LP2020A amplifier. This amp about the size of my hand, has a jack to plug in my computer or iPad. I could not be happier with the sound. Obviously it's not a high quality amplifier, look at the price. But for my needs, in a mud room of the house that is only used 2-3 seasons of the year, it's perfect and fills the room with good noises.

This left the speakers. I have shelves up high in the room that are perfect for bookshelf speakers. It may not be the best placement for sound quality but it's a good use of the spacial limitations of the room. I jettisoned a pair of basement warped 30 year old speakers that were the kings of mid-range. Scoured thrift stores for decent speakers. Thought I found some nice old Radio Shack Omnibus speakers but it turned out they were old and messed up. Pro tip: check under the grill for torn and blown speakers before purchasing. Also, check the heights of the speakers. After paying about the same amount in thrift stores for speakers, I finally bit the bullet and bought new Dayton Audio B652s.

These are the speakers I should have had all along. They fit perfectly in the space, deliver very good sound. I tested them with Queen's A Night at the Opera and was very pleased with the separation and depth of sound. They pack a good punch and again, these are not three or four figure speakers. For my purposes though, I love them. Finally, after twelve years of fits and starts, I have built a sound system I'm happy with.

I Found them, Now

85 degrees on Thursday, barely hitting 50 today. Going to be a chilly walk back from the car repair shop after I drop it off, but I need the exercise.

Went thrifting over the weekend. A couple of weeks ago I found a couple of old Panasonic speakers to replace the ones I had for over twenty five years. It did not take two weeks to find the ones I was looking for in the first place. Figures, right?



Old Radio Shack Optimus 127's. Bookshelf size. They fit on the shelves in the corner of the back room perfectly. They push out a decent amount of sound and the quality is very good. To put it succinctly, I'm thrilled.

Best part is, they cost eight bucks for the pair. Same price as the Panasonics. So sixteen bucks were invested in speakers. I'll take that price.

Anger can be power if you know that you can use it

Trying to keep productive during this mini vacation. When the weather cooperated, some yard work was done. May have finally fixed the wiring in the turntable so both channels work right. My next quest is for some retro bookshelf speakers, to go with my retro Onkyo receiver, but I may have a lead on some old school Marantz.



That image just says quad to me.

Also got some writing done. My Scottish Wife was kind enough to let me go to Writing Wrongs last night. I do not get there much to read but I had a good time with writers known and unknown. The Chet was there, hope he does his poem tonight.

Happy Earth Day.

Day 20 - A song you listen to when you're angry.

When I'm angry I generally like the music loud and fast. Punk can work. The Clash are a better fit. I discovered them a bit late, at college between the time Sandinista and Combat Rock were released. I swear the record company sent a mystery 45 before the album was released, that did not identify the artist, but the song was Should I Stay or Should I go. I did get to see them live, at Rich Stadium, opening for The Who.



They were good, but too far away. I do not think their music and presence were stadium material, we'll never know if they could have realized that potential.

This song was a good one I used to play in the bar when I was pissed off, usually at my ex. I can't embed it, but you can hear it here. It's a great song. Play this song from the only band that matters really loud!