Old School :)
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Discussion

troc

Original Poster:

4,058 posts

199 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
Finally I've my old (ancient?) hifi gear up and running.

Well most of it, because the cd player died irreparably some years ago.

So once again, I can losten to my old audio cassettes I've not heard for 20 years!

Anyway, for those who might be interested, I am using:

NAD 6100 cassette deck
Arcam Alpha 6 amp
Musical Fidelity MC1 speakers

Nothing high-end but it still sounds rather nice.

I also have a (much newer) Pro Ject Debut Carbon DC turntable to play my old (and new) vinyl on and the old DVD player for the odd CD although moist of that stuff was ripped years ago and I automatically rip any new cds I buy.

The whole lot is connected to my Sonos system via a Sonos Connect so I can listen to tapes anywhere smile

Anyone else still do the analogue thing? (tape, not just vinyl - that's far too trendy smile )

MTech535

613 posts

135 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
I found a box of old cassettes a few words back, but half of them snapped the tape after playing for a few seconds.😠

And the background noise was terrible.

cbmotorsport

3,065 posts

142 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
what's a cassette deck?

legzr1

3,885 posts

163 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
I've still got a Techins DCC deck - records a digital signal to analogue tape and plays back the old compact cassette too.

TonyRPH

13,474 posts

192 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
I still have all my cassettes from the late 70's early 80's.

I was fortunate enough to have a fairly decent system even back then, so my tapes still sound pretty decent even now.

They have been well cared for.

Soir

2,277 posts

263 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
I'm literally stuck in the 90's

2x Technics 1210's with quite possibly the oldest scratch mixer powered by an Arcam Alpha 2 Amp & Mission speakers

anonymous-user

78 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
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I recorded a lot of tapes back in the 80s, must have had a couple of hundred in total. Mostly TDK SA/MA 90s or That's MRX which were about £5 each even back then! All vinyl recordings. I was always careful to ensure the VU levels never went higher than +3 db for a punchy sound that didn't distort.

Still, took the whole lot to the tip a few weeks ago as I don't see the point of keeping them. Instead, I've linked my old Sony S2 system to an Airstream pro and play music from my phone using Spotify. It's easier, quicker and sounds better.

TonyRPH

13,474 posts

192 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
quotequote all
wormus said:
Stuff about tapes
I did the same thing - however a lot of what I have is no longer available, so this is why I keep them.

To be fair, I don't listen to them that often.



troc

Original Poster:

4,058 posts

199 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
quotequote all
dont throw used decent quality tapes away, they are rather valuable!

anonymous-user

78 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
quotequote all
troc said:
dont throw used decent quality tapes away, they are rather valuable!
I sort of assumed nobody wanted them. Anyway, all that chrome has been returned to the earth in a landfill somewhere! smile

anonymous-user

78 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
quotequote all
Oh st. Just seen the price of MA-XGs. I had some of these that were made of aluminium. Now selling for £100 each frown

castex

5,121 posts

297 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
quotequote all
wormus said:
Oh st. Just seen the price of MA-XGs. I had some of these that were made of aluminium. Now selling for £100 each frown
Beautiful things. Only the very best music got onto one of those for playback in my WMDC2. cloud9

red997

1,304 posts

233 months

Saturday 4th March 2017
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WTF ?!
I've got a box of them...

dickymint

28,507 posts

282 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
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yikes off to the attic wish me luck!!

steviegunn

1,422 posts

208 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
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My Hi-Fi is a mix of old and new, a couple of 70s vintage Pioneer sound processors (RG-2 Dynamic Processor & SR-303 Reverb Amplifier) sitting between a TEAC PD-H300 MK3 Reference Series CD Player and new Onkyo A-9030 Integrated Amplifier. Rest of the system is a new Onkyo CP-1050 DD Turntable, TEAC T-H300 MK3 Reference Series DAB Radio, Scandyna Minipods, KEF HTB2 Subwoofer and a Yaqin SD-DC3 Valve Buffer.

In the loft is the rest of my old Pioneer Hi-Fi from the late 70s, early 80s (Amplifier, couple of Digital Tuners, couple of Graphic Equalisers, couple of Tape Decks and a Digital Timer). One of the Tape Decks is a CT-F850 that isn't working (belts are new and there is power but the motor isn't turning), I'd like to get it repaired / serviced if I can find someone that can do it, the rest of the stuff is all working perfectly, I'd sell it to fund the repair on the Tape Deck.

SS2.

14,687 posts

262 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
quotequote all
Marantz CD45
Audiolab 8000A
JVC KD-VR320 tape deck
Thorens TD150 MkII turntable
Mordaunt Short MS40 speakers

No frills, bells or whistles, and still sounding great. Not many cassette tapes survived from the good old days, though.

Edited by SS2. on Sunday 5th March 22:39

Simes205

4,977 posts

252 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
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I've got most of my old hi fi still including a denon drm500 cassette deck and all my cassettes... including some ma-x 90's.

SS2.

14,687 posts

262 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
quotequote all
I think I've still got one or two unopened TDK SA90 cassettes lurking up in the loft somewhere.

TonyRPH

13,474 posts

192 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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I'm amazed at how many people store environmentally sensitive kit in the loft.

I've seen many a turntable on Ebay which has clearly been stored in the loft, because the aluminium platter is badly corroded.

Likewise - I've seen amplifiers that have heavily corroded top covers, and once inside the PC board is a mess.

Electronic stuff does not like condensation / high humidity, which is what the vast majority of lofts seem to offer.

Tapes will not have fared very well in the loft either, they may look ok, but I can pretty much guarantee once you try to record on them, there will be many dropouts, and in extreme cases they may even just snap.


troc

Original Poster:

4,058 posts

199 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
I don't actually have a loft! I use the term "in the loft" simply to imply long-term storage.

smile