View Full Version : The best few quid you ever spent on Hi-Fi
I was back in Wales visiting the folks for Mother's Day over the weekend, so after getting up far too early on Sunday and it being a lovely morning, I decided to have a look around a big car boot sale in Cardiff and do some scouting for music.
I didn't do very well on the music front, but at one stall, amongst a stack of very sad and neglected looking DVD players was a Marantz CD53, a bit battered, but wrapped in cellophane with a sticker saying "Tested working - £7". I thought to myself, well it probably isn't working, but for £7 it might just be a fun new project, so handed over some pound coins to the young girl sat in her dad's van and grabbed the CD53.
I'd remembered reading that the CD63 was massively tweakable and hoped that the 53 was a similar machine. Sure enough, on getting home and doing a bit of reading around, the 53 is a 63 without an HDAM circuit (which was to be removed later anyway). I was feeling rather good about my purchase but now had to wait to get back to Swindon to start playing with it.
When I did get back home, my suspicions were confirmed, but not as bad as I thought - The machine powered up and the display worked - a good start. But not only were discs skipping like crazy, but tracks 2-3-4 on every CD were accompanied by a whining noise from the motor.
So the lid comes off for the first time (but not the first time in it's life judging by the paint worn off around the screw fixings) and the CDM12 gets removed and dismantled. It would seem this player lived in a smoky home for some time so some serious work with the isopropyl is required. Everything is cleaned up, the slider re-greased and the motor gets a drop of oil. It's all put back together and connected up again.
I have to say I wasn't expecting much, but I wanted to get used to what the stock unit sounded like before I embarked on some serious tweaking. Well, the skips have been fixed - excellent - but sure enough it sounds quite sibilant, a bit shut in, not a huge amount of soundstage, FAR too smooth and gets a bit confused when things get busy.
BUT! Underneath all of these problems it's communicating music in a way I'd not heard from CD in some time. The music is flowing beautifully, vocals have a real richness to them and there's proper weight to instruments. It's actually really quite enjoyable. It also passes these musical qualities on when I hook up the Caiman to it's digital output. I am impressed for what was originally a £150-£200 CD player.
Now I know how it sounds, the next few weeks it's gonna have the crap modded out of it :lol:
It feels great to have picked up something which would have otherwise probably ended up in landfill and given it a new lease of life and it's already feeling like the best £7 I ever spent on hi-fi as I'm going to get to enjoy it and learn a lot about it in the process.
So what's the best thing hi-fi you guys have ever picked up for a few quid?
Haselsh1
16-03-2010, 07:26
Back in 1977 whilst recovering from a nasty motorcycle smash that saw me in hopsital for six months of my life, I bought my first ever Hi-Fi system. Having listened to it for a year or so I learned that by changing the speaker cables from cheap bell wire I could alter the sound of the system. I bought a few quids worth of QED 79 strand and got it all wired up. The difference was gobsmacking. That was my best few quid ever spent.
My Beresford 7510 (yes, a few Quid).
I now have a Caiman as well.
They have bounced my HiFi into the 21st century for very little cost.
I have nearly enough computing power in the house to run the Met Office - so that part was free,
DanJennings
16-03-2010, 08:34
I bought a Denon Tuner and Yamaha tape deck for 3p! :)
Beobloke
16-03-2010, 08:39
I've bought umpteen bargains from my local car boot sales and the local dumps over the years, including original Goodmans Maxims for £1, a Rega Planar 3/RB300/MC cartridge for £5 and a boxed B&O Beogram 4000 for £4.
My last strike was last Tuesday at my local dump - Quad 33, 303 and FM3 for £5. I haven't had a play with it yet, though......
My last strike was last Tuesday at my local dump - Quad 33, 303 and FM3 for £5. I haven't had a play with it yet, though......
I am crying.
You lucky boy.
Spectral Morn
16-03-2010, 10:47
I've bought umpteen bargains from my local car boot sales and the local dumps over the years, including original Goodmans Maxims for £1, a Rega Planar 3/RB300/MC cartridge for £5 and a boxed B&O Beogram 4000 for £4.
My last strike was last Tuesday at my local dump - Quad 33, 303 and FM3 for £5. I haven't had a play with it yet, though......
I have heard from someone I deal with from time to time, that he has seen Garrard TTs, Michell TTs, reel to reels etc in a local dump, but they won't sell them. As he is in the business of recycling, it frustrates him that his local council won't allow these items to be bought and recycled back to life, though he suspects that many are still working. He has lobbied the council to no avail. He used to be able to get stuff, but not now. So off it goes to landfill or to be broken down :(
Best bargain for least amount of money for me :scratch: has to be a tuner I got recently for £11 (identity to be revealed later), fully working and in pretty good nick for its age.
Regards D S D L
I've bought loads of cheap bargains, but the best things of all are the amps and speakers I was left in recent times and use daily. Fully fettled, they're so good, even by modern standards..
Hi Neil,
I have heard from someone I deal with from time to time, that he has seen Garrard TTs, Michell TTs, reel to reels etc in a local dump, but they won't sell them. As he is in the business of recycling, it frustrates him that his local council won't allow these items to be bought and recycled back to life, though he suspects that many are still working. He has lobbied the council to no avail. He used to be able to get stuff, but not now. So off it goes to landfill or to be broken down...
That's total and UTTER LUNACY, and makes my blood boil! Has the guy you know asked the idiots at the council for the specific reasons why they won't allow him to recycle this equipment?
That's something I'd love to know!!
Marco.
The Vinyl Adventure
16-03-2010, 10:54
I think the best money I have spent was buying rob's (puffin) gainclones for £50(?) I don't understand how it can be possible to get that sorta sound quality for that sorta money anywhere else. I can't see me using a different power amp upstairs for a long long time!
The Vinyl Adventure
16-03-2010, 10:57
Hi Neil,
That's total and UTTER LUNACY, and makes my blood boil! Has the guy you know asked the idiots at the council for the specific reasons why they won't allow him to recycle this equipment?
That's something I'd love to know!!
Marco.
I bet you any money it's health and safety, they can't sell them incase the guy who buys it gets a electric shock and decides to take em to court... I don't know for sure... But you can bloody well almost garuntee it's something that stupid!!!!
Spectral Morn
16-03-2010, 11:00
Hi Neil,
That's total and UTTER LUNACY, and makes my blood boil! Has the guy you know asked the idiots at the council for the specific reasons why they won't allow him to recycle this equipment?
That's something I'd love to know!!
Marco.
He wasn't able to tell me.
He tried really hard, but failed to be able to do something he used to be able to do. I suspect it may have something to do with how local councils view and implement European laws especially in regard to the WEE Directive (waste electrical ....? can't remember what the last bit is :scratch:). Its RED tape errrrrrrrrrrrrrr :steam: The idea of all this lovely vintage and more modern kit being lost is a crime imho.
Maybe Adam Smith (beobloke) can tell us how he gets round this red tape crap in his local council area.
Regards D S D L
The good suff (furniture, kids bikes etc) we see being dumped that may just have another life via charity shops is amazing IMO. The nearest to a hifi bargain was some seemingly mint B&O wall panel speakers (P45's IIRC). Not my scene so I left them..
I'm with you completely, Neil!
I bet you any money it's health and safety, they can't sell them incase the guy who buys it gets a electric shock and decides to take em to court... I don't know for sure... But you can bloody well almost garuntee it's something that stupid!!!!
I suspect that will have something to do with it. If there's one thing I can't stand is bloody mind-numbingly stupid red tape and bureaucracy invented by faceless, no-life, f*cking pen-pushing 'civil servants', working of course under rules made by hapless government cocksuckers! :steam:
Marco.
Steve Toy
16-03-2010, 13:57
I've reached the conclusion that there is a culture amongst local council employees up and down the country that they believe they are duty bound to be as unhelpful, obstructive and occasionally meddlesome when the opportunity presents itself as is humanly possible.
Your best bet is to threaten to report the matter to the relevant committee members.
I suspect the reasons are entirely due to Health and Safety as Hamish has said. Once you put anything in a skip it becomes council property. Even if you are seen to be changing your mind, they won't let you retrieve the item. :mental:
I shudder to think how much decent, referbishable classic hi-fi equipment has been chucked out. I've heard of many classic TTs, Quad 57s, valve amplifiers and even Studer R-Rs being thrown in the skip. :steam: Makes you want to weep doesn't it? :wah:
Looks like Adam saved a perfectly decent Quad set up from an ignominious fate and ended up with an absolute bargain. :)
Regards
Beobloke
16-03-2010, 14:39
Maybe Adam Smith (beobloke) can tell us how he gets round this red tape crap in his local council area.
I think it must vary from location to location according to the whims of the employees. Most of the dumps in my area have a dedicated section for electricals and, after they've given you the blurb about how it's sold as spares and is not guaranteed as working, they'll sell anything to you. One or two cut the plug off and stick a disclaimer sticker on it so they are covered in the event of stupidity, but there are no problems - the main one I visit even puts stuff aside for me if it has 'Bang & Olufsen' written on it! There is another one near me, however, that has a big sign up saying '"We do not sell Electrical Items" so, needless to say, I don't go there!
On one occasion I was helping a friend move house and we took some surplus items to a dump near his house and I spotted something interesting (a Yamaha TC-800GL if i recall correctly). I enquired about it and was told that they didn't sell anything like this and that it should have been in the skip, whereupon the bloke grabbed it and chucked it in. :steam:
Fortunately, the skip was nearly full and it was within arm's reach, so I waited until he wandered off and grabbed it anyway, so he lost £5 - £10 for the site's tea kitty or whatever they use the money for - his loss!
Note - I do not recommend doing this, as barry says it is, strictly speaking, theft.
Peter Galbavy
16-03-2010, 15:10
That's total and UTTER LUNACY, and makes my blood boil! Has the guy you know asked the idiots at the council for the specific reasons why they won't allow him to recycle this equipment?
It is lunacy and the advice that the charity shop my mum works in (Age Concern and she's in her mid 70s! She's older than many of the people they help...) that they should not sell any electrical or battery powered items at all, including digital watches, as they cannot be tested for electrical safety and/or are not CE marked as many are too old. It's the fear of litigation and probably part of public liability insurance, not any specific HSE guidance.
I would not be surprised if the coucil is being anal abaout the same thing.
Oh, she takes the stuff home when her double anal boss isn't looking. Got a thin Tosh laptop out of it, but the bastard won't boot off anything but a PCMCIA CD-ROM or the internal drive and I have been too lazy to remove the drive and rebuilt outside the box...
The Grand Wazoo
16-03-2010, 18:00
Actually, I think you'll find that in most cases it's not Council employees. In the main, private waste management companies are contracted to operate these sites on behalf of the Councils. They will be paid on the basis of the amount of waste that passes through the site - measured by weight. Any wonder they like to keep the heavy stuff? I bet you could take all the empty plastic milk bottles you could carry (low weight/high volume) - they might even pay you to take 'em away!
bonneville
16-03-2010, 19:31
Our local dump has a company who buy the rights to anything that comes onto the site .A white van man is always there to collect any goodies and takes them to a huge warehouse ,and from there they end up on car boot sales.:(:(:(
Vinnie
The best few quid I ever spend on hifi were on:
- My Rega P3 TT
- The croft 25 Micro and S7 amps
- The ATH-M50 headphones
Ali Tait
16-03-2010, 19:58
Pioneer PD-S505 from Cash Converters for £19.99.Bargain!
The Vinyl Adventure
16-03-2010, 20:10
i was chatting to a chap who does is a full time cleaner ... the type with the big van with the massive carpet cleaner in the back... anyway, he also does house clearance and was telling me some of the gems he had found - old collectable postcards ... that sorta thing... i told him i am into my cameras, he then proceded to tell me about the "couple of lieca's" he had in a box somewhere... all sounded like he was spouting a load of old crap of to be honest... until he then went on to ask me if i knew anything about little film camera's and describe in quite acurate detail one of these
http://www.subclub.org/subjpegs/tessinal.jpg
http://www.cameraquest.com/tessina.htm
i asked him if i could buy it off him, and he said "oh, i dunno where it is, we got loads of old crap, its that small id never find it" or something along those lines... makes you wonder how much amazing kit is just sat in draws wasting away... such a shame
The Vinyl Adventure
16-03-2010, 20:14
ooo i forgot about my 2x 1210's in flight cases in perfect nick from cash converters for £250....
crazy cash converters! its either mad cheap or barmy expensive ... there were some leak sandwich speakers in there the other day for £200!! seemed a bit ott when they apear to go on ebay for about £10
Hi Neil,
That's total and UTTER LUNACY, and makes my blood boil! Has the guy you know asked the idiots at the council for the specific reasons why they won't allow him to recycle this equipment?
That's something I'd love to know!!
Marco.
Quite common Marco.. I've seen some quite decent stuff in the skips at the tip, hifi and other. Shame as most is damaged once it gets thrown in the skip and the jobs worths won't let you have anything anyhow.
Steve Toy
17-03-2010, 02:16
ooo i forgot about my 2x 1210's in flight cases in perfect nick from cash converters for £250....
I saw them, or two just the same at the Cash Converters branch in Kettering back in August. I wonder if they were the same ones.
alfie2902
17-03-2010, 23:21
20 years ago I was looking for a Systemdek IIX & found an advert in the local press for a 'Systemdek No Arm £70'. This seemed a good price so went to have a look.
It turned out to be an original Systemdek III which I was pretty pleased with but was missing the armboard. I asked about the armboard & the seller said he was just taking the arm off & would put the armboard back on.
He then said as his new Pink Triangle PT Too had a Rega RB-300 fitted so did I want the old arm to save him taking it off? I had a quick look & said yes please! I paid the £70 & left very quickly :)
Here's my £70 worth :):lol::stalks:
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss55/alfie2902/IMG_0100-1.jpg
20 years ago I was looking for a Systemdek IIX & found an advert in the local press for a 'Systemdek No Arm £70'. This seemed a good price so went to have a look.
It turned out to be an original Systemdek III which I was pretty pleased with but was missing the armboard. I asked about the armboard & the seller said he was just taking the arm off & would put the armboard back on.
He then said as his new Pink Triangle PT Too had a Rega RB-300 fitted so did I want the old arm to save him taking it off? I had a quick look & said yes please! I paid the £70 & left very quickly :)
Here's my £70 worth :):lol::stalks:
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss55/alfie2902/IMG_0100-1.jpg
I hope Andre doesn't see this!
What cartridge is that?
Regards
alfie2902
17-03-2010, 23:43
I hope Andre doesn't see this!
What cartridge is that?
Regards
It's a standard Denon DL-103 in a Rosewood body. That wasn't part of the £70 worth though ;)
Hypnotoad
21-03-2010, 13:38
More than a few quid but recently I picked up an upgraded Jolida 801A Amp 70wpc for 200 quid.
Replacement value with upgrades seven times that.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww297/Hypnotoady_photos/Jolida1.jpg
dave2010
23-03-2010, 09:29
Rich
the 53 is a 63 without an HDAM circuit (which was to be removed later anyway).
Glad you're enjoying it. Please enlighten us. What is an HDAM circuit?
Ali Tait
23-03-2010, 13:17
Forgot about this,got to be the best yet,I was once GIVEN a pair of ESL 57's!.Can't do much better than that!
ZebuTheOxen
23-03-2010, 14:23
Bought a lovely pair of JR149 LA3/5A out of Loot for £100.
Sadly I moved out shortly after and don't have the room for them, currently residing in the dining room at parents house. :)
Quad ESL 57 for £4 in an auction, Pair of 15" Tannoy Monitor Golds for £80 from free ads paper, SME plinth, Thorens TD125 and 12" sme 3012 for £20 at a boot sale, also JR149's for £20 at the same sale, Tandberg 2075 for nowt...
Ian Walker
24-03-2010, 22:19
Forgot about this,got to be the best yet,I was once GIVEN a pair of ESL 57's!.Can't do much better than that!
I can Ali,i was GIVEN £50 to take a pair away once beat that:lol:
Forgot about this,got to be the best yet,I was once GIVEN a pair of ESL 57's!.Can't do much better than that!
and
I can Ali, I was GIVEN £50 to take a pair away once beat that
...SME plinth, Thorens TD125 and 12" sme 3012 for £20 at a boot sale
I can't believe it -some people have all the luck! Good for you all (I'm insanely jealous!)
Regards
The Vinyl Adventure
24-03-2010, 22:45
It's barmy, some people are just in the right place a the right time I guess!!!
I'm gonna start draggin my lady up the car boot I recon!
The Grand Wazoo
24-03-2010, 22:55
We just obviously just mix in the wrong circles Barry..........
A pair of Videotone Minimax II speakers for when I lived in Germany for a while and needed a 'portable' system. They're 25 years old and still doing sterling service (and sounding great) on my PC, driven from a Sonic-T class D amp.
Beechwoods
25-03-2010, 07:53
All my best scores have been thanks to the fine members of AOS
:) Ralph for a pile of NOS 5" reels... Greg for my TD20A... free but much appreciated and loved!
Having seen an original remote for an EL7 Elcaset go for £160 over the weekend mine looks like a bargain at £45. Likewise my mint Toshiba XR-Z90; mine for £9.99. I'd have paid a lot more than that!
I'm not normally lucky though :)
and
..SME plinth, Thorens TD125 and 12" sme 3012 for £20 at a boot sale
I can't believe it -some people have all the luck! Good for you all (I'm insanely jealous!)
Regards
Twas but a td125....now if it had been a 124...drools...But while we're on the subject, I could mention the Luxman L5 for £3, the unused, boxed Audiotechnica at oc5 for £1. But you do buy some lulus, have Revox B760 tuner needing the laying on of hands (any recommendations?), plus sundry other sad cases. Best recent find was a system for £80 - Arcam alpha, Tannoy DC 2000 (very underrated IMHO) and the legendary Sony 557ESD cd player, from a charity shop...
Twas but a td125....now if it had been a 124...drools...But while we're on the subject, I could mention the Luxman L5 for £3, the unused, boxed Audiotechnica at oc5 for £1. But you do buy some lulus, have Revox B760 tuner needing the laying on of hands (any recommendations?), plus sundry other sad cases. Best recent find was a system for £80 - Arcam alpha, Tannoy DC 2000 (very underrated IMHO) and the legendary Sony 557ESD cd player, from a charity shop...
The TD125 is a fine deck with ample scope for fettling. Anyway £20 for an SME 3012 is an absolute bargain.
Regarding the Revox tuner, Neil (Dalek Supreme) might be able to offer some advice.
Regards
The TD125 is a fine deck with ample scope for fettling. Anyway £20 for an SME 3012 is an absolute bargain.
Regarding the Revox tuner, Neil (Dalek Supreme) might be able to offer some advice.
Regards
Thanks Barry, will look him up....would sending him a personal message be cheeky?
Haven't done anything with the Thorens, got a bit sidetracked with Lencos and the SME is on one in a slate plinth. And very nice too!
Cheers
Thanks Barry, will look him up....would sending him a personal message be cheeky?
Haven't done anything with the Thorens, got a bit sidetracked with Lencos and the SME is on one in a slate plinth. And very nice too!
Cheers
Nial
Neil is at the moment collecting several tuners (mostly Japanese), some of which have needed some work done on them. He is thus in a good position to offer advice as to whether it would be best to have a Revox dealer do the work or not.
Probably it would best to let Neil answer this in the open forum, as it gives other members the chance to offer their opinion and advice as well.
To help us help you, can you describe what is wrong with the Revox?
Regards
Mission 762i monitors 12 qwid for a pair.or $8.00 U.S.
Neil is at the moment collecting several tuners (mostly Japanese), some of which have needed some work done on them. He is thus in a good position to offer advice as to whether it would be best to have a Revox dealer do the work or not.
Probably it would best to let Neil answer this in the open forum, as it gives other members the chance to offer their opinion and advice as well.
To help us help you, can you describe what is wrong with the Revox?
Regards
It's currently up in Newcastle with a friend who is impeccable at mending - and building - amplifiers, but who's thing isn't RF (so I'll have to rely on memory) its problem was Mono only regardless of signal strength and one channel well down in output.
Fantastic bit of gear, looked inside and each section within in separate lidded, shielded compartments, and beautifully put together.
Regards
Nial
Mission 762i monitors 12 qwid for a pair.or $8.00 U.S.
Shome mishtake with the rate of exchange shurely? But an impressive haul, nontheless...
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