TromboneChat

Ok. I am frugal. I got my current stereo amp in the late 1980's. It is not good now. It has been so long since I bought one of these things, I am not sure what they are called.

stereo receiver radio tuner?

I have 4 speakers. Two pair. They were good in the day and should still be ok.

I like to play jazz or Dixie music and play along to practice. I also record myself my H2n Zoom Handy recorder and listen to myself.

I like to plug my laptop into it and play stuff off the laptop. So I need something that outputs two pairs of speakers and sounds good enough. I would like a radio tuner and an aux plug.

I did a few searches and a I see prices from $79 to $3000. I did a look on Best Buy, Ebay and so on. I get the feeling I am missing something. I do not need the ritz. My Truck has the nice system to listen to. This just needs to be good enough and ok.

Any thoughts or ideas that might help me?

Stereo "receivers" typically include amplifier, preamplifier (for LPs, CDs, microphones, etc.) and FM and AM tuners.
You might be able to find decent ones used, either locally or perhaps from Reverb, etc. at good prices.

Kind of wondering what a good price is.

Look for a shop that sell “vintage” audio/stereo gear. 70s audio gear is pretty collectible but not all of it is crazy expensive. I’ll add a link to one such store.

A 70s/80s integrated amp might work for you.


This store is located in BC Canada.

https://www.iavscanada.com/

They offer a 30-day warranty. Something to consider with old gear.

Was your old stereo receiver decent quality? You might consider having it repaired.

I have a couple laptops that feed older model stereo receivers that I got cheap at thrift shops. One is an older Onkyo, the other a more recent Pioneer. The speakers make more difference than the receiver though. Prices run $25 - $35 usually.

One problem you have with older electronic equipment is that capacitors go bad. I'm told the electronic hobbyists routinely replace them on used equipment.

You also have to decide how to get the signal from your laptop to the stereo. One of mine uses USB to an M-Audio audio interface, which also takes inputs if I need. The other uses the headphone jack and cables.

whitbey wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 2:07 pm Kind of wondering what a good price is.

Probably <$100 if in good condition. Could be even less.

timothy42b wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 2:56 pm Was your old stereo receiver decent quality? You might consider having it repaired.

I have a couple laptops that feed older model stereo receivers that I got cheap at thrift shops. One is an older Onkyo, the other a more recent Pioneer. The speakers make more difference than the receiver though. Prices run $25 - $35 usually.

One problem you have with older electronic equipment is that capacitors go bad. I'm told the electronic hobbyists routinely replace them on used equipment.

You also have to decide how to get the signal from your laptop to the stereo. One of mine uses USB to an M-Audio audio interface, which also takes inputs if I need. The other uses the headphone jack and cables.

This was a stereo I got from the cell phone company when phones were trunk mounted for all the minutes I used. All the other components died in the last few years. The amp did not survive the house move.

I guess a couple decades out a free stereo is pretty good.

Good to hear the price point. That helps the common sense.

Two questions:

1) Do you focus on the fidelity or

2) Do you focus on the music.

Very simple. If you lean more towards #1, then the sky's the limit.

If you focus on #2, then a decent, middle-class set-up will work just fine.

When I listen to music, I couldn't care less if the treble is as crisp as possible and the bass is as soul-penetrating as possible and the mid-range is as "present" as possible. I am much more concerned with how the musicians handle the music. #2 here.

The first thing I'd do is open the grills on the speakers and see if the speaker surrounds are deteriorated. Many speakers of that era used "foam" surrounds that would atrophy and cause terrible distortion. They can be replaced by a good DIYer with relative ease. I've done a few with great results. Good luck !

I'm with 2bobones - check the speaker cones before you write off the tuner.

If you need a replacement I'd watch Facebook Marketplace for something used and adapt.

If you are thinking new, I'd suggest this: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RS202/ ... -S202.html

I have the previous generation of this model in my office. My old Macbook is feeding it with iTunes music/streaming and Youtubing. I picked it up for $40 at a local recycler, spent $10 on a replacement remote, and have a great system for little money.

I definitely am focused on the music not the fidelity. My Truck has a nice sound system. This system is for practice and maybe listening to the radio while I work at a low volume.

I will check out that foam. They are of age. But everything sounded good a few months ago before the move. The electronics are way bad. If you turn the volume dial fast you can get a static sound that jumps from side to side.

There are some big pawn shops around. Maybe I find a good deal.

whitbey wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:34 am …The electronics are way bad. If you turn the volume dial fast you can get a static sound that jumps from side to side.

It might only need a bit of servicing/cleaning.

I’d first check the speakers. Moving may have damaged them. Then I’d buy a spray can of electronics cleaner - be sure it says electronics, don't use WD-40 or something similar - and spray the shafts of all the moving controls from the outside and inside the case. Twist each control or push in and out each switch many times after spraying and spray fairly heavily. Do this outside or on a newspaper or something to absorb the overspray. This fixes a lot of noises. I get my cleaner spray at my local Ace hardware.

If that doesn’t work, you might be satisfied with a pair of self-powered speakers - the amp is included. You simply plug a cable into your laptop earphone connector. I have a pair made by PreSonus that has an additional 1/8” aux socket on the front that could be used for plugging in a Zoom. Presonus Eris- $99 on Amazon

whitbey wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:34 am
I will check out that foam. They are of age. But everything sounded good a few months ago before the move. The electronics are way bad. If you turn the volume dial fast you can get a static sound that jumps from side to side.

Ah, that's dust etc. that has gotten into the volume control. Look for a can of electronics contact cleaner such as https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-Specialist ... 272&sr=8-3

You may need to open the unit to try to get a shot of this into the control. Then work the control repeatedly. A reasonable chance this will fix the noisy volume control problem.

-Bryan (BSEE)

Electronics cleaner spray is also available at auto parts stores. It's pretty much just alcohol.

Whitby stated : "The electronics are way bad. If you turn the volume dial fast you can get a static sound that jumps from side to side."
That sounds like a combination of corrosion on the switch contacts AND bad speaker surrounds. I have a large collection of vintage radios, many of which were presumed as not in working condition, By simply operating the controls 50 or 100 times, most proved to be in good working condition. I followed with a serious cleaning once I established their real health. Even "High End" electronics suffer from this condition. First check the speaker surrounds ! Good luck !

The old unit was trash. It was free from the cell phone company in the late 1980's back when cell service was over a dollar a minute.
I found a nice Onkyo unit at the pawn shop. They cut the price to $75. Put my 4 speakers on it and it sounds way better then I could ever expect. Actually, close to high end.
I really appreciate the help. It set me up well to get this amp.

Onkyo was pretty solid gear back in the day