What's the worst system you are prepared to admit to ?

[smegger68]

In my University gap year my system was in storage in Cardiff and I had no music while staying the summer with my parents. So I raided the attic and found my old Goldring Lenco GL-78, Ortofon FF15eMkII and Sansui 310 receiver, all of which were great sounding components. Unfortunately I had no speakers and even less money, so picked up a pair of Amstrad system speakers from the local junk shop for a tenner. These were the 3 way things that came with the £99 tower system they used to sell in Woolworths. Naturally, they sounded appaling. Desperate to see if I could improve things I took the backs off. The crossover was simply a capacitor to the tweeter and the midrange 'driver' was in fact a mockup - it had no magnet or voice coil. The simple act of removing these and employing the hole as a reflex port made them sound much better! I added some damping foam ripped from an old camping bed and rewired them with proper cable to replace the bell wire. I even replaced the shitty cap with something a bit better from Tandy. After this they sounded vaguely acceptable and provided me with 6 months of music. Never again though!

 

[Mescalito]

At the age of twelve, I inherited my dad's Pye Achoic Box when he bought his first real hifi. See http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/themes/recordplayers/pye_1005.html

Basically this was an upmarket stereo record player with 3 speakers facing sideways on each side of the unit. The turntable was effectively built into the speaker cabinet! The lid had an airtight seal, so when it was closed, the recods were effectively playing inside an infinite baffle enclosure.

Here are the published specs:

Power output: 5 Watts per channel.
Distortion: less than 1%.
Overall frequency response from record to loudspeakers: 40-16,000 c/s (substantially flat from 70-12,000 c/s).
Controls: Loudness, volume control compensated for low level listening; Balance +6 dB to —6 d13 channel to channel;
Treble increase and decrease;
Bass increase and decrease.
Speaker system: 6 units in acoutic chambers.
Pickup and motor: Pye/CBS ceramic retractable cartridge with 2 gm. playing weight and LP and Stereo diamonds, fitted in BSR model UA15 automatic/manual record player.
Power supply: 200-250 Volts, 50 c/s AC, 30 Watts.
Dimensions: width 22 in., depth 17 in., height Ois in. with lid closed, 23 in. lid open. Weight: 32 lb.

It looked amazingly cool, like something out of a Thunderbirds episode and sounded not at all bad!

Chris

 

[kabayiri]

I'd have to add Bose 301s.

Obviously my problem was with room decor.

If I had furnished the room like a typical 80s plastic pub; mounted the speakers high up; and supplied copious quantities of Budweiser on tap; they would have sounded much better

 

[Mescalito]

I'd have to add Bose 301s.

Obviously my problem was with room decor.

If I had furnished the room like a typical 80s plastic pub; mounted the speakers high up; and supplied copious quantities of Budweiser on tap; they would have sounded much better

With the equaliser unit, there was nothing wrong with 301s IMHO.

Chris

 

[paulfromcamden]

Wow - most people started with much better gear than I expected!

My first system (not counting a Dixons 'Saisho' ghettoblaster) was a Pioneer stack system. It said 'hello' when you turned it on! And you could use it as an alarm clock!

Happy days

 

[neilmack]

A BSR MP60 with a "GLIXOR" amp (Comet garbage - rubbish build and permanent hum) and a pair of full range Goodmans speakers for which I built a pair of hideously misshapen cabinets. We learn from our mistakes, eventually, but in the meantime I wasted a small fortune on a succession of Hifi Mag fave raves.

I might have been rich, but for that.

 

[Fox]

I think the systems where I used my eyes more then my ears were the worst. Not in terms of sound quality but in terms of sheer hubris and arrogance

Individually all the parts are fine, Orbe is a nice TT, the Benz MO9 good, the Morch is good, the Audio Note pre is well regarded -- as is the Magnum Dynalab and the ECS monoblock protoypes -- all good quality stuff (not so sure the DVD on x-1[desire] layers of Mana was so clever but I was particularly non compos mentis) there -- but amassed together, there is something not quite right about my mindset when I look back on it. But if you just use your eyes well whats the figging point?



Something terribly terribly wrong about the me that got into that situation.

 

[Blurboy]

I started off with a Panasonic music centre which obviously wasn't brilliant but I enjoyed listening to music on it as it was all I could afford being an engineering apprentice. I would actually say I haven't had a "worst system" but the worst component I've owned was a Naim CD5i which I just couldn't listen to for a long period of time and yes it was used with a 122x/150x/Flatcap2 combo.

 

[S-Man]

Mr Fox - just be thankful you never got to the "that's another 4 layers of records" stage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u1dURD0Sr4

You don't have a cardboard lady do you?

 

[Fox]

 

[Joe P]

fox,

But if you just use your eyes well whats the figging point?

When you closed your eyes that hi-fi simply disappeared from sight... which is the point.

Well, that and lifting veils, improving microdynamics, tightening your bass another notch, and floating some heads across soundstages.

Those, I believe, are all the points.

Joe

 

[AllyD]

An Amstrad rack system. The castors came in handy for wheeling it to the nearest skip.

Some of the systems that have been mentioned, I could happily live with.

 

[Fox]

Well, that and lifting veils, improving microdynamics, tightening your bass another notch, and floating some heads across soundstages.

Inky Blackness was Inky... and black and as for the slam (did anyone work out what the hell we were trying to say when we said that word?) Still if there were silly grins all around and the jaws hit the floor then we knew the mix of wine and pot was work... er... I mean the HiFi sistem was working....

I just noticed. Three layers of glass. Triple Glass! Woo. Showing serious radical setup guru-ologie there.

Bless. I had not a clue. Then or now.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Something terribly terribly wrong about the me that got into that situation.

It's good to see you've sorted youself out, but that picture.... WTF. I suppose this kinda evidence is needed to help others and keep that demon away.
Thats almost bub-esq.

 

[Markus S]

Does anyone have pictures of Hermann's old set-up? Which, I hasten to add, didn't sound bad at all.

 

[johnfromnorwich]

That looks like a very expensive way of adjusting the height of one's system. Thank god I was mostly penniless in the 90s!

I've never had a 'worst system'. Even the iPod clock radio in the kitchen is enjoyable when I'm cooking supper. Just so long as I can listen to music wherever I am, I'm happy. That said, the Wharfedale 'Lazer 50' loudspeakers I had as a student were absolute donkeys.

 

[Paul R]

I suppose this kinda evidence is needed to help others and keep that demon away.
Thats almost bub-esq.

Perhaps fox will post a pic of the other end of the room...

Paul

 

[Still]

I'm admitting nothing.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Shame on you, still.

 

[Fox]

Oh why the hell not.



After selling just the Mana (under the Bariks -- and the Bariks themselves) I had paid for Black Active ATC 100s.
Phase 7 only though. Lightweight.