Hello from New Jersey

[Ted in NJ]

I've been hanging around the Audio Asylum for a few years, but I'm a cheap bastard so I'd rather do it myself. I've been building my own cables for a while. Now I'd like to build a chip amp from a kit and build some single-driver speakers.

I'm not a collector, but I accumulate older gear at ridiculous prices. I currently have:

Adcom GTP-500 tuner/pre
Marantz SS tuner (low end)
Kenwood SS tuner (low end)
NAD 533 TT (modded a little) w/ AT440ml cart
BIC 960 TT
NAD C525bee CDP
Philips receiver
Philips CDP
Philips cassette recorder
Denon integrated amp
Sony TA-1144 integrated amp
Synthesis LM250 speakers
KLH Model 23 speakers
KLH Model 31 speakers
Yamaha bookshelf speakers
Cambridge Soundworks sub/sat speakers
Cambridge Soundworks bookshelf speakers
About 1200 records and 150 CD's

These all get moved around, with the best stuff in the living room and the rest in the bedroom, shop and barn. My aim is to better everything gradually. I figure the main system needs a better amp than the Sony, which is now being used in separated mode as a power amp, fed by the Adcom pre into the LM 250s.

All comments and advice are appreciated.

Glad to be here.

[Cal Weldon]

Hi Ted and welcome to the forums.

[brucedog]

Hello NJ from N.E. Philly,

Well, here's a tip of me hat from one cheap bast'd to another...
I have LONG been going out on "trash night", frequently finding perfectly working old Marantz and Techniques receivers, the ones with the real wood cases, flywheel tuning (whee!), and this sexy blue lighted dials...
Sometimes, the switches and pots are quite scratchy from thos older units languishing in the garage of a neglectful owner, but I generally don't use "tuner cleaner." I just work the controls back and forth several times and the scratchiness goes away. Like you, my workshop, rear channel for surround sound, and computer audio - are all old receivers. Same goes for speakers. I found some decent Advent 2-ways, but tweets were blown and rubber surround rotted. I checked Partsexpress.com, and got some nice Audax tweets and a surround repair kit, which proved to be a rewarding and successful diy.
I'm big on car audio, and have put together amps, speakers, l-pads...somewhat unconventionally, but with verrry nice sound. I use my mp3 player as source so I can have 300 cd's available all the time. I rip my cd's at higher bit rate for better sound...
Anyway, sounds like we could compare notes. Best of luck with your (cheap - yeah!) finds. Bdog