Building my dream system (system #2, DJ setup)

I have been messing with different mixers for a long time now.  I got my system with a very simple Numark.  I recently came across these very early photos of my system back in 2011.

This may be the earliest photo of my system.  That blue cable is a very long (30'?) RCA cable I bought for a different purpose earlier (I still have it, though it is not currently in use).  You can also see I am using a really basic folding table (which I also still have, also not currently in use).

I got the flight case on craigslist, I want to say I paid $50 at the most which was a steal.  I took this photo at the gas station where I made the transaction.

Only a couple days after I got this rig home I made this faceplate to hold the mixer.  It was a really heavy piece of plied wood panel, very heavy.  Notice I used to take the cover of the flight case off totally when I'd use the system.  And again I am using my very old 1st gen iPod.  I replaced the battery in that thing then eventually the CPU crapped out and I had to dump it.  RIP.

At the time, I was not clear that the center compartment of my flight case was designed to hold 19" rackmount gear.  Even if I had, there are few DJ mixers available that fit that footprint.  I even messed with some very simple Realistic mixers for a while.  I eventually decided on a Numark M4.  I decided that I could get an 8U blank panel and cut out an opening with an angle grinder.

I was able to cut the blank panel with some difficulty and got it fairly straight.  I didn't account for some tiny screws on the sides of the mixer so those had to be temporarily removed to get the mixer through the opening.  I taped it off to give myself clear lines to see where to cut.

But the mixer was sold as 'not working'.  So I spent $6.99 on an AC adapter as well and took it apart to try and figure out what was wrong.  I did check the voltage regulators at the inputs and a couple of them seemed to be off.

Eventually I got frustrated and just returned the mixer for a refund.  I ate the cost of the AC adapter but I did keep the blank panel in case one day I try one of these mixers again.  Finally, I stepped my game up and after waiting for a long while, got a Beringer VMX1000USB.  I got it from Amazon Warehouse as a returned item and only paid $110 (at the time of this writing, new units are still over $200) so I got a steal.

There are zero imperfections however, on any side of the unit.  It is mint condition.  But from day one the sound wasn't great.  I first thought it was my stylus so I replaced them.  Didn't help.  So then I went all out and got entirely new headshells.  This didn't help either.  I had been using the #2 output from the mixer as the #1 was XLR.  But I got desperate and tracked down some XLR to RCA cables from a Guitar Center.

At first it seemed like this fixed the problem but now I am not sure.  I am beginning to wonder if someone returned this because they hooked up a line level device to the phono input and damaged them.  So I am still trying to figure this out.

In the meantime I started looking at the extra space in my 'rack'.  I started brainstorming on what type of devices I might be able to add.  I am limited in what is useful but also because the depth is not very great.  So the first thing I got was a rack mount surge protector.  I got this for nothing on ebay, used and pulled from a working studio.

This worked out great.  Mounted well and consolidated some of the countless wires I have running in and out of the flight case, plus I only paid $12.50.  I did have to make a couple modifications.  The turntable plugs are pretty low profile as they do not have a ground pin.  The mixer however had trouble fitting due to the depth issue as it has a pretty large stress boot.  So I chopped it off and installed a right angle plug (I actually stole this from my AC unit...as it is November I won't be needing it anytime soon).  But planning for the next unit I have on order (details below), I knew I needed to be able to accommodate a DC power brick.  I was worried that gravity would start to pull it out of its socket because it will be upside down.  Well I have these short little cables for dealing with this exact problem but once again, the damn stress boot would be in the way.  So I cut it off and installed a very slim and low profile lamp plug on the end (as this will be carrying less than 1A).

And as discussed, the last unit is a VU meter.  Why do I need this? I don't - just because it looks pretty! Got this used for $70 w/ shipping.

Last but not least, I got two 1U blanks (from the same guy that sold me the 8U months ago!) to fill up the remaining spaces.  I could have got a 2U blank, but my spaces are separated.  I can't put my mixer any further up because it stresses the wires (I modified the flight case long ago with a hole saw to make an opening for all the cabling).  I could move it down and leave both empty spaces up top but I thought it would look cool to split them up.

Looks beautiful, right? And this should be the end of the post because by my standards, that photo above certainly looks like my definition of a 'dream system'. But that is not the end! Because the phono inputs on this thing sound like trash! I could expound upon that but why bother when I have already publicly sullied Behringer's good name - see below....

https://www.amazon.com/review/RQV6XI4549TY6/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

i really needed to upgrade my mixer to something with more inputs. individual track and master VU meters also would be a plus so i narrowed it down to a few models and this was one. i made a major mistake by investing in this unit, and only wish i could rewind the clock and make a different decision. not just because of the money i flushed down the toilet but also the immense amount of time i spent giving this unit the benefit of the doubt and trying to attribute the issues i was having to other components in my signal chain. 

i am not a gigging DJ and have not spun in public in years. i have two numark TT1625s with my mixer hooked up to a kenwood reciever and some insignia speakers. i have fun making vinyl mixes for myself and perhaps once in a great while someone else. i also have a yamaha casette deck and an MPC 1000 and i really wanted to be able to connect everything to the mixer instead of some components to the receiver. so i needed at least 4 inputs and at least 3 outputs (one main, one to the yamaha and one to the MPC). i loved the look of this unit and also the VU meters which i already mentioned and i thought beringer was a reuptable brand (never owned any of their gear before though) but it was a little outside my budget. so i waited until a unit came up on amazon warehouse and i found one for about $110. 

now before i go any further let me address the possibility that the problems ive had (which i will describe below) can be attributed to the fact that it was a returned item, and that the previous owner somehow misused/abused the unit. the type of problems i have had i do not believe can be attributed to that but ill let you be the judge.

so i noticed right away that the sound was kind of muddy and tinny and occasionally a little distorted. i never noticed this before, and it was both turntables. but there was no way my shiny new mixer could be the culprit! it had been a while since i replaced my stylus(s) and they do see considerable use. so i got new ones - no help. 

now i got really dramatic and replaced the headshells entirely. I spent $70/ea on two numark CC-1s so I didnt break the bank. Guess what - sounded just as bad.

I tried different inputs on my reciever - no dice. then I went and got some XLR to 1/4" so I could use the main outputs. nope - sounded just as bad. I have to stress that the bad quality was still subtle - it wasnt a glaring issue and sometimes you wouldnt notice so much. but it was always there. i do have a third phono input on channel 3 which i was using as a line level for the MPC. i moved one of the TTs to channel 3 - sounded identically bad.

and now for the other issues:
1) crosstalk. it did not happen for months (though granted in this condition i did not use the system much) but i often get the meters to move on unused channels with the gain and fader at 0. you cant hear it but obviously this is not normal
2) crossfader selector switches. there is some kind of issue with the selectors where they wont work, then they will reverse from what they should be doing, and a power cycle is the only thing to fix it. this is obviously a logic/circuit board issue.

finally i did the most simple test of all and got an RCA extension cable and connected one of the TTs to the reciever directly via the unused phono input - sounded fine.

so now i guess i will try to sell this thing on ebay as a non working unit to be stripped for parts. i called a beringer licensed repair center and after a few emails they told me it 'wasnt worth it' to put any money into it. i could blame them for that but i have to think they are aware of the build quality.
i would definately think twice before buying this piece of junk

So my hunt continued.  But there slim pickings when it comes to rack mountable DJ mixers.  One that came up again and again (and one which I almost purchased instead of the Behringer) is the Numark CM200.  So I started looking until I found one on ebay for about $100 - brand new - with free shipping! I actually had to send the seller an email and confirm what I was puchasing but they assured me it was good to go. So a short time later it arrived, they actually used the original box as the shipping container.  So it was pretty beat up but the foam inside kept the mixer from sustaining any harm.

I set it up and I must admit, this one sounds fairly poor as well.  By extremely manipulating the EQ, I can get it to almost an 'acceptable' level.  Also this is a smaller unit so I had to buy another 1U blank.  And as I type this on a Sunday morning, I am listening to Jimmy Smith and it sounds pretty....OK (you didn't think I'd say 'good', did you?).

So here we are - my 'dream' system, with all its flaws, it will have to do for now...

New (more) speakers!

So after I painstakingly put together my new stereo system, I say back and enjoyed the fruits of my labor (and bank account).  Day after day, I am astonished that finally at the age of 42 I have a system with fidelity as good as this.  But my work is never done! My reciever has two sets of speaker outputs and alas I was only using one.  Not good enough! So I copped the above set after some ebay-ing and they are great! I do have to turn the mids down to -2 (I keep it flat at 0 with my larger Marantz speakers).  I don't have enough room to set them up in a way that I can use both sets of speakers at the same time.  As it stands right now if I did that, I'd have the stereo image all muddied by not being able to keep the speakers alighned properly with one another.  So I basically use the larger Marantz set if I am sitting on my loveseat (and want the full fidelity experience, and want to crank it up a little bit).  If I am laying on my couch, I use the Technics, usually when I am listening to the FM radio.

But of course I like to tinker and build things, so the TV tray tables I had them on was not acceptable.

So using the design from my MPC stand, I decided to put together a small set of stands for these small speakers.  As usual, 2x6 and 4x4 were the available lumber sizes at hand.  After a day or two of brainstorming, I came up with a variation on the design from my MPC stand using a couple different angles on the feet, and a different mounting method.

After a few hours of assembly, and cutting and recutting some of the pieces as my whims changed, I had my speaker stands! The top is taken from a wooden crate that came in from overseas.  I used a single (long) nail to mount it so that I could rotate it as needed when I got them home.  I cut the flat section 1.5" wider in both directions than the speakers themselves.  The 4x4s I have are all 40" long, so I just cut one in half to get two at 20".  This is a bit shorter than what I'd prefer but there is something about the economy of material use that appeals to me (I do have more 4x4s).

Next up was paint.  I decided to try to do something interesting with the feet to accentuate the different angles.  All the paint I used is old and salvaged from other projects.  Though to be honest, I do not remember what the baby blue was from.

I have never done so much taping on a project before, and that was a bit tedious but I was determined to carry through with the plan I had in my tiny brain.

Finally after a long weekend I took my babies home.  I painted them on a Friday night but had to travel over the weekend and into the next week so they didn't get taken home as quickly as I would have liked.  Which is just as well since the black paint is actually exterior paint so it needs longer to dry so you don't die from breathing in the toxic fumes.  I should have done the baby blue on two surfaces instead of one to better create a 3D experience I think, but you live and learn.  Transporting them was a bit interesting because of the way I Kreg'd the feet on.  Looking back I should have done it differently, it is too difficult to explain but it could have been more robust.  But considering the work they are now doing, it is irrelevant.  But suffice to say, they needed to be transported upright and luckily I had a way to do so, and they weren't too tall.   I was (and am) so pleased with these little speakers that I had to send the seller a quick message to thank him and inquire on the lifetime of these little guys.

So my dream system just got a little more dreamy! It is great to have options on how to listen depending on my mood and my needs at the moment.

Building my dream system (System #1, living room)

I covered a few months ago how I attained a bunch of vintage gear from my Uncle Rick.  I quickly purchased the other components I needed to make it work.  I got some speakers on craigslist and a receiver on eBay.

The speakers worked out great.  What an excellent purchase.  The turntable has had some odd mechanical issues but nothing that prevent me from using it and it too has been great.  However, I outlined early on that the receiver (an SR340) was giving me a ton of problems.  The FM tuner was wonky...I could get it going again but after a bit it would crap out on me again.  But more importantly (and I did not cover this in my original post, because I did not notice initially), I was having trouble with the 'phono' selector button.  I first noticed when I was listening to 'Three'.  I could tell something was muddy but it was subtle.  Finally I used the balance control to isolate the channels and noticed the left channel sounded horrible!  It was muffled and muddy and sounded like crap.  After some experimenting, I noticed that when I switched to 'phono', depending on how I depressed the button, it would actually sound fine, like it was properly 'engaged'.  So I got in the habit of sort of punching the button (with my finger) when I'd want to play a record, which is stupid because at this point I had given up on using the FM tuner so it was basically already always in phono.  At this point I started to determine that I needed to step my game up and get a working system.

But I toughed it out for a while longer and it seemed like the sound problem went away.  Out of paranoia I'd often check the channels using the balance control and both sounded really clear.  A miracle! Well, not quite.  One day I was listening to 'Dissident Aggressor' and during the chorus I realized that I could not hear the high pitched backup vocals! Now this damn receiver was playing the right channel out of both speakers! 

I took the whole thing apart looking to see if there was somewhere I could clean the contacts for the button but it is a more complex arrangement than I figured.  Eventually I decided that if I could replace the whole button it might work.  I even started to consider stealing one of the buttons from the other inputs which I didn't use, but then I realized that the phono button had a different number of contacts than the others.  This is the style of button in my receiver, but on a very different board.  

I did look at some individual buttons but at that point I was pretty bummed out on the whole thing and was starting to decide that I just wanted to replace it.  It is a pretty crappy receiver to begin with and I disliked a number of features, all of which was clearly implemented to save money.  So this is not a unit worth putting money into.

So I determined that if I bought a new receiver I had some criteria:

1. has to be Marantz
2. has to be a higher end unit that is worth taking somewhere to have fixed if necessary
3. has to have a volume knob (old one had a stupid slider)
4. has to have a VU meter or some other visual display with flashing lights and such

So I started searching on eBay for local pickup and came across the SR 8110 DC.  I loved this thing right away.  It had a 5 band EQ and a bunch of other bells and whistles.  

I found someone selling one (actual pic above) and I made an offer for $125 expecting a counter offer but they let it expire. I should mention the seller is in Blue Island IL which is less than an hour away.  I really wanted to do local pickup if possible because of not only the cost to ship, but the danger of damage.

Eventually I did talk to the seller :

But then I started to have second thoughts, and felt like I needed to shop around a little more, plus the guy made me wait a few days, plus an additional day and I really had wanted to pick this up on a weekend, and not during the week.  So I blew him off and went back to the drawing board.

I decided that if I was going to buy something that I wanted it to be tested and refurbished to some extent because I did not want to deal with any more problems right off the bat.  So I started hunting on ebay again and came up with something that looked almost two good to be true.  This is the actual pic from the auction and clearly not very good, better pics are below.

I was most impressed by the seller's extensive explanation of the unit and what he had done to it.

For your consideration is a Marantz SR-5100 that I have had for a lot of years.  When it arrived it had a blown power module (PM) (pins 8&9 shorted) and the AC plug was whacked off.  Both of the original power modules STK0050II (50 Watt) were replaced with Darlington Power Pack STK0080II (80 Watt)  It was used for quite awhile and then set aside.  It’s down size time and the Marantz was elected next to leave.  What’s been checked and adjusted to call it refurbished? Well, it got the dust blown out.  WHAT! you wanted MORE???????? Well OK!!

Tuner Section: 

The AM & FM just got the peak & tweak
In general I use HP 8648 & 3336C slaved to GPSDO (not necessary it’s just what I have),  RCA WR-52A, Tektronix 2465BCT, Fluke 87 and more.  NOTHING HAS A VALAD CAL STICKER
The tune up procedure in the tech manual looked good before I started but need a slight mod for setting the oscillators.  The “Full open and Full Closed” points left the slide rule pointer OOC.  Went back to what I have done since the end of the 50s.  Set the oscillators to the Max and Min dial markings.  The slide rule pointer now tracks just fine.
The FM mute level setting (with “FM Mute” was overly aggressive for the quality of the tuner at 12.5uV.  I set it at about 4uV and it unmutes full quieting and STEREO.  No use masking usable signals or having to put up with off channel noise.  Personally I leave the mute off so I hear everything anyway.
Signal level meter could not be turned off enough to just read full (5Points) at 500uV an absurd high level that also masked usable signals.  Another reason signal level meters are known as “Guess Meters” in other circles.  It is set  so you get a reasonable low end evaluation of signals
Tuning LEDs RED GREEN RED (meter) centered (GREEN) at center of FM STEREO decode.
Not part of tune up but I noticed the Mute was sluggish maybe a bit flaky compared to other units.  The FM chip maker NEC has a slightly different caps suggested for that part of the chip on their data sheet.  Putting in the NEC suggested caps made a BIG difference.  The original electrolytic caps tested OK but I have had lots of Electrolytic in audio service that would not work right test fine.
I also suspect the tune up instructions were “Cut N Paste.”   The old way with glue and scissors because of some wording.  This is NOT uncommon in SMs. 

POWER AMP check: 

Also tests the AUX input.
Power meter setting is specified 50W into 8 Ohms.  That’s 20V @ 1KHz or at 4 Ohms 14.1VAC @ 1KHz. Calibration pots bottomed out while still get the 50W LED at less than 50W.  50W seems to be about middle of the 50W LED not a bad thing

Power results: 

8 Ohms 1 channel driven wave form distortion on scope started around 19.3 VAC RMS on Fluke or about 91Watts.
4 Ohms both channels driven distortion of wave form started about 19.3 VAC or about 93 WPC
I suspect the limiting factor is the PM not the power supply from the above results.
Also I had been using a 2A AC fuse which promptly blew with both channels driven so I installed the specified 4A fuse for testing the PA and will include it in the box.  A new 2A fuse was installed after the 50wer setting

General: 

Pots and switches got DeOxit treated.  My experience with DeOxit over more than 30 years is you need to repeat it now and then.  I prefer to use a small syringe and large diameter needle.  The spray cans just make a mess and waste a LOT.
The brown stuff on the bottom of some boards is an OLD glue of some sort used to secure parts scabbed to boards most likely factory modifications that were not uncommon.

Power Supplies: 

Checked for AC ripple.  Nothing needed attention.
So what are the ISSUES?They are only cosmetic so Look at the pictures:
1) A couple of the grid openings in the top left of the case have been damaged and a small piece of wood glued to the inside for reinforcement.
2) The chassis around the power transformer has some what I think is moisture damage.
There are no electronic or mechanical issues I know of.

General Information: 

Those things we all knew back then but are not common knowledge now.
Most vintage amps are not immune to stupid.  Crank this one up past 50WPC 50 ohm or 63WPC 4 ohm something will fail.
Most likely first will be your woofs.  They sound real mushy when the glue on the voice coil melts and the coils start coming apart.  Old dry varnish on VCs fails faster than on newer woofs.
Got big CVs?  You can blow something amp easily enough.
The under rated 2A fuse installed may be little protection.
The rear accessory sockets are not protected by the fuse per the print.  One is switched and the other is not.  Plug a short into one and blow the cord or your breaker.  The other add the power switch to the list.

I corresponded after purchasing a number of times via email with the seller about music and audio and just life in general.  Steve is from Tennessee and was super helpful and just seems like a great guy.  I got the thing home and hooked it up and the heaven's parted - this thing sounds great!

I did finally get around to crimping a new spade terminal on my turntable ground wire because of course as soon as I dared to touch the wiring I had all kinds of ground hum but fiddling with things made it go away and now it is dead silent.  I kept the antenna from the SR340 and the tuner on this thing sounds amazing! Clear as a bell and very loud.  I couldn't be happier!

I love the VU meter.  The action on the tuner knob is satisfyingly 'heavy'.  At last I have a volume knob instead of a slider but unfortunately it is 'digital' - it increments and 'clicks' as you move it.  Still, I can live with this.  It has 3 tone knobs but just set at flat it sounds amazing.  At last I have achieved my dreams and I have a master system!

Uncle Rick

My Uncle Rick is the #1 influencer of my musical taste in my lifetime.  It is probable that the fact that I became a musician and pursued it was contributed to by his exposing me to music at a young age.  Along with the fact that I thought he was pretty cool so I'd probably have gotten into whatever he said he liked.  He always had a ton of vinyl around and he had a real nice hi-fi setup.  He was a very early adopter of CDs when I didn't know anyone else that had them.  He would make mix tapes for me with obscure stuff, and some of those tracks became bands that I continue to listen to now, 30 years later.  He leaned toward what I think of as cerebral music, like fusion jazz and progressive rock.  He liked standard rock and roll also, the kind where you didn't need to do deep thinking.  But I count the former styles as some of my favorites to current times.

So while visiting my parents last week, my mom mentioned that my aunt said they had some stuff they wanted to get rid of.  So I sent my aunt a text.

I remembered that my uncle had a Marantz turntable and I'd recognize that cabinet from a mile away. It has a flip top glass lid that acts as a dustcover and was clearly designed with a turntable in mind. This literally is my childhood, in a single photo.  Now, they had it down in the basement and the receiver long ago died or was taken for another project.  It didn't take much thinking to know I'd be over there as soon as possible to scoop all this up.  

So I made plans to go over there on Thursday night before Good Friday (which is a paid holiday for me).  I even snuck out of work a little early to drive over.  When I arrived, I was early and no one was home.  My aunt and uncle showed up a few minutes later with their grandkids in tow.  They had just picked them up and soon had to drop them off.  After showing me where everything was, they left me to my own devices to start packing things up, they said it would be about an hour.  My uncle mentioned there were a few beers in the fridge and recommended I partake.  I don't usually drink that early in the day but this was a very special occasion.  The fact that I was going through it all alone, in the house I remember so much as a kid made it even more special.

So I brought some boxes for the vinyl (based on what I saw in the bottom of the cabinet).  I also brought some corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap, tape and stretch wrap as I knew I'd need some serious packing skills to get that cabinet home in one piece.  I started with the vinyl.  My uncle had it in a bunch of stacks on a tables in the basement.  I refused to look at anything, I told myself that would be the reward at the end of the night, after I lugged this stuff home and dragged it all upstairs.  One that caught my eye was Chris Squire's solo album.  I knew my uncle liked Yes though he never really played it when I was a kid.  Later, I found a few more albums: Going For the One, Yessongs and even Rick Wakeman's first solo album.  But I have jumped ahead.

My uncle had showed me that he uncovered some more vinyl, in a dusty wooden crate he found under the stairs.  Luckily, the two boxes I bought did carry the stuff stacked on the table, and the rest stayed in the crate.  So I carried it all up to the kitchen.  I opened up a Two Hearted Ale and kind of just stopped and took my time.  I didn't want to get caught up in the moment, I didn't need time to tick any faster than it needed to.  The house was very quiet and I just stood and breathed, then headed back down.

I carefully carried up the turntable and the Yamaha dual tape deck and set them on the kitchen table.  My uncle had told me to leave the cabinet until he got back but they had only been gone probably 15 minutes and I was otherwise done.  So I decided to give it a go.  It is much heavier than it looks on account of the glass, but also just the wood isn't that Ikea garbage, it is very dense.  There is nowhere good to grab it so I just bear hugged it and took it one stair at a time, then rest for a moment.  It is on wheels so once I got it upstairs I rolled it to the backdoor.  

Then I had to carry it down about 5 stairs to the driveway, then carefully roll it to the truck and somehow tip it into the back.  I had brought a very large box (24x24x48) which I left flat and unfolded, then stuffed with corrugated cardboard and bubble wrap.  I figured I could lay the cabinet on it's back, like a mattress.  Somehow I got it in there and positioned it.  I taped the top shut and filled the space under the doors with bubble wrap and more cardboard.  Then I strapped the whole thing down with ratchet straps so it wouldn't slide around.  

After that I started hauling the rest out.  Three boxes of vinyl, one of which included a ton of cassette tapes.  The turntable and the tape deck I brought up front with me so they wouldn't bounce around.  After that I was done.  I cracked another beer (Two Brothers Cane and Ebel, been a long time since I had one and man are they good).  I sat on the porch and appreciated how quiet it was.  It was a little cold but I ignored it and just listened to the nothingness.  A few people walked dogs and such and I marveled at the neighborhood.  I always loved coming out there when I was a kid, not just because of the house but because the area always seemed so different and exotic.  As an adult I can appreciate it more.  What a nice place to live.

It was killing me to have time on my hands and not to be looking through that vinyl.  I knew it was filled with great stuff.  Finally I decided I would look through just one of them.  As expected it was stocked well with classics.  Then I started going through some of the tapes.  I found an old TDK tape holder but the zipper was corroded shut.  I went into the basement and found some WD-40 and squirted it on and gently tried to maneuver the thing but no dice.  I pulled a little harder and the zipper actually broke in half the thing is so old!

So I went back into the basement and found a pair of pliers to continue to manipulate the stub.  I had to get in there! I felt like I was in a time warp or something, it was just so quiet and no one was around but me at this crusty old tape holder.  I finally got it open just before I started to think about stabbing into it with my knife but alas it held nothing of value.  Shortly after that my aunt and uncle came back.  They were shocked that I found a way to get the cabinet out and then we went out to have a few beers and some pizza.  My uncle told me that he thinks he got the cabinet in 1981.  He said a friend bought it but didn't like the wood grain so the manufacturer gave him another one, and my uncle got the reject.

I got home and after many trips was able to drag everything upstairs.  I sort of staged the cabinet and got to task on the vinyl.  Three huge boxes - it was almost too intense to handle.  One after the other, so many classics!



I kept trying to decide how to even organize them.  I would try to pull out a pile of albums that were the best of the best, then another stack of 2nd place, but it would get fouled up right away.  After hours of tangling with this, I came up with three piles.  The first included some children's albums and other junk, this went to the thrift store.  The second pile was for me, no questions asked.  The third was stuff that was certainly very good, but I have to draw the line as I am always trying to stay under around 700 LPs and this would just be too much to take on.  That being said, there was no way it was going to the thrift store.  It didn't seem right to sell the stuff though surely I could.  I ended up just bringing it to work and stashing it in my office.  Somehow getting it off premise made me relax a bit.

I started going through the 'keepers' and ordered a bunch of extra inner and outer sleeves.  I had zero inner and about 10 outer on hand.  So I stocked up.  I always cringe at the price for a bunch of plastic bags and paper envelopes but I buy once a year if that.  This will last a good while.  Until they arrive (and ask of this writing) they are leaning against my desk on the floor.  I can't put them away until they are sealed up.

The next task was to make this system playable.  So I needed a receiver.  I went to ebay and pretty quickly found was I was looking for.  A Marantz SR340, asking for $175 OBO, and it was local so I could pick it up.  I offered $150, they accepted and I brought it home the next day.



I quickly found that the FM tuner did not work, just consistent static across the dial.  If you look closely you can see the green corrosion.

After a ton of research I found that this is due to the variable capacitor being dirty.  So I ran to Home Depot and bought the appropriate products to take care of that.  After about 36 hours of cleaning, listening and cleaning again, the problem seemed to be long gone and I had clear crisp reception.  So for that day and a half, I had it set up on a TV tray table in my dining room hooked up to some tiny portable speakers out of the head phone jack.



I was hesitant to button it up and put it away until I knew it worked.  But after much review, I did so and it still seems to be going strong.  I also cleaned the oxidation out of the sliders that control tone/volume/balance and any crackliness has gone away. [EDIT: a couple weeks later, I changed the station and now all FM is gone again.  I know I need to just keep cleaning the variable cap, there is some tiny bit of corrosion left.]

Onto the final chapter: speakers.  This time I went to Craigslist.  I have bought and sold a handful of items on this site over the years.  Speakers seemed like an especially shady business for such a site since it would be easy to try and pass off a blown set on an unsuspecting buyer.  I found a beautiful set of Marantz speakers and made an offer of $100 and the guy accepted!



I am ashamed to admit I do not remember the gentleman's name but I believe it was George.  What a great guy.  The blurb he wrote for the speakers on Craigslist is GOLD.

Marantz Vintage Speaker SP-2368 2 Way System Wood Black Front JHUp for auction is this beautiful set of Marantz SP2368 - 2 way bookshelf speakers. The grills are in pristine condition and there are no visible scratches or gouges in the veneer. The speakers look like they have come out of a time machine. The drivers and tweeters are in great shape, and they sound as good as any version of the popular bookshelf speakers I've heard. Each speaker has a long-excursion 6 1/2" woofer, to produce deep accurate bass and a 1" liquid cooled tweeter that delivers soaring highs. Passive crossover networks provide satin smooth response without artificial "peaks" Power handling capacity is 80 watts RMS and they loved to be pushed. Size: 15" H X 8 1/2" W X 13 1/2" D.

I drove out to his apartment and the place was stocked with high end gear.  He told me that he and his brother were long time collectors.  He had the speakers set up on his dining room table before I arrived hooked up to a basic Pioneer receiver to test with.  He cranked it up even louder than I would have asked for - these speakers were clearly NOT blown.  He showed me the rest of his collection and as strange as it sounds (considering we just met), I could have hung out with the guy looking at his gear for a few hours.  But I got out of there and headed to Walmart to grab speaker wire (they were the only place open on Easter Sunday).

So I finally got the whole thing hooked up and as expected it sounds great! I currently have my old bass amp being used as a speaker stand for the right channel.  But there is a handle on top which limits how I can place the speaker.  I can remove the handle but the screws also retain the head inside the cabinet.  But I noticed that it was also at least 6" lower than the left channel (which is on a shelf), so I built a quick box at work to elevate it, and I left the bottom of the box open so it goes over the handle.  Looks great and works perfectly!

My uncle replaced the cartridge in the head shell many years ago.  Inside now is a Shure VST III.  I even have the original case that the cartridge came in, and inside he put the original Marantz cartridge.  I've never seen one like this but there is even a tiny brush on the end, in front of the stylus, to pick up dust before it hits the needle.  Pretty cool.  I was able to set the counterweight, I set it to 1.5, I actually have the original instructions from Shure but it is confusing and I can't understand if they are saying to set it at 1.5 or 1.75.  I set the anti-skate to match and I've had no issues.  It is a weird turntable though.  When it is in 'manual' mode, the turntable always spins when it is powered up.  You can't freely drop the tone arm, you can only position it over the groove you want and there are cushion 'up' and 'down' buttons.  You can also use 'auto' mode: this will stop the turntable when the needle gets to the end of the run out groove.  And it doesn't start the turntable until you hit the 'down' button to drop the needle.  Really weird and took some getting used to.

My uncle also mentioned that the glass top dustcover used to have some kind of pads so the glass wouldn't come down against the wood cabinet if you pushed too hard.  But they fell apart and wore away.  I could see a tiny bit of adhesive left.  So I made my own pads.  I used this felt like material from work, backed a big piece with double stick tape, then used a punch to cut through both materials.  Makes perfect little discs.  Put one on each corner.

One of the last things I did was swap the new cassette deck my uncle gave me with the one I already had.  So now I have my uncles black Yamaha deck with my old Kenwood amp in my office; I moved my Technics silver tape deck into the living room to match my new silver Marantz amp!

                     

I found PDF copies of the service manual for the turntable and the receiver.  I also purchased a legit copy of the owners manual for the receiver.  I put everything in a binder and printed some cool images for the cover and spine of the binder.  In the photo at the bottom of this post you can see the spine, it is sitting on top of the tape deck.  If either item ever croaks on me, I'll have half a chance to find the bad component and hopefully resurrect it!

EXPENSES:

• Ebay: receiver 150 (wanted 175) paid cash
• Craigslist: speakers 100 (wanted 120) paid cash
• Walmart: speaker wire/RCA cable 26.93
• Target: RCA cable 8.63
• Ebay: 50 inner sleeves 24.99
• Ebay: 100 outer sleeves 34.99
• Ebay: receiver manual 5.50
• Home Depot: supplies 19.18
• TOTAL=$370.22

Here are the select records I have added to the collection.  I have so many more I don't even have room for them so they are currently in a crate in my office at work.  At the bottom is a mix I just did from these selected records.  I haven't listened to them all yet but here are some standouts:

1) The two Journey albums are pre-Steve Perry.  I always read that they were a semi-prog rock band in that era but I had never heard it.  So far both are really good.
2) My uncle recommended that I listen to Phil Manzenera 801 Live.  He did not have this on vinyl but I streamed it and loved it.  He also gave it to me on a (very old) cassette tape.  Here we have one of the 801 studio albums which I have not checked out yet.  I did listen to K-Scope a bit and dug it but it wasn't as good as the 801 Live.  I was always a bit weirded out by Phil Manzenera when I was a kid, I would look at the albums at my uncles and I never understood what genre of music it is exactly, and the covers were odd.
3) The same goes for Shadowfax.  I was going to kick this one to the curb then I looked at saw they were from Chicago.  This is really excellent and I've spun it and streamed it a few times.
4) The Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours' is a Dutch import on white vinyl! I have no idea why he has this!
5) Ummagumma is a vinyl I used to stare at when I was a kid.  Not just because of the cover (though I did think that was awesome), but the band photos and the rear jacket photo especially really weirded me out.  The studio half of this album is so noisy and experimental it isn't really that listenable. I need to give the live half a chance.
6) He put 'Don't Go' by Yaz on a mixtape he made me when I was young.  Song has a bad vibe and so does the cover.  Couldn't leave this one behind.
7) Same goes for 'Journey to Love', the title cut was on a mixtape.  I actually already own this LP, it is a promo (not a true promo, but does have a huge sticker) but it is kind of beat.  So now I have both.
8) The Billy Cobham was a no brainer and is excellent, very chaotic and like early Mahavishnu.