At WSU I had transmission lines built from Roger Sanders design in Speaker Builder. The 10" woofers were from JBL L25. On top were some car audio speakers, Pioneer maybe, I forget. Powered by Kenwood integrated. TV back then had 1/8" jacks for hearing aids or something. An RCA adaptor and the TV became my audio source. So I had Home Theater decades before it became "a thing".
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I recently moved into the mountains of Central Nevada and put together a little system for use with my Solar/Battery power source. Some components were 2nd system, like the Spica TC50 speakers and Pioneer VSX 522 Receiver. For the TT I'm using an Technics SL-10 that was collecting dust. I took a Jolida JD-9 Phono Pre from my main system. I use an old iPhone 6 for digital playback. The system is nice and the big surprise is the Ortofon OMP 10 cartridge with a OMP 30 stylus, talk about make for each other. The 310MC cartridge that came with the SL-10 died many years ago, that's why it was unused. My main system is 300 miles away and I only get to enjoy it when we're in town for Doctor's appointments and such. |
I started out in high school hot wiring portable radios and tape players to larger external speakers. Does that count? I also built a few radio kits back in those days to get started. As an innocent 7 year old I stuck a sewing needle into a cartridge to get it to play my first records. It worked! I heard music! Several electrical shocks along the way playing with the phonograph transformed me into the electrifying hifi creature I am today.😁 |
And remember, we're werewolves now swearwolves! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxt2DSWS_eI The perfect movie to demo your Frankenstein system? I'm partial to documentaries. https://youtu.be/W2w3H_oLSIU?t=3 |
Last, but not to be the least, an actual Frankenstein system: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 In case of any doubt, check out the power conditioner. As bad as it looks from outside let me assure you inside is an absolute horror show! |
Then of course we have the ultimate, Frank N Furter https://youtu.be/icqnmDafkj0?t=31 |
@millercarbon Here ya go! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bride+of+frankinstein+it%27s+alive&docid=608005440370664676... |
Mid-fi NO, HIFI YES. I have 715.00 into a system it will match a LOT of 5-10K systems no problem.. That is 4 speakers, a pair of Infinity RS4b (100.00 and foams from the seller) a pair of VMPS QSO 808s. A 100. 00 usd tube pre amp. A 79.00 class d 2.1 amp. A Sony ES SDAC (100.00). Speaker, RCAs and PC 200.00 or so all DIY. Copper/silver weave. Quite a bang for the buck system.. All the room tweaks were just cushions on the wall kind of thing.. Metal shop.. Regards |
My ’new’ garage/shop system rocks! It’s definitely a mish mash. Well, it’s implementation/arrangement does, the speakers are just nice vintage bookshelf speakers at the moment. I’ll add a sub now that you mention it. Probably move my single 12" Rockville down there for a trial, then decide, maybe a pair of their 8" subs to maintain some bass imaging, try them up here, down there, learn something, except the 8" ones have rear ports, hmmm. Garage/Shop is discards from my main and office systems, and some stuff I was going to give my son that he never took (more my idea than his evidently, often the case). Originally I bought a TT for my new office arrangement to be: a Technics SL-J33, compact, fits on top of a bookcase, linear, quartz DD, programmable scanner version. https://www.ebay.com/itm/373596285167?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&... Then, I got a Mitsubishi Vertical TT going, used it in my office, thus Technics was available. I bought a new Oppo bdp-105 for CD’s in main system, thus CD carousel became available for Garage/Shop. Oppo fairly big, so my Onkyo Dual Cassette moved out of main system to Garage/Shop. Might as well send the 8 Track Player down there with it. Bought some Wharfedale Diamond 225’s, bookshelf speakers for the Garage, tried them in my office first, kept them here, moved my Vintage B&W D110i bookcase speakers down to the Garage/Shop. Coincidentally, my prior Garage/Shop Tandberg Receiver 2080 chose to misbehave. Was going to use a spare Chase RLC-1 as a preamp with my Carver Cube, but instead took back the Onkyo AVR I had set aside for my son, using it’s tuner for my one Jazz station (WBGO 88.3); CD Carousel; Programmable TT; Dual Cassette; 8 Track! I am missing the speakers in the shop, I thought I could use the Onkyo AVR’s Zone 2, got em wired up, haven’t figured out how to get them going via the Onkyo menu. Doesn’t matter, my shop is the biggest mess in it’s 43 year life. I can’t work/listen in there, just close my eyes to get to the little beer/wine refrigerator. |
Fun! I like finding ways to integrate old or inexpensive gear to produce a pleasing sound - disparate equipment driving mains, center and surround with three subs looking for the array sound. Denon, Yamaha, Gallo, Sony, Dayton Audio, JBL and a dash of Paradigm - it's Frankenstein to the core but I enjoy remembering why I bought each piece to begin with! |
I love doing this - it's how i got into gear. When budgets are limited you do it out of necessity. And anyway, by some standards my current system (expensive as hell, to me) is probably low to mid fi frankenstein. My latest one is my garage stereo - bose 301 series iii, old klipsch home theater sub, black sherwood receiver from the 90's and a bluetooth dongle. All in about 50 bucks from the thrifts |