This week’s installment is a monster of a post. This week I go into my audio setup that I listen to most of the time. This is going to be a long ride so please bear with me. To begin one has to know what this system has to be capable of playing. There is only one answer to that, anything analog. And to be perfectly honest, it just about does that. (Aside from a few very hard to find formats) This system has been setup to play vinyl records, cassette tapes, and good old fashioned radio. However, for the purposes of the darn thing not being somewhat wasted on only that, there are a few additional devices to sort of bring it into the 21st century. Now for the list of parts, the Technics SL-1301 (Discussed in Earlier Post), a Philips TV Antenna with Signal Amplifier, a Magnavox FC 1442 Cassette Deck, the Panasonic RP-966 Dolby B Noise Reduction Unit, the Harman/Kardon 330c Stereo Receiver, and a pair of Radian Research 8-2DP speakers (the ones I refoamed). That is the short list of parts. So that’s where I will begin.
The Magnavox tape deck was a lucky find as the deck was in need of some repair, but ended up being the best I’ve had to date. It only had a belt issue and was in need of a cleaning. Fixed just like that. Plus it was my favorite price (free). The Panasonic Dolby Unit was an odd find at a flea market, I just simply saw it on a table at one booth next to a dbx unit. I spent an entire 5 Dollars US on the thing. It has been very useful in many ways. First, it serves as a low level line amplifier for the somewhat weak phono output on the receiver. Second, it serves as a high quality Dolby B encoder/decoder for my cassette tapes. Also, the darn thing has the coolest analog meter that I have ever seen. The antenna is obvious. That thing was something that I got in order to get analog television reception (prior to digital switch over) and it never really worked. But living in a valley also limits radio reception (they’re the same thing, really) and a short time ago I had the insane idea to use it to get radio signal. It works great and on a good night I can get FM radio stations from an hour and a half away from my house. Now for the powerhouse behind this whole mess (not really joking) the Harman/Kardon 330c. This receiver is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. The front panel is all black and when you start it up it glows a brilliant lime green with some red accents. The receiver only outputs 20 watts per channel into 8 ohms, but with the right pair of speakers it sounds like a 100 watt per channel receiver. The Harman/Kardon is a fantastic receiver to use as it has the most amazing sound that I have ever heard. Also, many of the others who have used one of these receivers has had nothing bad to say about it. This receiver was a free find as it needed a minor tune-up (insert control cleaner here) and presto, fixed receiver. The actual delivery system for all this sound is the speakers. The Radian Research 8-2DP speakers that deliver the sweet soothing sounds of my music are the only speakers I have that are a good fit for this receiver. The speakers deliver a very warm rich sound that have made everything I listen to on this system sound perfect. The speakers came to me for free and were in severe disrepair. the cabinets were moldy and water damaged. The woofers were rotted out and needed new foam. Thankfully, Google cures all problems that I can’t. Thirty dollars and a week later, speakers fixed. Now they rock the house the way they should.
That was only the core system. Additional devices include a broken VCR as a TV tuner and Auxiliary input switcher and on occasion a computer to play CDs and to hear sound from DVDs. However, these aren’t primary devices in this system. That’s the main system. Hope everybody could manage to follow along.
Next Week: The JVC Fiasco
writing4media 
Bill – I’m really enjoying your blogs. I like how you mix the technical with the personal. I think that readers who are into audio equipment as deeply as you are would not only enjoy the technical details, but would also enjoy reading about how you acquired your stuff. You’ve done that in some of the blogs, and I would encourage you to fill out some of the stories about how you got your hands on your stuff in future blogs.
There’s a real enthusiasm that comes across in your writing as well, and that’s a great way to set your blog apart from other audio bloggers.
You should think about submitting some of these to print magazines that cover audio.
Bill — the above comment was left by Bill Lake.