-=Rudy=-
03-08-2003, 03:46 PM
A fun thread!
Have you ever come across a piece of audio or video gear in someone else's trash, or bought it so cheap that you FEEL like you stole it?
I've had a few steals on eBay, the most recent being a pair of Boston A150's for $36. Woofer foam was rotted, and I want to do a few tweaks, but otherwise, it's a heck of a way to buy an (originally) $550 pair of speakers.
A buddy and I used to go out on our bikes on garbage night. We'd sometimes get an old TV and gut it for parts. I found an old Bogen tubed rack-mount PA amplifier that worked fine once I got it home.
But my ultimate in dumpster diving/trash picking was last spring, when I came home at night, backed in the driveway, and saw something kind of shiny sitting on the lawn next to the neighbor's garbage cans. Got closer....hmmm, a bunch of RCA jacks. !! Closer yet--it was a Kenwood receiver, face down in the wet lawn. I let it sit in the garage for a week to dry out, then brought it in. I expected the worst, since I know this receiver in its former life was subjected to a lot of heavy metal at deafening volume. (The joys of neighborly second hand sound pollution. ;) )
Verdict: volume knob was loose, and wouldn't turn the volume control shaft. The loudness adjustment knob...gone. The volume knob also had a couple of white scratches on it. Took the lid off and took a look inside. No burned-up smell. Took apart the front panel and successfully tightened up the volume knob. Plugged it in with a pair of speakers, hit the "A" speaker switch, a *click* from inside and the word "PROTECT" on the display. *sigh* Oh well. Moved to the "B" speaker terminals, tried it again...no problem! Cranked 'er up, no problem again! Must have been a fluke. All the other features and inputs work, and I was able to program my multifunction remote to control it.
Did a detailing job on it, cleaning out dirt and grass (not too much of it, fortunately) and a lot of dust. Also blew out the innards with compressed air. Aside from the missing knob, it looks good, and I've used it for almost a year now. Took a month or two, but I found an identical receiver on eBay--100 watts/channel, with 15/ch to the rear "Dolby Surround" speaker outputs. (This was the era before Pro-Logic.) And the sound did surprise me a bit--I was expecting the same type of mid-fi mush that my Sony receiver put out. On the contrary, it's cleaner, not as murky, and actually packs a punch in the bass. A good system to use for remote speakers.
I've read of some people throwing out their old hi-fi gear, and lucky recipients finding something like a vintage Marantz sitting in a garbage can in the alley. I think I need to get out more. ;)
Have you ever come across a piece of audio or video gear in someone else's trash, or bought it so cheap that you FEEL like you stole it?
I've had a few steals on eBay, the most recent being a pair of Boston A150's for $36. Woofer foam was rotted, and I want to do a few tweaks, but otherwise, it's a heck of a way to buy an (originally) $550 pair of speakers.
A buddy and I used to go out on our bikes on garbage night. We'd sometimes get an old TV and gut it for parts. I found an old Bogen tubed rack-mount PA amplifier that worked fine once I got it home.
But my ultimate in dumpster diving/trash picking was last spring, when I came home at night, backed in the driveway, and saw something kind of shiny sitting on the lawn next to the neighbor's garbage cans. Got closer....hmmm, a bunch of RCA jacks. !! Closer yet--it was a Kenwood receiver, face down in the wet lawn. I let it sit in the garage for a week to dry out, then brought it in. I expected the worst, since I know this receiver in its former life was subjected to a lot of heavy metal at deafening volume. (The joys of neighborly second hand sound pollution. ;) )
Verdict: volume knob was loose, and wouldn't turn the volume control shaft. The loudness adjustment knob...gone. The volume knob also had a couple of white scratches on it. Took the lid off and took a look inside. No burned-up smell. Took apart the front panel and successfully tightened up the volume knob. Plugged it in with a pair of speakers, hit the "A" speaker switch, a *click* from inside and the word "PROTECT" on the display. *sigh* Oh well. Moved to the "B" speaker terminals, tried it again...no problem! Cranked 'er up, no problem again! Must have been a fluke. All the other features and inputs work, and I was able to program my multifunction remote to control it.
Did a detailing job on it, cleaning out dirt and grass (not too much of it, fortunately) and a lot of dust. Also blew out the innards with compressed air. Aside from the missing knob, it looks good, and I've used it for almost a year now. Took a month or two, but I found an identical receiver on eBay--100 watts/channel, with 15/ch to the rear "Dolby Surround" speaker outputs. (This was the era before Pro-Logic.) And the sound did surprise me a bit--I was expecting the same type of mid-fi mush that my Sony receiver put out. On the contrary, it's cleaner, not as murky, and actually packs a punch in the bass. A good system to use for remote speakers.
I've read of some people throwing out their old hi-fi gear, and lucky recipients finding something like a vintage Marantz sitting in a garbage can in the alley. I think I need to get out more. ;)