Stereo Systems: What do you have ?

[Commander Wallace]

Over the weekend, I discovered my Sony CD and DVD player had developed an appetite for my CD's. Thankfully, the CD's were homemade. The DVD's were not so lucky. I found heavy scratches on My DVD's as well.

Being sometimes able to Work from home has it's benefits. I was up very early, not being able to sleep and dug out an older and yet superb Yamaha AV receiver. It has many cinema modes as well. I pulled out a Yamaha CD player to pair with it as well. They are both part of the Yamaha " Natural Sound " series. I put the setup together with a pair of AIWA 150 watt speakers. I also have large Fisher speakers that stand better than 3 feet tall. They look like they have 15 inch Woofers. I also have a pair of high end Kef 102's. I also have 4 very old Zenith Allegro speakers that sound great.

The natural sound series of Yamaha audio products sounds superb. Natural sound is a good terminology for what I am hearing in the Yamaha system. What the setup lacks in an overwhelming bass response, it makes up with a clear crystalline sound that brings classical music to life. That's not to say that the bass response isn't good on this system, just balanced. The only thing that I have heard that sounds a bit better is a McIntosh Amp / Preamp setup. However, these systems can easily be $ 6000-7000 dollars. That doesn't include peripherals like speakers.

I have also heard lesser receivers and stereo's that present a cluttered sound that isn't able to differentiate or separate signal paths. As a result, you get a " wall of sound " that quickly fatigues the ears. The lesser stereo systems reminds me of the bad " garage rock bands " I knew growing up.

I spent part of the day throwing Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston to Bad Company, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as classical at this system. It all sounds fantastic. I didn't get all that much work done but it's been a fun day. Tomorrow is another day.


I was wondering what, if any, stereo systems people are listening to. I also wanted to know what kind of music everyone is putting through them and their impressions and opinions of their respective stereo systems.

[mapuc]

In my hobby room I have and old ghettoblaster with analog FM radio and cd-player.

In my living room I have a DAB+ radio with cd-player

Some years ago I had what you called a stereo rack, with record players, radio, amplifier and double cassette player and two loudspeaker.

What kind of music I hear...I listen mostly to Classic FM. Otherwise it's ELO, Mike Oldfield, jean Michel Jarre and ABBA

Markus

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by mapuc

In my hobby room I have and old ghettoblaster with analog FM radio and cd-player.

In my living room I have a DAB+ radio with cd-player

Some years ago I had what you called a stereo rack, with record players, radio, amplifier and double cassette player and two loudspeaker.

What kind of music I hear...I listen mostly to Classic FM. Otherwise it's ELO, Mike Oldfield, jean Michel Jarre and ABBA

Markus

Ghetto Blaster ? Did you really just say that ? You know Markus, I think you are really getting the hang of American slang phrases.

Good music though, Markus.

[Skybird]

An old-fashioned hi-fi system from the 90s in my living room, but hardly ever used. Rich CD library, all scratch free, I don't understand why so many people complain about scratches and CDs only live a few years - what do you do with your discs? Do you use them as frisbees or what?

I have Samsung blutooth NC "ear beans" as well as an NC blutooth headphone of the Bigger type, which I use a lot now with a tablet or smartphone, having mostly digitised my old tapes or CDs many years ago. I also use a duo of two Soundcore blutooth speakers in the kitchen (true stereo), their sound quality the way I set them up is unbelievable for 2x40 Euros.

I rarely listen to the radio, too much babbling and strange noise that they misleadingly call "music", but sounds like heavy machines doing work at a building site. I like my CDs and internet radio with theme-based stations without talking. The older I get, the more I feel the need to get away from this crazy world and its crazy people, sometimes I find it really hard to bear people now. I am becoming allergic to and aggressive from media, especially mainstream media.

While they invent many new sound standards and True sound and Natural Sound and whatever it is called, to me these usually are only tricks to boost sales newly, anmd spacious sound tehcnolgies often sound distorted and artificial to me. Despite its bad reputation: stnadard Stereo, 2 channels, if you have a good music sample well recorded and then have it turned into an MP3 with a real high bit rate - I promise you that the overhwhelming majority of people and experts would be unable to reliably note a difference to a CD, no matter what speakers or headphones are being used. And my ears are still top: I could listen to bats, and during an accoustic test just a few years ago was told I had the perception characteristics line of a 15-20 year old. My father even had the so-called absolute hearing/ear, now at high age he lost it.

For archiving I prefer hardware CDs. For everday use, I prefer digital interface and blutooth speaker/headphones, its more comfortable. Also, I am a bit sentimental for my old CDs. They make me remember the time when CDs were new and players were expensive and time was still good.

[Rhodes]

Never had a hi-fi system from the 90s. Have a Rotel CD-player and a Cyrus One amplifier plus two home made speakers ( built by a electronic professor, colleague/friend of my father).
My father was more vinyl and had a Thorens player. Sadly i have not room to have that assemble and connected.

But I might have if a discard some stuff around here...

[Rockstar]

I have a table top Klipsch The III. It’s a wireless speaker that I think has pretty good sound for the price and size. I can play my Spotify tunes, podcasts, pretty much anything and everything via blue tooth 4.0 from any of my devices.

https://www.klipsch.com/products/the-three