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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2012 21:27:39 GMT
Sometimes I like to go my Radio Shack CD-3904 battery powered portable cd player. It's powered by 2 Alkaline AA batteries and I can listen to my ATH-5000's, HD-595's, SR-125's, and AD-700's, but the 702's need a bit more behind 'em.
This little guy even has a line out for me to hook up to my Qinpu A3 integrated amp (with JAN G.E. 5670's in it) and power up a little system of Japanese made Minimus 7's and an Energy e=XL S8 subwoofer for in room playback.
There's no noise from the deck and it ain't half bad sound....it puts a smile on my face everytime I fire it up!
Anybody else still playing around with yesterday's tech? J
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2012 21:33:17 GMT
I just recently weened myself off MiniDisc Home deck and portable but a .Flac filled Fuze+ dragged me out of the dark ages. Some of the portable CDPs were actually very good SQ. It's the thought of carrying a bunch of discs around that kills it by todays lazy wot-not standards
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2012 22:23:08 GMT
Yes...I should have stipulated use of these old-school battery powered portable cd players as an "in home", battery powered cd playback device....and not as a "take with you wherever you go" type of playback system.
It's silly nowadays to take a load of cd's on person, but if battery powered playback in home is the raison d'etre of use, is anyone still using these for that?
J
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 0:38:24 GMT
So....I went rummaging around some boxes of wires I have here and there, and I found a stereo mini to left and right phono wire, a long one, too. Hooked it up to the Radio Shack portable cd player from the line out to my Vincent KHV-111 (with an RCA 12AY7 tube in it in place of the Chinese ECC-83) and popped in a "New Flamenco" style cd compilation titled "Frequent Flyer Barcelona", a 2 cd set. Hooked up the W-5000's and I'm digging what I'm hearing. This is R E A L nice sounding. Okay....J
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Nov 21, 2012 0:51:21 GMT
What Old Tech, Low Tech or No Tech? Some of them are built like tanks. Take for example the Pioneer Elite 97 LD player. Still can be used to play CD as a transport. There is nothing better other than the Esoteric CD transport and Philips CDPro 2 transport, IMHO. What about the old Marantz 17 and 63 cdps, valve pres and powers? Audio Research pres and powers? Many more ..............
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 2:14:30 GMT
Well, I guess I have a low tech Radio Shack....about $79 when I bought it.
We, in the States don't get to see some of the stuff you just mentioned....I'd be interested in learning about them, the Pioneer, Esoteric...etc. Are they all battery :-[powered? Or, are we talking about different gear here? I'm just talking about Walkman style personal battery powered cd players doing double duty as in home, battery powered, line out, cd players. Nothing so dramatic as Laser disc, just something one would walk around with. Am I wrong...did Pioneer make a personal Walkman style Laser disc player??
In any event, I really like this combo of Radio Shack and W5000's...it kind of settles the mid forwardness of the AT's....J
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Post by XTRProf on Nov 21, 2012 12:11:56 GMT
No, Pioneer didn't do a walkman style portable. I only is referring to your old tech thingy and there are lots of good stuffs out there of old tech.
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Post by gommer on Nov 21, 2012 12:52:12 GMT
I used to have a Kenwood portable Cd player (it had a custom, internal lead acid battery). I've used it in the car for years on a Sony anti shock / vibration platform in the era where car audio was FM or CC based. Since it's dead now (both battery and laser), it's also gone. Can't remember the model number/name.
Marc
/edit: some googling learned that it was a Kenwood DCP-80 (with remote and optical digital output.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 13:44:31 GMT
Oh Yes! I have my Technics SL-XP160. I bought it in 1996 / 97. I use it when I want to listen to CDs in bed. Initially it was my on-the-road portable system and worked well, as it still does, with my Sennheiser HD 480s. Not top -notch quality naturally, but very respectable nevertheless. The Technics is still in good condition; a few rub marks on the casing but nothing serious. It runs smoothly and the controls are in good order although the (unwanted) bass-boost function can be a bit eratic. It drives all four of my main headphones well - Grado SR60 & 80, the above-mentioned Sennys and my Superlux HD 681s. Alkaline AAs don't run out too quickly and the Technics PSU seems very robust. Moreso than many of today's tiny little things. Also have a tatty Aiwa XP-7 bought 2nd hand via Ebay for a fiver - I had one of these EXCELLENT players for my 40th Birthday until some toe-rag broke in to my car and nicked it along with a guitar amp and a few other bits and bobs. This Aiwa has TOSLINK output... sounds too good to be true when played via my X-DACv3 :-) Derek
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Post by toad on Nov 21, 2012 16:10:28 GMT
I've got a Panasonic SL-MP35 that still gets used occasionally. Usually when I forget to take my Pandora to work I bought it about 10 years ago. It can play MP3 CDs. I have got several CDs with 6 or 7 albums each that I keep in my desk draw at work. It easily handles 320KB MP3s and as I work in a computer room/office with server fans and air con running behind a partition and bookcase that's plenty good enough. Sound quality is pretty good. On par with Ipods, Cowons and Walkman MP3 players etc but not as good as my Pandora but for the £70 or so I paid for it back then I think it was a sound purchse (no pun intended) and of course, if I buy any CDs I can take them to work for a listen. Battery life is great especially when playing the MP3 disks. I think I've had 12 hours out of decent rechargables, which is pretty good for something with moving parts. It drives most of my phones very well, even unamped. Ian
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 3:49:17 GMT
XTRProf....You are preaching to the choir...ME...when you talk of older equipment and how today they would still be "choice" equipment. My Pioneer Elite PD-65 stable platter design, even without the RAM mods done to it...would still be a wonderful cdp. I still have KEF speakers I purchased in 1976 and sound really nice on Classical music. The Brits get the violins, celli, any string instrument, right. I worked for a hifi shop in the late '70's and we sold IMF's. I ended up buying the TLS-50 Mk.II's, but I still regret not picking up their Compact II's!!! My first listen to them floored me and taught me about "coherence". What a speaker. So, yes I was just talking about a "low tech" $79 portable cdp and any of it's brothers and sisters still being used:) J
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 4:02:20 GMT
Great pics...I know I can hear the quiet-ness of a battery powered piece of hifi equipment. My Croft Polestar 1 power amp was originally partnered with a battery powered preamp, but I chose to go for a tubed line stage...and I'm more than thrilled with it. But, maybe if one shows up for sale I'll try and get it. There's something eerily quiet about a battery powered cdp, like this little Radio Shack thing. And, with a line out, to boot. The Technics looks cool. I had one of their cassette portables with a 3 band EQ on it and jeez, Joe Satriani rocked on that thing and their "not bad" included headphones (not in ear) circa 1988. And Kenwood had a real hi-tech one, I think it's the one you mention, gommer. There was a Sony that was highly regarded as well. Good stuff....J
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 8:58:02 GMT
On the topic of sound quality when using batteriey power, I once had a personal FM tuner, very cheap it was. It only ran on batteries and I felt sure it sounded best with fresh heavy-duty zinc cells rather than alkalines?
Today I'll have time to run my little Technics player 'line-out' into my main system (Musical Fidelity A3.2 power amp > Spendor A5 speakers)... just for fun.
Derek
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Post by andy on Nov 22, 2012 10:17:42 GMT
I still use a sony cd walkman next to the bed, using the optical SPDIF out into a DAC. Min reason for using it is its small size, i have a mains adaptor for mine as i was getting through a fair amont of batteries.
Has a farily nutral sound and does the job well.
Have a few in reserve as well, didnt want to find I couldnt get one in the futurt so found a few on ebay.
Andy
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Nov 22, 2012 12:16:25 GMT
I worked for a hifi shop in the late '70's and we sold IMF's. I ended up buying the TLS-50 Mk.II's, but I still regret not picking up their Compact II's!!! Wow, you still have an IMF transmission line? Wonferful bass there! Yup, you are the choir, man!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 16:47:16 GMT
XTRProf....The TLS-50's were part of a divorce settlelment and have been gone for a long time....I have the 12 litre ATC's, now.
Marriage ain't always what it's cracked up to be.
Watch that first step...it's a doozie! J
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 16:54:53 GMT
Andy...what's the Sony's model number? An SPDIF output on a portable is not low tech....J
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Nov 23, 2012 0:16:51 GMT
The TLS-50's were part of a divorce settlelment and have been gone for a long time....I have the 12 litre ATC's, now. You really slum me there. Woah, ATC Pro Stuff now. I had heard an SCM100 Anniversary at a hifi show a year back. This model here: www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/scm100anniversary.phpVery good studio sound from it. If I'm planning a mini home studio, I surely will have that in mind. Btw, you have a mini studio at home?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 0:40:24 GMT
Trump you again Chong, I used to sell ATC products and they are magnificent! Unfortunately the likes of 50 or 100 actives are wayyyyyyyy beyond my pocket Their int. amp and power amps are also top notch. Dear Santa, One pair of SCMA50SL towers in yew wood finish for christmas, Thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 2:31:56 GMT
The 12 litre ATC is a home speaker with the same SL bass/mid main driver as the 20 litre, and both are infinite baffle, sealed enclosures (I hope I got the infinite baffle thing right) and this 12 litre only came in a passive version. I believe the 10 and 20 were/are available in both passive and active.
Yes, anything above what I paid for the 12 litre is beyond my reach financially. They're also incredibly heavy for their size, owing to an 18 pound magnet on the main driver. I've read where a lot of people don't like them because they are dry and very neutral....but, with those in the system, it's the recording that determines the sound....the 12's just shoot out the music:)
But, with this Audio Note preamp's ability to output a signal as a balanced one (ergo the "B" in M2-B), I'm itching to try it out and forgo separate amps and buy the active ATC's. Those big old AN output transformers are built for long runs of balanced wiring.
Dream a little for me...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz J
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