old unit question

[smuggs]

lol my mate has just dropped over a very old rotel--rx-202 mkii to me says i can have it, the wood affect is peeling off on the top but i can restore that new plug top and ill be away. Im going to give my MA br5's a spin on them will it be worse or better than my denon1909 av amp???

second question i have tape/aux left and right is that ok to put the cd inters in

 

[matthewpiano]

Only way to tell will be to give it a go. Some of the old stuff is stunning but I haven't heard the Rotel unit you have so couldn't say.

Yes, the 'AUX' input is fine for CD.

 

[smuggs]

cant make my mind it it seems more at you if that make sense not sure if the sound quality is better or worse, hardly need to turn the volume about 9 o'clock on the knob. When i turn it up it has a little crakle for about a second and then settles is that cause it has not been used for a while does not crackle until say 10o'clock area which is to loud anyway.

 

[the record spot]

Crackle on the volume knob isn't unusual on older kit and easily fixed.

Don't know the model but Rotel has a good reputation, best thing to do is let the amp run for a day or two before really making judgements, though it's always tempting to do this at the outset.

The Sansui amp in my signature line below is fairly new to me, only had it for over a week and out the box, it was a little sterile. Ran it for a day or two and within a few hours, it had opened up significantly; very impressive IMO. You might find something similar happens with the Rotel.

 

[smuggs]

cheers pal, i will give a good run for the next few days but if i like it which i think i do i will buy a better conditioned one of ebay or one of the amps your on about i surpose you could get over a year 4 or 5 good old olds for the price of one new one and you will find one that you love and if you fancy a change your sorted. Its hard with no remote though all the cds on my harddrive seem to be recorded at differant volumes.

 

[the record spot]

That's a fair point - given the typical budget amp entry price around £200-£300, you could pick up quite a few good old amps, or one very good one (Quad 33/303 comes to mind). Like the idea of several, though just been down that road over the past year and Mrs. R_S was less than impressed!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Apologies if this takes everyone off stream as it is my first time getting involved with on line 'chat'. Also, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me here.

I had hoped to give my newphew my Cambridege Audio seperates , which were working ok until I realised that the speakers would not pick up on any of the CD's , whereas the radio was ok. Further, when I turned the volume up, the CD system shut down. As well as my ignorace needing some assistance, could someone please assist in resolving this problem?

Again, thanks in advance for any comments / assistance.

Regards,

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

my whole system is old! ... and cheap

pioneer A400 amp connected to a marantz CD63 MKII K1 signature cd player and an old pair of B&W DM2 speakers (1st version-hand built 3 way transmissions) ... plus a Slver High Breed Coherence LE interconnect ....

sounds superb (to me) ... and the whole system only cost me £280

 

[smuggs]

good work, i am going to be buying an old amp most months till i fall in love with one.

 

[matthewpiano]

Ha ha. You'll end up with a collection of older gear like me!!

Once you start down the older hi-fi route there is no going back. The performance per pound can be quite incredible.

Total cost of the CD/amp/speaker combo I'm currently using? £75, and it sounds superb. The amp and CD player are circa 1991 and the speakers are late 1980s from what I consider to be Mordaunt-Short's real golden period. Unlike most modern speakers they are a sealed, infinite baffle design and give a much more balanced sound.

Previous set-ups have added up to £1300 but I wouldn't go back for anything in the world. I'm just enjoying the music more, and that is what it is all about.