Forty-Plus-Year Adventures with Vintage Dynaco Stereo Equipment and More! PART THREE.

July 19, 2018

#261

Gentle reader, 

Third in the continuing saga of seemingly constant changes I managed to achieve over more than forty years seeking "Audio Nirvana". Previous chapter is here:

Forty-Plus-Year Adventures with Vintage Dynaco Stereo Equipment and More! PART TWO.

What is missing above? A power amplifier, that's what.

And here it is. But wait, what else do we have here? It is the first iteration of a SEPARATE SIX-CHANNEL system to play SACDs in all their multi-channel splendor. SONY H-T receiver and OPPO universal player are the ticket to ride. The Kenwood THX Certified amp on the left is for the stereo system.

I picked up this teak shelf and decided to put it to use. I've found, bought and tried out numerous home theater receivers over the years. In fact, my latest find, a Pioneer VSX-971V, sits inches from me with a Denon universal player so that I can enjoy FM, CDs and SACDs in the home office.

Placement of that 12" sub was a problem as you can see below. 

First go-round with this new challenge. I found that single POLK Audio speaker in the center and came up with that contrived post/platform to put it on. The BOSE 301s are now the front speakers of the six channel kit. At first, I used two of the tiny Infinity speakers for the rears from the living room system. Oh, of course, the "home theater" in the living room was ALSO going through changes. Drove my wife nuts.

Extra speakers have found new homes. Much cleaner look now. Note, below, the addition of convoluted foam mounted on corrugated board behind the oak speakers, below. Bass traps?

Now, we are getting somewhere. I found a matching pair of POLK Audio speakers and stood them all upright. I read in one of the many books on speakers that they should never lay down. The author explained why, but that was an old book.

DAT's it! Yes, someone donated a Digital Audio Tape machine and I bought it. Turns out something was off because the tape speed was wrong. I sold it on.

Other finds, above, a Nakamichi CDC-200 changer which remains a permanent part of the stereo. The SONY DVP-S9000ES DVD-SACD player mentioned in the last chapter is at the bottom.

No longer had I a tuner in the stereo. That Floor Radio I wrote about previously did and still does nicely for FM in the listening room. JVC 3-head cassette is also a permanent part.

The OPPO was moved to the stereo because......

A SONY SACD changer took it's place. Who better than SONY to make a SACD player. They and Philips co-created both music disc formats.

New additions include a pair of Axiom Millennia M3Ti speakers atop the stands. AND a pair of DCM Timeframe 275 speakers. For a while, they were in the office doing duty.

Much to see hear and below. Get it? Anyway, I found a second subwoofer, don't recall who made it, both attached to the six-channel system. Found and installed a proper TV shelf for the center channel speaker. I do not recall the maker of that speaker either. Turns out, the woofer of the original Polk Audio had stopped working. Can't have that.

And speaking of POLK Audio, I found this center channel at a thrift store and ordered brand new POLK Audio speakers to match. Yes, the tweeters ARE supposed to be at the bottom. Axiom grilles are off here. They were my first speakers with non-parallel sides to the cabinets.

Now showing....Acutex MTS/3 speakers. The ones with fake midrange drivers. I decided to make them mirror-images by flipping one tweeter/fake over. I also refinished the cabinets. I love working with wood.

Don't know that it really made any difference. Here's the backs of them with sheets attached explaining.

I chose "Full size" for this image above, how big it is on whatever you are viewing this on, I have no idea. But I can read it right now. I replaced the cheap terminals as I often did with three-way binding/banana terminals.

Cerwin-Vega! That is how the badges read on my new-to-me LS-12s. My first and probably last pair of the American legends. They AND the BOSE 301s are now in this room, the office. They are driven by the Pioneer receiver in tandem. The BOSE are mounted near the ceiling directly above the LS-12s. They are eight feet apart. Literal wall of sound.

The second subwoofer has found a new home. Check out that big dragon on the old one!

White Van Speakers! I could not resist buying these Digital 2000 speakers. I bought them the same time as the C-Vs. I eventually took the components out and sold them, trashing the cabinets. 

They actually seem to be well made.

 Someone bought them.

Hopefully enjoying their sound.

This is the first appearance of my restomodded Radio Shack Minimus 11 diecast aluminum speakers, sitting in front of the C-Vs. I replaced everything which includes FMT ribbon tweeters from Parts Express. Now horn loaded.

I fully documented and presented a step-by-step article outlining all the changes I made to these wee speakers. Their sound was amazing. My wife, who is not into all this that I do, but being a collector as well, understands, sat through song after song as these played. She admitted they do sound amazing. She does not do that. Maybe a, "Mm-huh, that sound's nice."

Wiring and cables, there has been much written and argued about regarding this subject. I found a seller on eBay who was a home theater installer. He had dozens of Liberty Cable cables available, used, for a fraction of new cost. All top-of-the-line Z500s. I bought many and outfitted the system with them. They are the blue ones. Grey, or is it gray, ones are Monster Cable.

And then, it all came apart. Well, not by itself, I decided having TWO complete systems in one room was silly. Plus, the SACD surround sound to me was not that much of an improvement. As you can see, here are all the parts including speakers. Note the Radio Shack models with the Linaeum ribbon tweeters. Not previously seen here.   

This is a good stopping point in the saga. I hope you are enjoying these articles. I'm having a ball putting them together.

Thanks once again for looking. I really appreciate it.

Scott
July 19, 2018
#261